You act true to your name, god of thunder.

It would be interesting to see your builds. I and many other run rails without many issues for years and generally RDO is not a big deal of trouble. But I also have seen insane convoluted mess from other players in terms of how it was (dis)connected and signalled.

The only problem of rails is the signalling of "where problem is" - when we are not talking about direct bugplace finding (like missing part with power connection), the train will simply show a place closest to the point it wants to reach, which in more complicated or convoluted systems can be very tricky to identify.

We can help, but pictures would be needed. If you are not there, you can come to official discord, as sharing pictures there is much easier and you can try starting a thread there about rails. There are many good players there, some of who do really know the game.

I'm admitedly not an expert on trains, but I do follow the guides and I am pretty sure I have at least the basics down correct. I laid a double rail leading from the DO to the cargo station. The train says there is an issue next to a railway depot (the railway depot is not even even close to the destination or the DO) and refuses to move anywhere. It doesn't even leave the DO. Not sure it's worth even trying to solve it at this point, I am legitimately angry. I love this game, but I hate elements of it.

I will admit that I am not a fan of the Rail DO, although I love trains. I think the system is pretty well done, although admittedly, it could do with some improvements.

90% of my rail workloads use finely tuned lines. I admit that this takes a certain degree of micromanagement to get right, but once it's done, it's very satisfactory to watch.

RDOs are buggy, indeed. More so as soon as you take the first step outside of the comfort zone.

They suck at using single track lines.
They stop working completely when you mix diesel and electric locos and have a mix of electrified and non-electrified track.
Troubleshooting problems, when they do arise, is almost impossible.
They enter a complete seizure the moment you create a track system that includes loops. It can handle well systems which are linear with branches, but as soon as you close the loop with tracks around a big city, they stop working completely.

For these reasons, I make heavy use of lines, eat up the micromanagement overhead and very rarely use the RDO, and even then, with very limited scope, which is such a shame.

As for me, this game is the first game involving trains that got me on board with engaging with trains. It follows a rather simple signal system and once you understand the rules, you do very well with it.

The complaints i have with the system are simply the same as the ones i have with roads. Designating them can be clunky but beyond that the system is really sound tbh.

It's not a glowing endorsement either, as i'm sure it could be done better, but it works and feels solid. I feel like a lot of complaints i've seen on steam about trains come from a place of misunderstanding of the general system and thus i can only recommend one of the online guides for it. Give those a go and give the system a chance, it works.

One thing which I cannot recommend enough when using trains with lines is Waypoints! They are instrumental in making sure trains go where you want them and how you want them to go, especially when there is a choice what track to use, when you have 2 or more available tracks between points A and B.

Using waypoints and lengthy bypasses, I make sure they never block each other or hold up road traffic because they're waiting on a red light near a road crossing.

You can also make trains turn around automatically with waypoints, so you don't need to have those huge triangular switches every time you have a line diverging.

Waypoints are great, but only work with lines.

I can only add that the logic behind the movement of trains leaves much to be desired. I was also impressed when I bought it and started building my republic. And, of course, I didn't immediately notice the “silly algorithm” that the developers use to try to keep the game balanced. And while you can somehow tolerate the customs (one car entering/exiting at a time, with three independent lanes), even though it's a very unprofessional solution, there is one situation that made me simply abandon this simulator. Trains go to customs and sell resources. My roads have the correct junctions, built according to the guide. I don't remember the name of the creator, but it's one of the popular guides that even explains the meanings of the colors of railroad connections. Everything was working fine until I noticed the following situation: trains depart from customs to industrial areas, and there is also a line to the city. There is also a route from the industrial areas to the city, but from the other side. So my train goes to customs to sell coal and then returns for more coal, with two or three coal trains running back and forth.Passenger trains carried workers to the industrial areas. And then one day, traffic jams started with passenger trains, and I started watching to understand why, and I saw how my train with coal rarely gets into such a situation when, on the way back, after leaving customs, it goes to the city branch instead of waiting 2 seconds and letting the oncoming train pass and going to the industrial area.
And so, the algorithm sends the train on a very long detour instead of waiting 2-5 seconds.

There are also issues with cars; traffic signs work on a whim. For example, snowplows go out if there is a road, but not always, as I said, on a whim. I got tired of figuring things out and coming up with “crutches” because this is a serious flaw on the part of the developers. And when your city falls apart, it's not pleasant at all. After all, the reason is not you, but the fact that the car does not obey and drives under a prohibitory sign. And unfortunately, there are many such moments. I haven't played for a long time, because the game is raw, even after several years after its release, and I regretted supporting the developers. I just came to see what's new here, and I see that the problems still haven't been solved. I played without mods. Not a bad idea, but they didn't pull it off. Next time, I won't buy anything from them if there are bad reviews. And I'm not going to write kilometer-long reports about bugs for free. They should have testers, people who worked before and got paid.

Originally posted by Wallcaviar:

I can only add that the logic behind the movement of trains leaves much to be desired. I was also impressed when I bought it and started building my republic. And, of course, I didn't immediately notice the “silly algorithm” that the developers use to try to keep the game balanced. And while you can somehow tolerate the customs (one car entering/exiting at a time, with three independent lanes), even though it's a very unprofessional solution, there is one situation that made me simply abandon this simulator. Trains go to customs and sell resources. My roads have the correct junctions, built according to the guide. I don't remember the name of the creator, but it's one of the popular guides that even explains the meanings of the colors of railroad connections. Everything was working fine until I noticed the following situation: trains depart from customs to industrial areas, and there is also a line to the city. There is also a route from the industrial areas to the city, but from the other side. So my train goes to customs to sell coal and then returns for more coal, with two or three coal trains running back and forth.Passenger trains carried workers to the industrial areas. And then one day, traffic jams started with passenger trains, and I started watching to understand why, and I saw how my train with coal rarely gets into such a situation when, on the way back, after leaving customs, it goes to the city branch instead of waiting 2 seconds and letting the oncoming train pass and going to the industrial area.
And so, the algorithm sends the train on a very long detour instead of waiting 2-5 seconds.

There are also issues with cars; traffic signs work on a whim. For example, snowplows go out if there is a road, but not always, as I said, on a whim. I got tired of figuring things out and coming up with “crutches” because this is a serious flaw on the part of the developers. And when your city falls apart, it's not pleasant at all. After all, the reason is not you, but the fact that the car does not obey and drives under a prohibitory sign. And unfortunately, there are many such moments. I haven't played for a long time, because the game is raw, even after several years after its release, and I regretted supporting the developers. I just came to see what's new here, and I see that the problems still haven't been solved. I played without mods. Not a bad idea, but they didn't pull it off. Next time, I won't buy anything from them if there are bad reviews. And I'm not going to write kilometer-long reports about bugs for free. They should have testers, people who worked before and got paid.

You're not wrong. The game is most definitely raw. It's not Transport Fever, where you can play drunk, with one eye watching a movie and while talking on the phone and it would still play out.

I suppose I am of a rare breed because I like solutionizing. By my nature, I refuse to let the algorithm decide for me, hence why I prefer lines + waypoints to letting a Distribution Office do the thinking for me.

Regarding road signs, yes, I've also noticed they often get ignored, and yes, the snowplows are some of the worst offenders, and the algorithm for them is atrocious... Yes, yes, I'll snowplow this empty stretch of road, despite the prohibited entry sign and despite the busy artery going into the city being completely bogged down in snow, of course...

It's an unpolished gem. If you were looking for a refined, flawless experience, this game ain't it, and it's fine for you to be frank about it.

Originally posted by Bufnitza:

Originally posted by Wallcaviar:

I can only add that the logic behind the movement of trains leaves much to be desired. I was also impressed when I bought it and started building my republic. And, of course, I didn't immediately notice the “silly algorithm” that the developers use to try to keep the game balanced. And while you can somehow tolerate the customs (one car entering/exiting at a time, with three independent lanes), even though it's a very unprofessional solution, there is one situation that made me simply abandon this simulator. Trains go to customs and sell resources. My roads have the correct junctions, built according to the guide. I don't remember the name of the creator, but it's one of the popular guides that even explains the meanings of the colors of railroad connections. Everything was working fine until I noticed the following situation: trains depart from customs to industrial areas, and there is also a line to the city. There is also a route from the industrial areas to the city, but from the other side. So my train goes to customs to sell coal and then returns for more coal, with two or three coal trains running back and forth.Passenger trains carried workers to the industrial areas. And then one day, traffic jams started with passenger trains, and I started watching to understand why, and I saw how my train with coal rarely gets into such a situation when, on the way back, after leaving customs, it goes to the city branch instead of waiting 2 seconds and letting the oncoming train pass and going to the industrial area.
And so, the algorithm sends the train on a very long detour instead of waiting 2-5 seconds.

There are also issues with cars; traffic signs work on a whim. For example, snowplows go out if there is a road, but not always, as I said, on a whim. I got tired of figuring things out and coming up with “crutches” because this is a serious flaw on the part of the developers. And when your city falls apart, it's not pleasant at all. After all, the reason is not you, but the fact that the car does not obey and drives under a prohibitory sign. And unfortunately, there are many such moments. I haven't played for a long time, because the game is raw, even after several years after its release, and I regretted supporting the developers. I just came to see what's new here, and I see that the problems still haven't been solved. I played without mods. Not a bad idea, but they didn't pull it off. Next time, I won't buy anything from them if there are bad reviews. And I'm not going to write kilometer-long reports about bugs for free. They should have testers, people who worked before and got paid.

You're not wrong. The game is most definitely raw. It's not Transport Fever, where you can play drunk, with one eye watching a movie and while talking on the phone and it would still play out.

I suppose I am of a rare breed because I like solutionizing. By my nature, I refuse to let the algorithm decide for me, hence why I prefer lines + waypoints to letting a Distribution Office do the thinking for me.

Regarding road signs, yes, I've also noticed they often get ignored, and yes, the snowplows are some of the worst offenders, and the algorithm for them is atrocious... Yes, yes, I'll snowplow this empty stretch of road, despite the prohibited entry sign and despite the busy artery going into the city being completely bogged down in snow, of course...

It's an unpolished gem. If you were looking for a refined, flawless experience, this game ain't it, and it's fine for you to be frank about it.

The thing is, I pretend play that the game's wonky algorithms represent the inefficiency of planned economies

You don't actually need to build trains in this game. They are luxury. Conveyor belts and pipelines are the most efficient form of transport of bulk cargoes. Finished goods can be transported by truck.

heretic title

Originally posted by Perun:

After almost 2000 hours of this game, I am ready to uninstall it and never play it again. I hate trains. I hate how no matter what I do, how many youtube guides i follow, they just. don't. work. The Railway DO just bug out constantly, no matter if the rails and signals are correct. They just cite random locations on the map as the source of the issue. I absolutely despise how poorly implemented the railways are in this game - you spend 90% of your time trying ♥♥♥♥♥♥ them. Even a handful of trains on the railway system makes it shut down. There is nothing worse than seeing your cities start to collapse because a train on the other side of the map has decided that some random part of the railway is incorrect - despite having been correct previously. ♥♥♥♥ this and ♥♥♥♥ trains.

Do you play with electrified rails or diesel?

Played for a couple of thousand hours and ran republics with hundreds of trains on them. Problems only occur when the problem sits in front of the PC.

BUT: I never use train DOs and I stopped using Diesel trains because of their ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ stupid refilling logic which could be solved easily if the player could define the refilling station where the trains refills in the train's line management tool.

Originally posted by anok_peace:

Originally posted by Perun:

After almost 2000 hours of this game, I am ready to uninstall it and never play it again. I hate trains. I hate how no matter what I do, how many youtube guides i follow, they just. don't. work. The Railway DO just bug out constantly, no matter if the rails and signals are correct. They just cite random locations on the map as the source of the issue. I absolutely despise how poorly implemented the railways are in this game - you spend 90% of your time trying ♥♥♥♥♥♥ them. Even a handful of trains on the railway system makes it shut down. There is nothing worse than seeing your cities start to collapse because a train on the other side of the map has decided that some random part of the railway is incorrect - despite having been correct previously. ♥♥♥♥ this and ♥♥♥♥ trains.

Do you play with electrified rails or diesel?

I have played with both electrical and diesel trains. Most lately I have been using electrical trains.

I have noticed that the Railways ♥♥♥♥ themselves especially when you try using railway loops. Not sure why - it should be easier than flipping the entire thing around inside the railway station.

Originally posted by Perun:

I have noticed that the Railways ♥♥♥♥ themselves especially when you try using railway loops. Not sure why - it should be easier than flipping the entire thing around inside the railway station.

Pathing is weird in this game. I notice it with road vehicles as well sometimes, as they decide to take very scenic routes. Buses are also a common example, when you have a line open, there's a dotted line drawn on the road which is supposedly the route the vehicles would take, however, I've seen plenty of cases where buses will steer off course (and not for fueling or any other obvious reason).

I usually resort to using waypoints here too, so that they stay on course, as I usually optimize the traffic so that multiple bus lines don't converge and create a jam.

This game is like your dad's Alfa Romeo. You hate it because it breaks down more often than it runs, but you still love it because it's an Alfa and there isn't anything close to that experience...