I love me some Martin Wallace and Steam: Rails to Riches is one of his finest contributions to game shelves everywhere. A digital version was released last year from Acram Digital and it was polished and shiny with one glaring exception: no online multiplayer. Today, that’s been remedied. It’s just been updated to include asynchronous play and I think someone needs to organize a tournament.
Steam is a classic pick-up-and-deliver game in which you build tracks, upgrade engines, and turn towns into metropolises. It’s also a Martin Wallace game, which means there are loans, loans, and more loans, and you’ll never have enough money and will probably die alone and starving. If you’re lucky. It’s the classic “train-game” without the stock market complexities of the 18xx series of games.
Online multiplayer is asynchronous and cross-platform so Android and iOS users can play nicely together. They’re also trying to get greenlit on Steam for PC/Mac (you can, and should, go vote for them here), and I’m guessing multiplayer would play nicely with that version as well.
Steam is available for iOS Universal and Android and is currently on sale, so don’t wait to pick it up if you haven’t already.
- Steam: Rails to Riches for iOS Universal, $5
- Steam: Rails to Riches for Android, $3
- Steam: Rails to Riches for Kindle, $3
Can anyone confirm the quality of the multiplayer before I pick this up?
Ive set up an open room. I’ll get back to you as soon as Ive got something to report
i have created a new 3-5 player room called “Stately Play Room”
password is “StatelyPlay”
let’s steam up some engines!
Im being told by the server that the password does not match
update:
i abandoned/deleted that game and have created a new game:
Stately Play II (password: strange)
color me impressed!
i got a notification that the game could be started now.
but let’s wait on a bit for a 5th player.
don’t hesitate! one last slot free.
@irishdomer08?
@HolstenKnight?
@Hardco?
@Neumannium?
@Zebracadabra?
only @whovian223 is missing at the Basic table. but i’m absolutely sure he will come soon.
we can as well play both games. we could learn about the differences.
i’m ready to go in both games
Ok. So i guess we wont play Stately Play II any further and you delete it or whats the plan?
cross post
once started i can’t delete.
each player who is up could abandon instead.
but see my post above. i’m ready to play both games.
we could at least play some rounds in SP II and then decide.
Im game to try either. I agree that the bidding will slow things down, but it looks like there are only 7 rounds of bidding. If we lose the bidding we also seem to lose the punishment for mismanaging your finances, as basic seems to pull money from thin air whenever you need it.
I’m in!
My iPad stays home and I can’t access the forums at work anyway (ask one of our illustrious leaders about that
). I just got home and joined.
Yahoo!!
the liner notes for the new 3.1 update go down into boardgame app history as “understatement of the year”, speaking of some "bugfixes and improvements ".
in fact it installed the mother of all improvements, also known as replays.
imho Steam has arrived in the top league of boardgame adaptations now.
deep gameplay, beautiful graphics, async, password protected private games (the best solution), notifications, options for Basic and Standard and now replays with adjustable animation speed.
watch out in the Tournaments chapter for an upcoming tournament
but before our both running games must be finished.
i can tell you, it’s so much more fun now
Dont forget persistent in game and lobby chat rooms
Email notifications as well as iOS is a nice feature too
I did that last night, so it’s showing on my game as your turn now
I just tried to upload a screenshot, but it was too big.
Anyway, mine says that it’s @JammaTal’s turn.
So the game is screwed up.
Doesn’t give me the option.
Here’s the screen shot
Amazing great news from the Steam devs!
they are really very dedicated and care about the game.
just got this email:
“Thank you very much for your help! All of the information that you have provided was really helpful. The bug is fixed now
After the nearest update you will be able to continue the game.”
that really made my day.
it’s nice that we will be able to go on with game “Stately Play II”, but much more important is that one more bug will be squeezed
congrats to Snotty on a well deserved win in game Stately Play Basic!
GG indeed.
lots of fun.
for the most part of the game players’ turns were concealed in “fog” because we had no replays then.
but the end phase was absolutely enjoyable.
nice little gold, silver and bronze trophies
of course this was a kind of learning game. can’t wait to play more Steam games, with replays right from the start.
i would love to play/organize a tourney too.
i could announce it in ingame global chat.
we might get new registered users for Stately Play and more players for the tourney.
it functioned quite well for Hill Climb 2.
some new registered users, 2.5k views for the thread and more than 340 clicks for one of the links
I did get the notification for the final results, which was nice.
And I’m not 100% sure if this game is for me, but I may give it one more try.
Im up for another. Maybe on the other free map? I think ive also got carcassone map and northern england
This looks like a reasonable turn out for the next round
So theres:
@Snotty128
@JammaTal
@whovian223
@JMH.75
@irishdomer08
@hardco ?
@Jules ?
Rustling up one more for two tables of four would be nice
I pass, many other games I’m playing at the moment and not enough time to learn the ins and outs of a new one.
I’ll play if you need someone.
i have recruited a player from my friendslist, Pete, and started the first 4P game for a perfect fit.
@JaneHatke, @Hardco, @irishdomer08 and @whovian223 can set the stage and start the second 4P game now.
the Northern England map is a delight for Brass players indeed,
all the well know cities and locations are there and waiting for connections.
canal phase is skipped
i chose Standard game for our game because a) deeper and b) totally fair.
because all players can make their bets fighting for the start player advantage (esp First Build in the first round).
but it’s up to you to make your choice of mode and map for the second game.
the whole thing starts to feel like a tourney.
a test run of course
I have gone ahead and created a room called ‘Stately Play Table 2’ with password ‘Tourney’.
@JaneHatke, @Hardco, and @whovian223 come join!
I chose the USA map and a Basic game.
If the group wants to play something else, we can certainly do that too.
Invite accepted
I would like to play a Standard game with people from this forum. I’d also like to be in the tournament.
I am Jason1002 on the Steam app.
Hello Jason, welcome!
so you and me are the first players on the waiting list for the next opening standard game.
let’s see who might join us.
it’s worth the wait.
in Stately Play community games are not abandoned and fair boardgame sportswomen and men all around us.
what map would you like to play?
are you playing the other great Martin Wallace game app too?
we finished already two Brass tourneys and a next will come for sure.
any other boardgame apps you like to play?
Agricola, Carcassonne, Lords of Waterdeep, Twilight Struggle, Puerto Rico, Galaxy Trucker, Summoner Wars, Titan HD, Cthulhu Realms or anything else?
Stately Play Table 2 has started!
@JammaTal, I’d be up for a Standard game too. Please add me to the queue.
I have no preference on map. I have played a few Standard games of Steam so far, so I am still exploring it. It’s hard to know how many loans to take - you basically have to plan out your whole move ahead of time.
Yes, I have Brass installed on my iphone too, and have played quite a few games. It seems lately, though, that someone times out after a few days and games never really get going. So I have no open Brass games currently. I have been keeping an eye on your Brass thread for the next tournament.
I play Agricola on my phone against others, I play Twilight Struggle on my computer using Steam. I have Titan HD installed on my Ipad and I enjoy it, but my kids always have the Ipad. I play Puerto Rico on Boardgame Arena.
Looking forward to our Steam game / tournament
great!
so we are jason1002, irishdomer08 and me. one more entry would be nice.
let’s wait on for 2 or 3 days.
i would love to play the Carcassonne map.
Brass (Northern England) and Carcassonne map are nice references, but we need a TS (world) map too
sad to hear this.
i have played about 10 games with strangers, and i guess 8 or 9 were finished.
even far behind players continued to play. very special Brass community.
seems to have gone down then
eg Eclipse is a dropout fest. i won some games simply because all other players had dropped out.
same bad habit for so many online games when playing with strangers.
LOL on your kids always having the ipad. i guess many parents can confirm this
I could handle a second friendly game, to see how the carcassonne map plays out
so nice!
i will create game room “StatelyPlay France” (pw: Carca)
edit: done
@jason1002 and @irishdomer08, are you ready for that?
Sure let’s play
Yes I’m ready as soon as I download the map.
Mhatke must take turn.
I don’t see irishdomer08 in this game.
mhatke is irishdomer08
just moved, sorry guys. crazy week of work
i think it’s time to move over to category Players Wanted when asking who would like to join a new game.
i’m playing in 4 Standard games (feels ok to play in so many parallel games) now and would like to go with Basic again too.
i think by now we have got a better feeling for the differences and i want to get that basic feeling again.
i still can’t decide what i like better.
basic= much faster, frantic track construction, less calculation stress.
standard= better make deep plans, feel economical pressure right from the start, auctions an own minigame.
if anybody wants to feel that basic feeling again, join me in Players Wanted/Steam RtR
no doubt about that Standard gameplay is deeper and more satisfying because of loans and auctions.
but on the other hand of my 4 running Steam games the two later started Basic games are steaming forward very nicely and have overtaken both (kind of stalled) Standards.
i guess it’s the constant “something big is waiting for me around next corner”-feeling which drives the games forward.
always something to build or to transport.
there is no gap between looking around the map and making (undoubtedly great) plans and turning these into action.
esp great for async games.
so i must admit that i like the Basic games more than the advanced Standards in the moment.
but maybe simply because there is some gaming going on
Looks like I barely squeaked by with a victory in our basic game. That went pretty quickly. I was going up and down the left side of the map and never seemed to run out of cubes to ship.
so close and a very enjoyable game. congrats on your 82-81-51 win, Jason!
this Basic really ran very fast.
it had started much later than my Standard games but those are only in turn 3/8 now.
in the moment i don’t know what i like better.
the deeper gameplay in Standard or fast and furious action in Basic.
It was fun to play, but not too close for me. I’m still getting the hang of it. I need to play some more games against the AI. The easy still beats me.
game Stately Play II on map “Europe’s Lower Rhein & Ruhr”:
@whovian223 and @Snotty128,
do you remember that email from the Steam devs?
now the mentioned update has hit and YES, the bug has been fixed and the game is on rails again. i could take my turn now.
Snotty is up.
The game’s on sale again, for $2.99. Is it worth it? I know Jamma’s a big fan, but have the bugs been ironed out?
definitely worth it.
with replays it plays like a charm.
all my 4 games were running fine for a long time.
and the new update just fixed some more (rare) bugs.
our only stranded game was fixed by this and could be continued.
The app seems solid to me. I think the app comes with a couple of maps, but theres plenty more to buy if you are so inclined.
a question to experts: the patch notes mention improvements for the tutorial and for “bidding in basic mode”
what does that mean? a new option to activate bidding in basic mode?
or just a typo and the devs meant to tell us about improvements for bidding in standard mode?