Company merger: Name & Prestige/Image

[Giacomo]

I've read somewhere on this forum a similar question I'm about to ask, but I can't for the life of me find the original thread. Feel free to delete this if I'm duplicating what's already been mentioned:

My company name is Emporium and I merged with a company called Brenelor (or something like that). The new company became known as Emporium Brenelor. Now when I build cars I can use the Brenelor name seperately or the Emporium Brenelor name. Question 1: Why can't I also use my original Emporium (without Brenelor) name for new vehicle designs?

Question 2: I've been using the Brenelor name for my cheap, ugly, mass produced cars and the Emporium Brenelor name for my high quality cars, yet after many years, the Brenelor name has improved and has superior prestige and image qualities to my Emporium Brenelor name. Question 2: Why would that be?

[Eric.B]

I've read somewhere on this forum a similar question I'm about to ask, but I can't for the life of me find the original thread. Feel free to delete this if I'm duplicating what's already been mentioned:

No worries, it'd probably take me longer finding it than just replying to you.

Question 1: Why can't I also use my original Emporium (without Brenelor) name for new vehicle designs?

Because coding wise the company slot (your slot) has been name changed to Emporium Brenelor. There exist no "Emporium" marque anymore. You're free to create one and move your production there. Perhaps I should automatically make a marque (for free) when a merger occurs.

Question 2: I've been using the Brenelor name for my cheap, ugly, mass produced cars and the Emporium Brenelor name for my high quality cars, yet after many years, the Brenelor name has improved and has superior prestige and image qualities to my Emporium Brenelor name. Question 2: Why would that be?

How many years are we talking about? Do you still have any of Brenelor's old models active? That could be influencing the image ratings. Outside of that, I'd need you to upload the save game so I can take a peak at what's going on behind the scenes.

[Giacomo]

I can't for the life of me find the saved game file! I've found the game in the VENT folder, but the saved game folder is empty. I originally had the demo version of the game before I bought into the open access. Could this be the reason why I'm not seeing my saved games in the saved game folder??

Anyway, back to the thread topic, I've progressed further in this game and the company I have merged with has a really high image rating, whilst mine has barely changed. I feel like my massive marketing budget only seems to be aiding the brand name of the company I merged with and not my new entity. It's been some twenty years since the merger.

[Eric.B]

Steam uses different folders for the Early Access... Here is how you get it:
Right click the game in Steam.
Select Properties
Select the Local Files tab.
Then click the Browse Local Files button.
Open the GearCity folder, Save Game folder.


Image growth comes mainly from the vehicles you're producing, if you've got more cars with brand X then more of your marketing dollars will go to promoting than your brand Y. Which is why I need the save game to see all the details of what you're making, what brands own what branches, etc.

[Giacomo]

  Emporium.zip (Size: 7.19 MB / Downloads: 562)

Here ya go. (one turn into the great depression and a massive oversupply glut)

I think what you've just said about marketing going towards the badge that is producing the most carsm explains it. So my massed produced crapy cars under the Brenelor name are sucking up my marketing dollars and depite the shitty quality of those vehicals, are producing a great image for that brand.

Let me know what you find.

[Eric.B]

Will do, it'll be a couple of days as I still have a couple more things to do with the Map Tools. And a backlog of bug fixes over the last couple of weeks.

[Eric.B]

OK so I got a chance to look at it.

Image Quality Ratings:
Brenelor and Emporium-Brenelor match in most fields fairly closely, however as a whole, Brenelor vehicles are more reliable. Reliability is a huge factor in quality ratings. Think Toyota and Maserati, which do you think scores better in "Quality." Don't confuse this rating with Luxury.

Overall Image Rating:
Overall average ratings for vehicles are different by 5 points. So not much difference in the core rating for this image. In Luxury and Safety Emporium is better, but components are all the same, so there shouldn't be too much difference there.
Brenelor's average overall rating: 35
Emporium-Brenelor: 40.2

So why is Brenelor higher than Emporium-Brenelor? Well remember Image ratings don't change over night. They change slowly. Emporium-Brenelor is pretty much ~at~ it's peak image ratings, 45+ marketing. And there in lays the problem, Brenelor is receiving more of a bonus for marketing budget. I went ahead and tweaked the numbers so that marketing effects are even among the brands.

[Giacomo]

Hi Eric.

Thanks for taking your time to help. On the subject of marketing, I've read around the forum that there (is/was) the choice of putting funds towards marketing the whole brand or a specific vehicle. I can't see that option in my build of the game. Has that feature been removed or is it something that will be implemented in the future?

Anyway, I hope the tweak you've made to the marketing figures help.