What i was wondering recently, is how much influence the quality or design of the components in a vehicle actually effect what people think of the vehicle in Gearcity and the Real World.
I know there are a few stats that often get thrown around, such as HP and kw, but im not really sure how much people care about whether their car has a good Gearbox or Chassis for example.
The reason the question came up is i was looking at the stats thinking that the component quality really wasnt having a huge effect on my overall vehicle quality, but this got me wondering whether that is actually a reflection of the perception of consumers in general.
Does anyone want to share their personal experience on this, or say whether they think it matters much to people in general?
I've had a semi long debate with MrX_ua over metric units of measurements for fuel consumption. Currently the game uses KM/L which makes sense to me, however MrX_ua believe it should be L/100KM which he states is more common.
I've been around many Japanese vehicles in my life and I'm almost sure they use KM/L
Then again I'm getting old. Memory doesn't work as well anymore!
In any case both will probably make it into the game, however, I'm still curious as to what you use! So how about it? KM/L or L/100KM.
I did a search for this but didn't really find much so I have a few q's about how tax will be implemented.
So, how will Corp tax be implemented? =p
Will it be a percentage taken off the sale price of the vehicle like most traditional taxes or a percentage of the margin like a VAT or a value added on top of the sale price like a GST? Or something else entirely?
Will the tax be calculated based off where the car is sold, where the car is made it where your HQ is?
Assuming it's not a GST style tax, will it be possible to set your prices pre or post tax as a sanity saver?
Apologies if this has already been discussed.... Just point me to that thread if you can find it =)
This thread got me thinking about the effectiveness of advertising specific models vs just broad base advertising.
Generally I do both but I find myself wondering if it's really worth doing more than the broad base advertising when your marque has 16 different models with another 6 on the way.
Has anyone played around with this? Do you need to advertise specific models to be effective or is broad base advertising just as effective?
A quick question regarding factories and their qualities.
Obviously all three sliders effect total production capabilities but I was wondering if anyone could tell me what each of them are best for. Or, I guess, more specifically to me right now, which one has the greatest effect on production costs of cars build in the factory?
I ask because I have this crazy idea of trying to make a company focused on Africa and I figure key to success there is price.
Hi guys, firstly first post so worth saying I'm totally loving the beta and really looking forward to buying the full game when it's released.
I have a few questions but I see that the next update (1.12) is all about a manual for the game so I'll wait to see that before I ask everything in case some are answered by that.
I will ask one question though: can anyone give me any tips for surviving a world war? I encountered it for the first time yesterday (annoying bugs and crashes have forced me to restart a few times but it's a beta so I'm not complaining). I did survive the war but only because I was lucky enough to go into it with close to $50m in the bank but but I only had about $2m left by the end. Do all factories shut down regardless or does it depend on where they are (I only had one in Berlin which obviously shut down for the duration of the war) because that was probably the biggest thing that hurt me. Sales backed off pretty harshly but I spent the last 2 years of the war this nothing to sell and no way of making more.
On a related note, if you design a big powerful engine can you put it up for contract for use by the military (ala Rolls Royce)?
I did search the forums for "war" before asking this but I'm on a phone so apologies if I missed and answer to this that someone has already posted.
(The Save included in this post will not work in the current version 1.13)
Ive created this post with a save(so you can start in 1907) included to see if anyone can design something close to or the same as the Model T, one of the most successful vehicles in the period covered by the early part of Gearcity. Some specific suggestions on how its stats should look are at the end of the post.
The save puts you in January 1907, with 1.4mil dollars savings. This should give you enough time to design a vehicle for 1908, even with a long vehicle testing process.
Ive also done some basic R&D work in 1900 so you can actually access all the design options that are available in 1907. (If you don't design any chassis before 1907 your company does not have the technical skill to make ladder frames and i wanted to have that option)
Post some screenshots or describe the vehicle you ended up making and how close you got to a Model T.
Warning: If you want to produce/sell in that save, you'll have to make another cheap branch and cheap factory (200-300k factory), as i demolished them to save on costs when the company went into hibernation for 7 years of the game. Don't forget to use some lobbying to save on factory construction cost.
Here are some basic stats of what you are aiming for. (taken from wikipedia)
Overall vehicle requirements:
Vehicle type is probably touring. (Other Model T types on sale in 1909 according to wiki was town car and coupe. I would also probably accept compact car, as that seems to cover most economy vehicles of the time.)
Weight: 540kg
13–25 mpg after vehicle design. Needs to be a very cheap vehicle. Im unsure a good figure for the production cost, but the Sales price in 1909 is listed as $850 for a touring model. (Factoring in the fact that Ford is somewhat famous for producing the Model T at low profit margins and sometimes even a loss and other expenses in Gearcity like marketing/branch costs, the production cost should be close to that and ideally much lower.)
Chassis:
FR layout
Length: 134 in (3,404 mm)
Leaf springs
Engine:
2.9L Straight 4
20hp
If you really want to go all out and replicate its bore/stroke..
Bore: 3 3â„4 inches (95.25 mm)
Stroke: 4 inches (101.6 mm) (this is actually somewhat hard ingame, 2.9L Straight 4 engines usually have much more HP than that.)
Gearbox:
2 speed.
Here is my First attempt. (youll notice i edited together the R&D screen and Showroom screen to give the most information with one screenshot)
The vehicle size looks a bit bugged, as the two areas dont agree(ill write a new bug report on that). Its either too long or too short, either way, it is not the same size as the Model T.
Its also too heavy, but i think i can slash down on the weight a bit more.
Its price is decent at least. A fair first attempt i hope
I would love to make its dependability higher, but the material/component/paint sliders in vehicle design are very expensive. It wouldve cost me another $200-300 to take it from 2-4 stars)
One of the biggest challenges was actually making a 20HP 4C 2.9L engine with that stroke and bore.
In Gearcity, it has to be a really terrible engine to have that low HP in 1908 with that much capacity. Almost all of the sliders effecting performance had to be on their lowest to reach that.
Its interesting though even with such terrible sliders, it produces more torque than my 1.7L single cylinder design i usually use.
Recently i did some testing to see the effect of price on the sales of vehicles in Gearcity.
The main question i was looking at: Do you see a increase in sales volume, perhaps a significant one when you lower prices?
The reason i wanted to know this was i believe it was suggested at some point on the forums you could increase your price without having a significant effect on sales.
Preface:
I don't have an enormous amount of time to do this at the moment, so ive only got testing from two different price points and i haven't repeated it yet. I also had a lot of bad luck with bugs and had to do the final part of the testing on 1.11 instead of 1.10.
So you should consider the information very rough estimations, but i think they are still interesting for discussing the topic.
Ill start by summarizing what i think ive found out, if you want to see the procedure, limits and raw data, skip to the testing section.
Basic conditions: (again look at the bottom of the thread for more details.)
I used a sedan for every test, selling in 1901 from Feb - December in London only.
For reference, the Per capita at this point is around 380-390, population is 6.32mil
(Note: Competitor activity is reported, but is probably not reliable at the moment due to bugs)
Results/Summary
Sedan Selling at $1000 in London - 2.6x per capita
Average sales were ~ 376 vehicles per month. Lowest was 220 and highest was 506.
Combined Competitor activity was never beyond 150 units total per month, but on average around 40-70.
Sedan Selling at $600 in London - 1.55x per capita
Average sales were ~ 995 vehicles per month. Lowest was 661 and highest was 1503
Combined Competitor activity reached 200 towards the end, but was on average 100-130
Thoughts/conclusions based on this:
You should consider this a (very) rough estimation, but it looks like the drop in prices from 2.5x($1000) to 1.5x($600) per capita in 1901 gave roughly 3x the sales.
So answering the question asked right at the start of the test, in controlled conditions it seems we get significant increases in sales volume when you decrease price. We can also assume that the reverse, that in controlled conditions you get decreased sales with a higher price, is also true.
Ive suspected for a while that because of the way income distribution works in Gearcity, if you have a lower price you will be able to sell vehicles to a much larger percentage of the population. (i.e. people with lower income who could not afford the vehicle before can afford it at a lower price)
That said, i assume a lower price will also attract more people from the demographics higher priced vehicles sell to as well. (i.e. more rich people might also buy if you lower the price)
Regardless of the mechanics involved, reducing the price has quite the effect on sales by the look of it.
Selling at low price and high volume is something to think about when you design your next vehicle.
Testing Procedure:
To limit the number of other factors that can influence sales, ive tried to sell the same vehicle, under the same conditions in separate saves, in 1901. Without doing this there is so many things effecting sales its hard to tell anything with any amount of certainty.
Just for clarification, i had to edit my money in the first game turn in order to not go bankrupt while testing sales. This should have no effect on the actual sales numbers.
In detail:
Code:
- I start a new game on normal for every vehicle price i want to test.
- Im testing sales only in the year 1901 (February to December to be specific)
- I don't use any marketing.
- I only sell vehicles in London - Maximum Branch size
- I overproduce vehicles, a surplus is always available so im not limited by production numbers
- I record competitor activity, incase it is having a large effect on sales
Vehicle design choices: (the same for every game)
Note: Unless otherwise stated, no sliders are touched at all during design
- Sedan
- 2 gear "Generic" gearbox (midrange i thought)
- 2 Stroke gas
- Demographics - Male(women cant even vote yet in 1900) - Upper Middle (the vehicle is never going to be at or below Per capita, so middle or lower seems pointless.)
Sales Data:
Ill post the raw data in code tags below this (its large).
Code:
Raw monthly sales
$1000 vehicle Feb - December 1901
220
506
262
358
395
331
346
489
470
514
246
$600 vehicle Feb - December 1901
838
799
1222
871
960
1257
1503
772
825
661
1247
Detailed sales information:
Note: M2 = February, M3 = March etc.
Note: Competitor activity is noted in order to eliminate another variable, so their names aren't listed but they are consistent across all months of the save. You also shouldn't consider them overly reliable due to possible bugs.
T1- Sedan for $1000
1901
M2
My Company - 220
Sedan Competitor 1 - $1028 - 71
M3
My Company - 506
Sedan Competitor 1 - $1028 - 66
M4
My Company - 262
Sedan Competitor 1 - $1028 - 31
M5
My Company - 358
Sedan Competitor 1 - $1028 - 37
M6
My Company - 395
Sedan Competitor 1 - $1182 - 39
M7
My Company - 331
Sedan Competitor 1 - $1182 - 90
M8
My Company - 346
Sedan Competitor 1 - $1182 - 101
M9
My Company - 489
Sedan Competitor 1 - $1359 - 114
M10
My Company - 470
Sedan Competitor 1 - $1359 - 0
M11
My Company - 514
Sedan Competitor 1 - $1359 - 1
M12
My Company - 246
Sedan Competitor 1 - $1563 - 4
T2 - Sedan for $600
M2
My Company - 838
Compact Competitor 1 - $785 - 12
Phaeton Competitor 1 - $2257 - 13
M3
My Company - 799
Compact Competitor 1 - $785 - 13
Phaeton Competitor 1 - $2257 - 13
M4
My Company - 1222
Compact Competitor 1 - $785 - 91
Phaeton Competitor 1 - $2257 - 19
M5
My Company - 871
Compact Competitor 1 - $785 - 91
Phaeton Competitor 1 - $2257 - 37
M6
My Company - 960
Compact Competitor 1 - $903 - 90
Phaeton Competitor 1 - $2257 - 26
M7
My Company - 1257
Compact Competitor 1 - $903 - 13
Compact Competitor(bellesez) 2 - $348 - 21 # Wow he must be loosing a ton of money
Phaeton Competitor 1 - $2257 - 24
Ive got two folders full of saves for each month, for further information on the models and further comparisons/proofs/evidence if needed.
I can also provide any other charts or information if people would like them.
Back some time ago I wrote a short story on an alternative future of the development of the automobile as we know it. It involved a new nation of unlimited funds offering contracts to any worthy manufacturer to create a series of personal cars for its people. The year I had planned was originally 1911 the year of the Indy 500 and the Colt 1911. The concept would allow virtually everyone access to an affordable automobile and one that would have been reliable.
Here is a list of some of the requirements for a single seat personal vehicle:
Can be a three or 4 wheeled vehicle made as small as physically possible essentially a car one wears rather then moves around.
Has to be extremely reliable requiring essentially no maintenance; a car that can last 1000 years and millions of miles
The body must be corrosion proof thus will no rot or rust and the same for the frame even in salt water environments
The vehicle must have a locking way of entry from the inside and outside.
The car must be a fully enclosed hardtop that can protect occupants in all weather and features thin pillars and a large glass area for visibility.
The vehicle must have an externally locking storage area that can provide internal cargo a climate similar to the driving compartment
The car has to have a locking access port to maintenance the mechanicals.
The car has to be capable of driving to at least 65mph
The car must be capable of driving at least 60 miles a day.
The car should get over 100mpg
The car must be capable of driving 420 miles without a refuel.
The car must structurally sound at speeds of 130mph
The car must have corrosion proof metal bumpers that will not show damage at collisions at or below 5mph
The interior must have a fabric lining and a cushioned driver’s seat.
The interior must have a rubberized floor mat.
The car must have an adjustable driver’s seat that can accommodate drivers as short as 4.5ft
The vehicle must feature a center mounted electric powered interior lamp that can illuminate by switch or the opening of the entry door.
The dash must be illuminated and show important telemetry such as speed in mph and kmh by needle gauge and must include an odometer that reads up to 999,999.9 miles and a resettable trip odometer, fuel gauge, a way to tell if the engine is too cold or hot for operation, a tachometer, and honestly the more telemetry the better.
The vehicle must feature corrosion proof detachable steel disc rims will rubberized tires
The vehicle must include a spare rim/tire internally
The vehicle must include steering easily enough to be turned with one hand
If the vehicle should include an accelerator pedal and brake pedal they should be easily enough to use with one foot.
The maximum stopping distance from 60mph should be 189 feet.
The vehicle must have breaks that can easily be replaced on all wheels
The vehicle should have headlamps on the corners on the vehicle to indicate vehicle size that can illuminate at least 100 feet of roadway on low setting and 500 feet on high setting without blinding on coming motorists
The vehicle should have what we call tail lamps today and reverse lamps.
The vehicle should have blinkers or indicators
Should have 2 external rear view mirrors one on each side and then one inside
Should have a powered windshield wiper and manual backup
Must have an electric start and a backup manual start system
Must have windows that can be lowered allowing for an operator to use a sill as an armrest
There should be a locking access panel to refuel the vehicle
If the vehicle features a gas engine it must not require valve adjustments, carburetor adjustments, and virtually no oil changes, should be capable to travel millions of miles and must not rust. Multi-fuel fuel capability is a plus and must be capable of running in all angles. The engine must not overheat in use or stationary. Mechanical fuel pump and fuel filter. Oil filter must be included. If the engine is to be a 2 cycle it must have a system that can add the oil to the air-fuel mixture without having the operator mix oil and fuel. If the engine is to be liquid cooled it must be a sealed system that does not require maintenance. The engine must feature an automatic ignition advance.
If the vehicle is to be electric powered it must have a reliable electric motor and power pack that can be recharged on various standard wall currents without requiring a stationary charger. The battery pack should last as long as the vehicle and maintenance free but be accessible to be replaced.
The way the car the car operates should be in the same fashion as a modern day automatic transmission with a column shifter.
The vehicle should have a climate control system that can provide forced air heating and ventilation through vents on the interior.
The vehicle must be capable of driving in all climates on earth.
The vehicle should have at least 2 drive wheels.
It is suggested the car should feature controls that an operator who is paralyzed could use as well such as all hand controls. A throttle governor is also an important feature to include.
If anyone wants to take up the challenge I would be glad to see the results.
