Small tweak to the UI Manufacturer’s Guide screen

[Waring_Hudsucker]

First, I am quite new to this game and before humbly suggesting a small tweak to the UI wish to express my deep admiration of the product and the developers. Re-playability is outstanding due to the many different corporate focuses available, the exhaustive custom environment settings, the DLC’s and the mod-ability (Piermario’s RealWorld mod is outstanding). Thanks to all.

I really like the following UI feature when performing research on the Product Details screen:
When I select a product from the search product box that product will also be set as the output product on the Manufacturer’s Guide screen. This is very convenient for what I would call top-down product research.

I would find it equally convenient if the inverse would also be true. If I change the output product (by any method) on the Manufacturer’s Guide screen it would change the product on the Product Details screen. This would make it easier for bottom-up product fabrication research which I tend to employ early in the game. Meaning I can start from the factory and using the Manufacturer’s Guide to Setup Factory Production button (which I absolutely love) see what products can be fabricated with currently available or easily produced resources, then go to the Product Details screen and view that additional information without having to re-select the same product I just selected on the Manufacturer’s Guide screen. Am I alone in this?

So, to simplify, what I am suggesting is to link the selected product on the Product Details screen with the currently selected output product on the Manufacturer’s Guide screen. If you change either one the other one changes with it. If there is a reason that other players research methods find the current UI function preferable might I suggest a checkbox on the Manufacturer’s Guide screen so that the link could be toggled on or off?

[David]

This is a good suggestion. I have forwarded it to the dev team for their consideration.

[Waring_Hudsucker]

Thank you David

[Waring_Hudsucker]

This is a good suggestion. I have forwarded it to the dev team for their consideration.

David, I would like to modify my prior suggestion to link the selected product on the Product Details screen with the currently selected output product on the Manufacturer’s Guide screen, that is assuming it is still under consideration. I’m still much in favor of that minor tweak to the UI.

It seems to me there are two basic procedures involved in setting up a factory:
1. Deciding what product you wish to fabricate
2. Physically setting up the factory

As it is now these two procedures are intermingled. You can’t conduct proper product research without repeatedly coming up to the Manufacturer’s Guide / Set Up Factory Production screens from the factory link to find out if the resources are available.

Physically setting up the factory is now pretty straightforward with the Use Manufacturer’s Guide to set up Factory Production link from the factory. I think this is great.

However, I find product research to be cumbersome and unpleasant as it is currently implemented. It would save much clicking around if the resource availability for fabrication as is displayed on the Set Up Factory Production screen was also available on the Manufacturer’s Guide screen. This along with my previous suggestion to make a bi-directional link of the selected product on the Product Details screen with the currently selected output product on the Manufacturer’s Guide screen would streamline the research process considerably.

You could then research product after product by:

Selecting an output product on the Manufacturer’s Guide screen and now know if resources are available or if you will need to produce semi-products, etc. Then click directly on the Product Details screen and without having to re-select the product there and see if any competitors are already producing it and what their quality and market share are.

To summarize:
1. Make resource availability for fabrication as is displayed on the Set Up Factory Production screen also available on the Manufacturer’s Guide screen

2. As previously suggested, make a bi-directional link of the selected product on the Product Details screen with the currently selected output product on the Manufacturer’s Guide screen

[David]

This is a good suggestion. It is doable.

[eleaza]

I wholly agree with this suggestion.

And I finally realise why I found Real World Mod so tiresome to play with, since I pretty much remembers all the ingredients in the core game, but with so many products in Real World Mod I haven't remembered, it takes a long time for me to find which products have shared raw materials related to each other.

Hopefully this new improvement can be applied smoothly even in modded game, and help reducing the market research phase clickings (and my wrist )

[David]

The implementation of these suggestions will be available in the upcoming post-release beta version 4.4.00.

Please note:
For this "2. As previously suggested, make a bi-directional link of the selected product on the Product Details screen with the currently selected output product on the Manufacturer’s Guide screen", the shortcut key 'r' should be used to switch to Product Details report, instead of clicking "Product Details" on the Information Center.

[Waring_Hudsucker]

Thanks to the team for responding quickly on this suggestion. I'm looking forward to the update.

[David]

You could now find the implementation of your suggestion from the newly released v4.4.01: http://www.capitalismlab.com/forum/view ... =10&t=3986

[Waring_Hudsucker]

Thanks. I am enjoying this improvement to the UI, and I hope others are as well.