Rail Nation
| Rail Nation | |
|---|---|
| Studio | Bright Future |
| Publisher | Travian Games |
| Erstveröffent- lichung |
2013 |
| platform | Web browser, Android, iOS |
| genre | Economic simulation |
Rail Nation is a browser game and a massively multiplayer online game developed by Bright Future and operated by Travian Games . A free app for the Android and iOS operating systems has also been available since summer 2017 . The game has been in beta since January 31, 2013 . The player builds a railway company and delivers goods to companies and cities. The players can join together in societies and thus cooperate with one another. The aim of the game is, on the one hand, to earn the most prestige points as a single player and, on the other hand, to win the final with your own city.
Rail Nation is available in 19 languages and is offered for many countries with a local top-level domain . According to the publisher, the game had over 500,000 players worldwide in 2014 and over 3 million players in 2016.
Game world and economic system
The game takes place on a fictional map with 50 cities and 1,078 businesses. The player can build tracks on predefined routes and thus link businesses and cities with one another at his own discretion in order to run his trains on these routes. There are 48 goods such as wood, meat or cars, some of which are linked by supply chains . Every city has a level and needs deliveries of goods to level up. For each level, four goods in a certain amount must be transported into a city. In addition, from city level 5, a fixed contingent of passengers must be transported to and from other cities.
Transport premiums are paid for the delivery of goods and passengers, which are calculated in real time . The price is determined by the supply, i.e. the delivery volume of all players, and the demand. The demand depends on the level of the city or the company. In the case of companies, it is also taken into account how much of a subsequent product is in demand. Supply and demand also determine the waiting time a train needs to load. The waiting time can be reduced by supplying preliminary products and investing in companies. If the players in a company together have made at least 50% of the current investment volume, the company receives the majority and the waiting time is reduced by 50%. This element leads to the fact that the players of a society and a city benefit greatly from coordination. This takes place in the game in internet forums and chats .
Each player owns a train station with several buildings. Some buildings generate profits, others expand the player's options, for example by increasing the maximum number of locomotives that a player is allowed to own.
Course of the game
The game is divided into six epochs that build on each other. An epoch lasts 14 days, a game round takes about three months. In each epoch a player can research new locomotives and expand his station.
After the last epoch, the final between the top ten cities will take place. In the course of the endgame, certain quantities of all 48 goods have to be delivered to the city again. The game ends as soon as the first city has delivered all goods.
On express servers, the time per epoch is reduced to 7 days, which doubles the game speed.
Scenarios
There are various scenarios within the Rail Nation game , which differ in the underlying map and numerous game features. In addition to the standard scenario on a fictional map, there has been a USA scenario that plays on a USA map since May 2014, and a Europe environment since April 2016. Among other things, each scenario brought with it its own series for the existing locomotives.
The USA scenario is characterized by an entire round of competition between the eastern and western parts of the country. The players are assigned to one of the two camps and defend their locations. For example, cities can be conquered through targeted deliveries and a guide can be established. Another play element are warehouses , which are distributed on the map as intermediate stations for goods. These also follow the principles of pricing through supply and demand as well as a dynamic waiting time.
The Europe scenario brings essential democratic approaches into play. The map is divided into 10 regions of 5 cities each, all of which play for victory. Each region regularly elects a president and each city a mayor at the same rate . They have various special rights and are therefore responsible for the progress of their region or city. Strong societies often control entire regions by providing several mayors. Based on the basic democratic idea, this often leads to an aristocratic structure, whereby both philosophies are historically founded in Europe. In contrast to the USA scenario, the regional affiliation is not unchangeable, which also enables cooperation between regions and camps. Further characteristics of the scenario are ships that can transport goods specified by the president interregionally, as well as sights belonging to the individual cities , which have to be raised through money deposits in order to advance the specific urban development.
Costs / financing
According to the provider, Rail Nation is “ free-to-play ”, but there are features that are important for the success of the game, some of which can be activated in the game via a premium currency. This premium currency can be earned or purchased with real money via a "shop". These features include, for example, the “Plus Account”, which unlocks additional operating options, or actions such as the quick completion of actions in the game, whereby the paying player can gain an advantage. There is also a retail box that contains instructions and a poster as well as a code with which, among other things, premium currency and a bonus locomotive can be activated.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Announcement about the Rail Nation app
- ↑ Press release on the first anniversary of Rail Nation
- ↑ Markus Schaffarz: Rail Nation 3rd birthday and 3 million players! gamesunit.de. January 28, 2016, accessed March 1, 2018.
- ↑ Announcement for passenger transport in Rail Nation
- ↑ Information note on the USA scenario
- ↑ Information note on the Europe scenario