Train of the Century introduces another sink for their native game token, Tocium. Trains now have Condition points which decrease as they are used. Players will need to spend Tocium tokens to keep their trains repaired. Additionally, the Train of the Century team updated their whitepaper to include recent feature additions, and introduce the concept of new, Era specific tokens.
No longer can railroaders load up their trains to maximum capacity without consequences, as Train of the Century introduces the concept of maintenance to their game. Trains wear out as they travel, with more heavily loaded trains wearing out at a quicker pace. As a Train’s condition deteriorates, it begins to run slower, taking longer to complete routes. This doesn’t directly affect the Train’s income, but it does reduce its overall earning potential.
The speed reductions don’t start until the Train’s condition drops to 90% or lower. And the Trains reach their maximum slowness at 1% Condition.
To help players out a bit, a new NPC has been added to the random encounter table. Players who find The Mechanic receive an offer to repair their train for free! However, The Mechanic only appears if your train’s Condition is less than 50%.
Along the way, the team continues to improve the user interface. This latest update adds train icons on the left side of the screen. Clicking on an icon quickly brings up vital information about the train as well as a quick link for repairs.
Train of the Century Tokenomics
Train of the Century’s game token, TOCIUM, began with a token supply of 100 billion. However, any tokens used to make purchases from the game (such as parts from the mechanic’s shop) are burned, making this a deflationary token. The final, max supply for TOCIUM is set at 21 million.
Train of the Century always planned on adding additional Eras, and allowing those with Century Trains the ability to travel between them. However, in a new addition to the whitepaper, we learn that they have decided to introduce a new token whenever a new Era is added. The new Era will produce Tocium, while the previous Era begins generating its own token. For example, the current Era, Modern, will start rewarding players with Modium when the next Era, Wild West goes live. The new token will be used for fuel, Station upgrades, repairs, and Century Train forging in its respective Era.
This system seems like it has great potential for becoming overly complex. And I’m not entirely sure why they feel the need to introduce extra game currencies. The team plans on hosting a live stream on July 19th, at 12pm CST and hopefully this change will be explained in more depth.
Train of the Century Gameplay
Train of the Century features relatively basic gameplay with a lot of underlying complexity for those who want to dig into the details. Players send trains from station to station, earning Tocium (TOC) along the way. Tocium is a tradeable token on the WAX blockchain.
There are several types of NFTs including Locomotives, Conductors, Rail Cars, Cargo, and Stations. Stations are equivalent to land ownership. Trains require either Coal or Diesel to run, depending on the train model. Players purchase fuel with TOC tokens.
The main strategy in the game comes from trying to maximize earnings for each run. In general, the fuller the train the better the payout. However, given that fuel has an in-game cost and is based on train weight, there may be times where it’s better to take a less full train to another station in order to set up for a more lucrative run. Also, each station has preferences for certain types of goods. Matching deliveries to meet the most desired goods results in higher payouts.
Aside from cargo selection, pairing the right Conductor with a Train can make a difference as well. Players can upgrade their Trains to provide various bonuses such as speed increases, greater hauling power, and longer maximum runs.
Station owners receive income from trains visiting their stops. They can also improve their station facilities, allowing for players to stake extra Trains and Conductors for a passive Tocium income.
