W3C - Game News Nov. 20

1. Game Levels

When your country has reached the conditions for a higher game level, the change will take place immediately. It will in fact take place when you check the indexes page.

A message about reaching a new game level and the gold coins you receive will appear when you check the indexes page and the gold coins will be added to your account immediately.
Winning gold coins for a new game level is a privilege of full members.

2. Declining Costs

The cost of education, health, social security, government and defense continues to decline. The declines are small but continue and will result in a better profitability in countries.

There are also reductions in the income of countries but these are smaller. Both countries and enterprises are now more profitable than before.

It remains easily possible to bring a country into bankruptcy. We will continue to add functions that will help players to prevent such declines.

It is now much easier to keep countries profitable.

Sounds pretty good, i always thought there should be a bankruptcy option, in case your in some serious debt

That's my sim son, Andrew. I'm so proud. :-) I feel that this will be an extreme benefit to me.

#2 is definately good news. I noticed allready for a while now that my government costs decline during times where I do not build new stuff. Has that been the announced change allready a week or two ago or is that another effect?

Q: are you going to do something about world market prices? A lot of products have been in read for (game-)years now. Some of them have even had falling long term prices. That is just not right?

I'm so loving Barry's avatar. Is it not the cutest?!!

There is a slight trend down for many real months.
all numbers are declining. This was on the game news and forum many times, explaining the trend.

Countries that used to spend 200B per game month a year or two ago, now spend 40B.
It happened very slowly but at the time, 200B used to be 0.8 gold coins and now, 40B is 0.8 gold coins.

The price of products adjusted to this trend.
Otherwise the smaller amount that is available for the purchasing of products would diminish the consumption.

Cost declined more and the profitability of corporations and countries remained and became even easier recently.
Same for Enterprise corporations.

So what is the criteria for bankruptcy?

-200T in assets doesn't cause it, so what does?

Well, Andy, thing is I joined in 3050 (GR) - that's 24 game years.

Most of every good I produce now, I also did 20 years ago. And in all those years they have had red market status.

Game adjustments aside, surely you have to agree that prices should be able to net out undersupply/overdemand in the cause of 20+ years?

I am not sure I understand what you mean.
The price goes up if there is a shortage, up to a certain level.
It does not go through the roof.

We would like to have that but then you need many players who will start creating these corporations and balance the market.
this never happened.

The "roof" and the base price, have been reduced in 200 small steps, in the past years, along with all other numbers.

Everything declined gradually, we have discussed it here many many times but as everything is lower now, it does not change the balance of the markets.

we are now close to the end of the process but not done yet.

Shortages on the markets persist for a very long time with alternating, short "recessions" but most times there are shortages.

The reason is probably that many countries could create more corporations but they don't.
If every country will start producing what it can with its current population, the market will probably balance. I am not sure but we have created the balance around a higher employment percentage target than we see now.

I am not sure you want it. It will become more complex as many corporations may go into a decline if the product price declines due to oversupply.

My point is, that the market does not work properly if you have a constant undersupply over a long time AND the long pricetrend is declining at the same time for the products that are in constant undersupply.

Rising prices would have two effects.

One would be a motive for players to build more corporations of the kind that have rising prices. You seem to say that you don't believe players will do that. I don't understand why not. I know I for one do go specifically for the products in red and barely anything but that.

The other effect of a rising price would be a falling demand. And yes, this might be due to closed corporations. That's how a free market works.

The combination of those two factors will eventually make the supply and demand ratio shift. It'll never stay balanced at perfectly zero under/oversupply, but at least it will fluctuate between them. Not stay in undersupply for ever as it is now for many goods.

Your problem is what I believe you refer to as the "roof". It needs to be removed or at least the band of that the prices move in, needs to be expanded a lot.

As to the last years effect of the changes, I can observe that it hits all my ressourceproducing corporations (oil, wood, minerals etc.). I'm not sure why all these corporations, that used to generate profit have become unprofitable.

Most industry can still do OK, except for electric companys which are hopelessly in deficit even when fully upgraded. This is also a change from some years ago.

(The above is a relative development in my countries. Actual level of profit of course depends on how well my indexes are doing etc, but that doesn't matter in this case. My countries are doing better than 20 years ago, but still these corporations are doing relatively worse. Contrary to a lot of other branches).

I'm not sure why this gradual change hits unevenly, but it may eventually become an unbalancing problem if natural ressource production is being dropped by players because they have become unprofitable.

If at some point gamedevelopment will consider an actual change to the way the market is working - rather than just make minor adjustments - it would be wonderfull to know.

I would be happy to give input for a more specific model, but only if the gate is actually open.

update = +1

BUMP

gamemaster:

<!-Quote-!>Quote:

It remains easily possible to bring a country into bankruptcy. We will continue to add functions that will help players to prevent such declines.<!-/Quote-!>

So what is the criteria for bankruptcy?

-200T in assets doesn't cause it, so what does?

Where is world trade?

Loving the new icons Andy. Especially the division icons. Good job.

World trade is the normal open market, not common market or contracts or space Jennifer.

Quick question for anyone who may know...

Has the initial 2 week rule of not being able to change some settings been cancelled yet?

Thought I'ld drop this here rather than start a new thread.

World Trade is the first option in the Trade menu.
It is now called "Trade Overview".

The 14 days "Rule" is cancelled last week.
The automation is on but can be turned off from day 1.

Andy something is wrong with the icons for the navy. I have 3 squares on my screen were the navy should be.

Thank you.
will will look into it in the morning.
can you please let me know where you saw it?
world, country...

Country Mayhem on LU. On windows browser I have 3 squares. On firefox I cant see anything.

Thats because FF sees (or cant see) your navy as a stealth navy. Try creating some cavitation.