Split and dispatch the Semi-Products category

[JohanPB]

The Semi-Products category, as it stands, is a remnant of the first versions of the game,
it is a catch all for all industrial products that have no retail sale.

I think products in this category should be split among their most used final category, with a {Semi-Product] tag, so it's still clear the're not meant to be sold directly to customerrs.

The main reason I see to to this is because of the City DLC and the Digital Age DLC - one of them brings the City Competitiveness rating, that semi-products should also benefit from. Right now, it's not the case.
A city with a competitive edge in computer assembly should get a slight advantage in CPU manufacturing.

Any idea?

[Stylesjl]

It is an interesting idea but I think that this might really be applicable if the list of different semi products becomes too big. Right now it seems as if there wouldn't be all that many to add to each category, automobile parts would only be a handful of different products, electronic semi products only a few different products, etc. I get the feeling that different categories would be more confusing than helpful.

In my mod for example (Magitek) I have two different categories of semi products because the number is very large. But at the same time the semi products are also thematically distinct from one another (magic products vs all others) so it is less likely to be confusing.

[JohanPB]

It is an interesting idea but I think that this might really be applicable if the list of different semi products becomes too big.

In a way, Semi-Products is already too big, especially with the limited talent pool system for research introduced with the Digital Age DLC. It means the same individuals are able to conduct research on the best flour grinding techniques, on making more efficient motors, and building hyper fast CPUs, and that companies that should not be in concurrency, such as food focused company and a chip founder compete for the same people.

[dosenöffner]

It would make sense to classify at least some semi-products as specific for a product-class.

The Idea of a Tag is interesting, since you could eventually give more than one Tag to a product.
Let's say "citric acid" could be semi for snacks & household-products as well, so both expertises could benefit (maybe with 50% of the standardvalue) at research and manufacturing citric acid.

Currently it's a bit unsatisfying that for example expertise in computer gives no boost for CPU's and such things.
A tagged semi-product would give the game more depth and strengthen the expertise-system.


And/or a class and expertise for let's say "industrial goods" like steel and such things could be nice.
Then you could go and specialize not in retail, but in manufacturing semi-products for other companys.

[Ether]

As it stands, I agree that having one product category containing all/most of the precursor products makes little sense, both in regards to research and rational splitting up of product classes.

For R&D, specifically under the Digital Age DLC, the limited manpower available to spread amongst a large amount of products often became a pain point. Splitting the products into more and smaller categories, and grouping some semi-products into already developed categories, can assist with this. It also makes it faster for newer players to find the product they need in a list. For example, the current base-game semi-products can be split into:

New Category: Food Bases
+ Citric Acid, Coconut Oil, Corn Syrup, Flour, Wheat Germ Oil
(Even though Coconut Oil and Wheat Germ Oil are used for Beauty Products, they are also cooking oils IRL, and the grouping of oils makes the most sense rather than sticking it in any other category.)

New Category: Automobile Components
+ Car Body, Engine, E.C. Battery, E.C. Chassis, E.C. Motor, Wheel & Tire
(I stick these products into their own category, rather than into the Automobile category, because of the potential to expand both categories with more products. Additionally, the design process of developing a new Automobile is distinct enough from the process of developing any of its base components.)

Electronics
+ CCD, CPU, DVD, Electronic Components
(This grouping fills up the category and allows the Camcorder to be moved into its rightful place alongside other Photography Products. Also, you can't really have an Electronic Components category when you have a product with the same name LOL. I am very reluctant to put the DVD here, but its the only category it can fit. )

New Category: Fabrics
+ Linen, Polyester, Textiles
(These materials are used across multiple product categories, and it follows that they be grouped together.)

New Category: Refined Materials
+ Glass, Paper, Plastic, Silicon, Steel
(The remaining Semi-Products. It eliminates the category, and its vague naming, for a less vague catch-all category. The shrinking of focus to only a few base industrial components makes more sense logically, for R&D on "material science" or something.)

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This is the easiest way of maneuvering things around, rather than an entirely new Tags system. I support it, but realize it completely upends a core part of the game's architecture for very limited upside. I however do believe de-cluttering the Product Type list is worth adding four new Product Classes, while also splitting the R&D for Flour, Steel, and CPU's into their own focused groups for balance and realism purposes.

[JohanPB]

This is the easiest way of maneuvering things around, rather than an entirely new Tags system. I support it, but realize it completely upends a core part of the game's architecture for very limited upside. I however do believe de-cluttering the Product Type list is worth adding four new Product Classes, while also splitting the R&D for Flour, Steel, and CPU's into their own focused groups for balance and realism purposes.

This is probably the simplest idea that would work. Bonus, it would put the non Food products under lock in Survival mode, and really force the struggling nation to work up the added value chain.

[David]

FYI, the game system already supports this, the Modern World MOD has more than one product class that are semi products.

[dosenöffner]

I am very reluctant to put the DVD here, but its the only category it can fit.

A little OT question at this point: DVDs are just a fragment without ingame-use, or have i overlooked something important?
200h+ played, but still confused about it... ^^

[cantdownloadit]

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