History VideoGame / TransportTycoon

''Transport Tycoon'' is a pair of [[SpaceManagementGame business management]] [[SimulationGame simulation games]] created by legendary Scottish game developer [[http://www.chrissawyergames.com/ Chris Sawyer]] (of ''VideoGame/RollerCoasterTycoon'' and MicroProse fame). The apparent object of the games is to end up with a monopoly of transport services for a usually randomly generated map. Transport is provided in all four major modes; air, rail, road and water, though the most profit tends to come from rail and then air.

** NotPlayingFairWithResources: AI can completely destroy their environments around towns, free of charge, with no ill effect; the local authority will hate you and you will hate it if you bulldoze one tree. Justified, in that the AI as designed couldn't possibly compete with human players without this kind of handicap.

* AdamSmithHatesYourGuts: The prices eventually rise so high that a piece of road costs more than a skyscraper in real life.

** In ''[=OpenTTD=]'', players can outright ''bribe'' local authorities to improve their ratings. However, it is very expensive (about $1,5 million before inflation is accounted for) and there's the risk of getting caught by a regional investigator, which will result in the company being blocked from interacting with the local authorities they tried to bribe for six months.

''Transport Tycoon'', [=TTDPatch=] and ''[=OpenTTD=]'' have a very long, complex history. Sites that were once useful such as
[[http://www.transporttycoon.net/ Owen's Transport Tycoon Site]] and the (now-defunct) Transport Tycoon Semi-FAQ ([[http://web.archive.org/web/20150415090002/http://i-want-a-website.com/about-tt/ Archive link]]) were very informative fansites around the TurnOfTheMillennium, but are almost useless now. The most valuable information can still be found at [[https://www.tt-forums.net/index.php TT-Forums]], with only the [[http://forums.ttdrussia.net TTDRussia Forums]] showing any other activity to this day.

* TheComputerIsACheatingBastard: On higher difficulties, rival companies enjoy automatically high ratings.

* GroundhogDayLoop: After December 31, 2070, the date loops back to January 1, 2070, rather than proceeding to 2061. A GameBreakingBug if you have vehicles scheduled for maintenance in 2071... Thankfully, this is one of the bugs ''[=TTDPatch=]'' and ''[=OpenTTD=]'' fixes.

* GroundhogDayLoop: After December 31, 2060, the date loops back to January 1, 2060, rather than proceeding to 2061. A GameBreakingBug if you have vehicles scheduled for maintenance in 2061... Thankfully, this is one of the bugs ''[=TTDPatch=]'' and ''[=OpenTTD=]'' fixes.

[[http://www.transporttycoon.net/ Owen's Transport Tycoon Site]] and the (now-defunct) Transport Tycoon Semi-FAQ ([[http://web.archive.org/web/20150415090002/http://i-want-a-website.com/about-tt/ Archive link]]) are very informative fansites.

There is also a FanSequel of sorts, called ''{{VideoGame/Simutrans}}'', but it's an indie game only InspiredBy and not related or legally connected to the ''Transport Tycoon'' series. ''VideoGame/TrainFever'' was an attempt at a modernised SpiritualSequel, however it had a myriad of limitations and bugs which eventually necessitated the release of ''Transport Fever'', the SurprisinglyImprovedSequel with backwards compatibility for most ''Train Fever'' mods (either natively or using a mod that autotranslates the code so it to be usable with ''Transport Fever'').

The FanRemake, ''[[http://openttd.org OpenTTD]]'', is derived from ''Transport Tycoon Deluxe''. Originally a set of patches called ''[=TTDPatch=]'', it was created to allow enthusiasts to include other vehicles, especially historical trains and the like, and eventually grew to add all sorts of features. It supported a plug-in architecture, so users could download add-ons they were interested in. Eventually ''[=TTDPatch=]'' grew much larger than the original game, so some developers decided to replace the remaining bits, allowing the now much-more-elaborate game to be played by anyone. The replacement code was completed in 2004, and an effort begun to replace the art and music, which finished in 2010. ''[=OpenTTD=]'' is free/open source, and works on a wide variety of operating systems. ''[=TTDPatch=]'' is still maintained in parallel, and the huge library of plugins and add-ons works with both.

There is also a FanSequel of sorts, called ''Simutrans'', but it's an indie game only InspiredBy and not related or legally connected to the ''Transport Tycoon'' series.

** The effects of events like WorldWarTwo or the 1970s oil crisis on the economy are completely absent.

** It's quite possible for a bus/lorry driver to see the vehicle in front be hit by a train and go up in flames, and takes the place of the bus/lorry in front of it - with predictable results.

** Gets doubly crapsack when you realise who the [[{{X-COM}} UFO's belong to...]]

* ShoutOut / EasterEgg : Every now and then, an ''{{X-COM}}'' fighter jet or UFO will appear and fly around the map.

** It takes a little time to set up, but if you have created cities directly at sea level, only protected by a dike, and then delete the dike, the city will be overrun by the water and destroyed.
*** There is a map in Transport Tycoon Deluxe called "Damn!" where the ''entire map'' is at sea level and protected by a dike.

!!The ''TransportTycoon'' series contains examples of:

* ArtificialStupidity: The stupid things the AI tries to pass as traffic routes [[http://nylon.net/ttd/stupid.htm has to be seen]] to be believed. The custom AIs available for ''[=OpenTTD=]'' are much less insane, even the one that tries to emulate the "classic" AI.

''Transport Tycoon Deluxe'' is an [[UpdatedRerelease updated version]]. It contains numerous bugfixes and gameplay improvements, including new transport modes and UI. The primary difference between the games is how signals operate. The original Transport Tycoon allows only bi-directional signals, which allow trains to pass in either direction. The Deluxe version introduced uni-directional signals, that only allow a train to pass in a single direction. The FanRemake ''[=OpenTTD=]'' is derived from ''Transport Tycoon Deluxe''.

The game was superseded officially by its 2004 SpiritualSuccessor, ''VideoGame/{{Locomotion}}''. The free software fan game, ''[[http://openttd.org OpenTTD]]'', was established around the same time and is still going strong. There is also a FanSequel of sorts, called ''Simutrans'', but it's an indie game only InspiredBy and not related or legally connected to the ''Transport Tycoon'' series.

The official ''[=OpenTTD=]'' website is [[http://www.openttd.org/en here]]. [[http://www.transporttycoon.net/ Owen's Transport Tycoon Site]] and the (now-defunct) Transport Tycoon Semi-FAQ ([[http://web.archive.org/web/20150415090002/http://i-want-a-website.com/about-tt/ Archive link]]) are very informative fansites.

** Helicopters, which are quite useful for delivering mail and passengers in big cities, effectively cease to exist after 2020.

* [[ColourCodedArmies Colour Coded Companies]]: All companies have a single, associated colour. ''{{Locomotion}}'' and ''[=OpenTTD=]'' allow you to violate this, letting you choose different colours for different vehicles (e. g. different colours for steam, diesel, and electric locomotives).

* GenteelInterbellumSetting: The original starts in 1930. ''Deluxe'' has [[TheFifties 1950]] as the earliest date. SpiritualSuccessor ''{{Locomotion}}'' starts in 1900. ''[=OpenTTD=]'' can start even earlier, given the right [=NewGRFs=].
** By extension, the game features TheEdwardianEra, TheRoaringTwenties, TheFifties, TheSixties, TheSeventies, TheEighties, TheNineties, and TurnOfTheMillennium. In the SpiritualSuccessor ''{{Locomotion}}'', which starts in 1900, each time period gets era-appropriate music, Ragtime for 1900-1920, jazz and blues up to the 1950s, and then various forms of rock and roll and so on up through the 1990s.

* PublicDomainSoundtrack: SpiritualSuccessor ''{{Locomotion}}'' uses Scott Joplin Ragtime pieces for the 1900-1920 era of the game. Averted after 1920, and also averted in ''Transport Tycoon''.
** ''[=OpenTTD=]'' has got an entire Scott Joplin soundtrack among its DownloadableContent.

** The vehicles play it straight or avert it on a case-by-case basis. The initial UK release of Original used real names for the vehicles, which were changed in later releases (see LawyerFriendlyCameo below for details):

* TheWikiRule: [[http://www.tt-wiki.net/wiki/Main_Page Transport Tycoon Wiki]], [[http://wiki.openttd.org/Main_Page OpenTTD Wiki]] and even more specialized wikis.

* LevelAte / ToyTime: The "Toyland" climate.

The two games in the series are ''Transport Tycoon'' (released in 1994 and now referred to as Original) and ''Transport Tycoon Deluxe'' (released in 1995).

''Transport Tycoon Deluxe'' is an [[UpdatedRerelease updated version]]. It contains numerous bugfixes and gameplay improvements, including new transport modes and UI. The primary difference between the games is how signals operate. The original Transport Tycoon allows only bi-directional signals, which allow trains to pass in either direction. The Deluxe version introduced uni-directional signals, that only allow a train to pass in a single direction. The FanRemake ''Open TTD'' is derived from ''Transport Tycoon Deluxe''.

The game was superseded officially by its 2004 SpiritualSuccessor, ''VideoGame/{{Locomotion}}''. The free software fan game, ''[[http://openttd.org Open TTD]]'', was established around the same time and is still going strong. There is also a FanSequel of sorts, called ''Simutrans'', but it's an indie game only InspiredBy and not related or legally connected to the ''Transport Tycoon'' series.

[[http://www.openttd.org/en/ OpenTTD official site]]

[[http://www.transporttycoon.net/ Transport Tycoon series fansite (very informative)]]

* ArtificialStupidity: The stupid things the AI tries to pass as traffic routes [[http://nylon.net/ttd/stupid.htm has to be seen]] to be believed. The AI is less insane in ''Open TTD'', though it's still a pushover.
* PhysicsGoof: Trains can go around extremely tight corners at 300mph, but immediately slow down to a crawl when encountering a tiny hill. Only the [=OpenTTD=] implementation finally added a (more) realistic acceleration model.
* AwesomeButImpractical: Aircraft. There is no doubt that they are [[CoolPlane awesomely cool]] and fast, but their low cargo capacity and need for expensive airport infrastructure makes them, well...[[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin impractical]].
** Averted in OpenTTD, where vast maps (4096x4096) can make Planes a game-breaking tool.

* BoringButPractical: Road vehicles. They don't have the allure of trains or the inherent coolness of aircraft, but they can use existing city roads (and roads laid by your competitors!) and are much less affected by gradients. [=OpenTTD=] has a large number of add-on packs that increase their usability, especially since ''VideoGame/TrafficGiant''[=/=]''Simutrans''-style individual destinations for passengers and cargo have been introduced which for example make town buses as feeder lines to a train station or an airport possible.
* ClownCarBase: The train depots, barely bigger than a train engine.

** NotPlayingFairWithResources: AI can completely destroy their environments around towns with no ill effect; the local authority will hate you and you will hate it if you bulldoze one tree. Justified, in that the AI as designed couldn't possibly compete with human players without this kind of handicap.
** Absent in OpenTTD, AIs now are able to survive without cheating.
* [[ColourCodedArmies Colour Coded Companies]]: All companies have a single, associated colour. ''{{Locomotion}}'' and ''Open TTD'' allow you to violate this, letting you choose different colours for different vehicles (e. g. different colours for steam, diesel, and electric locomotives).
* CoolPlane: Several, from early propeller driven craft to the supersonic [[strike:Concorde]] ''[[LawyerFriendlyCameo Yate Haugan]]'' (i.e. the Concorde).
* CoolTrain: Of course. Classic steam engines, diesel and electric locomotives of various sizes. And, from the 1990s onward, monorails and even maglevs !

* CreatorProvincialism: Before the name change for legal reasons that came in ''Deluxe'', all vehicles in the game sported not only the likeness of their RealLife counterparts, but also their names. Most of these were of British manufacture, representative of British vehicle evolution over the 20th century. This is played particularly straight with nearly all locomotives, as well as virtually all antique trucks (e.g. Bedford, Scamell, etc.) and buses (e.g. the [[http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b9/1929-AEC-Regal-UU6646.jpg/1024px-1929-AEC-Regal-UU6646.jpg AEC Regal]]). However, Sawyer subverted and averted this approach in other parts of the purchase rosters : Only a few aircraft come from UK companies (e.g. the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vickers_Viscount Vickers Viscount]], [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BAC_1-11 BAC 1-11]], [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BAe_146 BAe 146]], partly the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Concorde Concorde]]), with your first available aircraft being a ''[[ItMakesSenseInContext German]]'' [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ju_52 Junkers Ju 52]]. Most later 20th century road vehicles are of European (Renault, Volvo, Peugeot) and American brands or marques (Ford), while keeping some British-made buses around (e.g. the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leyland_Leopard Leyland Leopard]]). The vast majority of the ships are actually generic, not meant to represent any specific RealLife models. The only exception to the this would be the unnamed model of hovercraft, which is clearly modelled on the classic British [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SR.N4 Saunders-Roe SR.N4 "Mountbatten class"]].

* DiagonalSpeedBoost: Sort of. At least OpenTTD does not provide a literal diagonal speed boost; however, the payments are tied to the number of grid lines you have to cross between the stations. If you go 50 squares diagonally, you can be faster than 100 squares parallel to one axis and still receive the same payment for your cargo.
* DifficultButAwesome: Trains. The most complicated transport method to set up initially (especially if you're trying to network all your lines together), but overall the most efficient way to ship non-passenger goods (Planes are best for passengers).

* EasyLogistics: Averted in that vehicles need to be maintained, otherwise they break down. Played straight with passenger and cargo; they will go wherever you ship them.

* GroundhogDayLoop: After December 31, 2060, the date loops back to January 1, 2060, rather than proceeding to 2061. A GameBreakingBug if you have vehicles scheduled for maintenance in 2061...

* LawyerFriendlyCameo / CaptainErsatz : All vehicles from the original 1994 UK installment were real ones from the various eras of the 20th century and all of them used their RealLife names. To avoid potential lawsuits, every vehicle in the US release, and subsequently the ''Deluxe'' version (and by extension, ''Open TTD'') was renamed. For example, a Vickers Viscount becomes a "Coleman Count", the TGV Réseau becomes the "TIM", an Eurostar becomes an "Asiastar", a Boeing 747 is a "Darwin 300", the Lockheed Tristar is a "Guru Galaxy", all planes of the Airbus brand are called "Airtaxi", and the Concorde is referred to as a "[[InherentlyFunnyWords Yate]] [[MemeticMutation Haugan]]".

* ObstructiveBureaucrat: City and town councils can become this, for better or for worse. Especially if they don't know your company well yet and you start massively altering their surroundings and tearing down older buildings - they'll simply ban you from constructing any of your company's structures on their territory, until you regain your reputation (which can often take years).

* TerrainSculpting: Players can reshape the land to suit their needs. The cost is usually high enough that the player will only make small changes.

''Transport Tycoon'' is a pair of [[SpaceManagementGame business management]] [[SimulationGame simulation games]] created by legendary Scottish game developer [[http://www.chrissawyergames.com/ Chris Sawyer]] (of ''RollerCoasterTycoon'' and MicroProse fame). The apparent object of the games is to end up with a monopoly of transport services for a usually randomly generated map. Transport is provided in all four major modes; air, rail, road and water, though the most profit tends to come from rail and then air.

The game was superseded officially by its 2004 SpiritualSuccessor, ''{{Locomotion}}''. The free software fan game, ''[[http://openttd.org Open TTD]]'', was established around the same time and is still going strong. There is also a FanSequel of sorts, called ''Simutrans'', but it's an indie game only InspiredBy and not related or legally connected to the ''Transport Tycoon'' series.

* ArtificialStupidity: The stupid things the AI tries to pass as traffic routes [[http://www.nylon.net/ttd/stupid/index.htm has to be seen]] to be believed. The AI is less insane in ''Open TTD'', though it's still a pushover.