the main idea from my side how to integrate it you ll find below, please add your own thougths to it every input is welcome.
Airports
* Government Building: One airport maximum per city, classified as a government building.
* Construction Cost: $50-100 million.
* Running Costs: $800,000 - $1 million per month.
* Facility Budget: Similar to stadiums (upgradeable).
* Slots: 10 airline slots and 100-135 retail slots (like a large mall).
* Rental Pricing: Mayor sets rental prices for airline slots, shops, and take-off charges as a percentage. (e.g., 100% could be $1 million/month for an airline slot and $10,000/month for a 2x2 shop before inflation).
* Landing/Take-off Fees: A fee per passenger, added to government income as airport revenue.
* Airline Slot Restriction: One company can rent only one airline slot initially. Each slot serves a maximum of 15% of the total market share. This encourages competition and potential mergers/acquisitions to gain more slots.
* Traffic Bonus: Each active airline slot provides a traffic boost similar to service firms.
Airlines
* Placement: Company Type Like telecom companies , airlines are placed in airport slots, not on the map directly or like a Bank with a HQ and branches (Ticket Counters in airport slots only). Ticket counters (branches) are also exclusively within airport slots (one counter per airport maximum any additional counters only available by eating up the competition and merge them in). This allows for a presence in multiple cities.
* HQ Cost: $50-100 million.
* Acquisition Only: Airlines cannot be sold, only acquired through mergers.
* Option 1: Merge like export companies.
* Option 2: If structured like banks, merge like banks, with the airline HQ disappearing and branches integrating into the acquiring company.
* Slot Capacity: One slot serves a maximum of 15% of the total market share. This necessitates acquiring competitors to expand market reach.
* Revenue Potential: High revenue potential, comparable to or exceeding TV stations, reflecting the high setup and rental costs. (e.g., over $100 million per year per airport at max development).
* Budget: Similar to TV stations, around $1 million per month for development, plus advertising and overhead costs, and take-off charges to the government.
* Competitive Landscape: Price, quality, and brand still influence customer choices, so the remaining 85% of the market won't automatically use other airlines. Customer stickiness similar to telecom companies is envisioned. Airport capacity could be 70-100% of residents to account for travelers from other areas.
* Service Types: Two service types: holiday travel (economy) and business travel.
* Tech Requirements: Potentially requires digital technologies, similar to internet companies.
Overall Goal
The goal is to create a challenging environment for gaining control of the airline market. Integrating this system with the shopping mall concept in the DLC should add significant depth and make it more appealing to players. This shouldn't require excessive development effort, as it builds upon existing mechanics.
* i mentioned the Telecom Company as possible base type of generic Firm as it offers the customer Stickiness model as customers usually stick to the airline they are happy with (at least i do especially on 12 hour flights you dont want to experiment with airlines once you found your Airline that brings ya comfortable to your destination),
* the Bank as possible Base Building because of its HQ + Branches and the HQ got also a good Interface for setting the different Ticket Prices, possible level of service on board etc
thanks for reading and now fire free for comments
