Capitalism 2 and Capitalism Lab Forum

Steel wrote:Hello everyone! I am new on these forums but I have to say I really like the community here and I found the threads here very helpful. I bought Caplab yesterday but I played Capitalism 2 for countless hours in my early teens which was more than a decade ago. Now I try to play this game again but this time with a more "scientific" approach. There are areas of the game that I haven't figured out yet how to play optimally, so I would appreciate any help.

Before I enlist my questions I'd like to note one more thing: my general playstyle is to aim for a long game where I have a monopoly over everything or at least as many products as possible via tech lead and advertising. I don't like selling livestock or products from the port, I like to set up my own factories immediately. Here are my questions:

1., When I start producing a product in a big city I usually start with large factories immediately because I expect a big demand (or I will generate demand via ads and research). Is it a mistake to always make large factories?

It takes a little while before demand build up, I would go with a medium factory and use training to increase MFG capacity as needed if your company is just starting out. unless you plan on plowing millions into a new product line with advertising and store openings and/or know there's a demand for your products wholesale.

2., Is there an optimal number for number of retail stores/factory? Do I need more factories if the demand is too high, or is it better to not invest more and instead focus on other products? Is it a good strategy to spam shops after I open a new factory (if I can expect a reasonably good demand in early game)? How many shops do you prefer to open after you release a completely new product? Is there an optimal number of shops/city/1 product (consider that in my shops I like selling 4 types of items)?

I don't know of an optimal number it seems to be all based on volume and production capacity (factory layout). If you're operating in large markets which has proven to have enough demand to support the opening of a second factory to serve them I don't see a downside to having more than one factory if demand requires it. If you know the products are going to be profitable and have good demand there's nothing wrong with spamming a city with shops. When I enter a new product line I like to start with a max of 4 stores per city, preferably in high traffic areas and as sales starts picking up began to open additional stores once the products/product line proves its sustainability. I also thing of this like a soft roll-out, as if I'm running out of resources, or I can't price in retain as competitive as I need to in order to be profitable this gives me time to make adjustments before I do a major roll-out. If 4 stores have to loose $20 on each product sold is a lot easier to take a hit on then 30 stores taking that same hit.

3., Training. I only use training in factories, farms and mines/logging camps. Should I also train in other places like shops, maybe warehouses? Later in the game you have the option to use your HQ to make mass trainings in the whole organisation.

I don't think massive training makes sense. I only train when I have 100% utilization in units, however, theory vary on training. Some players like to max their store training with no regards for utilization....even the AI does this

4., Brand strategies. I read a little about it, but I still don't understand if there is clearly a better strategy than others. I like using range brands, but can unique brands be better in some cases, like if you own a media firm? Does it depend in the number of cities for example?

In Capitalism Lab I've only used Range and Corporate. I strayed away from unique because the capital required to pull it off, but once your company is large it might be a good idea to switch over to unique branding I just think its too capital intensive at the start of a game.

Thanks in advance!

Steel wrote:Hello everyone! I am new on these forums but I have to say I really like the community here and I found the threads here very helpful. I bought Caplab yesterday but I played Capitalism 2 for countless hours in my early teens which was more than a decade ago. Now I try to play this game again but this time with a more "scientific" approach. There are areas of the game that I haven't figured out yet how to play optimally, so I would appreciate any help.

Before I enlist my questions I'd like to note one more thing: my general playstyle is to aim for a long game where I have a monopoly over everything or at least as many products as possible via tech lead and advertising. I don't like selling livestock or products from the port, I like to set up my own factories immediately. Here are my questions:

1., When I start producing a product in a big city I usually start with large factories immediately because I expect a big demand (or I will generate demand via ads and research). Is it a mistake to always make large factories?

2., Is there an optimal number for number of retail stores/factory? Do I need more factories if the demand is too high, or is it better to not invest more and instead focus on other products? Is it a good strategy to spam shops after I open a new factory (if I can expect a reasonably good demand in early game)? How many shops do you prefer to open after you release a completely new product? Is there an optimal number of shops/city/1 product (consider that in my shops I like selling 4 types of items)?

3., Training. I only use training in factories, farms and mines/logging camps. Should I also train in other places like shops, maybe warehouses? Later in the game you have the option to use your HQ to make mass trainings in the whole organisation.

4., Brand strategies. I read a little about it, but I still don't understand if there is clearly a better strategy than others. I like using range brands, but can unique brands be better in some cases, like if you own a media firm? Does it depend in the number of cities for example?

Thanks in advance!