1830 Railroads & Robber Barons

[Kosta]

Feel free to comment and discuss this game here. Also, if you have any useful tips or tricks don't hesitate to share them with the others! Thanks!

Review & Download (http://www.abandonia.com/en/games/357)

[FreeFreddy]

Looks to me like a mix from Panzer General and Railroad Tycoon. Same hex-fields like in Panzer General, same railroad construction...

[Dream]

"Scanned and compiled for Home of the Underdogs"

Is in manual...

[Eagle of Fire]

The manual is pretty bad quality too. Doesn't help much since you just can't see graphics in it.

I guess it is needed for the copy protection tough.

[mouse31e]

That's the reason it's included. It's not much use as a manual and the game is pretty self-explanatory but you need the manual text for the copy-protection questions.

The reason it says compiled and scanned for HOTU is presumably that's where Kon-Tiki got the archive from! :D

[Dream]

Well that's not exactly...moral if you ask me.

[mouse31e]

I don't know.

I'd guess it's not the only game that we've got from them or elsewhere.

And probably other sites are using archives from here, maybe even some of HOTU's came from here! It's just that we don't have anything in our archives that identifies where they came from.

And we're not passing it off as ours are we? The .NFO still says Cracked by The Underdogs and the Manual still says who scanned it!

[bjbrains2002]

yep it gives full credit so it's okay. :D

[Sebatianos]

Actually I'm only sure of two walkthroughs (and a copy protection) that were realy done by someone form abandonia (I wrote the walkthrough for Shadows of Mordor and Zak McCracken myself).
Don't think many people would bother - you could very well just give a link to a site with manuals, cheats and walkthroughs (there are tousends of them out there and it's all for free).

[mouse31e]

I think its fine as long as you give credit where credit is due.

If you edit a file to make it look like you did it, that would be immoral!

[dragonLancer]

Hmmmm..... looks kinda hard :blink: I think i will give it a shot (what do i got to lose, I was already humiliated by albion when i got stuck on the ship :cry:) well here i go :guns:




-------------DragonLancer

[Guest]

Yeah the game seems cool on the first sight. It's a pity that the crack at the underdogs is corrupted. :ranting:

[Guest]

Anybody have the manual ?

Need word page 47 line 7 position 5.

Thank you in advance !

Mark

[baaust]

Downloaded the game but it doesn't work on my computer. I'm running XP Pro. Tried to run it in the DOS prompt, but it gives the message "You must have at least 2700K of expanded memory." Any ideas on how I can get this game to work? I've downloaded Railroad Tycoon and it works just fine in the dos prompt.

Thanks in advance.

[Guest]

This works fine when run in Dos Box. Great game, I spent hours playing it this weekend. I even won a few times...

[suser]

Tip: While this game doesn't run under Win XP it runs very nice under Linux with dosemu. That's how I use it. :max:

[Guest]

I've played the board game version...great game indeed. Takes the better part of 10 hours to play, but some of us like board games that way :)

[GunshySlycat1]

Originally posted by suser@Jun 8 2005, 01:37 PM
Tip: While this game doesn't run under Win XP it runs very nice under Linux with dosemu. That's how I use it. :max:
WTF It can't work under XP??

I have XP and d/led it but it won't go!!

[rlbell]

This game rocks!

It is a computer version of the boardgame 1830, which has several sequels. The whole series is referred as the 18XX games. I posess three of the games (but not 1830), but have no-one to play them with (as they typically take six to ten hours to finish). The 1830 computer game lets me enjoy the game, and it plays much faster. The AI is respectable and strategies that win the boardgame work in the pc game, and vice versa.

The only real bug is that an AI that ends up with two railroad companies and no trains will buy one D-train and pass it from company to company. As trains are bought after income is earned, the two companies never earn another dime. The best feature of the game is the info table, because it tells you how much money is left in the game.

The review is slightly incorrect. You do not have to buy six shares in a company to start it. It is enough that, between all of the players, six shares have been sold. As two of the private companies come with shares to public companies, the B&O and PRR can both be started with less than six shares. It was fun to steal the B&O away from the AI that bought the B&O private. In six player games, nobody starts with enough money to float a company, so multiple investors in a company is the only way to get the game rolling.

There are only eight companies in the game, and the winner is the player that manages to be president of three of them.

The only good reason to dump a company on another player is to get money out of a company's treasury, or to get money to start a new company. If you have priority, and an AI has enough stock in the company to have more shares than you after you sell, the company witholds dividends. On the last operationg round before the next stock round, it spends all of its money to buy the oldest train of your other company. Ideally, the other company operates after the to-be-dumped company, so it can buy a new train that scraps the oldest trains and buy any other train that the to-be-dumped company still posesses.

[Doncka115]

I think this game is good, but I can't it play, becouse I don't know...

[Guest]

What is DOS Box and how do I access it?

[Reup]

Well, just read our excellent tutorial (http://www.abandonia.com/main.php?nav=index&FAQ=1) on DosBox! It should explain most things!

[The Fifth Horseman]

You can download it here (http://dosbox.sourceforge.net/download.php?main=1).

If you have any problems with it, try having a look at the official FAQ (http://dosbox.sourceforge.net/wiki/index.php) on the DosBox site.
Basic Setup and Installation (http://dosbox.sourceforge.net/wiki/index.php?page=Basic+Setup+and+Installation+of+Dos Box)
Command Line (http://dosbox.sourceforge.net/wiki/index.php?page=CommandLine)
Z instead of C at the command prompt (http://dosbox.sourceforge.net/wiki/index.php?page=FAQ%2FI+have+got+a+Z)
Internal Programs (http://dosbox.sourceforge.net/wiki/index.php?page=Internal+Programs) (important, especially MOUNT)
Most of the stuff in there is not really needed, but you would do best to familiarize yourself with the specific topics I linked to.
The mounting of your DosBox games directory, switching the promt to the emulated C: drive and clearing the screen from previous commands can all be executed from the [autoexec] section of dosbox.conf (http://dosbox.sourceforge.net/wiki/index.php?page=dosbox.conf), so you won't have to re-type them every time round.
Frontend programs (http://dosbox.sourceforge.net/wiki/index.php?page=DOSBoxFrontends) can help running DosBox with varying configurations for different games.
For both a more accessible user interface and oldschool feel, you can use Norton Commander (get it from our programs and utilities page (http://www.abandonia.com/main.php?nav=programs) - scroll down to the bottom to find it). NC might seem awkward at first, but in fact it is a very functional genuine DOS era file manager frontend. It has a plethora of functions that will help you in navigating around the directories, while still retaining the command prompt.

Though all of this might seem complicated, it's very easy once you get used to it. So remember:

DON'T PANIC!!! ^_^

[Guest]

:sos: :sos: :sos: Help! how are you geting it to run ?

[realitytv_freak]

When I try to run the game under DOSBox it asks me to configure its sound, but even if I configure again (I already did it before I ran the game), it won't run. Why is this happening? How can I fix this problem? Thanks!

[The Fifth Horseman]

Help! how are you geting it to run ?[/b]
Read the post above yours for that info.

When I try to run the game under DOSBox it asks me to configure its sound, but even if I configure again (I already did it before I ran the game), it won't run. Why is this happening? How can I fix this problem? Thanks![/b]
What values did you enter in the sound configuration?

[Guest]

Hello, ... where i can find the passwords for the second password check?

First check e.g. Page 11 Line 5 Position 5 is okey, .. i can find .. but
Second check PAGE II LINE II Position 3 ..... i cant find!

Please help me!
thx

[stevied]

I still have the original floppys and manual for this game from 1995. The original was a board game produced in the UK , almost handcrafted. called 1829. This is a faithful software version, except for the shift to the USA. Avalon Hill bought the board game rights and produced their own version, then a PC version. This was extremely difficult to run on the PCs around in 1995 - it needed a state of the art machine and it used all of it - you had to boot with a special 1830 boot disk. Still a great game!

UK stave

[schnobs]

Minor issue: on the higher difficulty levels, the AI players will act in a concerted effort against you. They don't care who of them will win, their sole concern is to stop you, the player. On the one hand, this is a little silly; on the other, it becomes necessary once you've learned the ins & outs of the game.

As to the Diesel Trains changing ownership and never moving (mentioned further up): that's a valid technique. Except under very certain circumstances, no company may ever be without a train. If the companies' funds won't suffice, the main shareholder has to put in some money out of his own pocket (selling stock for cash if necessary). If that still won't suffice, that character goes bankrupt and the game is over.
By constantly selling the same train from one of his companies to the other, the train will never move (and hence never generate revenue). However, in the meantime that character's other stock may rise in value and/or pay out some dividends, so that after some turns of idling he may finally purchase that second train. Maybe. Maybe not. At least he remains in the game, and where's live there's hope.

Finally....
The crack as offered on HOTU unpacks fine on Win98 systems, XP boxes will refuse to open it. Maybe if you get your hands on the old command-line pkunzip and try it in a DOS window (or under DosBox)... I didn't try this though.

Wether or not this game will run seems to be a matter of luck. I've had varying results on different OS'es and emulators and even on different machines running the same OS and emulator. It can be anything from a total no-go to flawless operation, perhaps the most annoying case was when the game ceaselessly kept prompting me for a password, and another, and another.

Either way, in my personal opinion, getting this game to work is worth any amount of hassle.

regards,
Schnobs

[SothoTalKer]

If you really really want, you can get a small patch for this game on dlh.net:
http://dlh.net/cgi-bin/patdl.cgi?lang=eng&...ile=1830jul.zip (http://dlh.net/cgi-bin/patdl.cgi?lang=eng&sys=pc&file=1830jul.zip)

It only fixes a few bugs, but why not have the latest version anyway? :D

PS: What got fixed:
Fixed bug where using the C&SL special ability with a railroad
with no trains caused 2 leftward moves on the stock market.

Cosmetic glitch: the 10 town northeast of C&O base on
standard map should not be yellow! (This had no impact on play.)

The train buying AI is significantly faster now.[/b]

Just extract the files from the zip into your 1830 directory and overwrite the files.

[Guest]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(suser @ Jun 8 2005, 06:37 PM) 117595</div>
Tip: While this game doesn't run under Win XP it runs very nice under Linux with dosemu. That's how I use it. :max:
[/b]

Will run under XP if you set EMS to 4096 in properties

[Guest]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(schnobs @ Feb 3 2007, 11:10 PM) 277865</div>
perhaps the most annoying case was when the game ceaselessly kept prompting me for a password, and another, and another.
[/b]

This was alleviated for me by using the patch in post 30

[f105kid]

Read the post above yours for that info.


What values did you enter in the sound configuration?
HELP! I love this game, have the board game and the DOS floppies and the manual, but gave up ever playing it on a Windows Box. Thanks to this thread, I now have DOSBox, but 1830 won't run. It asks me to configure SOUND. I don't know how to do that, and the tutorial and the wiki wern't any help.

Is there anyone who knows how to configure SOUND in DOSbox so that 1830 will run???

[f105kid]

HELP! I love this game, have the board game and the DOS floppies and the manual, but gave up ever playing it on a Windows Box. Thanks to this thread, I now have DOSBox, but 1830 won't run. It asks me to configure SOUND. I don't know how to do that, and the tutorial and the wiki wern't any help.

Is there anyone who knows how to configure SOUND in DOSbox so that 1830 will run???
More info: I am running DOXBox under XP, the error message is:

"Please run SOUND to configure 1830's sound."

I tried the dos command line:

SET BLASTER=A220 I7 D1 T4

And when I ran 1830 again, I got the same error message.

HELP??

[dosraider]

In your games folder (WHILST IN DOSBOX) run
sound you'll get a menu
-> "configure sound hardware"
choices:

SB
220
SB
220
7
1

"quit to dos"
input 1830 to play.

[f105kid]

Many Thanks!!! I'm now a happy camper.

[Alfons]

That Game's too difficult for mee

[patterovski]

Thanks to the tip in post #31, I am able to run this game in XP without a dosbox. To set the EMS, right click on the 1830 file and select PROPERTIES. Under the MEMORY tab you can set EMS to 4096. Don't know if it'll work for you, but it did for me- although the screen is a little cropped.

This computer version is a very playable reproduction of the classic, if lengthy, board game. The best thing about the computer game is it does all the bookkeeping for you, however I have seen it run a less-than-optimal train route on occasion and there appears to be no way to override this (to see where your trains run, simply click on one of your trains along right edge). Regardless of the minor imperfections, if you enjoy games with more emphasis on thinking and less on action/graphics, you will probably enjoy this one.

If you don't already know this game from board play, it can be a little daunting- but it's not that hard. Here's a relatively simple way to win on EASY level against three computer opponents.

For this tutorial, CUSTOMIZE with the following options:
ADDITIONAL SIX TRAIN
NO DIESELS
UNLIMITED TILES
These changes make for a less challenging game, so consider reverting to the standard options after you get accustomed to the game.

It doesn't matter which baron you pick to be you. I usually pick the one with red hair just because he stands out more to me.

Next it's time to buy the private companies. In a real game with real players, the complexity and importance of this opening step should not be underestimated- however against the EASY-level computer players, you can use this simple strategy: Buy Camden & Amboy(C&A) and nothing else. Pay whatever it takes to get it- on EASY, they won't make to pay *way* too much.

After buying private companies, it's time for the first stock round. Here you'll want to buy one of the eight corporations. Since C&A gives you one share of PRR, you could start this railroad, but I'd recommend NYNH instead. Up to you though, except don't buy CP- especially early. ERIE can't be started until the "3" trains are out- so that's out too. Regardless, I suggest starting the railroad at $67/share so you can go last. Buy enough stock (6 shares, 5 certificates) to float your railroad.

After the stock round is the first operating round. Until the "3" trains appear, there is only on operating round per stock round.

During each operating round you should:
(1) Lay hex tile.
(2) Consider placing a station.
(3) Collect by running your trains
(4) Buy a train
(5) Consider buying a private company.

Part of the fun of the game is learning how to get into markets, such as NEW YORK, while keeping your opponents out- so I'm not going to dwell on strategies to that end. For the first turn, just lay a hex tile that connects your original station toward some other stop, preferably on that doesn't cost money to lay (red #s on the board)
Your train route must contain one of your stations and cannot go through hexes blocked by other corporation's stations (even corps you also own)- so placing stations is another skill- a big part of getting where you want to go and keep your opponents from doing the same. For now, don't place a station unless it secures access to a market for you.
You can't collect any revenue the first turn since you don't have a train, so we're on to buying a train. *Hopefully* the other railroads bought up all the "2" trains and you can buy a "3". If not, you're stuck with a "2" for now- which is a total waste IMO, but that's the way it goes. Regardless, buy one of the train you can, unless you can buy a "2" and then a "3", which is a good idea unless it'll leave you with less than $320 in the corp (this should only be a problem if you've been paying to place tiles or buying more than one station)

Now, if it's the last operating round (you can check INFO to make sure it is) and you can, then BUY CO. Corporations can buy private companies as soon as the "3" trains are out- which is why you wanted to set the your first stock at 67, so you'll likely go last. This is where you make buying C&A work for you. Have the corporation buy C&A from you for $320. This should leave a little money in the corporation- at least enough to place a station if you haven't already. The point of doing this is to give you enough money to start another company in the upcoming stock round. If you cannot use the corp to buy C&A yet, you'll have to go through another stock round and operating round. Maybe a few more, until the first "3" train is bought, which should be sooner rather than later, but you never know.

Eventually, you'll be able to buy C&A with your corp, leaving you enough personal money to start another company. If no has started PRR yet, now is the time. If another player has, sell your share of PRR so you can invest more in your new corp. You'll probably want to set the price of this second corp at the max you can afford.

You should now have two corporations, one with a fair amount of money and another hurting a bit- but since the corps can buy trains from one another, the wealthy one can help the poor one.

This is pretty much the end of my quick-start suggestion for new players. This strategy may (read: probably) won't work on higher levels with standard rules, but it should give you a decent start versus EASY opponents without diesels.

In any game, one of your primary goals with a corporation should be securing a permanent train. More than one permanent train is even better! The "2" trains disappear when the "4"s are bought, the "3"s vanish with the "6"s and the "4"s go away with the "D"s. So without the diesels, "4" trains are permanent and valuable- but with the diesels they can be a costly and all-too-temporary investment. Bottom line: buy temporary trains with due caution- if your corp can't afford a train later, guess who has to pay?

Remember the goal of the game is personal wealth relative to other players. Pay dividends when in doubt- but if you can withhold once and buy a permanent train, well, that's usually the better move. Invest your money in other player's corporations when you can't buy more of your own. If you can start a third corporation, you should probably sell other player's stock and do so.

A few last tips:
(1) Leave a dollar or two in a corp to allow buying a train from another corp.
(2) Avoid owning more than one share of another player's corp- you may end up president of a bankrupt railroad.

I hope some prospective new players find the suggestions herein understandable and useful- though I'm confident one can search the web and find more in-depth and information guides.

Thank you to all those who made this game available.

Happy Trails.

[Rymdolov]

I love this game! Many thanks for putting it up for download here and for the great DOSbox tutorial. Thanks to that I've been able to play a few old games that I found at flee markets, but could never get to work before.

I'll see if I can return the favour by uploading something (if I have any abandoned games lying around at home). Perhaps I could scan the manual for Hind or something.

The patch that was linked to in post #30 is actually great! Before I downloaded it I could go cook a meal and eat it and when I came back the AI still hadn't finished buying trains. Now it's as fast as a buttered seal!

Now I'm just gonna learn how not to end up last all the time... :)

[Rymdolov]

Those other barons seem only interested in earning some easy money. I mean, i want to make a difference to the community... But is that rewarded? No! Also, corporations who bravely venture into the mountains to connect all people, regardless of where they live end up being dumped by the other barons, the stock eventually becoming "trash stock". :(

That's actually a valuable life-lesson to be learned from this game. Short-term profit is what counts under capitalism. :notrust:

Well, I love the game as much either way. :thumbs:

[arne.oestlund@spray.se]

I have problem starting 1830 on my XP computer. I set EMS to 4096, as recomended. But all that happens is that the game end with the error message:

You must have at least 2700K of expanded memory.

This is my favorite board game. I want it to work on my computer too. Not just the unplugged original version.

H E L P ! !

[_r.u.s.s.]

use dosbox =)
download it at dosbox.sourceforge.net, then after you run it type intro

[ouyang]

Hi!

I've just seen at boardgamegeek that someone has found out how to mod this game for using custom maps and so on.

Modding article (http://www.boardgamegeek.com/thread/464959)

That sounds great!

[_r.u.s.s.]

that's pretty amazing!

[rlbell]

The copy protection issue mentioned in the review is not a problem with the game, but likely a problem with Dosbox. When I installed the game on an early windows box that supported dos programs, the copy protection only operated once. When I installed it on my Dosbox running linux box, the copy protection operated very time. Each time, I installed from an actual 1830 CD.

[Connorz]

In your games folder (WHILST IN DOSBOX) run
sound you'll get a menu
-> "configure sound hardware"
choices:

SB
220
SB
220
7
1

"quit to dos"
input 1830 to play.
Ok When I Try to run Sound in DOSBOX, it doesn't work. It says sound.cfg is missing and to reinstall the game, but the file sound.cfg is there in the same folder. Is there another way to configure 1830's sound?