Contracts in Rail Route are an important part of the Endless Mode gameplay. Except for a few in the beginning (in Prague map), the player chooses the most profitable contract that fills gaps in their schedule. They are also the main source of money and experience points. The list of offered contracts is being constantly filled with randomly generated offers over time and you are free to decline those not matching actual need. The generator is using the configuration from the map, especially the weights which are defined for every station and every train type (defined in the Map Editor). The weights are used to compute the probabilities that the contract for given train type and station will be generated but are actually hidden in the normal game play. The generator also gives a boost to the stations that are already unlocked (at least one platform is bought) or are neighbours to already unlocked stations.
Currently there are two types of contracts - recurrent and one-off.

Recurrent Contracts

Recurrent contracts are the most common and they form the significant part of the traffic you need to operate. They repeat every hour so the more you are in the game, the more you recognize your traffic from the contracts you have accepted earlier. But everyone will quickly realize that the situation is different every hour.

Trial Train

A trial must be completed first after accepting the contract. It adjusts the payments (according to rail network performance) and creates the timetable for all future trains in the recurrent contract. It means the timetable is being saved from the very first train of the contract. The faster you can run the train, the higher the reward.

Optimizing the Contract

There are two useful upgrades in the System Upgrades for minor modification. Platform Adjustments and Timetable Adjustments. You can change a platform the train is supposed to be directed and shift its arrival and departure times slightly (15mins). These unlocks are meant to be more useful in the early stages of the game.
Later in the game you can find yourself in a situation where the contracts are no longer suitable because of the improved layout, upgraded track speeds or the automation needs. You can easily reject the contract. If you do that after the defined amount of trains has been operated its even without a penalty fee. But the better option is to run the new trial which is an unlockable feature from the System Upgrades. You can improve the reward from the contract significantly when you progress through your rail network and improve its elements.

One-Off Contracts

One-off contracts have a timetable predefined and you need to be as precise as possible. They expected you to achieve at least the average speed which is visible on the contract listing. These contracts are giving better rewards compared to the recurrent ones but can be harder to operate.

IC Trains

IC trains usually want to go to the Central station of the map and want to go there as fast as possible. They expect you to achieve high average speed so be sure you have checked your layout along the way so you can handle it properly. But with the high expectation comes the high reward.

Freight Trains

Freight trains are slower trains that really dont care how fast you can handle them. But theres one downside - loading and unloading takes a lot of time, blocking a precious platform for a long period. Be careful not to send it to the crowded one. This can be solved by unlocking the Freight Platform in the System Upgrades and sending the train there instead of to the regular platform which can be used for the passengers traffic.

Planned Features

We plan to include more contract and train types in the future to even broaden the variability of the contract system. For example, we have plans to include something we internally call the VIP contracts: the train that cant stop for a single second along the way. From a train perspective we would like to include the Regional trains - something that would fill the gap in between the Commuters and Inter-Cities. If you want to discuss the planned features with us, the developers, join our community discord. And don't forget to wishlist the game and tell your friend ;).

[ 2021-03-26 12:11:39 CET ] [ Original post ]