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Monday, September 28, 2026
Should I buy Transport Fever 3?
In 2006 I posted a review of Sid Meier's Railroads on this blog. As far a I remember, I haven't played that many transport-centric games since. Which is curious, because I kind of like trains as a theme, I like management / economy simulation games, and I prefer games that make you think hard to games that make you react fast. Now I am considering buying Transport Fever 3, which comes out tomorrow. But one of the reasons I am considering buying this game has nothing to do with the game or the genre. Let me explain, for which I will need to start somewhere completely different.
Since my retirement, one of the things I am doing a lot of every day is watching YouTube. I am watching more YouTube than I am watching Twitch, Netflix, and TV together. So what I am hearing a lot from various YouTube content creators is "please, support me on Patreon" or "please, support me with a paid channel membership". At one point, a few years ago, I had several such channel subscriptions running on YouTube and Twitch. However, it quickly turned out that I was switching between too many channels too often. Subscribing to many channels is expensive, and even something small like $5 per month is a lot if you then watch that channel only a few hours that month. So I stopped subscribing to individual channels.
On the other hand, I didn't want to be a complete freeloader. The solution I found was YouTube Premium, something I considered a win-win: I get ad-free YouTube, while the content creators get around 5 times more revenue from me than they would get from a non-premium viewer. Also the money is distributed as a function of how many hours I am watching what, which both seems very fair, and rewards long-form content better than advertising revenue does. As I do watch 6-hour videos from NeverKnowsBest sometimes, or long actual play videos from various creators, I do like to encourage long-form content.
But there is another business model on YouTube that I also like: Affiliate links. If I am watching videos of some content creator about some game, and that video makes me want to buy that game, I might as well use the affiliate link that will give that creator a small commission. Steam doesn't offer affiliate links, but various online shops that sell Steam keys do. Which means that by using that affiliate link I support a content creator I like *and* frequently get the game slightly cheaper than I would have gotten it on Steam directly.
Which gets us back to Transport Fever 3. I have been watching content from German streamer Steinwallen a lot, for example his long and still ongoing Europa Universalis V playthrough as Scotland. And recently he started playing Transport Fever 3 (he gets advanced access to Paradox games), and that looks quite interesting to me. So I'll watch a few more of his videos about that game, but then I am seriously considering to use his affiliate link to buy a Steam key for that game tomorrow.
- posted by Tobold @ 5:12 PM Permanent Link
Comments:
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I pre-ordered. I enjoyed Transport Fever 2, but there were some design decisions which were annoying. These seem to have been fixed in TF 3, particularly through the introduction of warehouses. It's a fun game and has enough depth to allow you to get as nerdy as you wish.
# posted by 
: 28/9/26 18:25
: 28/9/26 18:25
I would if I were you. It sounds like something you would enjoy and you'd be supporting someone how has added value to you.
If you like train games I recommend Railway Empire 1 and 2. I played them both a lot. Really good games.
I loved the original Railroad Tycoon, but no other train game ever really hit the spot with me since.
Transport fever 2 was quite good, but only with the mod that streamline production chains to consumer goods and industrial goods. That really made each map a bit of a puzzle as well as a sim
# posted by : 30/9/26 09:03
: 30/9/26 09:03
I really enjoy watching others play the same games I am playing. I say buy the game if you enjoy the videos. I have a question though from one YouTube addict to another. How do you avoid getting sucked into mindlessly scrolling low effort drivel and shorts?
I told Youtube to not propose shorts to me. And when I see AI slop I immediately mark it as “not interested”.
I can't find the setting to block shorts entirely but I did find a setting that sends me a nagging message if I watch shorts for more than a set period of time. Is that the setting you mean or is there another one?
# posted by : 30/9/26 15:37
: 30/9/26 15:37
You can’t turn them pff completely. But on the top right of where the shorts are displayed on the home screen, you can click on 3 dots and select “show less”.
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