Before you can reasonably play OpenTTD (especially in singleplayer), there is a couple of things you need to do:
- From the add-ons menu, install OpenGFX, OpenMSX and OpenSFX
- Make sure those 3 things are active in the game settings
- Install the SimpleAI add-on from the add-ons menu
- Configure the AI settings and decide on how many competing companies you'll have in singleplayer
- To start music playback, click on the music icon in-game and hit "play"
(Technical background information: OpenGFX, OpenMSX and OpenSFX are the official graphics, music and sound packs for OpenTTD. These are must-haves for obvious reasons.
SimpleAI is not officially part of OpenTTD, but this is also an absolute must-have. This is your computer opponent. Without this, you will have NO competition in singleplayer (unlike in Transport Tycoon Deluxe)! This is because OpenTTD sadly does not ship with ANY computer opponent. There are many AIs for OpenTTD, but many of them are very broken, so don't bother when you're new. In my experience, SimpleAI is good for a start because it works reasonably well and is stable.)
Now for some random unsorted gameplay tips:
- If you're new, ignore ALL content downloads except the bare minimum I suggested below. This helps you to familiarize yourself with the core basics. Otherwise you will just be overwhelmed. The basic game with no add-ons is fairly straight-forward
- Start your game in the Temperate climate zone and flat maps since it's easier to build
- At the beginning, you don't have much money, so you need to start small and can't waste your money on fancy buildings. It's very important to be profitable early on, otherwise you can't grow
- Always check the list of your vehicles and check which vehicles lose money. Preiodically sell those that bleed out money
- Airplanes are very easy since you need to build only a very little, but beware: Towns have a limit on how many airports you can build
- The best way to start is with point-to-point passenger transports between towns, since it's the simplest, but it doesn't pay well
- You must how to build signals of railroads. For beginners, I recommend to only use the block signal and ignore the other ones. The block signal separates sections of a single track and prevents trains into crashing into each other. There can always be only train per section.
- With railroads, I usually build two parrallel rails so multiple trains can run on it back and forth. If money is very limited, build a single rail until you can extend
- Early in the game, it's a good idea to look out for subsidies since they pay better. If you're rich, they are usually no longer worth the hassle
- In general, trains are the most profitable of the 4 modes of transport
- A very important aspect of the (default) gameplay is you not only get paid for delivering goods fast, but also for high distances of transport. You can make a lot of money fast if you build a very long railroad moving a lot of goods around, but it also costs a lot to build
- If a town does not like you, plant a couple of trees and it becomes happy again. Alternatively, just try to offer better service
- Don't forget to pay back your loan when you can. The loan costs you money if you keep it
- You must keep growing your company all the time. There is a permanent inflation, meaning the money loses value over time
- The classic goal of the game is to run your company for 100 years (till 2051). If you make it that far, you get an entry in the highscore table, based on your company performance rating (0 to 1000). But the game does not end here, you can play as long you want.
- You will need to replace old vehicles eventually. Very old vehicles get clunky and have breakdowns a lot
- Avoid level crossings whenever you can, build bridges or tunnels instead. There are a lot of accidents at level crossings
- If the news annoy you, you can fine-tine which news appear in the settings
Of couse, as soon you get fancy with add-ons, or mess around with the gameplay settings, some of these tips might no longer be valid. But I think the tips are more or less a good start.
