Cycled back to TpF2. Put this game down for a while, but I'm back. Posted on an issue a year ago and by my playtesting for the past ~week, I cannot discern changes. (My previous post bespeaks starting in 1900, but this time kinda stubbornly tunnelvisioned on an 1850 start.) I'm posting here anyway, however, for some key reasons.

• 1, wetting my finger into the wind to see if there might be a meta-change or a game patch that presents new info that I might not've gleaned on my own yet.

• 2, I'm hoping that someone might've encountered a mapseed that might lend itself to my challenge.

• 3, Wildcard. Maybe I should consider loosening my stubbornness against cheesy strats? I have a vague notion to slowfoot early game plans for a full grain>food>town or crude>oil>fuel>town and just "swap resources," i.e. find a pair of oil wells on opposite ends of the map and intentionally longhaul crude back and forth to haul in both directions, and initially abandon the oil intermediary. I think this was the suggestion of a deleted-redditor in one of the comments on my prev op who mentioned a "jumpstart connection," but since they're deleted I can't follow up on that to be sure.

Anyway, I'm amenable to other ideas, perhaps file-editing to allow for a greater loan cap? Ideally I won't cheat the money in for free, but if I can setup a loan for 20 M, even if I finagle a non-zero reduced interest rate, etc.

Context:

• Windows 11 (operating system affects rng, so the same mapseed could feasibly yield differing maps)
• Bone-stock / no mods for now, but "Deluxe Content" enabled (hope to explore industry-expansion mods after concept proved)
• Enabled "experimental" map sizes, using 1:5 "megalomaniac"
• Towns medium
• Industries medium
• Generator sliders left alone
• Temperate
• VHM (don't recall if this needs to be unlocked by editing a .lua file, same as 1:5 map size)
• TownCargoNeeds up to 6 (only 2 exist at spawn, the rest come with growth)
• Ind closure rarely (to limit variables, may explore once concept is proved)
• Ind density medium
• Advanced Settings Murican vehs and town names, otherwise all left alone
• Is there a way to reuse the topography from a mapseed but re-rolling industry placements?

I really like the idea of mapseed "usa" (case sensitive all lowercase) because it offers a single huge river that runs actually-literally to bisect the 1:5 map the long way. Also, this allows for possible water-shipping in addition to rail or road. The only gripe I have is that the mapseed doesn't only determine topography, but also industry placement as well.

Peace