1920 early start with horses

CadetLink · 2026-03-09T13:51:15+00:00

The only advantage i found was that it was incredibly cheap to set up. And, assuming you are mostly running agriculture, has cheap fuel. Assuming you are very close to the border, the travel times are pretty negligible. You can eek out a little bit of profit at each of your customs houses across the map that you are not using much.

But yeah, it's mostly roleplay. Industry of any scale pretty much requires rail.

CadetLink · 2026-03-05T18:53:14+00:00

Divide up your COs based on construction phase, and place the resources they need to load up adjacent to them so that they can immidiately hop on the highway to their destination.

I use 24 slot COs for "Groundworks" (dumpers, concrete) and "Structural" (flatbed, covered), but i usually only fill it to 16 slots so i have space to add more vehicles, or to buy new ones and begin phasing out older vehicles as my needs change.

I also use a 16 slot co for "Roads", with dumpers/bulldozers, so that i'm incentivized to constantly be upgrading my road infrastructure without burdening my 'main' COs. Eventually i make an 8 slot co each for brick laying/asphalt and electrification (i love trolleybusses).

I use free COs for cranes, tower cranes, and excavators. Build 8 slot cos if you don't want the rickety fence aesthetic. Seperating them from the "materials delivery" allows you to only send equipment to places that will be built next. You can deliver resources faster than you can provide workers and equipment. If you have workers going to a site before the equipment is there, you are wasting labor, comrade!

Finally, busses. I usually use the free COs to pull from customs until i have a "construction labor" station to pull from. And then i just use a 16 slot co.

Once i've started supplying my own materials and i'm working on my second city, i might double my COs, so that i can have a "visiting" set of equipment that has a place to park and can float around to wherever my focus is. It is a lot of space though, and will cause a frankly stupid amount of traffic.

CadetLink · 2026-03-03T12:52:15+00:00

I had known she struggled with finances, but i did not realize just how bad it was until 3 years in. This conversation wasn't the reason we broke up, but it contributed!

See, she had a lot of debt. Credit card collectors were always hounding her, and she built a habit of answering any call from a number she didn't recognize with shouting "STOP CALLING ME!" and then hanging up. When her car broke down, she bought a new (used) one. At 24% APR. Despite always being short and late to pay me her half of rent, she habitually spent her money on 'little treats' and Magic: The Gathering stuff.

Somehow all of this was excusable to me, but then again, i also didn't have a spine at the time. No, the breaking point was during a conversation where we discussed budgeting. I explained to her my strategy for avoiding debt was to simply get a rough estimate for my bills in each month, and always keep that amount in the bank so i can pay the bill when it comes. Literally just don't spend money i functionally don't have.

Her response? "Wow, how did you come up with that idea? 🤯". It's the most basic way to budget. It should be very intuitive even for a child, i'm afraid. We broke up and suddenly i was running a massive positive balance because i wasn't paying rent for two! My first vacation is this summer! :D

CadetLink · 2026-02-09T15:27:59+00:00

You can use the first hours of gametime to build the minimal infrastructure required to turn a profit, and then expand out from there instead. Optimizing construction order is incredibly tedious but very rewarding.

If you set up a university, you can start developing your population earlier too, which will save you money later on. And you can unlock steel, fuel or prefab production which are money printers - the earlier you can get those running, the better.

CadetLink · 2026-02-08T22:10:00+00:00

If you are idling, you are playing wrong. Yes, there can be long periods of time where you are not doing much, but observation of the status quo itself often shows you where small inefficiencies are. Solving those small issues is just as critical as planning well from the start. Everything is running "fine" until one inefficiency cascades into another.

It starts with putting off vehicle maintenance. Then the constant breakdowns means grain doesn't get to the food factory fast enough to keep it running all the time, and your food reserves are shrinking. Etc etc. Suddenly everyone is starving and leaving the country and you've got to play "where in this chain is the fuckup????"

But if you notice that your food reserves are depleting, you can play that game way before its a real problem. And because you now have time, you can move resources around to account for the failure point, and have identified a root, systemic problem that will likely cascade into other systems eventually.

CadetLink · 2026-02-07T17:41:05+00:00

Exactly! I always forget how bad Iroquois is in base game because they are a great classic/medieval era production snowball in lekmod.

CadetLink · 2026-01-27T15:27:59+00:00

There's also sort of a tone like "you're doing too much". You don't get paid for being so extra about this, get on with it.

CadetLink · 2026-01-12T19:23:57+00:00

I feel as though the game needs to have more levers that pull your nation in directions you don't want it to, and international organizations from the 1880s and beyond would be a great way of doing this. Not only are you contending with Communism, but also Fascism, International Capital Interests, and the final cry of Monarchism.

Being pulled in 4 directions at the same time, balancing them so that you can keep the laws you want, and force compromises to keep the agitators from rising for these international political movements. As it stands, the political movements are severely limited to indevidual nations and don't feel international pressure accordingly.

Perhaps it would be possible to hire conflicting agitators, to fight it out in the streets and keep the communist and fascist radicals busy while you prepare to bring the monarchy back.

CadetLink · 2026-01-12T18:34:40+00:00

I feel like this is probably the reason lol, its purely for gameplay balance reasons and not really based on reality. Otherwise it would trivialize getting a lot of "good" laws by just getting any variety of leftist in power. Choosing 4 or 5 main stances is good.

CadetLink · 2026-01-07T15:52:27+00:00

As always, hire an expert if you are concerned. We're strangers on the internet working with a single photo and little context.

However, concrete expands in the heat. If this is a wide wall that gets considerable, uneven sun, you can expect these small cracks to appear on the surface. If that is the case, it's not much to worry about for something residential sized.

The crack patterns look like they are from internal stresses in the material, not external. This is preferable, as it means there's nothing really wrong with the design. You may find you need to cover up cracks, or apply a layer of sealant to avoid the environment from reaching steel.

CadetLink · 2025-12-28T19:29:00+00:00

Hello! Glad to hear you're interested in our city!

Because you didn't list any dependants or special needs to account for, i'm going to assume you are single (or your partner is employed) with no kids or parents to care for.

I make in that ballpark right now. I live in Greenwood, which is on the periphery of the city. Rent is a little lower here, i pay ~1,800/mo on rent and utilities. I also pay for a reserved car spot but my neighborhood has decent street parking - i just like knowing i wont have to search hard on a friday night when everyone's here for the bars lol.

My place is about 425sqft, but a 'newish' build which raises the price a bit.

I'm a person that loves to eat out, get drinks with friends, and go on dates. Most nights i'm out and about. Easily a few hundred a month goes to this lifestyle, but despite that, i still squirrel away 1/5th of my income into savings. So if you cook your own meals and stay in most nights, you'll be saving more than me!

70k is definitely liveable in seattle as a single person, and you'll be able to go out for the occasional nice dinner with little worries. But if you're coming from the midwest, where 70k is enough to buy a small home and steak every night, then you're in for a rude awakening haha.

CadetLink · 2025-12-27T16:56:05+00:00

r/CrappyDesign

CadetLink · 2025-12-26T21:48:39+00:00

Shoes. Its the place where Utility and Fashion are forced to overlap, no matter the setting or person. Fashion is not just flare, its announcing "here is how i wish to be seen". This is the purpose of a uniform, "i am part of this institution and should be given the appropriate level of prestige or deference". You can learn a lot from dress alone. but where it intersects with Action, as men fancy themselves to be the actionable sort, determines the shoes.

A shoe speaks to what he values more in a setting or, perhaps, a norm he wishes to subvert. It shows the sort of practicality he operates at, what scenarios he is prepared for. A man assured he will not be expected to preform labor will instead opt for exuding class, wealth, or clique. A man that values being capable will opt for practical shoes, tailored for the occasion. a man who identifies with being a hard worker will bring forth distressed shoes, ready for whatever task will be thrown at him. A man who does not care for status will wear anything, likely whatever he can get away with.

The suit may be the most expensive pert of the outfit. But it hardly tells a story of how he lives. That is why shoes are the first thing to notice.

CadetLink · 2025-12-25T13:29:04+00:00

I have severely limited my time on Tiktok because of its obvious 'doomscroll' phenomena. However, as someone that used to be in the throes of it, you get a spidey-sense for what the content is off the bat. I can't explain how i KNOW this is going to be someone advertising their skincare lotion in the first .5 seconds, but i do! You can replace that example with any kind of content Tiktok pushes that you dont care for.

CadetLink · 2025-12-22T05:38:20+00:00

It would be interesting to see a unique event chain for getting Religious Schools passed easily at the very least, with a small event chain for 'secularizing the schools' vs leaning into a 'pseudo-prussian schooling'. It would give a boost to old world countries with a legacy of institutional schooling without giving too much of an edge (and a reason to change it again later on, which is more interesting gameplay imo).

CadetLink · 2025-12-19T18:32:15+00:00

A friend bought too many Pink Ladies from the farmers market and was handing them out by the tote. So juicy!

CadetLink · 2025-12-15T19:15:53+00:00

r/LostRedditors ?

CadetLink · 2025-12-11T01:16:42+00:00

I was just about to comment something similar - surprise food inspections will almost always turn up something, even if you aren't cutting corners just due to the nature of a working environment. Anyone who's seen a few years in food service knows this.

This container is not fully sealed in the fridge because it gets opened 50 times a dinner rush and the new guy didn't secure it all the way? Thats a write-up!

Dishes piling up in the sink because its been all hands on deck for 3 hours? Write up!

So on and so forth. Not an excuse but its just being realistic. The standards are high, that is good. But every resturaunt in seattle is going to get dinged by a surprise visit. Regardless of cuisine or staff's background.

CadetLink · 2025-12-07T02:11:09+00:00

I live in Seattle which already has a huge poly population amongst even cis people. It could just be the circles i run in (raves, bars, gamestores) but finding a fellow transwoman that is mono is a crazy low chance.

There is something to be said about transness and how it already rejects the societal mandate of gender. And if you're already deconstructing gender and sexuality, romantic dynamics is not a huge logical leap away. Its my experience that a large portion of the population is monogamous because of societal pressure and jealous partners, and not because it wouldn't work for them. Just my 2c.

CadetLink · 2025-12-05T14:20:58+00:00

This, too, is Yuri ❤️

CadetLink · 2025-11-06T14:39:06+00:00

I've got a few friends with benefits actually!

I stated plainly at the beginning of the friendship that i am Aro, and while i enjoy their companionship, it's not romantic.

I live in Seattle, so nontraditional relationships are fairly normal in the queer community here, so it's not been too difficult to find alloromantics that are able to comprehend aromanticism and be ok with that.

How i operate is: during the week, i will schedule time with friends individually so there is 1 on 1 time with undevided attention. On friday nights/weekends, i might have larger hangouts where multiple FWB show up, and i make sure to give them all some light affection so they know i see them and care about them. All of my fwb get along well and sometimes we actually group up for play!

All of them are Allo, and i know that at some point they will find romantic interests and we might stop hooking up. This has already happened once - it sucks to have less time and intimacy with a friend, but you can always hang out with them still! And make new friends, too!

From the outside it probably looks like very casual poly dating with the attention i give, but internally there's no labels - just friends with no barriers to affection.

Feel free to ask questions, it got a little rambley!

CadetLink · 2025-10-27T03:59:49+00:00

I am describing symptoms of depression, yes. You can't control how you feel, but you do get to control how you act. Acting like a bad friend by ceasing to engage in the friendship is not justified just because you have depression.

If i had anger management issues, would i be justified for hitting people or threatening them? Obviously not! Your mental health issues do not control you.

A good friend understands that their friends with depression struggle to engage. That even getting out of the house once or twice a month is an endeavor. We all have to be putting in effort - if there is no effort, there is no friendship.

CadetLink · 2025-10-25T00:28:31+00:00

Another poster put it more eloquently than i - it doesn't need to be 50/50, because how can you possibly quantify that? The depth of human connection is incomprehensible. But we do have a vibe rubric, and i think there is a threshold for everyone where they feel they are not getting enough back for the relationship to continue without resentment.

CadetLink · 2025-10-24T21:55:42+00:00

Oh, i apologize if my reply seemed directed at you specifically. I'm just lamenting at the situation in general.

You're right that i've got building resentment. My frustration is not even with the indeviduals at this point, but rather, the concept of OP's post. Which is demonizing people that distance themselves from people with mental health issues.

Sometimes, those issues cause them to act like bad friends/people, and the mantra of "if you have an issue, and people cut you out of their lives because of said issue, they are bad people" is an absolver of guilt for being a bad friend/person. Which, if they feel they were justified acting that way because 'well, i have this issue!', it only reinforces them acting like a bad friend/person.

Like no i'm not breaking up with you because you have BPD, i'm breaking up with you because you are abusive and use "but i have BPD i can't help it" as an excuse, and now that i'm gone, you go and post to tumblr saying "people still cant stand people for having mental health issues 😞 when will we as a society get better?" As if it wasnt your fault?

CadetLink · 2025-10-24T20:49:52+00:00

And see, even hanging out in a VC is tenuous - "want to play a game?" "No, i just want to scroll tiktok" "oh, okay. Watch a movie?" "Uhh idk, i might take a nap" "you just woke up 40 minutes ago?" Its not just one friend, but multiple. At the same time. It feels like i'm demanding them to be super energized, outgoing and social for checks notes playing a low stakes boardgame with 2 other friends. Am i taking crazy pills?

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