Mini Motorways Achieve 2,000+ Scores

General Information

Destinations will overtime accumulate pins. Every time a car visits a destination, it removes one pin. If a destination has too many pins, the game ends.

Pins are like packages that need to be collected. It is not essential to connect all houses, only enough to satisfy demand.

At the start of a game, the demand for pin collection is quite low, however overtime it will increase. As a general rule; 1 house for a rectangle- 2 for a square and 4 for a circle. Circles are busier destinations and require the most houses. Each house has 2 cars.

The further away houses are to the destination, the more cars that will be needed to satisfy demand. Cars will also take time time to travel home (to the same house) and collections can be slowed down by congestion. Houses/Cars will favour destinations that have the shortest route for them.

Segregate Colours

Probably the most important rule to follow is try and segregate roads so only cars of the same colour, travel on the same roads. As much as possible, only connect destinations to houses of the same colour. This reduces congestion and speeds up travel.

Segregating colours will also result in faster road layouts as less junctions will be present. It will also help simplify the end game, when more houses will be connected to the network.

Allocate Houses

Try and connect only the required number of houses to satisfy a destination's pin demand. Keep the roads to different destinations separate if possible, even if they share the same colour. This becomes increasingly advantageous when the game progresses and roads become busier. It is beneficial to know exactly where cars are travelling to, and if certain destinations require more houses to be connected.

For example, a car will only set off on a journey once a pin is present. In times of congestion, with multiple destinations connected onto the same roads, there is no guarantee the cars closet to a destination, are in fact travelling to that destination. They could be going to a destination far away. Situations can arise where cars travel past pickups of destinations that are about to fail- even though enough houses have been connected.

Blue has been segregated and allocated.

Large hubs of houses of the same colour connected to multiple destinations of the same colour should be avoided.

Motorways Are Valuable

Always choose the motorway as it is by far the most useful upgrade.

Excellent at connecting destinations far away, motorways do not require tiles to be used. They can be laid above buildings, and are also perfect for use in awkward/tight areas, enabling connection whilst maintaining segregation of colours. Cars are also able to travel faster on motorways.

Since motorways are so valuable, only use them where they are most needed. Could another upgrade be used in place of a motorway, to free up this valuable asset? Is there any other way to achieve the same results without using the motorway- eg a long road? Try and make the most of motorways by using other solutions wherever possible.

Other Upgrades

The next most valuable upgrade is normally the bridge. If a destination cannot be reached, the game ends. The bridge allows access across water, however unlike the motorway, it cannot be used above buildings and will cost tiles to use per square. A bridge quite often can be used in place of a motorway, freeing up a valuable upgrade that can be used elsewhere. Actively look for areas where motorways can be replaced by bridges.

Roundabouts can be utilised in areas where different coloured roads must cross. It is an excellent way at reducing congestion that is caused by a junction. They can also be used to reduce the number of junctions that are present freeing up traffic. For example many houses of the same colour connecting to one road.

Traffic lights are not as effective as the roundabout at reducing congestion, however can be a useful addition to a junction in light of no alternative.

(In maps where mountains are present, tunnels are available that enable roads to be built through them. Even though motorways are the most valuable upgrade, they cannot be used over mountains- there are some occasions where a tunnel may be preferable over a motorway.)

Driveways And Reduce Junctions

A house that connects directly onto an adjacent road creates a "driveway". Unlike at a junction, cars do not slow down at driveways. At every opportunity, connect houses onto roads as driveways, and direct these driveways in the direction the cars travel in.

Right Way

Wrong Way

Keep in mind that the more roads that connect, and more junctions that are present, the more congestion will become a problem. Roundabouts and traffic lights can be be used in these problem areas.

The entrance of a house is also free road, which can be utilised to save tiles, enabling more efficient use of resources. Directing the driveway in the direction of travel will not only lower(slightly) journey time, but can also potentially save on tiles.

Pre-empt Problems

Look for problems early. Which buildings are accumulating too many pins? Which routes have no houses with idle cars? Are there mixed roads that have extra congestion? Try and identify the high risk areas, and make those the priority- keep in mind when choosing upgrades what would benefit these areas the most.

It is also useful to think about solutions for potential spawns in the future. How would I connect that vacant destination if it were a certain colour? Are there potential spawns across water that require a bridge or motorway. Do I have any in use or available? How much time till the end of the week when i could potentially select one?

Use The Pause Button

Use the pause button to stop time, and the traffic, to give you an opportunity to make changes or think about solutions. What areas need to be improved? Are there any lone houses that have spawned, that you never saw that could be connected to a destination? On some maps every house matters!

Pausing also allows for useful roads to be placed to stop problematic houses or buildings appearing. "Zoning Off" areas can prevent spawns occurring, producing a more favourable layout. This can stop destinations being boxed in, resulting in forced mixed coloured roads- which is sub optimal.

Careful placement of roads can be use to enable extra connections of houses, should a square destination change to a circle. (Circles are busier and have have higher pin demand). It can also help prevent houses being spawn blocked in by other houses or buildings appearing in unfavourable locations. This is essentially future proofing your city.

Utilise the pause button and actively look for ways to make your layouts more efficient.

Temporary/Switching Motorways

There are some challenging situations that sometimes occur whereby several destinations spawn, and there is no way to provide access to them and clear pins. This might be spawns that are a far distance between each other, or across water. For scenarios where there is lack of reasonable access to multiple destinations at the same time, a motorway can be used to clear pins from one location, then switched out to cover another destination. This process is repeated until the end of the week whereby more tiles or upgrades can be used for a permanent solution.

Provided the game hasn't progressed too far, there is normally enough time for cars to travel to the destination and back, before the next destination has failed. Since cars can travel faster on motorways, they are a great resource to utilise for saving struggling destinations.

Restart A Bad Game

There is a random element within mini motorways which results in certain maps/games being harder to make higher scores. Maps are based on cities, however games are procedurally generated; some spawns will be more challenging to manage than others. When playing for the 2,000+ achievements, or high scores in general, it may be easier to restart a bad game, to one where the spawns of destinations and houses are more advantageous.

Thanks for reading this guide

Source: https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3325918384

Achieve 2,000+ Scores