World Reset.

    Good morning all. I discovered this game a few days ago, and after a few failed starts, I think I figured it out. I'm making money with a cafe, and selling my overproduction nicely. Right away though, I noticed the world reset timer. I did a search, and it looks like you retain your product quality research. Is that the only thing? So, your buildings get wiped out, and you start with 2.5m again? What about your RL?


    I just want to be sure I get a good start this time.

    Since you guys have been so helpful, and we are inching nearer to the restart, I was wondering if I could get you to share some experience.


    I think I have a decent grasp on the basics now. And, I skimmed over the manual, and check specific sections when I have questions. But, I was curious, how things go at the start of a new round. I'm assuming experienced people will be working toward products they have researched already, and need high QL items to make them. But, is there anything a new player can produce that experienced players will need? Or, should I just work towards being self-sufficient?


    Other than Icecream, none of the cafe products are in high supply right now. Would be be a safe bet to stick with that, or should I see how the SuDe shapes up?


    Also, at which point do you think upgrading a building is a better idea than building a second one? You lose production time when upgrading, but the operating cost stays the same... Early on, would it be better just to insure I have products producing?


    Any common mistakes, or things you wish you had known when starting?

    It's been my experience that at the very beginning of a new round, it isn't worth it to produce raw materials for the purpose of selling them on the market. At that point, everyone has plenty of open map space, and not much money to pay for things. Raw materials tend to go for very low prices, sometimes for even less than it cost to make them. If I make little bits of extra this or that, I can unload them onto the market in order to offset my manufacturing costs, which is helpful, but I don't expect it to pad my income in any real way. Finished products can sell a little better, but generally not for very high prices. Again, people are short on cash and their focus is on multiplying it.


    You can certainly watch for gaps in the market and take advantage of them, but it's a bit risky - you could find that other players are pretty much making their own and there isn't much demand for that material. I would suggest making your shops your main source of income at that point. If you try supplying something that doesn't turn out well, your shops can keep you afloat while you try something else.


    The cafe is fairly safe, and if it went well for you last time, I would think it would do the same for you next round. It isn't as volatile as some other shops, and it isn't glutted with tons of people in it, driving down the prices by leaps and bounds. On the other hand, that also means less people who need products that you want to sell on the market, too.


    As for upgrading buildings, I generally tend to not bother until I'm bumping up against that 100 map space limit. There are exceptions to that. Usually it makes more sense to throw in another building in order to get those last few units of something rather than to upgrade enough to achieve the same, and just toss the little bit of excess on the market to help offset my manufacturing costs. Now and then, I decide I'm better off upgrading something. Look at the cost of upgrading versus the cost of throwing in another building, and also consider the downtime as well. Can you make do without what that building produces while it's upgrading? If you can't, can you count on getting it at a reasonable price from the market in the meantime?


    From one round to the next, some things will repeat, some won't. Players who've been here awhile often tend to find what works for them and then repeat it in future rounds. BUT we all tend to finetune things according to what's currently needed/oversupplied, etc. For instance, metals in general tend to go up in price toward the very end of a round. Due to the map space limitation, people are squeezing out their materials buildings and buying from other people. On the other hand, copper wire may yield the best return and steel just middling one round, and the next round it's exactly the opposite. Our fellow players are watching the market and trying to take advantage of opportunities that present themselves, and that can make for a fairly volatile market at times.


    That old saying "don't put all your eggs in one basket" is a good rule of thumb here. You're generally safer if you have several things going rather than putting all your resources into a very narrow field. Things can change drastically from one day to the next. Today everyone may be having trouble getting all the steel they need - tomorrow many of those players may decide to take advantage of the opportunity and start producing and selling it themselves. Not only is there suddenly a lot more supply, but there's fewer who still need to buy it - the price dives and there's tons of it just moldering on the market page. Some buildings can be converted to other products when drastic market changes occur. A steel mill can be switched to several different types of metal if steel goes sour, for instance.

    Thanks a ton, Kahla. That reinforces a lot of what I was thinking already. And gives me some more to think about. I have to say, once you get the hang of it, this game can be very addicting... I always get to think about my next few steps, where I want to go, and how to get there.