Pointless "production plan" feature?

[jarle]

What's the point of the "production plan" feature when employees still get stuck on "missing requirements"? I thought the point of having managers was that they would make sure that doesn't happen by making sure the prerequisites are also produced!

[jhovgaard]

Hi there,

The manager will blindly follow the production plans.

There's an option to skip modules if their required components aren't available:
https://i.imgur.com/LdvTbBm.jpeg

However, I recommend that you set all the basic/required components with a higher minimum stock than your modules. That should fix it :-)

Best,
Jonas

[jarle]

Components which require basic components are pretty simple to handle, that's not the big issue.

Where it really breaks down is when you get components that need other components, that need other components...

For example, the Lead Developer's "Content Management Module" requires "Frontend Module", which requires "Interface Module" which requires "UI element" which requires "Blueprint component". That's FOUR levels of components that need to be micromanaged.

The requirements wouldn't be so bad if there was *any* kind of mitigation of the "Idiot developer stuck idling for days when they could produce the required components themselves" issue (Sometimes a developer may be stuck for DAYS because 1 component is missing which could be produced in less than 1 HOUR by the same developer!). For example:

• Add an option to make employees recursively produce required components if they are able
  
• The ability to tell an employee to produce one or more "one-off" items before resuming their production queue. (I.e: Interrupt their current permanent production queue and replace it with a temporary production queue, resuming from the same point in the permanent production queue when they have finished the temporary one)
  
• The ability to tell an employee to skip the current item in their production queue without changing the production queue. Currently it is only possible to do so by removing the item from the queue, and since items can only be added at the end of the production queue, that means you have to delete the entire production queue and recreate it from scratch to "unstuck" the employee and keep the current production queue without using other employees!
  
• In the employee development menu, when components are missing make it possible to order the employee to create the missing component by clicking on the missing component(s), if they are the right employee type.
  
• In the "feature" menu, make it possible to order the production of components by clicking on the component.
  
• In general, just more and better tools to manage the employee's production queue, similar to the above.

By the way, thanks for the reply. I didn't expect a reply from the developer, so that's nice!

Since I've got your attention, I'd just like to say that Startup Company is a really fun game, but it suffers from some really glaring UI & micromanaging issues. I'm really interested in what's going to be in that "quality of life" update you've mentioned. Really hope it will fix as many of the UI issues as possible. Here are few general UI suggestions:

Adding a "back" (to the previous page screen) button in the menu. For example, when headhunting, clicking on the button to "research more", it would be nice to be able to go directly back to the "headhunting" menu instead of closing the "research" menu, clicking on the employee again, and clicking on " start headhunting" again. That's 3 clicks that could be 1.


Make it possible to move the menu around on the screen. Often I want to keep an eye on an important employee in case they suddenly go into "missing components mode", but often the menu screen obscures them!

On a similar note: Make it possible to minimize the menu window.

[jhovgaard]

Hi again,

I'm glad to hear you like the game overall! While the development of Startup Company has ended, I do still collect feedback for a potential sequel one day. I have safely stored your suggestions :-)

Best,
Jonas

[SheepMaiden]

if you find that the employee has a manager but is still stuck on missing requirements, then unmanage them and manage them again and it should fix the problem.

[V1talV1rus]

I noticed this feature was a little buggy last night. I simply stopped managing the employees and had them start creating some basic items then switched them back to the plan and it started working. It seemed like once they were stuck on missing components they wouldn't flip over to the production plan rules.

[LegendFusion]

Treeplan mod kinda fixes this ;) just fyi