Chris Sawyer's Locomotion

This needs some investigation. Discuss ideas and findings on the talk page. Specifically: There are possible game object naming differences between Europe and North America, like with RCT. #Title Screen Save need a description how to convert the file to a usable state without uploading it. An image encompassing the entire map as an alternative produced a 50MB file at over 300 megapixels!

Chris Sawyer's Locomotion is a sequel to Transport Tycoon. It started development before RollerCoaster Tycoon was released, but Chris Sawyer pivoted to make that game instead after riding and becoming fascinated with roller coasters, derailing development on a Transport Tycoon sequel.

After the publication of that game, work resumed, only to be derailed again, but by the success of said game, becoming RollerCoaster Tycoon 2. Much of its codebase was meant for Locomotion.

After the runaway successes of both those games, Locomotion was worked on for two more years before finally being published. It has received mixed reception, which ended up dividing some people into preferring the older Transport Tycoon, although a fanbase did develop for Locomotion some time later. It was also the last game with Chris Sawyer's direct involvement as the lead developer.

Title Screen Save#

No scenario starts with any degree of a transport network already built or vehicles already running, unlike with the RollerCoaster Tycoon series where some scenarios have rides already built from the start, that the game loads during their sequences. The title screen sequence has some transport networks established. The file Data\title.dat is actually an SV5 file: SC5 files being scenario files, but it can't be opened like a normal SV5 file. Special flags are used for the title sequence so no ordinary save file can be substituted. The sequence only shows a small fraction of what the save contains.

It appears that Chris just let what appears to be an early version of Challenging scenario North America (Midwest) 1970 run for about three in-game years as the player is in debt from building nothing and letting interest accumulate as 13 computer player companies run the show. The scenario has "No details yet" as the description compared to "Create a successful transport company in 1970's America".

Cheats#

Jail#

There is a jail easter egg. Hold insert on the keyboard and type FREECASH. A disappointed audience sound effect plays if done correctly. It places bars over the company owner portrait. The effect seems to last 30 in-game days before clearing. No other effects during gameplay. An announcement displays at the bottom of the screen:

Corporate Scandal!
[Company Owner] jailed for attempted
robbery!

Train Driving Mode#

While a train is stopped, hold insert on the keyboard and type DRIVER. Manual mode should become available.

Manual controls for the train become available. While in this mode, all systems that prevent unsafe train operation will be ignored, including ignoring semaphores and no automatic train stopping and changing direction if the end of a track is reached.

The controls feel analog. It is not all or nothing trying to make a train move faster or slow down. There is even a backwards driving mode for trains instead of automatically changing train direction if it needs to go in the reverse direction. Hold insert and type SHUNT. Using the change direction button in the train window will not visually change how the train is oriented.

Oddities#

The player can take a screenshot at the title screen using the assigned keyboard shortcut defined in the options menu (default CTRL + S). None of Chris Sawyer's previous games allow for this.