Fri May 20, 2011 4:04 pm
Some thoughts on the business-sim side of Automation
Just some rambling about what I think the business-sim part of the game should be like... 
OK I personally think that a good balance should be found between a sandbox sim and a micromanagement sim. I'll just say what I think about some car factory sims to try to explain a bit what I think should and shouldn't be done:
1. Oldtimer AKA MotorCity: This one was quite good (I liked its graphics and other bits and pieces), but I think its issue was that the business part was too 'micromanagerish' (you had to sign the invoices of the cars sales for crying out loud!). That is too much IMHO. However, some stuff about it was quite good. For example, you could develop your own components or buy them from an external supplier, and you could make a layout of the factories. Contracting an external company to do body and car design (as done in this game to some extent) would also be nice, and quality (and price) should depend on the company you contracted.
2. Detroit: Leaving its bugs aside, I think this classic is mostly spot-on and if the business part of Automation more or less looks and behaves like this one (with a few tweaks, mind) I wouldn't complain. However, its interface leaves a lot to be desired since it became very cumbersome to do some stuff when the company became large-ish (replacing models was a pain in the arse, as was assigning supply lines and factory workers to each plant).
3. British Lowland: This obscure Spectrum game was developed shortly after the '79 British Leyland debacle, and focuses mostly on employee-employer relationships and unions. While obviously anti-union, it has good ideas which would not be hard to add to Automation (it has stuff like a having a strike due to a not properly compensated employee injury, and union demands that could affect production). Also a union-company relationship thermometer that varies with the difficulty level (and your decisions) and that affects the amount of demands and strikes would also be nice. Wages bargaining a-la-Detroit or Theme Park would also be nice.
I also think that shorter scenarios such as trying to save an ailing car company would be a fun addition to the game and a great complement to a full campaign mode (something like Long-term and Short-term Contract options from Grand Prix Manager 2).
Mergers, takeovers, and the possibility to buy shares from competing companies or auto-parts suppliers (together with a wider stock market like A-Train) would also make the sim richer but I don't think it's 100% necessary.
PS I forgot to add, if you've never tried British Lowland I suggest you guys to do so. It's available to play online for free here.
OK I personally think that a good balance should be found between a sandbox sim and a micromanagement sim. I'll just say what I think about some car factory sims to try to explain a bit what I think should and shouldn't be done:
1. Oldtimer AKA MotorCity: This one was quite good (I liked its graphics and other bits and pieces), but I think its issue was that the business part was too 'micromanagerish' (you had to sign the invoices of the cars sales for crying out loud!). That is too much IMHO. However, some stuff about it was quite good. For example, you could develop your own components or buy them from an external supplier, and you could make a layout of the factories. Contracting an external company to do body and car design (as done in this game to some extent) would also be nice, and quality (and price) should depend on the company you contracted.
2. Detroit: Leaving its bugs aside, I think this classic is mostly spot-on and if the business part of Automation more or less looks and behaves like this one (with a few tweaks, mind) I wouldn't complain. However, its interface leaves a lot to be desired since it became very cumbersome to do some stuff when the company became large-ish (replacing models was a pain in the arse, as was assigning supply lines and factory workers to each plant).
3. British Lowland: This obscure Spectrum game was developed shortly after the '79 British Leyland debacle, and focuses mostly on employee-employer relationships and unions. While obviously anti-union, it has good ideas which would not be hard to add to Automation (it has stuff like a having a strike due to a not properly compensated employee injury, and union demands that could affect production). Also a union-company relationship thermometer that varies with the difficulty level (and your decisions) and that affects the amount of demands and strikes would also be nice. Wages bargaining a-la-Detroit or Theme Park would also be nice.
I also think that shorter scenarios such as trying to save an ailing car company would be a fun addition to the game and a great complement to a full campaign mode (something like Long-term and Short-term Contract options from Grand Prix Manager 2).
Mergers, takeovers, and the possibility to buy shares from competing companies or auto-parts suppliers (together with a wider stock market like A-Train) would also make the sim richer but I don't think it's 100% necessary.
PS I forgot to add, if you've never tried British Lowland I suggest you guys to do so. It's available to play online for free here.
