One of the few criticisms of its predecessors was that lucrative lines no longer needed to be touched – the money just kept flowing, and the challenge diminished. That is about to change.
What’s great in real life quickly becomes boring in games: regular, lucrative sources of income. Such “money-printing lines” also existed in the two predecessors of Transport Fever 3. You rarely had to touch or adjust particularly lucrative lines – once they were up and running, they permanently flushed money into your account, even over decades.
But now Urban Games wants to make the world more dynamic. Your population and the environment react more strongly to your decisions, vehicles, buildings, and route planning. But even if you don’t intervene, things change.
Dieter pushes ahead
A simple example: residents want to go to work or shopping. This is simulated individually for each character. If Dieter D. wants to buy fruit, but you don’t provide him with transportation such as a bus or tram, he’ll just walk or take his car. With lots of Dieters, this quickly has an impact: traffic jams, noise, dirt, you don’t make any sales, Dieters are angry. Understandable!
But if you get Dieter to the shops quickly and supply his village with the goods he wants, the village will slowly grow. Just like in the previous games. But now, in Transport Fever 3, there are more factors that influence growth, including:
- Delivery times
- Satisfaction
- Traffic
- Noise
- Pollution
- Bonuses, for example from landmarks
For example, satisfaction depends on whether Dieter has to wait a long time for the next bus and how comfortable the ride is. A covered bus stop and a cozy bus can compensate for long waiting and travel times.
More city, more traffic jams
If you do your job well, villages will gradually grow into metropolises, and each step brings new challenges. These are no longer just goods in demand, as in Anno. Instead, there are more and more Dieters who want to get to more and more shops, workplaces, and homes. More and more industries that want you to supply them with materials and produce goods that, of course, *someone* has to pick up.
That’s why you should constantly review and adjust established lines. Buses may no longer be enough to transport the hordes of Dieters, so trams or trains are needed. Urban Games has set itself ambitious balancing goals; your interventions should be well coordinated and have a comprehensible effect.
Shopping metropolis or industrial magnet?
A city will still grow even if you don’t deliver all the desired products. However, it will grow more slowly. And, very cool: the city changes dynamically depending on your deliveries. If you specialize in commercial goods, more business zones will form, but if you focus on industrial products, new businesses are more likely to form as the city grows.
However, a city’s reputation also depends on how you proceed: if you constantly clear forests or demolish residential buildings, your reputation will suffer. But in return, you can erect noise barriers, lay shaded avenues, or banish railways underground.
Tycoon Tennis
At the beginning of a game, you build your headquarters, which you can expand by reaching milestones. Wings, a pool, and a tennis court are not only chic, but these additions also offer tangible bonuses. The same goes for unlocked landmarks such as a lighthouse, Neuschwanstein Castle, or a Japanese castle.
To ensure that beginners are not immediately overwhelmed and even pros break a sweat, Transport Fever 3 will feature many customizable settings for each game, including industrial density, productivity, and maintenance costs. Incidentally, Urban Games is still not willing to reveal an exact release date, sticking with “2026.”
