Money-making Strategies

roboczar · Post by **roboczar** » Mar 16 2004

So, what do you folks do to get the jack rolling in to your region? I haven't been able to stay in the green yet, out of about 8 or 10 multiple-hour games. Do you scrap all your structures and build military goods factories until you start to see inflation creeping up (that was the best game I'd had so far), or do you play the market and stockpile for just the right moment? Something else, maybe? Tell us all, for the love of Mike!

I need to know what I'm doing wrong before I start harming innocent women and children out of frustration!

KTHXBYE

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: roboczar on 2004-03-15 21:37 ]</font>

herr neumann · Post by **herr neumann** » Mar 16 2004

Produce cheap units and in moderate numbers. Hi-tech units cost so damn much that sometimes more than one-third of the budget goes on unit building. And more units you have, higher the maintainance is. If you want to have healthy economy it is always better to have few units and keep them in reserve. It's easy to do now but I don't know what will happen when offencive AI is implemented.

Also some technologies are expensive - especially if you research number of them during the same time.

Also improving your region too eagerly is not a good idea - since last beta build, construction costs and later the maintainance of your factories is bloody expensive. It seems better to import some stuff from WM than produce yourself. Though I like being self-sufficient...

So far it has been easier to stay in green with more populous regions (i.e. regions in Paris scenario) - try conquering big enemy cities.

Chris (Balthagor) says that high DEFCON level is very expensive although I have never found this to be too much of a burden on economy myself.

There are still some flaws in the economy system - I hope George will have some time to look at them....

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: herr neumann on 2004-03-16 01:02 ]</font>

Slash78 · Post by **Slash78** » Mar 16 2004

From what it sounds like, maybe they have made the economic model a little too realistic.

Post by **BattleGoat** » Mar 16 2004

Some of the keys to making money... Don't start too much construction at the beginning. You might think that you're on your way to becoming self-sufficient, but what you're also doing is making your economy falsely HOT! Unemployment numbers go down, inflation goes up, and worse, the GDP/c really increases causing the cost of everything your region produces to climb dramatically. Grow your region slowly! (always assuming you have the time and are not being threatened militarily

)

Another hint... Anything you are producing a surplus of, turn off the Auto Export feature and Lock that Product (so your minister won't turn it back on). Then sit on your stocks of the product for a while... Everyday that there isn't much of an item put on the market will cause the price to go up (good old "Supply and Demand theory"). Then go in once a month or so, and do a bulk manual sale of your stock. The inconsistent and arbitrary product availability makes the supply uncertain and maximizes the price you'll get for your product. (Then all you have to do is hope that another region in your scenario doesn't screw you by selling the commodity really cheaply - which by the way can be a really good tactic to hurt a neighbor's economy if you know they are stocking up on something.

)

herr neumann · Post by **herr neumann** » Mar 17 2004

On 2004-03-16 11:09, Slash78 wrote:
From what it sounds like, maybe they have made the economic model a little too realistic.

Nah, there is no such thing as TOO realistic economic model

Although I miss the option to send my peasants gather stone and chop wood manually.. hehe

Steelsky · Post by **Steelsky** » Mar 17 2004

On 2004-03-16 22:17, herr neumann wrote:

Nah, there is no such thing as TOO realistic economic model Although I miss the option to send my peasants gather stone and chop wood manually.. hehe

Sorry, can't resist.

"Palace guard: The peasants are revolting

Evil despotic ruler: Finally someone else that thinks that."

I'd probably have put it in a more coherent way if it was not 7:30 am and I'd been at work all night.

/Steelsky

BulMaster · Post by **BulMaster** » Mar 20 2004

Let me try:
Palace Guard: My Lord the peasants, they, they are revolting!
Evil Despote Ruler: Well kill them!
Palace Guard: Lord, we won't have people to work then.
Evil Despote Ruler: You are a smart guard, kill a third of them
Palace Guard: My Lord how would I select who deserves to live and who not?
Evil Despote Ruler: Bah! Just kill them all, i'm moving to a new region!

OXA · Post by **OXA** » Apr 16 2004

Sounds lite the economic model takes a h*ll of alot into account. That is great news. Incorperating realistic rules of inflation and overheating due to increased goverment spending is (in my mind) a great way of adding some consequences for those who start building 10 army bases first thing they do.

Post by **George Geczy** » Apr 17 2004

Also for the category of players that like to build a bunch of bases on day one (and I have to admit that I sometimes fall into that group

), Open-Beta4 is that last version where you'll be able to take out an almost endless number of loans. In the next version, there is a limit of one loan per day. Though in the next version your Cabinet minister will take out loans automatically if you let him, so it'll be a bit less niggly to deal with.

However loans will always remain a short term solution - take too many and the interest charges will drag your government and economy down. No such thing as "money for nothing" (or "chicks for free").

-- George.

Post by **BattleGoat** » Apr 19 2004

On 2004-04-17 16:05, George Geczy wrote:
and I have to admit that I sometimes fall into that group

Cough cough cough... "Sometimes"? Only in the same way as "sometimes the sun sets in the west!"

XeroMan · Post by **XeroMan** » Jul 26 2004

Steelsky wrote:
On 2004-03-16 22:17, herr neumann wrote:

Nah, there is no such thing as TOO realistic economic model Although I miss the option to send my peasants gather stone and chop wood manually.. hehe
Sorry, can't resist.

"Palace guard: The peasants are revolting

Evil despotic ruler: Finally someone else that thinks that."

I'd probably have put it in a more coherent way if it was not 7:30 am and I'd been at work all night.

/Steelsky

Or how about this great line from Mel Brooke's "History of the World, Part I"

Noble: Sir, the peasants are revolting!
King: Damn right! They stink on ice!

XeroMan · Post by **XeroMan** » Jul 26 2004

BattleGoat wrote:You might think that you're on your way to becoming self-sufficient, but what you're also doing is making your economy falsely HOT! Unemployment numbers go down, inflation goes up, and worse, the GDP/c really increases causing the cost of everything your region produces to climb dramatically.

Hmmm, so there will be no option for a fixed economy with price controls? Only free market capitalism?

India 51A · Post by **India 51A** » Jul 27 2004

George Geczy wrote: No such thing as "money for nothing" (or "chicks for free").

-- George.

Hmm, Dire Straits, brings back some happy memories.

Baloogan · Post by **Baloogan** » Aug 14 2004

I want my MTV