Sid Meier's Railroads! can be considered the sequel to Railroad Tycoon 3, except that the original creator Sid Meier had not been involved with the series after the first Railroad Tycoon. Railroads! is a modern day version of the classic Railroad Tycoon games. The game is now in full 3D and has various multiplayer options.
You get to build tracks between cities and resources. Choose from various engines and decide what to transport. As time goes by, new engines become available and cities provided with resources grow bigger. The player can have little side businesses by buying power plants, refineries or other industries to increase revenue. The ultimate goal is to buy out all the competitors. Overall, there is a heavy focus on economics. New technology can now be auctioned to the highest bidder, granting a ten-year exclusive license.
The 15 available historical scenarios take place in regions such as the Southwestern United States, the Pacific Northwest, the United Kingdom, France and Germany. The game features over 30 engines from various countries and covers the time from 1830 to 1990. 20 different goods are available for transport, including passengers, oil, cars and gold. The terrain is more compressed, with natural obstacles, and tracklaying has been automated, unlike all previous Railroad Tycoon games. Multiplayer games are supported for up to four simultaneous players, over LAN or internet, and computer-opponents can also be added.
