Suggestion: Recipe-based manufactring

[209CATrus]

Coming to think about it, real life factories are capable of changing their produce over time, based on what technology they have available, and what materials they have available. I suggest that the industries have a specific set of (imaginary) manufacturing lines that they are capable of running based on what goods are being supplied to them and what technology is available at a time.

For example (not good enough of an example), let's say we have a bakery. An industrial bakery. Bakery can consume flour and produce bread that'll be distributed to convenience stores. But bakery could also be supplied with sugar, fruits, etc. so it'll produce pastry in addition to the bread, that'll be distributed to pastry shops. Bakery won't produce pastry if sugar, fruits, etc. are not available, but it should be able to keep producing bread if the flour is still available. Convenience store can cater mostly poor people, and pastry stores cater the rich. That allows for more connections between the population wealth system and industry.

For another example, let's say we have an imaginary factory in 1900. It requires steel and produces, let's say, "primitive" heavy machinery parts (boilers, heat sinks, bearings) using plain steel. But in 1950, there are consumers for "hitech" machinery parts, that, aside from steel, require electronic components supplied by external producer. That doesn't mean that "primitive" machinery parts are not required anymore, there's just a new market with new consumers. In 1950 "primitive" machinery parts still go to heavy industries such as refining, construction and mining industry.


The pros of such a system are quite significant:

• There's little need to close down old factories over time, unless there are external economic reasons to do that
• Players are incentivized to optimize their old lines in order to increase the throughput and accommodate new goods
• Players are able to pick up on industry easier, without connecting all the required producers to the industry, so they can profit over the "basic" manufacturing until they get enough finances to expand to more advanced goods

[zook2]

Hmmm.... I'm not sure that would be a good idea, all things considered. How many different goods do we have no? Without counting, perhaps 15 or so. If you add enough new types to make recipes viable (sugar, bread, pastries, electronics of different kinds etc. etc.), you might end up with 50 or more. And now imagine playing a multiplayer game on a massive map (at least that's my favourite game mode) where you have to add another 30 truck lines moving miniscule amounts of chips from the train station to the factory.

Not saying it couldn't be done but it would take the game into a wholly different direction. Much more detailed economic simulation, much less building and optimizing of transport routes.

[209CATrus]

Hmmm.... I'm not sure that would be a good idea, all things considered. How many different goods do we have no? Without counting, perhaps 15 or so. If you add enough new types to make recipes viable (sugar, bread, pastries, electronics of different kinds etc. etc.), you might end up with 50 or more. And now imagine playing a multiplayer game on a massive map (at least that's my favourite game mode) where you have to add another 30 truck lines moving miniscule amounts of chips from the train station to the factory.

Not saying it couldn't be done but it would take the game into a wholly different direction. Much more detailed economic simulation, much less building and optimizing of transport routes.

That's the point. Players will be forced to deliver miniscule amounts of goods, probably at zero profit, so they can keep much thicker (as in goods per km) industry chains running. The optimization challenge here is enforcement of multimodal and grouped deliveries.

Honorable mention: Simutrans Extended industry was, at least until martin509's invervention, a lackluster pain in the ****. I'm all hands for even 500 additional goods, assuming these goods actually provide more depth aside from simple link and forget.

As for the 5000000000000000000000000000 additional trucks in multiplayer - consider that the amount of goods is so miniscule, and industry is well zoned (aka unevenly spread, perhaps city industry specialization one day?) that these trucks all work at loss, so the players are forced to either hook up railways to deliver goods across vast distances, or force the truck to check up each such miniscule cargo point nearby in a roundabout fashion. Just like in real life, terrific!

[209CATrus]

In any era, the things people need to survive are logistics and supplies. Categories can be grouped together into these things. Mail service is outdated and obsolete in modern times.

Real. I got around 7 order pick up points in a radius of a few kilometers overflowing with various chinese goods ordered from online marketplaces. And that's at the border of the city. I actually think these hardware store chain investors are going to jump the roof soon. So yes, it's sort of safe to say that in modern times piece goods replaced the mail.