Product Customization
(Available when either the Subsidiary DLC or the Digital Age DLC is enabled.)
Product Customization allows you to assign custom images to your products and link each image to a specific technology level. Once your product’s tech level reaches the required threshold, the corresponding custom image will automatically be used in-game.
Example:
If you set a custom Car image with a tech level requirement of 200, that image will replace the default Car graphic once your Car technology reaches 200.
How to Enable Product Customization
First, open the New Game Settings menu and enable Product Customization, as shown below.
When Product Customization is turned on, Technology Disruption is automatically disabled. This is intentional: Product Customization depends on technology levels increasing linearly, while Technology Disruption applies a 10% annual reduction to all tech levels, which would interfere with the feature’s progression logic.
To customize a product, open the Manufacturer’s Guide, select the product you want to modify, and click the Product Customization icon, as shown below.
How to Add Custom Images to a Product Type
To add new custom images for a product type, click the Open Folder button at the bottom‑right of the window. This opens the directory where custom product images should be placed.
For example, if you are viewing Car, the folder opened will be:
C:\Users\<user name>\Documents\My Games\<your Capitalism Lab folder>\PRODUCTS\Car
To add a custom image, copy a PNG file (recommended size: 120×120) into this folder. The next time you launch Capitalism Lab, the new image will appear in the Product Customization window.
Image requirements:
- Format: PNG only
- Image size: 120×120
For image conversion and resizing, we recommend using XnView’s free image tool, available at: www.xnview.com/en/xnshell
How to Use the Custom Product Images in the Game
After adding your custom product images, the next step is to assign a required technology level to each image.
Example: If you assign a custom Car image a tech level of 200, then once your Car technology reaches 200, any newly manufactured Car products using the latest tech will automatically display that custom image.
On the Product Customization window:
- Use the [+]/[–] buttons below each image to set its required technology level.
- Click [Sort] at any time to refresh the list and display all custom images in ascending order of tech level.
- You may optionally enter a custom name for each image. To do so, click the pen icon at the left-bottom of each custom product record. This name will appear in the product detail area on the firm detail screen and in the Product Details report.
How to Manufacture Products Using the Custom Images
1) Set up a R&D Center and start a research project on the product type that has custom images, like the screenshot shown below.
2) Set up a factory and manufacture new products using the latest technology resulting from a research project in your R&D Center.
As illustrated in the below screenshot, the factory is currently producing Cars using a custom product image, thanks to the fact that the R&D effort has advanced the technology to a level that now exceeds the one you have defined on the Product Customization window (with a tech level of 200 in this example).
Choosing a Specific Tech Level for Your Manufacturing Unit
It is possible for a sales outlet to offer the new product (with a higher technology level) alongside an older product (with a lower technology level) at the same time.
The Customize button gives you direct control over how each manufacturing unit handles product customization.
By default, when a manufacturing unit is upgraded to the latest technology, it will automatically switch to the appropriate custom product image.
However, there may be situations where you want a particular factory to continue producing a lower‑tech version of the product—one that corresponds to a different custom image. In such cases, click the Customize button to manually set the tech level used by that manufacturing unit.
Clicking the Customize button opens the window shown below. From here, you can revert the unit’s production technology to a lower level and associate it with a different custom product image. The tech level for each image is displayed directly beneath it.
Select a product image and click the [Change] button to change the production technology of the current manufacturing unit to the selected level. This will associate the product with the selected image.
Alternatively, you may click the [Change All] button to change the production technologies of all manufacturing units in the current firm to the selected level.
Effects on Gameplay
Product Customization allows you to introduce multiple variants of the same product type into the market. Each variant is treated as a separate product, with its own demand and supply dynamics.
For example, your company may sell two car models simultaneously—each with different product images and different technology levels—targeting distinct market segments.
- A car with lower technology (and therefore lower quality) and a lower price will appeal more to price‑conscious consumers.
- A car with higher technology (and therefore higher quality) and a higher price will attract quality‑conscious consumers who are willing to pay more.
By managing multiple variants strategically, you can broaden your market coverage and optimize your product positioning.
Suspension of Auto Apply Results
Change to the Game Rule
When product customization is enabled, a manufacturing unit will not suffer a decline in unit experience level when its production technology is upgraded. This enable the player to take advantage of the new product customization feature without worrying about excessive decreases in experience levels of manufacturing units.