Building Track - [EBP Help Contents]

Each player is allowed to build track each round per game rules, spending up to the MaxBuildPerTurn setting (see Game Options), normally $20.

All track built must extend from the player's existing track, or from the edge of any big (hexagon) city, to an immediately adjacent milepost. You may build out of a big city up to 2 times per turn; further attempts the same turn are considered building into the city, and normally cost more. EBP automatically pays build costs to the bank and adjusts your remaining cash.

HOW TO BUILD

EBP will prompt you for the build phase of your turn: the mouse cursor will change to I beam style, and the B button near the lower right corner of the map will gently blink. Clicking B will zoom the map to the area of your previous build, if any. To scroll and zoom the map see the Map Use topic.

All builds must start from your existing track, from the edge of a big (hexagonal) city, or from a city marked with a hexagon. To survey a route, point to the milepost (typically a black dot) at which to start building, left click and hold, then drag the mouse to an adjacent milepost. Via touch screen: touch the milepost at which to start, then drag your finger/stylus to an adjacent milepost. As you go, between the mileposts EBP lays down a survey route of railroad ties in your color and displays the total build cost.

If your track build does not appear and instead the map scrolls/drags, it means EBP did not see you start at an eligible milepost. If your track build zigzags unintentionally, undo it, and zoom closer into the map, then retry by pointing more precisely to your desired mileposts.

If you survey too far, to undo one segment at a time, 1) press Backspace, 2) click/touch the Swipe bar above the map and slide right, or 3) click/move your mouse backward over the track you had marked. To undo larger portions at once, press Shift+Backspace or choose the Turn, Undo Building/Upgrade pull-down menu.

When you are happy with your surveyed route, click the OK (done) button, at which time EBP will build the track (add rails atop the ties), charge the build cost to you, and move to the next player's turn.

Build cost is influenced by the terrain you are building across and to. For example, building across a river, and/or to a mountain or alpine, typically costs more than to a clear milepost. You can customize these fees via the Game Options window.

BIG (MAJOR) CITIES

Under standard rules, you can build up to two segments per turn out of any major city, even ones not already served by your track. If you are eligible to build out, and doing so costs less than building in, EBP automatically treats those major city builds as build outs regardless of the direction in which you draw the segment.

To build a ferry at a big city (such as Hong Kong on the China map), click the city's milepost served by the ferry then click the milepost at the other end of the ferry.

DISALLOWED BUILDS

Game rules place various limitations on building, for example no more than two players may build into a given small city. EBP will warn you if you attempt an illegal build.

Certain game event disallow building for a brief period. EBP overlays orange (default color) lines to mark event areas. To build in such areas you must wait until after the event ends.

AUTOBUILD

The Autobuild feature simplifies building track to a distant milepost. During the build phase of your turn, right-click the desired milepost and choosing Build to. EBP will automatically survey a route all the way there from your existing track. If you have not yet built any track, first left click the big city milepost at which to start building, then right click the distant milepost and choose Build to.

If you like the suggested route, click OK (done) to build that track, otherwise undo it as described farther above. To Autobuild to a big city, click an a milepost outside but near the city and then finish the connection manually. Autobuild (followed by undo) can be handy to estimate the total track build cost from your network to a distant location.

When EBP autobuilds for you, it plays the AUTOBLD.WAV sound effect as feedback; this file is stored in the same subdirectory as EBP.EXE. If you prefer a different sound effect, replace the supplied sound file with one of your own (in WAV format) named AUTOBLD.WAV. Alternatively, you can turn off sounds via game Options.

ESTIMATED BUILD COST

During play, to see EBP's estimate of the cost to build to a particular unserved milepost, right click the milepost and choose Information.