factory catalyst goods

[poppo]

Hi!

I want to add "catalyst" goods.

• Factories can work without supply of catalyst goods
  
• Catalyst goods boost factories produce (like electricity,passenger and mail)
  

I suggest three patterns to add catalyst goods:

• add new desc type "factory_catalyst_desc_t", which has same flag as factory_supplier_desc_t and boost ratio.
  
• when factory_supplier_desc_t's consumption==0, we treat it as catalyst. (but we need boost ratio and consumption ratio for catalyst)
  
• we add "catalyst number", which supplier goods number is larger than catalyst number, these goods are treated as catalyst. (but we need boost ratio)
  

Here, I paste the patch with version 1 (add factory_catalyst_desc_t)factory_catalyst.patch.

[prissi]

I think this is a very interesting change. However, I am currently on holiday and not really have time to review and test such big changes.

Moreover, one needs also discuss how and when the factory builder builds those catalysts. Otherwise they will never appear other than if they are part of another chain.

Maybe like the distribution wieght for normal factories, or just with less retrys?

[poppo]

if we add factory_catalyst_desc_t, we can define distribution weight.

[prissi]

But the factory builder is not yet aware of those factories ...

[poppo]

The factory builder and factory connect method can be same as current factory_supplier_desc_t. The only differnce is "factory can make production goods without eat catalyst goods".

I'm assuming that catalyst goods' connection method is same as supplier desc, and eating method (consumption) is similar to electricity.

[prissi]

But the current factory builder does not build such factories unless I have misinterpreted this patch.

[Václav]

Well, if I understand correctly, may it be that in agricultural industry, good equivalent to fertilizers (manure, urea or so) could be sent to farms to increase production. This (sometimes) would be good - rather than electricity.
But on other hand, for simulation of classic catalysators (that allow to reaction would run, at all), you can simply use one more source good even now. But I am not sure if this is what is really needed in this game.
Opinion based on playing of other similar games:

Simutrans is about traffic simulation, not about indsutry simulation (like Industry Giant by JoWood or so). And even in Industry giant nothing like catalyst goods is used (even if more than one good is used for production, like in Simutrans).

So, for this I am not sure if this is good idea (excepting case of fertilizers for agricultural industry as booster instead electricity).

[poppo]

Currently, factories can produce when more than one supplier goods comes. So, we cannot treaet non-necessarily required goods, e.g. fertilizers for farmers.

These are intended for use as agricultural fertilizers, food for factory cafeterias, and electronic components for increasing production, among other applications.

Furthermore, since this good is not directly necessary for industrial production, designating goods that do not yet exist in the industrial network will not affect the production network.
When the era setting is enabled, designating goods that do not appear until a later era as "catalyst goods" allows you to simulate increased production resulting from the evolution of fertilizers or technological advancements in electronic components.

[Andarix]

...
When the era setting is enabled, designating goods that do not appear until a later era as "catalyst goods" allows you to simulate increased production resulting from the evolution of fertilizers or technological advancements in electronic components.

This method of increasing the intensity has actually existed for a very long time, it just doesn't work effectively.

https://simutrans-germany.com/wiki/wiki/tiki-index.php?page=en_FactoryDef&no_bl=y#Parameters_for_permanent_production_increase_in_version_REAL_GT_110.0.1_

german forum thread

[Václav]

Currently, factories can produce when more than one supplier goods comes. So, we cannot treaet non-necessarily required goods, e.g. fertilizers for farmers.

As I wrote, this is transportation simulator, not industry simulator.

(And as transportation simulator it is much better than in TTD or Transport Giant.)

These are intended for use as agricultural fertilizers, food for factory cafeterias, and electronic components for increasing production, among other applications.

Agricultural fertilizers (hard to say if have them together as fertilizers or try to differ them) are OK. They can be easily understood.

Not that employees would not need to eat, but I am not sure if this is what would really increase production.

But with electronic components I have to disagree. I don't see effect on production that would be easily understood. And really I don't understand your idea of effect of electronic components on increasing of production.
Please, don't make game too complex. Else nobody would play it, at all.

Currently game has reasonable complexity. It is not easy like TTD or Transport Giant, but still it is well playable. And each added element like this may be point of break, point that would lead Simutrans to hell.

[poppo]

The examples I provided are merely ideas at this point; the actual implementation is left to the pakset administrators and pak creators.

I completely agree that games should be simple.

On the other hand, I feel that there are cases where the transportation network becomes unstable because goods designed to correspond to these "catalysts" are set to have a low consumption rate, such as 1%.

Furthermore, the concept of "increased production" already exists: passengers and electricity. If we view this simply as an increase in the types of goods in demand, the complexity for players doesn't really increase that much.