[WONT]Auto wage/hire default off?

[Frankschtaldt]

In every game I play these days my very first action is always to turn off the auto wage/hire options. Mostly because I don't want to be paying branch and marketing staff when I have nothing to sell.

Could we have the default set to off?

[Eric.B]

I'm leaning to no,

Mainly because if you start the game in later years, you can be fully operational on the first turn.

[Frankschtaldt]

I'm leaning to no,

Mainly because if you start the game in later years, you can be fully operational on the first turn.

Really? So it's possible to start with complete vehicles and an active distribution network if you start after 1900? I'd be curious to hear how this works!

Is it not possible to have it set of with a 1900 start but on for later years?

[Eric.B]

I'm leaning to no,

Mainly because if you start the game in later years, you can be fully operational on the first turn.

Really? So it's possible to start with complete vehicles and an active distribution network if you start after 1900? I'd be curious to hear how this works!

Is it not possible to have it set of with a 1900 start but on for later years?

It hasn't been tested yet, but I "give" AI in later games factories/branches/components/cars before the game starts to simulate an existing market...

If it works properly I may add it to the 1900 game as well, since there are a few companies who start before 1900...

[Frankschtaldt]

...but I "give" AI in later games factories/branches/components/cars before the game starts to simulate an existing market...

Just the AI?

This has me thinking. As the first year and a bit are generally just an annoying exercise is trying to spend as little cash as possible (for me anyway). Would it be possible to have the game start in the R&D screen with the player designing or contracting components/vehicles and then go into Jan 1900 with those things completed? Subtracting the design cost from their starting funds obviously. Probably be an easy/normal mode only thing.

[Arakash]

In every game I play these days my very first action is always to turn off the auto wage/hire options. Mostly because I don't want to be paying branch and marketing staff when I have nothing to sell.

Could we have the default set to off?

I would prefer to have it kept as default on.
In the vast majority of the games ive played, unless im under severe financial stress, i prefer not to micromanage wages, so i leave it on.


On the discussion about starting conditions.
I believe its been brought up before that it would be nice to have different flavoured starts, with existing factories/assets or just better skills in certain areas to start off with.
I can remember suggesting that you start out with the knowledge to build v8 or v10 for example.
A lot of potential flavor and re playability in having that kind of variation of starting games.

[Frankschtaldt]

I would prefer to have it kept as default on.
In the vast majority of the games ive played, unless im under severe financial stress, i prefer not to micromanage wages, so i leave it on.

I think you may have misunderstood me. I meant start the game with it off. The reason being, when you start you have no vehicles to sell, so leaving it on means hiring and paying expensive branch and advertising staff which is a major financial burden for a company that has to survive for up to 18 months with no source of income.

This would obviously be a null issue if you started with finished vehicles.

[Arakash]

I would prefer to have it kept as default on.
In the vast majority of the games ive played, unless im under severe financial stress, i prefer not to micromanage wages, so i leave it on.

I think you may have misunderstood me. I meant start the game with it off. The reason being, when you start you have no vehicles to sell, so leaving it on means hiring and paying expensive branch and advertising staff which is a major financial burden for a company that has to survive for up to 18 months with no source of income.

This would obviously be a null issue if you started with finished vehicles.

No i believe i understood you fine, correct me if im wrong here:
afaik we are discussing whether the auto wage/hire buttons should be off by default at game start.

It is a financial burden, but as i said, unless im under extreme financial stress, i prefer to leave it on at all times(including the start). Personally i dont enjoy the micromanagement burden it forces on me.
So in most games, even at the start as you mention, i still leave it on. So from my perspective, i dont really want to have to turn it on every game.

As a secondary point to support leaving it on by default, i think in the interest of making the experience easier for new players, it should be left on so they dont accidentally make any staff mistakes(like to turn it on, forgetting staff or messing up the process).
Once the players are more comfortable and familiar with the game, they can adjust and modify it as they like.

[Frankschtaldt]

I would prefer to have it kept as default on.
In the vast majority of the games ive played, unless im under severe financial stress, i prefer not to micromanage wages, so i leave it on.

I think you may have misunderstood me. I meant start the game with it off. The reason being, when you start you have no vehicles to sell, so leaving it on means hiring and paying expensive branch and advertising staff which is a major financial burden for a company that has to survive for up to 18 months with no source of income.

This would obviously be a null issue if you started with finished vehicles.

No i believe i understood you fine, correct me if im wrong here:
afaik we are discussing whether the auto wage/hire buttons should be off by default at game start.

It is a financial burden, but as i said, unless im under extreme financial stress, i prefer to leave it on at all times(including the start). Personally i dont enjoy the micromanagement burden it forces on me.
So in most games, even at the start as you mention, i still leave it on. So from my perspective, i dont really want to have to turn it on every game.

As a secondary point to support leaving it on by default, i think in the interest of making the experience easier for new players, it should be left on so they dont accidentally make any staff mistakes(like to turn it on, forgetting staff or messing up the process).
Once the players are more comfortable and familiar with the game, they can adjust and modify it as they like.

its not a micromanagement burden to have it off at game start though.

Having it off forces you to press one button twice and that it!

You set up research for your components and click the "Fill research" button. End turn until your components are finished then set up your vehicles, hit "Fill research" again then end turn till a vehicle is finished.

At this point you turn auto hire/wage back on. You've saved in excess if $100k in wages for clicking a button twice and two check boxes twice. Having them default off will reduce the number of clicks by a third and teach new players not to waste money on hiring people they don't have jobs for!

[Arakash]

its not a micromanagement burden to have it off at game start though.

Having it off forces you to press one button twice and that it!

You set up research for your components and click the "Fill research" button. End turn until your components are finished then set up your vehicles, hit "Fill research" again then end turn till a vehicle is finished.

At this point you turn auto hire/wage back on. You've saved in excess if $100k in wages for clicking a button twice and two check boxes twice. Having them default off will reduce the number of clicks by a third and teach new players not to waste money on hiring people they don't have jobs for!

You said having it default "off" forces you to press one button twice, well having it default "on" only forces you to press a few buttons as well, so that's not a great argument for it.

I consider teaching complacency(not wasting money) less important that trying to create a nice learning curve for new players.
Players have plenty of opportunity to fine tune their game and wages if they choose to do so, all they have to do is turn auto wage/hire off.
I imagine a lot of new players will, just like i did eventually, micromanage their wages/hiring in certain situations if they see the need and benefit for it. I consider it more of an advanced feature for fine tuning and skilled players rather than a standard one that every player will do.

Also, i totally reject the idea that having it as default off will reduce the number of clicks.
As i said for me, it will actually increase the number of clicks i do on my average game as i very rarely use it.

Im yet to be convinced that there is more benefit than downsides for this suggestion.
If a lot of players chime in that they always micromanage wages and hiring on the first turn, then im open to the idea that you could implement it for that reason.

[Frankschtaldt]

If a lot of players chime in that they always micromanage wages....

Righto, so we disagree on the usefulness of this idea. Unless other people feel the way I do, might as well leave it as is because it's just a minor annoyance for me. I just assumed that everyone else would have turned it off first turn like I do and then turned it on when there was actually a need for staff to be managed.

I do however think that using the term "micromanage" for pressing one button is a bit silly really. I never micromanage wages, ever. The idea that clicking a button that automatically hires and sets wages for a certain role is "micromanagement" is just ridiculous!

[Arakash]

If a lot of players chime in that they always micromanage wages....

Righto, so we disagree on the usefulness of this idea. Unless other people feel the way I do, might as well leave it as is because it's just a minor annoyance for me. I just assumed that everyone else would have turned it off first turn like I do and then turned it on when there was actually a need for staff to be managed.

I do however think that using the term "micromanage" for pressing one button is a bit silly really. I never micromanage wages, ever. The idea that clicking a button that automatically hires and sets wages for a certain role is "micromanagement" is just ridiculous!

Im happy to leave it at that unless other people chime in as you've mentioned.
Ill resist the urge to go into a debate on micromanagement I have a terrible habit of derailing threads