Random newbie questions

[Narestel]

Ok, I've finally decided to purchase CiM. I've also read the hints and FAQ from citiesinmotion.wikispaces.com, but I still have some newbie questions:

1. I'm playing the first map of the European campaign, Berlin, and there are 2 bus lines already existing by the time we start. After little time playing it, connecting both lines and such, I find that several bus stops are crowded with ~100 people, while the only bus available has a capacity of 10, so the people are getting angry (they have their point ) and my reputation is going down. What do you suggest to in order to "evacuate" those stations better? Add much shorter bus lines between the closest bus stations, add more buses to the same line (I have set 5 for each line), start building metro stations near those stops, ... ?

2. In order for people to take a tram just after the bus, for example, do both stops have to be closer than a certain amount of tiles?

3. Do people pay for each vehicle they use on their single trip, or only for different transportation methods, or just once for the whole trip?

4. Which are usually the best layouts to be checked (or the best hints) in order to create highly profitable lines from the beginning of a map?

5. Isn't there a hotkey to access the "info" button (layouts button)? And, if I have the mouse pointer set to build a bus stop but I want to cancel, how can I quickly turn back to the normal mouse pointer (the one without any item selected to build if I click on the ground)?

Thanks in advance for your patience!

 

[unmerged(21422)]

To preamble: Very good decision to buy CiM.

To 1. Even a bus-stop covers a lot of citizens. They all want to go somewhere. When you put one bus-line after a nother, those people stay a hell of a time in the buses to reach their destinations. That denies the people at other stops any chance to enter a bus. Beside having a mass of big buses, the bus-lines only work as line feeder for metro-stations (or in some cases tram-stations). Metros are the vehicle to transport the masses. Drawn as a picture you can image every metro-station as a star, with different bus-lines starting/ending at it, like tails.

To 2. The closer they are, the faste the citinzs can travel. But a placement within the coverage of both stations should be ok.

To 3. As far as I know they pay the price of the most expensive vehicle on their journey. But I am not that sure...

To 4. Get a big credit from the bank, build a metro line through the center (in most cases main-station to city-center and so on is a great start), and build some bus-lines as feeder to those metro-stations. You will soon get a hell of money from the metro-line. Even your feeder-bus-lines will turn profitable.

To 5. It is the "Z"-key.

 

[Narestel]

To 1. Even a bus-stop covers a lot of citizens. They all want to go somewhere. When you put one bus-line after another, those people stay a hell of a time in the buses to reach their destinations. That denies the people at other stops any chance to enter a bus.

Then, wouldn't I solve anything even if I split a long bus line into several short bus lines? I was thinking about having those passengers forced to be getting off the bus in another bus stop not that crowded within a short distance.

To 4. Get a big credit from the bank, build a metro line through the center (in most cases main-station to city-center and so on is a great start), and build some bus-lines as feeder to those metro-stations. You will soon get a hell of money from the metro-line. Even your feeder-bus-lines will turn profitable.

So, the key would be to build metro stations close to train stations and somewhere in the center, no matter if it's a mall, a monument, or houses?

To 5. It is the "Z"-key.

Indeed, with 'Z' I can remove the selection. Is there any hotkey for the Info ('i') button?

Thanks!

 

[jmr00]

3. Do people pay for each vehicle they use on their single trip, or only for different transportation methods, or just once for the whole trip?

They pay for each transport type they use. So for example, if a person gets on a bus they will pay...if they then transfer to a tram they will pay again. However, if they get onto a bus and pay, but then transfer to another bus they will not pay again.

 

[unmerged(21422)]

Then, wouldn't I solve anything even if I split a long bus line into several short bus lines? I was thinking about having those passengers forced to be getting off the bus in another bus stop not that crowded within a short distance.

Then you'll have a lot of bus-lines that will be used at transit lines. At the junction-stations there will be also a hell of people trying to get on these bus-lines. That will cause a lot of waiting people too.
When you draw your network on a paper with simple lines (or imagine it), you will see, that some of these lines will be used more frequently, because they are in the transit-way of people coming from somewhere and heading to anywhere. This frequent lines need a really big transport capacity. And this is only provided by the metro.

So, the key would be to build metro stations close to train stations and somewhere in the center, no matter if it's a mall, a monument, or houses?

Yeah. The best would be a metro-station in the center, that covers many POIs in the center like malls, monuments and of course big office buildings.

Indeed, with 'Z' I can remove the selection. Is there any hotkey for the Info ('i') button?

Haven't seen that. All shortcuts can be shown/reconfigured under options/settings.

 

[Narestel]

Then you'll have a lot of bus-lines that will be used at transit lines. At the junction-stations there will be also a hell of people trying to get on these bus-lines. That will cause a lot of waiting people too.
When you draw your network on a paper with simple lines (or imagine it), you will see, that some of these lines will be used more frequently, because they are in the transit-way of people coming from somewhere and heading to anywhere. This frequent lines need a really big transport capacity. And this is only provided by the metro.

Ok, you pretty much convinced me of having the metro as the main transportation system in the city. Indeed, it doesn't have to deal with city traffic, it can take 4 times more passengers than the other types and it has a good speed... Only problem: High cost (I guess it will pay off in the middle term)

As for the other lines that are only used to feed the metro stations, what do you usually do: Set each line with only 2 or 3 bus/tram stops at most? And I guess that the stop that feeds the metro doesn't need to be adjacent to the metro station, but only within the range of the metro station itself, right? That would help to plan the feeding lines so they don't share roads, to avoid any traffic jams possible.


BTW, another newbie question: I've seen that each metro station has 2 lines to be used, so there can be 2 metros stopped at the same time in the same station but, is it possible to set 2 vehicles to share either the same line or, at least, the same stop if one comes -let's say- from the left and another comes from the right to the same stop? I guess that this is why we have 3 underground levels AFAIK, to be able to set several lines at the same point of the map...

Thanks again for your help and your patience :laugh:

 

[Tyrberg]

BTW, another newbie question: I've seen that each metro station has 2 lines to be used, so there can be 2 metros stopped at the same time in the same station but, is it possible to set 2 vehicles to share either the same line or, at least, the same stop if one comes -let's say- from the left and another comes from the right to the same stop? I guess that this is why we have 3 underground levels AFAIK, to be able to set several lines at the same point of the map...

Thanks again for your help and your patience :laugh:

You can change lines between the two sides of the plattform. I do normaly build a three stop long metro line, 2 turning stop there line 1 meet line 2 and share plattform but stop on different sides so that it´s as much free space as possible. That way I think it get the best effect.
But I still havent built a coming favorite line.. haven´t spent enough time in Tokyo or another big city.. Looking forward to build a "circle line" going in a big circle and having two lines, one in each direction..

 

[Drag0nflamez]

For buses, I usually build one-way circular lines with only one stop at a metro station, because 2-way would be a waste of expensive fuel.

My metro lines are usually level 1 in central area (except when crossing another line), and above ground in suburbia. Also; if you want to cover much of suburbia, you might consider to have them on a one-way loop, like line 7b in Paris; so that your trains will always have traffic...

 

[unmerged(272945)]

Not sure if anyone mentioned this but remember that the metro has to be built on level -3 to be able to build tunnels under water.

Even though building several metro stations gets expensive in the long-run, I still try to not put too many lines use the same station. If I put the fast forward on and leave the computer for a moment, I sometimes have ended up having to load a previous save because my company has gone too much into minus!

I mean, the lines have to be well-thought of and well-planned, so as not to block 10 trains in one tunnel. In one Berlin scenario I played I ended up jamming a "few" trains with trains leaving from two platforms (station above ground, near water) but with space for only one-way out. A possibility to use waypoints would work wonders...instead of having CIM calculate the "best" route.

 

[Narestel]

You can change lines between the two sides of the plattform. I do normaly build a three stop long metro line, 2 turning stop there line 1 meet line 2 and share plattform but stop on different sides so that it´s as much free space as possible. That way I think it get the best effect.
But I still havent built a coming favorite line.. haven´t spent enough time in Tokyo or another big city.. Looking forward to build a "circle line" going in a big circle and having two lines, one in each direction..

Indeed, each lane of the station may be used for different lines (maybe better to not share railways between lines to avoid jams). I have also tried setting several vehicles to the same line that goes and returns, but the problem is that the metros use both railways when they are crossed one going to the right and the other to the left... apart from the fact that one has to wait if another is stopped in the station, causing jams in the metro line. :rofl:

My guess is that the best scenario to configure metro lines would be to make them go in only one direction per railway doing a loop, as Drag0nflamez mentioned for the buses, so you can put several vehicles on the same railway (and line) without having to see the metros crossing railways and such to avoid underground jams... And that would leave you the other railway for another different metro line (in the other direction, as you said, for example, like the circular line of Madrid too ).

For buses, I usually build one-way circular lines with only one stop at a metro station, because 2-way would be a waste of expensive fuel.

My metro lines are usually level 1 in central area (except when crossing another line), and above ground in suburbia. Also; if you want to cover much of suburbia, you might consider to have them on a one-way loop, like line 7b in Paris; so that your trains will always have traffic...

I appreciate your point of view. I'll try for both metros and buses as mentioned.

 

[Drag0nflamez]

Only for deep water, which is most of the water; although Helsinki has some rivers which can easily be crossed at -1... (or you can surface your line for a viaduct to save money)

 

[Narestel]

New question: How can you get the achievement about completing all Berlin tasks and so on? I finished Berlin in the campaign but I took and completed all of the missions that I was offered :wacko:

 

[TheChrisD]

New question: How can you get the achievement about completing all Berlin tasks and so on? I finished Berlin in the campaign but I took and completed all of the missions that I was offered :wacko:

There are multiple missions for each city during the campaign.

 

[Narestel]

There are multiple missions for each city during the campaign.

I see. How can I know which ones I'm missing and how they can be triggered so I can complete them as well?

 

[douglasrac]

I see. How can I know which ones I'm missing and how they can be triggered so I can complete them as well?

There is a list of tasks above the minimap. The ones you completed are checked in green.
The missions are triggered automatically. I think they are all triggered by time. So you need to keep playing until all the missions come.
But you can know if it's the last mission or not. The main character that gives you mission will say something like last mission. I think in Berlin the last mission is having an X amount of money.

 

[Narestel]

There is a list of tasks above the minimap. The ones you completed are checked in green.
The missions are triggered automatically. I think they are all triggered by time. So you need to keep playing until all the missions come.
But you can know if it's the last mission or not. The main character that gives you mission will say something like last mission. I think in Berlin the last mission is having an X amount of money.

Yeah, I made sure to complete all of the missions displayed there. Maybe it's like you say, that they are triggered by time and perhaps I ended the main missions earlier... Then, I'll have to play the campaign map again. Thanks!