Pak128 Set Beta Release Notes

Please invest few minutes into reading those lines. It will enhance your Simutrans playing experience and help us to create the game better.

The most important part of alpha release is not testing of graphics, but testing of economic reform. That should be one of the most important changes in new pak set, although it cannot be directly seen. We hope that this change will make Simutrans much more interesting for players and far greater challenge to play. To make it work properly, you will need to use simuconf.tab supplied with the pak release. Copy it to your conf directory in Simutrans folder.
There is plenty of new graphics; almost all has been redone. It is still not tuned and many objects are missing, but we really hope, that even now it will be great fun to play.

How Can You Help to Make This Game Better?

We really, really need feedback, especially one concerning economic reform. I will very welcome any mails of that kind. Please send them to Tomas Kubes (small ones to t_kubes@yahoo.com, big ones mr_napik@centrum.cz) Pease do not get offended by no answer. I try to answer, but sometimes, Im completely out of time. But I do read all emails from people I get.
	Save games - played for at least 5 years
	Screenshots of your accounting - at very end of year - 3rd month of winter, please put vehicle list and finance window on screen and take screenshot of that, convert it to .jpeg (!!!) and send it.
	Graphics bug reports - You can send cropped screenshot or brief description.

Hints for all players
	You need to use 128x128 simuconf, which has 300000 starting money and proper maintenance costs. It is supplied with pak128 release; copy it to conf directory of your Simutrans installation.
	Industry chains were changed heavily. Check dependencies before you will build route!
	It usually takes some years before lines get repaid. That is intention, not problem of your strategy.
	Remember, press shif+g to see goods revenues and speed bonuses. Transport goods with small speed bonus by slow vehicles, that is more profitable. Fast vehicles are only useful for high bonus goods. Low level goods is not very profitable. It is rather just key to high level goods.
	You can use time speed up (keys , and .). As economy is static, once you are sure you have profitable line, you can switch to time pass mode. Please consult Very Short Simutrans How To, to learn about risks.
	Slow computer problem can be solved easily if you want to make time skip. Run Simutrans in window 456*400, go outside of map, turn-off day and night mode. Than all computers that are able to run Simutrans can run it with T=5-10 at least. That will make days pas in few minutes and earn you required cash.

Some Statistics
	New pak128 set consists of 574 objects.
	Those objects are made from 1646 image frames.
	From my own experience, my estimation of time spent on creating those objects graphics is about 1000 (!) work hours (of voluntary work!) spread across whole simu_gfx team.
	We have 302 city buildings, 33 factories and 124 vehicles.