izigame.me

So I don't know how typical of a player of the Railway Empire games I am, but I think some things need pointed out. The reviews I've read seem to be either totally negative or totally positive. That just seems phony to me. Here are my thoughts...Good game. Not great, but good. There are many good aspects and improvements. I, for one, like that the track laying is a bit easier. I'm ok with the comp doing some of the minutia, such as signals and such. I am also very pleased with the widening of the scope, for lack of a better way of putting it. What is is that the spacing and distance between cities allows for wyes to be more compact and allow for more flexibility on how you lay your tracks. It was always extremely frustrating, in RE1, trying to fit connections and switches in tight spaces when i'm thinking to myself "oh come on, there is actually a couple hundred miles between these cities yet I can't even connect 2 freaking rail lines. That issue has essentially been eliminated and THAT alone is a fantastic improvement. Obviously graphics are better and that's good, though my poor, old computer suffers from that a bit. Oh well, tech only moves one direction so time for an upgrade on the comp I suppose. I don't quite have the full understanding of the new warehouse system, but I think I like it. The fact that the WH is a part of the station is great, and eliminates a lot of the compact frustration I talked about earlier. I think I like the new system much better. I'm not sure if I like the emphasis on rail lines rather than individual trains, but I haven't had any traffic issues yet, and it seems to work fine, so I will table that judgement for now.
Now for the bad...while the research element of RE1 had it's flaws, it was way better than RE2. This also gets into the time scaling, which I am very bummed about. Yes, in RE1 I would have locos far earlier than historically available, but I have my favorite locos, like everyone. While I got to Consolidations, Mallets, Berkshires, Mikados, etc. far faster, I would end up using them forever, and not upgrading to the last "level" of locos until very close to the historical timeframe. I just like having my favorite locos. Sue me. This is my biggest problem with RE2. Well, along with the time scaling, which i'll talk about in a moment. I have all the research for the 1830s done years early, and find myself just sitting there waiting, for years, to get to the next tech developments. That really sucks. Especially since the 10 year "segments" mean that i'm going to have to have locos that I have no real interest in, for God knows how long before I get to ones i am interested in. I think the 1860s are when I start getting to ones I like. From an actual in game time perspective, to get to those later locos, it's completely ridiculous. In that respect, I thought RE1 was about right. You could focus on locos and get to your favorite ones, OR be more "historical" and research the other techs as you moved through the locos and keep to a relatively historical timeline. The option of getting to your favorite locos quickly has been completely eliminated. That sucks...a lot.
That brings me to the time scaling. It's not good at all, in my opinion. So I set out to build the Baltimore & Ohio system, as accurately as I could (much easier on RE2 than 1 I should mention). I should mention that I typically play in custom mode because my joy in the game is building systems, not dealing with idiot AI competitors, yet I do find it far too easy in sandbox mode. Gotta have some limitations to make it fun. So even with the 3 mil starting point, and not making it any easier with gameplay settings, I have the whole dang system built and it isn't even 1840. I am making tons of money but have nowhere to go but ahistorical, and again, it's not even 1840 yet. WTF am I supposed to do for the next 90 years? I even tried to be relaxed and take my time, but still...done by 1840. This is the single biggest flaw in this game, in my opinion. It seems extraordinarily out of balance when combined with the research issue. I could have a coast to coast, Mexico to Canada system and still be years away from even having 2-8-0 Consolidations. That just seems really screwed up. Sure, I could start the game at 1860, but them i'm cheating myself out of game time. This just seems very out of whack.
My other issue is with the locos themselves. Look, I'm an American. I'm not really interested in European locos. Sorry. i'm just not, but they're forced on me now. The answer is simple...MORE LOCOS. If you don't want to separate the tech tree then add more to it. Pair American and Euro locos, in the tech tree, or something. I imagine there are European gamers who don't have much interest in American locos. How about putting Euro locos with Euro maps and American locos with American maps. Just a thought, but I think it would enhance the game a ton. I mean, how can you cut out the most popular freight loco of the late steam period, the Mikado?
Beyond all of that, I don't know why they don't develop a diesel era add on. I mean, come on man. Yes, steam is steam, and is wonderful, but some of us would like more. Think about it. Just a 50 year expansion pack, "The Diesel Era" or something like that. The tech tree for this would be beyond easy for the developers to do. Steam enthusiasts would be free not to purchase it, and it would provide so much more entertainment for folks like me, who have only lived in the diesel era, and appreciate diesel loco development. Come on y'all.
So that's my review. Take or leave it, Hell yeah it or laugh at it. I don't care. It's what I think and there it is.