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Author Topic: Automobile Tycoon (car industry simulator)  (Read 2950 times)

LordArchibald

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Automobile Tycoon (car industry simulator)
« on: June 07, 2017, 04:13:18 am »

Hi!

Since you were so helpful when I was making my previous game, Stellar Monarch (http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic=150517.msg6208692#msg6208692), I promised I will come back surely when I will be making a new one. So, DF is the very first forum I posted about upcoming Automobile Tycoon :) As usual I look for feedback, comments, ideas, etc.


EDIT: The game was released in 2018

Basics
Name: Automobile Tycoon
Platform: PC (planned release late 2017)
Theme & Genre: Car industry simulator, tycoon
Mechanics: turn based, singleplayer

Links: (note that there is not much content there at the moment)
Website: http://www.silverlemurgames.com/automobiletycoon/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AutomobileTycoon/
Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/AutomobileTycoon/
Twitter (all games): https://twitter.com/SilverLemur

Core design goals:

1. Focus on running a car company (it's a tycoon not a car designer simulator)
The game is about three primary activities a car manufacturing company need to undertake: developing a car, producing a car and selling a car. I tied to balance all those aspects without making any single one dominant. First your engineers research parts and develop a car then you set up, modernize and expand your factory and next you decide on distribution and marketing. All these are accompanied by secondary activities like paying taxes, taking bank loans and so on.

2. Fast paced (simulated 100 years of automotive history in mere 400 turns)

I tried to make it so the game does not drag on. Each turn represents one quarter, so it goes relatively fast without slowdowns. If you add to it historical events (world wars, economic crises) then you need to adapt your strategy quite often.
Also I used mechanics to reduce the need of micromangement and tried to make a convenient to use interface which allows you to execute your strategic decisions swiftly.

3. Streamlined gameflow
While the player is allowed to produce everything there is an incentive to stick to a limited line of models, so you don't need to deal with tons of micromanagement if you want to play optimally. Interface has options to quickly execute your strategic priorities, for example if you want to quickly boost your production you can enable "work overtime" option which makes you pay significantly higher wages for a modest boost of production. Especially introducing new models is streamlined, you just need to enter the model price once and set up region wide optional discounts, no need to check tons of identical boxes and setting every single time.
« Last Edit: October 03, 2020, 04:50:29 am by LordArchibald »
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QuakeIV

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Re: Automobile Tycoon (upcoming car industry simulator)
« Reply #1 on: June 07, 2017, 04:52:06 pm »

This has some potential.  Focus on actual management maybe a little bit, for a change.
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Asgarus

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Re: Automobile Tycoon (upcoming car industry simulator)
« Reply #2 on: June 08, 2017, 03:39:26 am »

A new Oldtimer? Yay!

There is no English Wikipedia entry, sorry, only German and Dutch.

edit: The English name of the game is "Motor City".
« Last Edit: June 08, 2017, 03:43:00 am by Asgarus »
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LordArchibald

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Re: Automobile Tycoon (upcoming car industry simulator)
« Reply #3 on: June 08, 2017, 06:52:13 am »

A new Oldtimer? Yay!

There is no English Wikipedia entry, sorry, only German and Dutch.

edit: The English name of the game is "Motor City".
Old Timer was one of the inspirations :) I'm quite puzzled there are basically no modern games with the style of those old tycoons where you manage the company "from the office".

Anyway, Old Timer was focusing on early era only (the game ended around 1918 IIRC?) and had peculiar interface (cute, but annoying). I will try to simulate period from 1905 (so around the time the business got serious, just before Henry Ford) and end around 2000-2020 and of course a usable interface and modern mechanics :)
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Sagal

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Re: Automobile Tycoon (upcoming car industry simulator)
« Reply #4 on: June 08, 2017, 10:12:02 am »

GearCity is run from office screen and is a car tycoon game too. This seems like more light weight / faster to play than it though. Looking forward to it.
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LordArchibald

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Re: Automobile Tycoon (upcoming car industry simulator)
« Reply #5 on: June 09, 2017, 08:47:36 am »

OK, let's talk about mechanics :) There are few I still try to decide on, so I could use your input here.

I could use some ideas on distribution and marketing mechanics.

First, how it works:
There are 6 continents/regions (markets), you put models on those markets. You start in one region, this is your home region and you get several advantages selling there (no tariffs, cheaper distribution, boost to marketing, etc). So, there is a significant incentive to first focus on your region before expanding worldwide.
There is one controversial design decision, you have only one factory. The reason is mostly so boring distribution (sending cars around) is removed and instead so you could focus on the grander scale of things (strategy instead on adjusting dozens of offcies and factories). Another reason is that I want to make production somewhat more complex (so you have more upgrade options like upgrading specific machines and manufacturing processes; which works best if you have just one factory so the player is not overwhelmed).

Design goal:
Mechanics should promote a gameplay which does not force you to produce everything (so it does not turn into micromanagement hell at later stages). So, there should be mechanics that promote focusing on several types of models only (while allowing to produce everything if player desires so, but this should not be the optimal strategy).


About distribution costs (looking for ideas and comments here!):
You open offices in regions. Those boost your selling power in that region. Those have upkeep.
Next, each car you put on the market (in a region) has a fixed distribution cost (so putting 100 types of cars while selling like 1 car per turn each means bankrupcy). I am considering a steep distribution cost (if you have 3 cars being sold you pay $2,000 per car in distribution costs; if 4-6 cars $3,000 per car and 7+ $5,000 per car) to further encourage not putting tons of cars on each market.


About marketing (looking for ideas and comments here!):
I was thinking about a "car type" image, so if you market a sedan model X it also boost your sedan image and if you introduce a new sedan you already get an image boost (so, focusing on a limited number of cars would be benefitial).
Also maybe a mechanic where you select 1-3 cars (per region) to be "on display" or "have a marekting focus" and those models would get a boost to sales?

Overall, I have not thought much how marketing should work, so I'm open to suggestions.


About production complexity pts:
There is also another mechanic (already implemented) to encourage focus. Factory (remember that you have only one factory) has Efficiency bonus. It's based on "production complexity". Complexity increases the more widely different cars you introduce. For example making 2 sedans is less complex than making 1 sedan and 1 coupe, also if the produced cars use the same engine and chasis it means smoother production.
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LordArchibald

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Re: Automobile Tycoon (upcoming car industry simulator)
« Reply #6 on: June 30, 2017, 03:14:44 am »

I have set it as coming soon on Steam: http://store.steampowered.com/app/656490/Automobile_Tycoon/

What do you think about the way I present it (the description of the game)? Not only on Steam but overall in this post and everywhere. Do I convey the game's premise right?
Also, if you have other marketing/promotion related tips I'm all ears :)
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MoonyTheHuman

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Re: Automobile Tycoon (upcoming car industry simulator)
« Reply #7 on: June 30, 2017, 05:10:07 am »

Question: Will it support linux, and will there be a standalone version?

LordArchibald

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Re: Automobile Tycoon (upcoming car industry simulator)
« Reply #8 on: June 30, 2017, 05:24:08 am »

Question: Will it support linux, and will there be a standalone version?
Linux nope, standalone version yes (if you buy it via homepage you get both a steam key and a direct download link).
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EuchreJack

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Re: Automobile Tycoon (upcoming car industry simulator)
« Reply #9 on: September 09, 2017, 09:29:29 pm »

Nobody's ever made a good one of these, so glad that you are tackling it.

Your focus tackles the problems with the previous attempts: Waiting forever to do anything and excessive micromanagement.  But since the only two games that I am aware of (Motor City and Detroit) were made in the early '90s, I guess their micromanagement wasn't excessive by early '90s game standards.

It makes no sense for an automotive game to have monthly turns: most auto companies make new models every year, and release quarterly reports, so your system is sound.

ndkid

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Re: Automobile Tycoon (upcoming car industry simulator)
« Reply #10 on: September 09, 2017, 09:58:08 pm »

Nobody's ever made a good one of these, so glad that you are tackling it.

Your focus tackles the problems with the previous attempts: Waiting forever to do anything and excessive micromanagement.  But since the only two games that I am aware of (Motor City and Detroit) were made in the early '90s, I guess their micromanagement wasn't excessive by early '90s game standards.

It makes no sense for an automotive game to have monthly turns: most auto companies make new models every year, and release quarterly reports, so your system is sound.
Gear City (http://www.gearcity.info/) is a more recent early-access-to-full-release game that's in this subgenre.
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LordArchibald

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Re: Automobile Tycoon (upcoming car industry simulator)
« Reply #11 on: September 12, 2017, 08:03:28 am »

The game was released as EA today :)

Thanks for the feedback people!
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Salmeuk

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Re: Automobile Tycoon (upcoming car industry simulator)
« Reply #12 on: September 12, 2017, 03:35:28 pm »

Please include a button to hire union busters, and maybe a setting for the relative percentage of actual workers vs. company watchdogs.

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Tellemurius

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Re: Automobile Tycoon (upcoming car industry simulator)
« Reply #13 on: September 12, 2017, 06:07:14 pm »

Finally I can become Henry Ford, build myself an empire while trashing any unions thinking they can take my monies.

LordArchibald

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Re: Automobile Tycoon (upcoming car industry simulator)
« Reply #14 on: September 19, 2017, 07:15:53 am »

Please include a button to hire union busters, and maybe a setting for the relative percentage of actual workers vs. company watchdogs.
:)


I still have not decided how exactly the hiring/firing workers part of the game should work. So if you have ideas, post.
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