Wartime production

[moonraker]

I notice that when you enter the second world war that all sales stop and unless you plan a little bit you can have huge stockpiles of cars sitting there until 1945 and then all of a sudden they all get sold as the war ends (As in real life). But although you can pick up the odd engine or vehicle contract they are few and far between. Now I know a lot of the American and British automotive industries switched to war materiel but this is not really reflected in the game. I am thinking of things like Jeeps which were mass produced by Ford and GM because Willys didn't have the capacity but other things like Chevy WB trucks which were adapted from a civilian design and the big Packard Limousines which were used to ferry top brass about. The military also used a lot of off the shelf stuff rather than a specific design for them and used as staff cars for various commanders etc. I wonder whether this might be better reflected with contracts offered for existing designs more than a new design spec which can take 2 years to design and test.

[Eric.B]

The main focus of v1.23 is a rewrite of the entire contracting system. One of the planned features is to give you the option to go into munitions production (Although if you do this, you will not be allowed any military contracts until the war is over). The new contracting system will also allow you (and other companies) to build vehicles/components for other companies and visa versa on a contractional bases.

But although you can pick up the odd engine or vehicle contract they are few and far between.

If your HQ country is at war, you should be getting a couple of new contract offers per quarter. Is your HQ nation at war? You are not able to fill other country's contracts if they're at war.

[moonraker]

Was in the US. HQ Detroit. I think I saw maybe 3 that I could actually bid for in the entire war. Other than designing from scratch by which time hostilities had ended. That sounds interesting for 1.23. I wonder if you could also throw in some more Chassis and Gearbox contracts because as in real life, the military made use of civilian designed engines, chassis and gearboxes and adapted them for their own use

[Eric.B]

Was in the US. HQ Detroit. I think I saw maybe 3 that I could actually bid for in the entire war. Other than designing from scratch by which time hostilities had ended.

Ah, so there was a lot of contracts, you just weren't able to bid on them because you didn't have your designs ready.
Well, for starters, you can submit bids with not-yet designed vehicles/components. Just be sure they're finished RnD before the contract is awarded.

Secondly, you should store up a few designs during the interwar periods to be quickly used when the contracts come out. You gotta put engineers to work somehow.

That sounds interesting for 1.23. I wonder if you could also throw in some more Chassis and Gearbox contracts because as in real life, the military  made use of civilian designed engines, chassis and gearboxes and adapted them for their own use

Chassis/Gearbox contracting is planned for working with other AI and Racing contracts. I don't think I'll be extending it to military though. If anything, I would like to do military specific vehicles, but that is currently out of our budget (thus in the hands of game modders.)

[moonraker]

Fair enough. Yes I was going to say maybe the Military might come in with a spec they want built and perhaps up to the player to build that particular vehicle to win the contract

[Eric.B]

Well that's what the expansion to the contracting system will entail. Some sort of contracting system that allows you to build vehicles for other companies. Much like the licensing system, but the actual building part/vehicle instead of just the buying the blueprints.

The assumption is, if Company A can't make enough units, they'll open up the bid for someone else to build them. Company B gets the contract, builds the units, sends them to Company A who then sends them to Their Contractor.

The system will also allow for sending bulk number of units, so you don't have to tie your self up for months.

[moonraker]

Sounds good. Look forward to that