Basics
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Please note that the information on this page is not yet complete, as it is still under construction.
OpenTTD Manual
Installation · FAQ
Tutorials and Instructions
Game interface · README.md
Infrastructure

Railways:

Signals · Stations · Junctions · Carrying capacity · Rail Designs & Tips
Roadways · Tramways · Waterways · Airports · Landscaping
Vehicles
Trains · Road vehicles · Ships · Aircraft · Orders
Settings
Game options · Settings · AI settings · Custom graphics (NewGRF) · Sandbox options · Command line
Graphics and sound
OpenGFX · OpenMSX · OpenSFX
More topics
Climates · Towns · Industries · Economy · Disasters · Tips · Hidden features · Hotkeys · Console · Game Mechanics · Multiplayer · Scenario editor · Online content · Social Integration
Troubleshooting · Links

This section contains basic tips about aesthetic gameplay. Certain areas, such as railways, have pages of their own.

General

Adding aesthetic elements to your game is time consuming. You might consider changing the setting to allow all actions while paused.

The option to allow building while paused can be found under "Limitations".

When building an aesthetic station, three common needs are to make several different stations look like one big one, to combine multiple remote parts into one station, and to make stations bigger than the default 12x12 tiles. Joining stations, placing different stations on adjacent tiles, and connecting a remote tile to an existing station are done by holding the Ctrl-key (or your OS's equivalent) when you build. Remote station joins, as they are generally termed, also require the highlighted checkbox to be turned on. To build larger aesthetic stations a station spread of 20x20 tiles or more may be needed.

The options to allow 'remote station joins' and adjust 'station spread' are also found under "Limitations".
Ctrl-click when building a station to access the 'Build separate station' control.

One of the central concepts of aesthetics in OpenTTD is realism. Providing passenger platforms at a coal mine alongside hill-busting tunnels and very closely spaced signals may produce more profit. Aesthetic players steer clear of these and prefer to use game elements which are much closer to real life.

A typical coal mine yard around 1927, in Neston, Cheshire, UK. It shows small, 4-wheel wagons and several sidings and buildings in the yard.
How many OpenTTD players set up their networks. There is nothing in this image that is representative of real life.

Building

Aesthetics
Basic Tips Basic Tips
Player Examples Player Examples
Storytelling Storytelling
Q&A FAQs