Chris Sawyer Bringing Transport Tycoon to iOS, Android

[macscfan 117]

http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/196526/Chris_Sawyer_on_his_reentry_back_into_video_games.php

 

Set for late 2013.

 

 

This leads us to the here and now, as Sawyer prepares to launch Transport Tycoon for mobile devices (pictured) -- a re-envisioned version of the original classic from 1994, developed in collaboration with Origin8 Technologies.

 

 

"The game is completely re-written (a consequence of the original games being written in 8086 Assembler, which can't be recompiled for other platforms)," he explains, "but the game design is very much based on my older games with updated interface and controls to suit mobile platforms."

He continues, "The graphical style of the game (fixed viewpoint isometric) I think really works well on devices like the iPad and iPhone - It shows a lot of rich detail in a small screen area, and together with the touchscreen interface makes the game feel very tactile."

 

 

Very exciting, as not only did it bring him back into videogames, and not only did it get him heavily involved, but there is a chance we'll see another TT game on the desktop in the future, from what I've heard.  Depends on how well this one does.

 

[NielsC007 499]

I've recently been playing the open-source variant of Transport Tycoon Deluxe. I'm going to buy it if the response isn't too bad. Exciting!

[Indiana Joe 1,752]

Smart move, going mobile.  That's where the industry is headed after all.  And a computer game sequel probably wouldn't do so well considering Locomotion's failure, and the fact that OpenTTD is free for all OS's, with plenty of custom content.

 

In any case, it's exciting to see Chris Sawyer back in the business.

[macscfan 117]

What I hope, since he's probably right and it maybe the most complex simulation on tablets, is that it will succeed, and people will think about getting serious about city simulations on tablets.

 

EA rushed some SimCity stuff out for mobile, but it was very much just hasty ports without a lot of thought put into the interface. 

 

What Sawyer is doing is re-written, with an interface designed specifically for mobile.  I would like to think that if it does well, EA will re-think SimCity on mobile, and that we will see other similar simulations designed for mobile.

 

There are a lot of really lightweight simulations, both city simulators, and other types, on the iPad, but TT is pretty deep.  I also wouldn't mind seeing a new SimTower/Yoot Tower.  The SimTower we have on the iPad is basically the same we had on the desktop, and I think it would do well with a version 2.

[T Wrecks 10,210]

Now that's interesting news! I'm a huge fan of TT / TTD / OTTD, so any news in that department is most welcome.

 

@ Indiana Joe: I'm not so sure about that. IMO, even a mildly overhauled new TT game would have lots of appeal. The old version (and OTTD) suffer from some limitations that would be easy to overcome, but have a huge effect. Some examples:

 

• Graphics. Imagine the possibility to flip the camera and to have scale-accurate vehicles. This would make the building process far easier, and you could actually look at a vehicle and see it's a TGV or an A4 Gresley and not just a tiny, terribly shortened and distorted model that kinda looks like one if you know what it's meant to represent. Cities would also look much less toy-like with better and at least slightly more scale-accurate graphics. Smoothed curves would add so much to visual appeal as well - looks like this was already implemented in the iOS/Android version. The terrain could also be made to look a lot better with just some smaller adjustments - no need to go full-3D instead of fixed-camera isometric.
  It would also be easier to see vehicles, the exact station orientation, signals, and all other details, thus adding actual gameplay value rather than just better looks.
  Likewise, the UI is just too tiny and pixillated on today's screens - a subtle overhaul for high resolutions would work wonders!
• Diagonals: You could already make diagonal train lines - how about roads? How about farm fences and hedges adapting to diagonal lines cutting through them instead of showing that zig-zag pattern?
  How about diagonal bridges? This would open up lots of new possibilities, not least for rail intersections. These seem to have been implemented in the Tablet game already - good move!
• Signals: OTTD already shows some substantial improvements here - path signals alone add so much playing value. Now imagine an option to add block signals every [n] tiles to a rail line automatically, in the same step when you draw the rail line! Imagine it was possible to place signals on bridges and in tunnels!
• Economy: While I agree that TT is a very deep simulation, economy is actually rather simplistic. Passengers and cargo don't have any destinations, they just pile up and wait to be transported wherever you take them. Simutrans is much more advanced in that respect. It is also rather one-dimensional. Iron ore to the steel mill, done. There are GRFs for OpenTTD that make economy much more complex. While it is debatable whether this wouldn't mean too steep a learning curve for beginners, it wouldn't have to be mandatory (think about a "simple/complex economy" option to toggle as you wish). Besides, what's more important: This complex economy allows you to get away from the "the more, the better" logic. Instead, it focuses more on the right quantities in the right timeframe. This means your system must be good and appropriate rather than just high-capacity. This would also mean you might actually choose less powerful vehicles for a change - because you'd need some short-distance cargo distribution, and it would have to be cheap and efficient, not fast and powerful.
• Balancing: One of the biggest weaknesses about railroads in TT is that you can almost disregard anything but speed and running costs. This makes the choice of vehicle very boring and repetitive. By increasing cargo weight, you'd actually be forced to think: Will this fast locomotive be able to pull that train anywhere near the rated top speed? Or will I fare better with that slower, but far more powerful freight locomotive? This way, there would no longer be THE best locomotive for all purposes. Even Railroad Tycoon 1 was better in that respect, at least in the earlier scenarios, when the locomotives can't handle more than 2-4 cars anyway.
  Running costs could also be higher to make lower-performance (but cheap) vehicles more attractive - see point about complex economy - and actually make you think about buying that puny shunting locomtive instead of just clicking away the announcement that it's available as of now and ignoring it henceforth.
  The costs for catenaries could be increased to make the transition from steam to electric as well as the choice between diesel and electric less of a no-brainer.
• Vehicle management: Imagine a user-friendly WYSIWIG-style interface where you drag-and-drop vehicles into groups and easily give group orders such as "you all - yes, all the 53 of you - go to that depot and get replaced by the new truck model"

 

Stick to basic TT gameplay and fixed isometric view and gimme the above options - plus support for community mods - and I'd easily fork out 60-80 bucks.

[Msprintz 25]

Smart move, going mobile.  That's where the industry is headed after all.  And a computer game sequel probably wouldn't do so well considering Locomotion's failure, and the fact that OpenTTD is free for all OS's, with plenty of custom content.

 

In any case, it's exciting to see Chris Sawyer back in the business.

Locomotion only failed because the game was childish right down the graphics ( from someone unbiased, and who has played the railroad tycoon series ).  As far as openTTD I would suspect that's partly what helped spur this new Transportation Tycoon for mobile OS's, as many players who have played OpenTTD most likely played the original Transport Tycoon.  It only makes sense to capitalize off of this rejuvenated and potentially larger fan base.

 

As far as game mechanics went it seemed players could make money hand over fist using aircraft, which I suppose isn't to surprising as it's one of the fastest transportation options and the largest airports can handle a lot of passenger traffic.  Beyond that ships and rail were best for cargo shipments which helped to augment the money made through hauling passengers between airports and the large cities that grew up because of them.