Maximizing Town Growth in OpenTTD
Table of Contents
- Introduction
- Factors Affecting Town Growth
- Town Building Frequency
- Road Network
- Boosting Town Growth
- Servicing Stations
- Funding New Buildings
- Factors Uncontrollable by Players
- Climate Requirements
- Cities vs Normal Towns
- Adjusting Town Growth Speed
- Importance of Road Layout
- Preventing Dead Ends
- Optimizing Road Layouts
- Theoretical Optimal Road Layouts
- Summary
Factors Affecting Town Growth
In OpenTTD, town growth is influenced by various factors. Understanding these factors and their impact is essential for successful town development. Two main points to consider are the frequency of town building and the road network upon which the town is built.
Town Building Frequency
The town window provides important information regarding how often a town tries to build. For example, a town may "grow every 36 days." The base growth rate of a town scales with its size, but there are ways to boost or modify it.
Road Network
The road network plays a crucial role in town growth. Whenever a town attempts to build, it follows roads until it finds an open spot. If the algorithm encounters a dead end, it will restart from the town center. Excessive restarts result in the algorithm giving up, leading to no construction. Therefore, it is vital to avoid dead ends in a town's road layout.
Boosting Town Growth
There are several ways to increase town growth directly or indirectly.
Servicing Stations
One direct method of boosting town growth is by providing servicing stations within the town. Each additional station, up to a maximum of five, significantly increases town growth. However, beyond the fifth station, there is no further increase in growth. It is important to note that only stations that have loaded or unloaded cargo in the last 50 days and are within the outer building radius of the town are counted. By strategically placing stations and ensuring a consistent supply of cargo, town growth can be maximized.
Funding New Buildings
Another way to increase town growth is by using the "fund new buildings" option in the local authority menu. This doubles the town's growth rate temporarily for three months. However, funding buildings multiple times does not have any additional effect. It is advisable to fund new buildings after the previous funding wears off.
Factors Uncontrollable by Players
While players have some control over town growth, there are factors that cannot be directly manipulated.
Climate Requirements
Certain towns require specific resources to grow, depending on the climate. In Arctic climates, towns above the snow line require food. In tropical climates, desert areas require both food and water. Delivering one unit of each resource per month satisfies these requirements and ensures normal town growth.
Cities vs Normal Towns
Some towns are designated as cities, and they have the advantage of growing twice as fast compared to normal towns. Cities can be identified by the "city" designation in parentheses after their name. It is not possible to convert a normal town into a city or vice versa. Therefore, choosing a city is preferable for faster growth.
Adjusting Town Growth Speed
The game settings allow players to adjust the town growth speed. Setting it to "slow" halves growth speed, "fast" doubles it, and "very fast" quadruples it compared to the normal speed. Players can make adjustments based on their preferred pace of town growth.
Importance of Road Layout
The layout of roads in a town has a significant impact on its growth. When a town attempts to build, it starts at the center and follows roads randomly until it finds an open spot. Therefore, it is crucial to have a well-designed road network that minimizes dead ends and maximizes the chances of successful construction.
Preventing Dead Ends
To ensure successful town growth, it is recommended to avoid dead ends in the town's road layout, especially near the town center where the building algorithm always starts. Disabling the "towns are allowed to build roads" option in the settings can help prevent the formation of dead ends and restrict unwanted town expansion.
Optimizing Road Layouts
Optimizing road layouts is a topic that requires further discussion. In the next video, we will delve into more depth regarding the optimization of road layouts and explore what theoretically optimal road layouts look like.
Theoretical Optimal Road Layouts
By utilizing theoretical knowledge of road layout optimization, players can create road networks that promote efficient town growth. We will explore various strategies and techniques to achieve the best possible road layout for maximum growth and productivity.
Summary
To summarize, achieving rapid town growth requires a strategic approach. Key factors include selecting cities for faster growth, providing servicing stations within towns, funding new buildings when necessary, satisfying climate requirements, and optimizing road layouts to avoid dead ends. By implementing these strategies, players can witness their towns thriving and expanding at a remarkable pace.
Thank you for reading! If you have any comments or questions, please feel free to leave them below. Stay tuned for more helpful tips and guides in our next article!
Highlights
- Factors affecting town growth
- Boosting town growth through servicing stations and funding new buildings
- Uncontrollable factors such as climate requirements and cities
- Adjusting town growth speed
- Importance of road layout and preventing dead ends
- Optimizing road layouts for maximum growth
FAQ
Q: Can I convert a normal town into a city in OpenTTD?
A: No, it is not possible to convert a normal town into a city or vice versa. Cities are designated separately and have faster growth rates.
Q: Do climate requirements vary in different game scenarios?
A: Yes, climate requirements for town growth may vary depending on the game scenario. Arctic climates require food, while tropical climates require food and water.
Q: Can I use the same road layout for all towns?
A: It is recommended to optimize road layouts for each town individually based on their specific requirements and constraints.
Q: How many stations should I provide in a town for maximum growth?
A: Up to five stations significantly increase town growth. Additional stations beyond that do not contribute to growth but may have other benefits.
Resources:
