Energy first

[therealevan]

In all of my games, Oil, chemical minerals, and timber have been the three largest products sold in terms of quantity and revenue. While coal, iron ore, and silica have been the lowest. What's more interesting is how the AI (annoyingly) only buy on a need to have basis (or just in time manufacturing) which can create obnoxious gaps in revenue streams unless like in your game, you have multiple clients that buy from you all year long. I think an easy fix to this problem might simply be to require a higher amount of natural resources to produce the next tier of product. Example; instead of taking 100 barrels to produce 1 unit of plastic, it would take 150 barrels instead. Thoughts?

[counting]

In all of my games, Oil, chemical minerals, and timber have been the three largest products sold in terms of quantity and revenue. While coal, iron ore, and silica have been the lowest. What's more interesting is how the AI (annoyingly) only buy on a need to have basis (or just in time manufacturing) which can create obnoxious gaps in revenue streams unless like in your game, you have multiple clients that buy from you all year long. I think an easy fix to this problem might simply be to require a higher amount of natural resources to produce the next tier of product. Example; instead of taking 100 barrels to produce 1 unit of plastic, it would take 150 barrels instead. Thoughts?

The key is to have as many AIs as potential buyers (I always go for 30). And you have to have monopoly on that raw material (which means cover all good spots on most cities). And you have to artificially create shortage. Since seaport has very limit supply, when it can't handle all AI requests, no matter how high you set your price, AI will have to buy from your sources. (I can even set the rating all the way down to 0 and AI still have to buy from me , that how I got so much profit)

As for ratio between goods and raw materials, I think it's mostly number's game. It just essentially force AI to open their mine sooner instead of rely on seaport. It doesn't matter if you have monopoly, and I can cap out all the mines with 30 AI demanding materials on 7 cities (enough customers to push the consumption).

Although, I think energy or fuel class products will be a better way to start. Since you have to reflect this everyday product anyway. One important thing is that the "purchase" of fuel, can become the foundation of building the whole transportation department. It's what this expansion pack is aimed to do anyway, not just adding old stuff with new name only.

Transportation firm need expenses, and fuel is certainly a major one. Also, the electricity utility could be added to reflect actual "building running overhead cost". With natural gas and coal as the main source of energy generation, we can have power plant facilities as well. Which will bring us even closer to more realistic city simulation.

[counting]

I think in regard of combining freight business with energy sectors. The first series of production should be the 3 level structure.

Oil source --> Oil refinery --> Gas station

Hence my Depot model can linked its fuel purchases with Gas station. Although gasoline consumption is not only for freight companies but mostly to general population. Also, since gasoline and diesel can be synthesized not only with crude oil, but also bio-materials (like corn, animal fats, etc), coal and natural gas, it should get a much bigger market with lots of sources option in Oil "refinery" (more like manufacturer)

[Arcnor]

I think in regard of combining freight business with energy sectors. The first series of production should be the 3 level structure.

Oil source --> Oil refinery --> Gas station

Hence my Depot model can linked its fuel purchases with Gas station. Although gasoline consumption is not only for freight companies but mostly to general population. Also, since gasoline and diesel can be synthesized not only with crude oil, but also bio-materials (like corn, animal fats, etc), coal and natural gas, it should get a much bigger market with lots of sources option in Oil "refinery" (more like manufacturer)

We might also add that gas consumption be partially factored by automotive sales; the more autos sold in the city the higher the consumption of gas.

Perhaps also the price of gas should affect vehicle sales

[counting]

This car usage and gasoline mechanism should totally be integrated into the possible new Automobile Industry.

And parking lot, and traffic should be integrated with city simulation packages.

[therealevan]

Sorry for late reply -

I think there needs to be a overhaul of natural resources in caplab. You're right counting, oil segment doesn't produce the numbers that companies like Exxon or Shell generate.

[tosh]

(and I never figure out what "consumption of reserve" is and why it's such a high cost).

I'm asking the same question myself. what the heck is consumption of reserve> My guess is the value of resources got sold from the firm that month. so if you mined and sold 5mil worth of gold that month, you will see a 5 mil in the "consumption of reserve".
which make a lot of sense, since you bought the mine and the gold.
that way, you can make sure you are making money out of your natural resource firm.

[counting]

I'm asking the same question myself. what the heck is consumption of reserve> My guess is the value of resources got sold from the firm that month. so if you mined and sold 5mil worth of gold that month, you will see a 5 mil in the "consumption of reserve".
which make a lot of sense, since you bought the mine and the gold.
that way, you can make sure you are making money out of your natural resource firm.

The "consumption of reserve" is listed in firm level income statement which doesn't make any accounting sense if it means the reserve is "consumed". That's a quantity concept which make sense in balance sheet, not income statement where it's a flow. Like you don't measure the level of stockpile quantity in your retail firm's income statement.

The current resource firm income statement makes it feels like for every certain amount of ores you dug up, a fixed percentage of the ore is "wasted" or discarded in the process, and you pay fees to some environment clear-up companies to "clean it up".

But perhaps it does fulfill the purpose of measuring the real income like you suggested. I've run many resource revenue focused games, and the price you pay for the land cost when building the mine is exactly like you are "buying" raw ore. The life time profit (which already minus this mysterious "consumption of reserve") has to be greater than the purchasing land and building cost to gain real profit. Like if you had 100m from the start, and spent 80m to build a mine and purchase land, end up with 20m left. When you close down the firm with 50m life time profit listed in its income statement (already minus "consumption of reserve"), you won't get 160m at the end, but just (20m+50m)=70m (plus a few million sell the land and close down mine). In accounting term, this is analog to a type of depreciation expense (but without a proper mechanism, this feels very weird to me to be used on mining firm)

[David]

I think in regard of combining freight business with energy sectors. The first series of production should be the 3 level structure.

Oil source --> Oil refinery --> Gas station

Here is an update to the latest status on this: we haven't figured out a way to implement a transport system in CapLab with engrossing gameplay yet. But we are at the moment attempting to include the Energy sector, Oil Refinery and Gas Stations in the city expansion pack.

Any suggestions about the gameplay on these new elements (but without a transport system yet) would be welcome.

[Killerbrandt]

OOOHHH!! I am very excited to see the Oil Industry grow on this game. I wonder if there is a way that you could determine the demand on gas based on the amount of cars sold in that city. If the city doesnt sell any cars then there should be very low demand for gas products. I will have to sit and think about what else to add to the Oil Industry to fit into this game smoothly Its nice reading about a game that is improving all the time!