Desgin Document:Game World

Industries – basics

Industries are entities scattered along the map. Industries are composed of three elements:

   * Input storage
   * Processing facility
   * Output storage 

Input storage – It is a building that warehouses all input cargoes before they are processed. If an industry accepts no cargo then input storages are not present. Station/Loading area will accept given cargo if it has input storage within its catchment area. Industry can randomly increase and decrease input storage by building/razing input warehouses.

Output storage – this is building that warehouses output cargoes of an industry. All industry activity will cease once all output storages full. A station will list industry products (for pick up by transports) if the output storage is within station’s catchment area. Industry may chose to build extra storage space.

Processing facility – these facilities process input cargoes into output cargoes. Once per day they use their ‘production function’ to put output into output storage. Industry can increase production capacity/rate by building new processing facilities.

Production function is an algebraic expression which sets how much input cargoes are used and for what. This function will only be executed if there is sufficient amount of input cargoes in input storage and sufficient amount of free storage in output warehouse. Maximum inputs is 8, maximum outputs is 8.

Example:

One coal mine shaft produces 5 tons of coal per day.

One steel mill ‘processor’ uses 3 tons of ore/scrap metal(processed) and 2 tons of coal to make 2 tons of steel and 3 tons of ash (waste).

One factory hall uses 4 tons of steel and 2 ton of plastics to make 4 tons of goods and 1 ton of waste and 1 ton of scrap metal.

One scrap yard uses 1 ton of scrap metal and produces 1 ton of scrap metal(processed)

Idea: some industries might be seasonal – like farms may produce more during summer and very little (if none) in winter

Industries – production chains

Production chain is an entity produced by connection between industries and their produced cargoes.

Production chain should be closed – eg. all cargoes circulating within should all have destinations and producers. Cargoes That do not have output/input industry will be accepted/produced by seaports/customs warehouses (default industry always present on map edges). Chains may produce manifest or goods. A Scenario maker may choose to override the default behaviour (automatic balancing of cargo) or/and designate certain ports/warehouses to produce certain cargoes.

Mental note – provide an example of production chain

Industries – distribution centres

Distribution centres are special entities that receive cargo such as goods and distribute it among cities. They have storage for ‘goods’ and their ‘production’ rate is dependant on how much population they cover. This places are warehouses of several trade companies and alike.

See – there is a distribution centre on the outskirts of a town servicing given town. No more trainloads of goods dropped off in the middle of the city

Industries – setting, removal, production level changes

Occasionally a new industry will pop up – It happens randomly although:

   * if there is a gross oversupply of some goods then industries will either increase their capacity or new industry will pop up (also excess freight might travel to seaports where it conveniently disappears)
   * if there is a gross under supply of some raw materials then new supply industry (mine or farm or whatever) will show up (also – seaports might provide extra raw materials) 

Industry will close if:

   * randomly (once again – raw material industries can do this), after the production will drop below certain point
   * it didn’t produce its 6 month capacity in the last 3 years (read: if there was no supply (factories) or demand (all) for at least 6 month worth of production then the industry goes bankrupt 

for example: max production of a coal mine is 1000 tonnes per month – so the mine must produce at least 6000 tons of coal in the last 3 years to avoid closing)

Mental note – some sort of protection from closing should be provided for the beginning part of the game – when players/AI cannot service all industries

Mental note – the counting is on the ‘processor’ level – if the processor is not utilised then it will be razed down. If it was the last processor then the industry will close.

Idea: a counter showing how much the industry produced in the last x years might come in handy

Idea: instead of removing the industry unused buildings may go into ‘condemned’ state and could be revived if someone pays $$$. Condemned building would disappear after 3-5 years.

Idea: condemned buildings would gradually deteriorate costing more money to revive on each passing day. Cool model might change showing how the building rusts to the ground.

Player may fund prospecting for a new industry – like looking for a place to build a farm or new coal seam. Also player can build processing/accepting industries and sponsor expansion of production/processing power/storage of existing industries.

Map designer may disallow building of certain industries in a given area, or force building certain industries in a given area.

Meaning: map designer may state: coal mines cannot be built in “Western part” or coal mines can be built only in “Eastern Part” this will result in a fact, that the game will prospect for new industries only in certain parts of the map

Industries – Definitions

Industry definitions come in two parts, part 1 is “Industry” part, part 2 is “Models” part.

Industry – defines global industry parameters Models – defines parameters that are on the level of buildings that make the industry

Industry part

Name – name of the industry

   * startyear – year from which the industry will start to pop up
   * endyear – year from which the industry will start to close
   * cost – cost prospecting for the industry
   * special – is this industry a seaport, customs warehouse, distribution centre (overrides all below)
   * product – up to 8 cargoes this industry produces (inactive if an industry is a seaport or customs warehouse)
   * input – up to 8 cargoes this industry needs to start producing (inactive if an industry is a seaport or customs warehouse)
   * density – are the buildings of this industry built one next to another, or scattered around
   * roads – are the buildings of this industry forced to adjoin a road (also built by the industry)
   * connected – are the buildings of this industry connected via something (pipes, conveyor belts etc) 

Models part:

   * Name – name of the building
   * Owner – name of the industry that can build this building
   * startyear – year from which this building will start to be built
   * endyear – year from which this building will cease to be built
   * cost – cost of funding this building
   * productionfunction – an algebraic expression showing how and what is produced by this industry (8 expressions possible)
   * inputstorage – capacity of input storage in this building – up to 8 for the all cargoes of the industry
   * outputstorage – capacity of output storage in this building – up to 8 capacities for all products of this industry
   * connected – does this building require connection via pipes/conveyor belts etc
   * range – active only if an industry is a distribution centre – sets how big is the radius in which the centre will distribute cargo accepted) 

Seaports

Seaports are special industries that serve as safety valve for cargoes that are not produced or accepted, are in short supply or low demand. Also seaports provide certain amount of passengers and manifest cargo. Seaports are built on the coast near the edge of the map.

Default behaviour of seaports may be overridden by a scenario author – by either forcing them off, or designating certain seaports/customs warehouses to produce certain amount (automatic) of certain cargoes.

Cities – general

Cities are special entities that are composed of houses, commercial buildings and industrial buildings. Cities house most of the world’s population as well as a good share of small industries. Cities grow if they are properly serviced by transport.

Cities Local Authorities

Each city has local authority. This governing body may forbid player company from building anything in the city authority limits and collects taxes for property on the authority limits.

There are two types of local authority limits. Canton limits and city limits. City limits constitute area taken by all buildings in the city + 2 tiles around them. Canton limits is all area around cities up to canton limit of another city. These limits are visible through LA interface.

Authority rating increases when player provides help for the city (lobbying :p) or bribes the authority. Player can also set permanent/periodic advertisement campaigns.

Authority rating decreases if the player went on destruction derby and destroyed too many buildings in the city.

Cities – Business district

Business district is a district that mostly houses office buildings. These buildings accept mail, commuters and inter-city passengers and provide those cargoes (returnees in a case of passengers). Business district houses banks that provide valuables.

Cities – Residential district

Residential district houses all city population. It produces commuters, mail and inter-city passengers and also accepts them. Residential districts also accept (through distribution centres) finished goods and water.

Cities – Industrial district

Industrial district is a part of town that houses small industries. It produces and accepts manifest cargo, also produces and accepts commuters (returnees in a case of production).

Returnees

Returnee is a passenger that was ‘produced’ by ‘consuming’ non-returnee passenger by a building that has no population (commercial/industrial).

   * Returnee has the destination which was the origin of the passenger that created returnee
   * Returnee has the same type as the passenger that created returnee (eg – commuter remains a commuter. Inter city remains inter-city).
   * Passenger always creates a returnee when ‘consumed’ by commercial/industrial building.
   * Passenger usually creates a returnee when ‘consumed’ residential building.
   * Only residential buildings can create passengers – rest only creates returnees. 

Building Definition

Buildings are defined by such fields:

   * startyear – year of first presentation
   * endyear – obsolete year
   * radiusmin – minimum distance from the district centre the building will be built – in tiles
   * radiusmax – maximum distance from the district centre the building will be built – in tiles
   * production – production function
   * accepts – names of the cargoes it accepts
   * inputstorage – capacity of the input storage
   * outputstorage – capacity of the output storage
   * raze – cost of demolishing this building (-1 for not possible to raze)
   * type – type of terrain this building can be built upon (special: ALL flag means all terrain types), up to 4 types.
   * district – industrial, business, residential, none (none used for trees for instance).