Nice game with a number of bugs.
Bug 1
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The people can disapper from the machines and this drives your profit down sharply. You can tell that the machine is not working if it appears stagnant on the screen. This can mean that your operator is missing from his machine. The disappeared people still register as one of your employees but they cannot be located!!!
Not sure whether their pays still conidered in the game though.
Bug 2
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The loan exploit.
Bug 3
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The people can get stuck at certain places.
Guide
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1) Start with an industry that has lots of consumers. This ensures that there is a viable market for your goods. (Or u can try the sell a product no one is selling. But this can be risky because competitors might start producing the same goods.) For example, steel industry and ic industry in New York are good industry to invest in.
2) Pick the cheaper staff with great stats. Some staff might ask for a raise later. If that happens, just agreed to their demand and fire them at the start of your next turn. Good cheap staff are important. (This is plain evil though)
3) Purchase the best office to ensure that your staff work in the best environment.
4) Change the equipment sourcing criteria to look for cheap goods.
5) Keep looking out for good cheap operators. I have 25 of them for 13 machines. Augment their ranks with maintenace operator and foreman.
6) The marketing and sales department are fast growing. The accounting and purchasing department are slow growing. You can tell that you need to hire more of a particular staff if you see your staff mentioned that they need more help.
7) Always keep a list of potential employees.
8) The game is not too difficult if you follow the above guidelines and you can afford to rent the biggest buildings.
9) Use your own products for producing your other products.
10) The stress level of your staff will increase sharply if you keep paying them low wages. So increase their pay by 1 or 2 per cent per year. Otherwise, you will see them leaving rather quickly.
11) Do R&D later on to monoplise strategic markets when you have the money to spend on it. I suggest that you earn at least 300k per month before you do R&D.
I earn about 150k per month at the end of the first year following these rules even when renting the biggest building (about 70k per month) and with 1m in the bank.
Overall a very nice simulation game. Hope to see a lot more features added if Starbug is writing the new simulation. Great thanks to Abandonia and the game publisher
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