I build a factory and kinda build it like an RNG generator.
Currently on about 200 different models and still pretty much every car exported triggers a new car design pop up. It’s even going so fast, some end up as unnamed designs in my list with standard mark up.
Can’t really play that factory anymore with all those pop ups for new cars.
Think I will stick with just making max 10-15 variants. It’s good enough.
Well, hypothetically with 34 different upgrades available you could have 2^34 = 17 179 869 184 different designs.
So you’d better not do that. Having 6-8 optional features is the maximum I recommend… 8 optional features each of which can be or not be there would be 2^8 = 256 different variants.
I’ve done that RNG like factory myself and after a while the clicking gets tiresome.
Yeah I’m aware I need a fix for this! Maybe a separate ‘pricing’ interface that just lets you select mark-ups for different features.
So I decided instead of making multiple production lines, that I would make one HUGE production line that would make differently optioned cars.
I used a conveyor belt tactic I saw on Fabaliki’s youtube channel which essentially moves the cars perpendicular to the production bays and sorts them by the closest available bay (I know I’m not explaining it right). Anyways, for each production bay, I added different options (1 would have just the 3 robot upgrades, 1 would have the robot upgrades with power seats, 1 would have power and leather, etc). Turns out that since there’s BILLIONS of options, I can no longer play the save game for more than 3 seconds without a “new car model” pop-up!
So don’t be like me, use different production lines and save yourself the headache of losing a $47,000,000 and fully upgraded save game
What did you think would happen with exponential growth in design variants?
But yeah, the problem has been known for quite a while already… and is a fundamental problem due to creating new designs the same way Big Pharma does by treating each unique combination of features as unique design.
Cliff is already thinking about doing something about it in the future, but in the meantime just avoid doing too many variants.
Currently I’m playing with a map that has 2*2^8 = 512 possible different design variants and it almost tired me out while clicking away the popups. But I knew what I was doing… but I can say that I would never do it again.
… Threads merged together …
this is why auto clickers exist! xD
Cookie Clicker. 
… I’m at the same point that the ‘New Vehicle Design’ window pops up in less than 5 seconds. But I already passed 200 designs and I hope that this will have an end soon … But a automated suggestion for the name (e.g. car type & design no. = ‘Sedan #217’) would be great … and even a defined default value for the Premium/Discount would help ;o)
i have a question to you.
Why is it needed to have so many diffrent car variants?
the main focus should ofcourse be to make as big profit as possible. so what i am doing (i normaly end up with 3 paralell lines) i just add the improvement on all. (power seats etc) so it only adds one new variant every time i add a new version
There is no need (not now) … But when hunting the best efficiency and throughput you either have only 1 configuration (boring ;o)) or try to prodruce a limited number of variants at the same line. But keeping them limited can be a problem but ensured with lower overall efficiency or even bigger production lines per variant …
Maybe there will be a need to have several variants to ensure that they can be sold at later game development (when marketing will be introduced etc.).
At all: The game offers the possibilty, why not to use it? Even if it ends like my last savegame with 124,416 different variants that nobody can handle. It is still an experience and may result in a proper setup next time ;o)
i am looking in to the connection between the car model and actual car.
So in the future i might be able to ugly hack in actual new car models :P, (by adding only a new first module)
we will see when i get home to my computer 