The Beginner's Guide: Getting ready to set up OpenTTD

Right! You want to set up OpenTTD so that you can play Transport Tycoon on your computer? Good choice! Read on for more information on how to go about doing this.

What you need to play OpenTTD

You'll be pleased to know that you don't need much to play OpenTTD! The setup process is pretty straightforward. What you will need, however, is detailed below:

• A copy of the original Transport Tycoon Deluxe game files

  The OpenTTD project has not yet reconstructed all the original Transport Tycoon graphics. Until then, you'll need a few files from the original Transport Tycoon Deluxe game. This can be a bit of a problem these days, because it's very hard to find a copy of TTD to actually buy any more. You could give Amazon or eBay a shot - second hand copies crop up from time to time.

  If you can't find a copy of the game to buy, you could choose to download a copy of the game's data files. Be warned that this is still a violation of copyright and hence illegal, despite the fact nobody particularly enforces it. Due to the rareness of the game in the shops, I host a copy of it here.

  The data files you need for OpenTTD are available to download here.

• A suitably powerful computer

  Transport Tycoon is an old game. It doesn't require much in the way of computing power. OpenTTD adds a lot of new features, however, and so a reasonably powerful computer is required for optimal performance. Any computer bought in the last few years should play OpenTTD without problems. If you're concerned about precise specifications, I'd recommend this as a minimum setup for any Intel-based PC:

  • 500MHz processor or faster (1GHz+ recommended)
  • At least 64MB RAM (256MB minimum recommend, especially for larger maps)
  • Windows 2000 or later, or the Linux distribution of your choice. Windows 95/98 will work, but uses a special package available from the OpenTTD site.
  • A 640x480 256-colour display. An 800x600 24-bit display is recommended.

  If you have a Macintosh, any of the recent Intel Macs will be perfect for playing the game. If you have an older Mac, check it supports the following:

  • PowerPC G4/G5 or an Intel processor
  • At least 128MB of RAM (256MB or more recommended)
  • Mac OS X 10.3 or later (OpenTTD 0.4.8 is the latest version that will run on OS X 10.2)

  If you have another kind of system, check the OpenTTD web site to see if it is supported.

  To reiterate: pretty much any modern computer should be able to play OpenTTD!

OK, I have a copy of the game, and a system good enough to play it, what now?

Time to install the game - click here to continue.

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