Inventory Management Option -- Adding a poll

[Yimmy]

I am posting this idea as an expansion of Foran's initial posting (see below)

https://www.capitalism2.com/forum/viewt ... =14&t=9127


I propose the idea to see if it has interest and/or whether it would be too difficult to program for AI companies to make efficient use of the option.

An option to activate a "Fill percentage" for a factory's reservoirs (purchasing, manufacturing, sales, etc) would allow a player to conserve crucial early-game cash by restricting the purchase of some selected materials. This would make it easier to build a larger factory initially in anticipation of future plans to expand the product to the point where it needs the capacity of the larger facility. Absent this inventory option, the player must either choose to: 1) build numerous smaller factories or 2) devote cash to inventory that won't be used for many years until the player expands the retail infrastructure to utilize the large inventory.
It might also be possible to include this option for farms and retail stores. This option could also have the additional benefit of reducing lost inventory when some products become obsolete or when a player plans to convert to different, more lucrative products.

Currently, building reservoirs are filled to capacity if resources are available. A player must stop purchasing a product and wait for sales to empty the reservoirs to avoid losing inventory and the investment that goes with the lost inventory. An option to limit inventory to a percentage of capacity enables the player to plan ahead in preparation for a product's obsolescence or transition to different products. This subsequently reduces lost inventory and hastens product conversion times if a player chooses not to write off the inventory that occurs during a instantaneous conversion.

A player choosing to activate an inventory management option could experience an increased need to micro-manage by tracking their buildings to determine when they are ready to activate full capacity inventory.