This post is from a gamer, one that likes resource management games. My inputs are solely based on making the Simulation more enjoyable as a game.
By far this game really keeps me interested in playing. My other Favorite game is railroad tycoon. While I do not have many suggestions, I will just try and point out frustrations.
1. The Amount of space manufacturing/farms take up.
Would it be possible to include an option in the setup to allow multiple floor factories? This way for the purist/or for those using this in academics, the option can be disabled.
I personally worked for a government contractor that utilized all 6 floors of our building and the basement, and the very old mill buildings where converted into manufacturing space. Facilities would routinely rearrange walls/power/all cabling to suite whatever new contract/manufacturing requirements where needed. They utilized floor space in extremely create ways.
Nothing is more frustrating, than trying to find space for factories. About to start a new game, simply because I am running out of room, and I am barely making 1/3 of the products. autos and motorcycles have taken up a ton of space trying to meet demand.
2. Bigger warehouses, again Multiple Floors. Warehousing seems to create bottle necks, once you get to a point where they are useful to consolidate product flow. Works great for raw resources though.
I would just like to enjoy it as a game, playing for the goal of driving the competition out of business, while also meeting the demands of the city. It’s easy enough to grab market share, and make them lose money, but that doesn't mean you've met the demand.
So at least for me, multi-floor buildings, I know you put out a DLC with multi-floor retail building, I have not tried that as I didn't want to get into the rest of the stuff in that DLC -mainly because of the space issue I seem to create.
I will Jump on the band wagon for different floor layouts, but it’s not high on the priority list for me, more of a nice to have - ( I realize coding wise that might not be very doable without a ton of work ), but small at 3x3, med at 4x4, and large at 5x5.
I am guessing it would be too much re-coding to allow floor to floor flow of product, but just letting us have say 4 floors for each building, that basically act like a separate factory, simply using the tab system to switch floors, would just go a long way to making this more fun/enjoyable to manage and play. Since you figured out the multi floor layout for the retail store, it shouldn't be too monstrous to put that in for all building types.
My first computer was a Tandy 1000 in 1987, I learned programming in high school - 1977, using the old phone handle in the cradle modem, and a printer
terminal, no Screen, inputting line by line code into basic, and saving every 5 lines, praying no thunder storms popped up between us and the collage.
Been playing computer games ever since.
Meta
P.S. Love the game, will play it for years - course I still play railroad tycoon. conquest of the new world, and mechwarrior 4 Mercs.
