Couple of suggestions

[Overseas]

Hello there !
this is a while (more than one year for sure) I am playing GearCity, and I really like it very much. 
It's an incredibly complex and progressive simulation, with so many parameters that every story is different. Great ! 
Well, as an amateur of cars, I would like to suggest two alterations, if this may be possible :
- the typing zone where to enter the version of a new built model is too short : only 6 characters, but it frequently needs more... i.e. 12 or 18 would be very nice. Possible ?
- it appears a bit surprising, from the very beggining of a new game, to be able to choose from so many different technologies (steam or electric motor, number of cylinders...). Does it make sense when you just start ?   Same question concerning the bodies, bur it's true they existed... 

I'll be very glad to know your opinion about these two points.

Overseas

[Eric.B]

Thank you for signing up for the FBS. I forgot to include in the PM I sent the link to the hidden forums: https://www.ventdev.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?fid=46

this is a while (more than one year for sure) I am playing GearCity, and I really like it very much. Smile
It's an incredibly complex and progressive simulation, with so many parameters that every story is different. Great !

I'm glad you're enjoying the game, and I hope you get many more years out of it.

- the typing zone where to enter the version of a new built model is too short : only 6 characters, but it frequently needs more... i.e. 12 or 18 would be very nice. Possible ?

The game currently uses fix-width columns for lists because the game's GUI library lacks multi-column list boxes or tables. Because of the fixed width requirement, we have to have a maximum number of characters for names. Otherwise the name would overflow into other columns when making lists, or worse, the name would push the important information off the screen.

If memory serves me, I fixed the vehicle names to 42 characters. That limit is split between the Year, Marque, Model, and Trim.

Bounty #300 Would add multi-column lists boxes to the game. And then Bounty #302 would have me replace all fixed-column with the new multi-column lists.

At that point, character limits could be removed from lists, as lengthy text should wrap.

- it appears a bit surprising, from the very beggining of a new game, to be able to choose from so many different technologies (steam or electric motor, number of cylinders...). Does it make sense when you just start ? Rolleyes Same question concerning the bodies, bur it's true they existed...

Steam and electric were both VERY common in early 1900. So it's no stretch to unlock them at the start of the game. Also, multi-cylinder engines were well over 40 years old at that point. The main problem is that the game does not scale the ratings of these sub-components from their early stages to their later stages. Electric is a good example of this. Many electric car companies operated in the early 1900s, and they were probably better than gasoline vehicles of the day. However, they hit a development plateau for 90 years, whereas the gasoline engine became easier and more practical to operate around the time the electric starter came about. The game does not differentiate a 1900s electric motor from one made in 2010. (Other than the fact we subdivided Electric into multiple fuel stages.)

The sub-components issues should be improved with Bounty #59. This bounty adds a values range for sub-components, so they can gradually improve as time and research money pour into them. And with Bounty #58. This bounty gives your company a design rating for individual sub-components. The more skill you have at a sub-component, the better your designs using that sub-component. It makes it more difficult to jump from making EVs to ICE or the other way around.

[Overseas]

Thank you for signing up for the FBS. I forgot to include in the PM I sent the link to the hidden forums: https://www.ventdev.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?fid=46

this is a while (more than one year for sure) I am playing GearCity, and I really like it very much.  Smile
It's an incredibly complex and progressive simulation, with so many parameters that every story is different. Great !

I'm glad you're enjoying the game, and I hope you get many more years out of it.

For sure, I'll be fine with this game during a long time ! 

- the typing zone where to enter the version of a new built model is too short : only 6 characters, but it frequently needs more... i.e. 12 or 18 would be very nice. Possible ?

The game currently uses fix-width columns for lists because the game's GUI library lacks multi-column list boxes or tables. Because of the fixed width requirement, we have to have a maximum number of characters for names. Otherwise the name would overflow into other columns when making lists, or worse, the name would push the important information off the screen.

If memory serves me, I fixed the vehicle names to 42 characters. That limit is split between the Year, Marque, Model, and Trim.

Bounty #300 Would add multi-column lists boxes to the game. And then Bounty #302 would have me replace all fixed-column with the new multi-column lists.

At that point, character limits could be removed from lists, as lengthy text should wrap.

Understood. If I'm right, it's just a financial clue which can help to improve this point.
Just before joining the forum, I made a donation, but maybe this won't be enough to solve ! 

Anyhow, thanx a lot for having replied very quickly to this topic ! 

[Eric.B]

Understood. If I'm right, it's just a financial clue which can help to improve this point.
Just before joining the forum, I made a donation, but maybe this won't be enough to solve ! 

Anyhow, thanx a lot for having replied very quickly to this topic ! 

Well, the good news is that the community will vote for what they want me to implement. If you can sway enough people to your cause, you only need more votes than other bounties to get funded. There is no need to raise $2500 specifically for this issue.


Thank you again for the kind words and for contributing to the FBS.