TOPIC:

Lets make a summary of the posts above:
1 - Poniter started the thread, submitted its reasons and since we try to balance points among servers and the work each one takes, we're replying;
2 - Arthur Dent focused on an example that, as many others, can give different points, even when the finish time is the same;
3 - I searched info's on those particular games indicated by Arthur Dent, and showing what and where the effectiveness is compensated (same goal, same time, less vehicles...)
4 - Frank complemented, and well, there's are many more factors to take into account and suggested Poniter to join our IRC channel, to talk better about it, because "If you think that you can donate some time to think with us about the algorithm" (globally talking now);

Not taking out the merits of vGelder's reply, I'll stop by here for the reasons told here . Expanding...:
. Poniter followed strictly this suggestion: "If you think that you can donate some time to think with us about the algorithm, please join our IRC channel and mention this, help is ALWAYS welcome " and he joined our IRC channel (I forgot to mention that, my fault), and for that, Poniter get a +1 by my consideration - For obvious reasons I'll let this decision to Frank (info to share), despite the fact that I know that he don't have the same free time than at earlier times/years.

Meh, this getting long so, short words are: always read the reply but never forget to read what's above ^^

Edit: I forgot to mention Silly Sad reply, but was so empty that I had to edit this post
Edit2: Silly Sad could join our IRC channel too! A suggestion

vehicle's amount has nothing to do with efficiency what else do you want to hear.

Yeah, I already got that from your last post. What I meant is if you could show us the reasoning behind it, the arguments, why do you think it doesn't.

Because just stating something, doesn't make it so, nor does it make it easy to understand for us.

the hardest things to explain are those obvious things.
however, there is very simple way of denouncing "amount of vehicles":

it is already taken in account in the company's budget.
"no double taxation, please!"

well, you may reason about efficiency in several ways, all of them require the definition of the effeciency itself (which is exactly the core of the problem). Thus trying to define the efficiency as close as possible to the REAL LIFE you shall see you do not need "amount of vehicles".

I suggest to begin with the real life economical competion.

I quite agree amount of vehicles does not say much about effectiveness. Amount depends on things like train length or if you prefer vehicles or trains. Some might consider using high amount of vehicles to be actually feat of strength, if you are able to use all available or not.

Of course it has to be distinguished whether the vehicle is just sitting in depot or doing profit. And even if it does profit, it's again different how high the profit is, is it direct, or is it from transfer or how long the route is.

In my opinion including amount of vehicles into experience is act of beauty, the same as if you would want to measure how good your rail network is designed. Does it make sense to calculate some experience from it? No, it does not.

But what I wanter to say is: make the score calculation public.
I am quite bemused by the long year attitude of keeping it secret and the invalid reason that it would be abused. If it can be abused, than it is wrong and should be redesigned.
On the other hand, by revealing it, you get more people who can say their opinion about it, and have remarks how to make it better. And even if someone find a way how to make inappropriate points of it, even better. Such thing would get attraction and you would be able to fix that quickly.

Also it is funny if you say on one line that you will be happy to hear suggestions on the scoring while at previous line you say it is secret. How can then anyone seriously interested improve anything?

+1 to every sentence!

why have been brocken all pre-war cyphers?
because they had relayed on OBSCURITY.

someone need to read some basics on The Theory Of Information -- so many yesrs passed since Shannon has accomplished his revolutionary work, and people still shoot themselves in the same leg they shot throughout medeival ages.