OpenTTD is an open-source port of Transport Tycoon Deluxe, a 1995 game by Chris Sawyer. The port requires you to have data files from Transport Tycoon Deluxe; you can get Transport Tycoon Deluxe, and with it the data files, free on this page.

OpenTTD is in C, while the original binaries for Transport Tycoon Deluxe were in the Assembly language. OpenTTD doesn’t use Transport Tycoon Deluxe’s binaries, and has been ported to many operating systems including Windows, Linux, OS X, OS/2, FreeBSD, PocketPC, Palm OS and interesting the Playstation Portable.

Due to the fact OpenTTD was made by reverse engineering the original game’s binaries, the legal status is contested. Fortunately, Atari (who own Transport Tycoon Deluxe) have not complained.

The game itself comprises of the player forming a transportation company, and then building road, rail, shipping and air routes. The player does this by not only building roads, tunnels, bridges, canals and railway lines; but also by setting up stations like airports, heliports, docks, lorry stations and bus stations, as well as buying vehicles to use them. You place these where you will best serve passengers and/or freight.

Also in the game, you have to deal with local authorities which manage towns. Sometimes they will not allow you to build in a town, but you can run advertising, give them funding, improve roads or even bribe them to prevent that!

In the game you have industries, such as factories and mines. You can provide services (in the form of ships, trucks, trains or planes) to move things between industries. For example, I have a MagLev train which takes coal to a power plant.

During the game, time passes. During this time, as well as making a nice profit or loss, new technologies are developed. You also must replace old vehicles (you don’t want a 1978 bus running in the year 2000, surely?) with newer and faster vehicles.

I must say I am quite hooked to this game, like I have been with so many tycoon games in the past. I blame the developers of OpenTTD for the lack of posts on this blog, as a matter of fact!

Tags: openttd, transport tycoon, transport tycoon deluxe, opensource, open source, open-source, games, gaming, free games