Reviving Transport Tycoon Deluxe

If you have idea what game I'm talking about, you should definitely refer to my (Open) Transport Tycoon Deluxe article.

How did I do it?

I used to play this game a lot. And when I say a lot, I mean I used to live Tycoon and play life occasionally. The last time I was able to do it was the day I removed Windows 98 and installed Windows XP. Thus endeth the era of DOS and Tycoon would no longer run. Trying all sorts of Windows tweaks to somehow bring this 16-bit application to breathe in a 32-bit world did not work.

Then, one day, the Open Community decided to help me. After months of hard work, the game engine was rebuilt by a Swedish programmer Ludvig Strigeus. Instead of just making OpenTTD run only on Windows, Ludvig used the cross-platform SDL graphics and sound layer to make the game run on almost any operating system. Not only could the DOS gamers and Windows users enjoy Tycoon once again, it was made available to the Linux, Mac, and even Solaris.

The game took off like a storm. Soon, there was a whole community of people involved in bringing this superb little game to life. And I was happy. I could play one of me favorite old timers once again.

Today, playing Tycoon cannot be simpler. Unlike Caesar III, for which I had to install VMware Player and Windows XP SP1 in it just to be able to play it, Tycoon requires very minimal effort to be enjoyed. Of course, you still need your original game, because OpenTTD uses the original graphics and music files.

What you need to do to play OpenTTD?

Head to OpenTTD site and download the game that fits your operating system.
Find your original Transport Tycoon Deluxe game and copy the following files into the data sub-folder (directory):
If you have a DOS version of the game - TRG1.GRF, TRGC.GRF, TRGH.GRF, TRGI.GRF, TRGT.GRF.
If you have a Windows version of the game - sample.cat, trgl1r.grf, trglcr.grf, trglhr.grf, trglir.grf, trgltr.grf.
If you have a Windows version of the game and want music in the game, copy the gm sub-folder (directory) into the game's (OpenTTD) folder.
Run the game and start building!

Extremely simple, isn't it?

You can also refer to the game manual at Wikipedia or the online readme.txt for more details about the game.

I will have to disappoint you with zero screenshots in this article, but you will find a plenty in my review article.

Have fun!