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Mashinky - indie 3D transport tycoon that has been developed over 8 years

LESS T_T

Arcane
Joined
Oct 5, 2012
Messages
13,582
Codex 2014
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Mashinky is a strategy game about trains. It has been developed over 8 years by Czech developer Jan Zeleny.

The goal is to create your own transport empire on a procedurally generated map.

The game is a unique blend of realistic graphics combined with an isometric construction mode and boardgame-like rules.

A challenging business simulation game requiring the player to consider everything needed to deliver cargo.

Players start the game in control of a transport company. They must lay tracks on difficult terrain, invent and buy new vehicles, manage routes and compete against economic rules to make as much profit as possible by transporting passengers and various cargos.

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Player can switch to a unique 2D construction mode inspired by old strategy jewels. This is an isometric grid based map where every change of traffic layout is a rewarding puzzle. You can either build simple tracks connecting just two stations, or sophisticated signal driven junctions to maximize the value of your high speed tracks.


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As the game progresses, you’ll need to extend and customize your transport empire. You can customize or upgrade industry buildings, stations and depots by various extensions, and even trains using special wagons. Each upgrade gives you a unique bonus; greater capacity, new processing rules or even new cargo types. The player can choose their own strategy based on the world they’re playing in.


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With the innovative viewing modes, you can ride one of your trains or watch the operation of the network you have built. You can switch back from construction mode to the fully 3D realistic world with details down to the . You can see your track network from a different perspective, or even jump into one of your train and enjoy the ride.


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In Mashinky, you’ll progress from the Age of Steam through the modern era and into the future. You’ll see new industries and vehicles appearing in each era. Villages will grow to become cities, new infrastructure and upgrades will become available. It is up to you how you use these new features to build your network further. From humble beginnings, you’ll build a vast transport network using everything from steam power to maglev technology, moving cargo from coal and wood to electronics and superconductors.

"Coming soon" to Early Access and ETA for the full release is 2019.

Apparently the developer is senior programmer at Bohemia Interactive.
 

Stokowski

Arcane
Joined
Nov 23, 2011
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4,580
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Gehenna
A few things I learned from various streamers/youtubers' Mashinky vids:

- the procedurally generated map is very crowded (in the manner of the original TTD). Don't know if there are options for a lower density of town/resource/factory. Much of the challenge seems to be creating a workable network in such crowded space because ...
- unlike TTD, the rewards from transporting people and stuff is not based on distance, so compressed but working networks are most effective.
- rather than just money, rewards also come in the form of tokens, which are needed for various upgrades, so to get that sawmill upgrade you need to deliver enough wood to get x wood tokens to pay for it. This is the "strategic layer" apparently. It looks very simple and easy but I suspect that it's intended to be very tweakable later on to create different difficulty levels.
- Two kinds of "quest" occur: one is a set of linked achievements throughout a scenario, that on completion allow you to move on to the next scenario (which is the next time period). The other are smaller, semi-random one-offs, a bit in the manner of Tropico's "do x to get y" bonus tasks.
- doesn't appear to be wear and tear / maintenance. Although there are depots, so ??? might be a simple depot visit every so often keeps everything in working order.
- very simple signal set at the moment. No idea if TTD Patch level of signal sophistication is planned.
- passengers come in classes and you need different carriages for the types. Does not appear passengers seek specific destinations, just to be delivered anywhere. A shame, but maybe that'll change.
- Close up view looks very nice, but design is very European, so strange to see a Hiawatha-themed loco. Maybe landscapes will change to reflect the different scenarios (eras) in future?
 

Makabb

Arcane
Shitposter Bethestard
Joined
Sep 19, 2014
Messages
11,753
This will be the best transport game ever, i'm playing it and already its mega fun and much better than openttd.
 

spectre

Arcane
Joined
Oct 26, 2008
Messages
5,382
I got this recently. Plays quite nicely so far, although it's more of a build for building sake sandbox rather than a proper game. No crashes, runs great, switches smoothly from the TTD grid style to purdy 3d.
I get slight hiccups on the largest map size, but nothing major when it comes to stability and/or performance.

The essence of the game is there - building railways and watching trains go, so that shit gets moved around efficiently and without babysitting. Not a lot more, but I guess it's quite enough if you're into these kinds of games.

There are modes which can provide quite a bit of challenge, with drastically increased upkeep costs an allowing only one train depot.

The game progresses linearly - you start at the early stages of locomotion, with the map largely unpopulated and only the most basic materials and carriage types to use.
Instead of everything costing money, you get several types of resource "tokens" - money,wood, iron, coal, oil, etc. which are generated when you transport the appropriate type of cargo to its destination.
Transport passengers (doesn't matter where, they happily go from town to town, transport enough of them and the towns will grow) to earn money, spend money to build a rail connecting the forest
to the lumber yard and the lumber yard to the workshop to get wood tokens. Use wood tokens to get better choo choos and unlock a new era (this can happen by payment, after a certain time limit is reached or both),
which spawns a bunch of new resources, small towns and new trains. The map can get quite cluttered after a time and the challenge is in figuring out where to place your shit.

While this resource system doesn't really have any grounding in reality (e.g. at some point it's better to carry mail rather than passengers - you get more money and makes towns grow faster) and
money quickly becomes an obsolete resource (unless you're doing major earth works), it can be actually quite fun. I was wary of investing into yet another early access, but this one actually works for me. I tried Transport Fever, but it just didn't click.
 

AgentFransis

Cipher
Patron
Joined
Jun 4, 2014
Messages
979
Ok, but is is it better than TTD? Because is sounds just like a clone with a few gimmicks, but it looks worse.
 

spectre

Arcane
Joined
Oct 26, 2008
Messages
5,382
Ok, but is is it better than TTD? Because is sounds just like a clone with a few gimmicks, but it looks worse.
You could pretty much consider it a clone because most of its basic features are there, placed in a similar way) with slight improvements here and there (just an impression, it's been ages since I played ttd, but Mashinky felt like coming back home).
Apart from the resource system, biggest changes are the way tracks are placed (no more sharp 45 degree angles, it looks more organic but takes more space, it still has all the junctions, signals and what have you),
a greater selection of carriages (with different tonnage, cargo capacity, length and buying price) an upgrade system for stations and businesses. The latter lets you specialize stations,
e.g. building a passenger powerhouse with a loading terminal and a restaurant, or a dedicated station for coal haulage

Since it's still technically in alpha, I would say the jury is out, but I think there's potential. Looks are debatable, but I actually like the pseudo 2D view, it's very clean and I think it keeps the aesthetics.
The 3D view is pretty much for watching and making screenshots if you're into that sort of thing.

For the moment, it looks like an unfinished (but quite playable) game about trains for people who like trains (only coal and diesel powered at the moment).
Non-railed transport is not in yet, it's anybody's guess what the power of autism will get us and when.
 

imajia

Augur
Patron
Joined
Dec 14, 2010
Messages
160
Strap Yourselves In
Ok, but is is it better than TTD? Because is sounds just like a clone with a few gimmicks, but it looks worse.
You could pretty much consider it a clone because most of its basic features are there, placed in a similar way) with slight improvements here and there (just an impression, it's been ages since I played ttd, but Mashinky felt like coming back home).
Apart from the resource system, biggest changes are the way tracks are placed (no more sharp 45 degree angles, it looks more organic but takes more space, it still has all the junctions, signals and what have you),
a greater selection of carriages (with different tonnage, cargo capacity, length and buying price) an upgrade system for stations and businesses. The latter lets you specialize stations,
e.g. building a passenger powerhouse with a loading terminal and a restaurant, or a dedicated station for coal haulage

Since it's still technically in alpha, I would say the jury is out, but I think there's potential. Looks are debatable, but I actually like the pseudo 2D view, it's very clean and I think it keeps the aesthetics.
The 3D view is pretty much for watching and making screenshots if you're into that sort of thing.

For the moment, it looks like an unfinished (but quite playable) game about trains for people who like trains (only coal and diesel powered at the moment).
Non-railed transport is not in yet, it's anybody's guess what the power of autism will get us and when.
2 years later and my impression (~20h played) still matches yours and the description given by the other posters. It's not a bad game, but it doesn't add that much compared to OTTD.
The economy in Mashinky is better though than in OTTD. For instance the first trains need money to operate and the next generation coal tokens. To get coal tokens you have to transport coal. If you don't earn enough coal tokens you can't accumulate them which then prevents you from further upgrading trains, stations or factories. The same is true for wood and oil.
In OTTD you can easily earn money and just plaster the map with tracks.

The track and station construction is *way* more limited than in OTTD
- the maps are too small and too crowded.
- doesn't have block signals, only the OTTD path signal equivalent
- creating big stations with a high throughput is limited by the small maps.

Smaller station layouts are OK-ish:
However, something like this is not possible:

All in all not bad, but not good enough for their proclaimed "will be the best transport game ever".

Edit:
there is an option which allows to disable "auto" signals. So you can create complex signal setups. You still need more space, though
 
Last edited:

spectre

Arcane
Joined
Oct 26, 2008
Messages
5,382
So it's been 2 years already, huh? Well, technically it's still labeled as "early alpha", so the pepik isn't technically lying on the "will be" part. Possibly.

Yeah, things tend to take more space than in TTD, one of the reasons being you can't do those 45 degree sharp turns anymore. I always thought trains look very choppy on them, so I can accept such a trade-off.
The trains also need to look nice, after all.
 

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