Car Designer: bodies organization

[Razyx]

I've seen that there's a thread about this question without a clear 'solution'... or answer.
After the update (more bodies), and having read that you are planning a bunch of them, I think that would be good to give any idea about that matter.
I also have seen that in Automation's cars directory you have the cars organized by size and decades so from something like that it could be like the pic below.

The bodies would be sorted by decades and types.


ED: Btw, just thinking about decades..., there would be any kind of penalization for creating a XXI century car with a body from XX century? (or an older decade than the current - in-game - decade).

[Killrob]

Indeed that is an important thing to get right to have any kind of user friendliness in the future. Probably we'll be going some kind of catalog + filters route with "favorites" you can mark to show a personalized quick list. With 50+ base body shapes it would be come a mess otherwise. I don't quite like the potential "sort by decade" functionality because that method has weird steps and limits. It would probably be more appropriate to be able to filter relative to the current year, like +5/-10 years to see current models How exactly we're going to solve this remains to be seen though.

[Razyx]

Frankly i don't like the decade filter at all, but I was also thinking in some possible game mechanic, let's say a feasible penalization (safety,prestige,etc) if you create a car in 1990 with a body from 1970 (PS-edit in the first post).

Well it's interesting how these 'little things' can be a headache hehe.
Thanks Killrob.

[OCAdam]

So then what happens in the 2000's when you make a car that looks like the 70's?

Not to mention when modern companies purposely make cars that look similar to real old car bodies because of the classic prestige IRL. Morgan, anyone?

[WizzyThaMan]

I think it comes down to target groups, who like "retro" style in a car. I think that is possible, so if your car then looks older like the 70s for instance, you can focus on a certain niche in the market.

[Razyx]

Perhaps with an old body we can get a penalization on safety department and a bonification on prestige... or maybe it would not be needed due to the body restrictions in itself (characteristics/performance), dunno hehe.

[WizzyThaMan]

Why? I could use old bodytypes with new techniques to keep it safe?

[Razyx]

Why? I could use old bodytypes with new techniques to keep it safe?

Talking about normal production cars (not exotic) I do not remember a single car that keep its body shape (the original) along decades..., well really some low cost cars in emerging markets that holds old models, the cost; low safety.
With every new design we are not only talking about an overall better performance (supposedly), safety included, but costs and some recognition for your model and brand (prestige?).

If we talk about Morgans, etc, well, really nothing change..., you never gonna get the best chassis, or the bodywork will have flaws due the old design where it comes from.., even some materials (e.g. wood) can be really strong but it's not the ideal material for a crash test...

My 2 cents, as I've said, all of this could be needless xD.

[nialloftara]

Vw beetle.

[Razyx]

Vw beetle.

Yep, I remember going in one (roadster version) like passenger almost 20 years ago and it was a feeling... 'mother of god don't let that even a rabbit crosses the road or I'll eat alive the dashboard' , also that day it was raining like hell and that had more leaks than an old barn haha.
Indeed there are more models, I had a couple of old Renault 5 till the 90's end, and they were everything but a safe bet (in safety terms but a great one in reliability terms).

[maffc]

Vw beetle.

Original mini too

[nialloftara]

My issue with classifying by decade is the huge amount of change you can make with morphing and fixtures. You can update the lights or the form a bit and get a radically different appearence. Some, like the 40's and 50's shapes don't work, but most of the rest do.

[nialloftara]

Also because someone's gotta say it, the 911.

[Razyx]

My issue with classifying by decade is the huge amount of change you can make with morphing and fixtures. You can update the lights or the form a bit and get a radically different appearence. Some, like the 40's and 50's shapes don't work, but most of the rest do.

Agree that some bodyworks can be nice and would be a pity get a penalization, but I think it has pros and cos.
Pros:
-like the mentioned before, you should make cars for current years (whatever they are).
-some guys asked for sub-brands, that kind of models would be the ideal target for emerging markets..., and a way to get some prestige with a good value (costs).
-like a dev, it allows to evolve a given model through the years, may be in a short range of years or in a long one, and then add more singular or specific bodies.

Cons:
-you will lose your beloved body through the years (I love the 40 and 50's american bodyworks, is a sh#?! going to modern era hehe).
-I'm also not particular enthusiast about the 'decade filter' (I've had an idea..., hope don't forget it while typing this). Killrob mentioned some possible issues so...
-some people could not be agree with penalization/bonification sys. (Wizzy? ).

Original mini too

Also because someone's gotta say it, the 911.

If it's a good design, why not a long life?, the model will lose some safety points but you get prestige due to a long life in market..., I think it's fair.

PS: well, we are mixing two topics in one so I'll stop developing the 'old vs new bodywork' argument and go back to the filter idea when ready
Perhaps we should start a new thread about the 'old vs new bodywork' if you think is interesting enough.

[Killrob]

The extra prestige should not come from age, but from cars becoming classics - those shapes could become more prestigious if any. I don't think building cheap shit cars on one shape then should lead to it getting a prestige bonus in later years