Operating system questions

[Way2co0l]

So, just 2 quick questions.

First, what does it take to release a separate operating system from one I've already released? My first OS currently has a user base of 13 million from a potential 17 million, and I'd like to start working towards launching a new updated OS. The option to make a new version is obviously just to update it and keep it relevant. I figured the option to develop a new software product would allow me to create a whole new version, as the tooltip suggests that I'll be able to make a new one with a new name, but when I tried to do that it simply updated my version again. So what does it take to be able to launch a full on new OS rather than just updating a previous one?

Also, in one of the screenshots on the website, I saw an option for a smartphone OS, but I can't find any similar option in my game atm? Smartphones have been developed, but I'm not seeing any option to research or unlock the OS for them. What's needed for that?

[Way2co0l]

Some observations.

I've hit full market capitalization at a little over 18 million users atm. I've noticed that my sales haven't stopped or decreased despite this. I figured that since every PC apparently is running my OS, that only new PCs would lead to continued purchases for my OS but this doesn't appear to be the case. In fact my software report lists sales in excess of the number of new PCs added to the market, and thus the number of new instances of my OS being used, at least when referencing my user base growth per month compared to listed sales per month from that report.

It's a little unintuitive in the sense that there's no listed mechanic to explain this, but I don't think it's all that weird if you just assume that old computers are being replaced by newer computers and that's where the additional sales are coming from. In that way, I can continue to be making sales for new computers without seeing an equal level of growth in my actual user base.

But it brings me to a few other things.

Firstly, the sales report seems to be inaccurate for listed sales and profit when compared to my actual finance reports. I'm only manufacturing them at the moment and do not control retail sales at this point, but my current price is 246 when sold from my factories. My OS software report suggests I'm selling 453k units per month totaling about 160 million from those sales when my company financials state that my revenue is actually 110 million per month (it's the only thing I'm currently selling) which leaves a discrepancy of 50 million per month. That's a pretty significant difference between the reports.

Additionally, new releases seem to behave oddly for OS's when compared to other software. I'm checking the software reports for other products, and their sales are in line with new releases as the website info suggests it should. But when it comes to my OS, my sales increases tend to come at tech increases, spiking heavily at that point, and then a little more when I actually launch an updated version. I'm researching at a 2 year interval, and then begin the 6 month process to update my OS, and I get a large spike in sales once the tech finishes and again at the end of that 6 month period when the new release is launched, but this second jump tends to be smaller than the one I get from simply completing the tech.

It doesn't appear that I actually can release an entirely separate OS from the one I launched initially as all future releases are simply upgraded versions of the first. I don't yet know how that effects new hardware coming on the market as notebooks only just came on the market in my game so I can't tell yet if my newest OS update will include the new hardware or what will happen with that. I also still can't find smartphone OS, or the OS for gaming platforms which just got released which I recall seeing in a screenshot as well, so I'm still not sure what's needed to develop those. My best guess is that I need the smartphone and gaming platform techs first for the OS techs to show up? I'm not sure, but that's what I'm going to be trying to accomplish now.

[David]

It's a little unintuitive in the sense that there's no listed mechanic to explain this, but I don't think it's all that weird if you just assume that old computers are being replaced by newer computers and that's where the additional sales are coming from.

You're right. That's the reason behind the continual sales.

Firstly, the sales report seems to be inaccurate for listed sales and profit when compared to my actual finance reports. I'm only manufacturing them at the moment and do not control retail sales at this point, but my current price is 246 when sold from my factories. My OS software report suggests I'm selling 453k units per month totaling about 160 million from those sales when my company financials state that my revenue is actually 110 million per month (it's the only thing I'm currently selling) which leaves a discrepancy of 50 million per month. That's a pretty significant difference between the reports.

Could you please send me your save game file with this issue?

Additionally, new releases seem to behave oddly for OS's when compared to other software. I'm checking the software reports for other products, and their sales are in line with new releases as the website info suggests it should. But when it comes to my OS, my sales increases tend to come at tech increases, spiking heavily at that point, and then a little more when I actually launch an updated version. I'm researching at a 2 year interval, and then begin the 6 month process to update my OS, and I get a large spike in sales once the tech finishes and again at the end of that 6 month period when the new release is launched, but this second jump tends to be smaller than the one I get from simply completing the tech.

So which aspects of this do you think is not correctly simulated?

So what does it take to be able to launch a full on new OS rather than just updating a previous one?

Each company can only develop one OS. You may set up a subsidiary to develop additional OS.

Also, in one of the screenshots on the website, I saw an option for a smartphone OS, but I can't find any similar option in my game atm? Smartphones have been developed, but I'm not seeing any option to research or unlock the OS for them. What's needed for that?

That's for the Smart Phone content pack. For details, please see: viewtopic.php?f=42&t=4804

By the way, on which web page did you see the screenshot with the SmartPhone OS?

[Way2co0l]

It's a little unintuitive in the sense that there's no listed mechanic to explain this, but I don't think it's all that weird if you just assume that old computers are being replaced by newer computers and that's where the additional sales are coming from.

You're right. That's the reason behind the continual sales.

Firstly, the sales report seems to be inaccurate for listed sales and profit when compared to my actual finance reports. I'm only manufacturing them at the moment and do not control retail sales at this point, but my current price is 246 when sold from my factories. My OS software report suggests I'm selling 453k units per month totaling about 160 million from those sales when my company financials state that my revenue is actually 110 million per month (it's the only thing I'm currently selling) which leaves a discrepancy of 50 million per month. That's a pretty significant difference between the reports.

Could you please send me your save game file with this issue?

Additionally, new releases seem to behave oddly for OS's when compared to other software. I'm checking the software reports for other products, and their sales are in line with new releases as the website info suggests it should. But when it comes to my OS, my sales increases tend to come at tech increases, spiking heavily at that point, and then a little more when I actually launch an updated version. I'm researching at a 2 year interval, and then begin the 6 month process to update my OS, and I get a large spike in sales once the tech finishes and again at the end of that 6 month period when the new release is launched, but this second jump tends to be smaller than the one I get from simply completing the tech.

So which aspects of this do you think is not correctly simulated?

So what does it take to be able to launch a full on new OS rather than just updating a previous one?

Each company can only develop one OS. You may set up a subsidiary to develop additional OS.

Also, in one of the screenshots on the website, I saw an option for a smartphone OS, but I can't find any similar option in my game atm? Smartphones have been developed, but I'm not seeing any option to research or unlock the OS for them. What's needed for that?

That's for the Smart Phone content pack. For details, please see: viewtopic.php?f=42&t=4804

By the way, on which web page did you see the screenshot with the SmartPhone OS?

As to the sales, thank you for your answer. I didn't realize this beforehand and was worried that my sales would dry up at this point without being able to release an actual new product. I had assumed that I'd be able to release multiple OS's over the course of the game, so was going to follow a year format similar to windows. lol. It wasn't obvious beforehand, but makes sense now. Thanks for clarifying all of that.

I can gladly share a save, but I'm not sure how that's done here? I tried to attach it directly to this message as a rar file, but it's telling me the file is too large.

When it comes to the sales bump difference between OS and general software. I'll confess, I don't really have much knowledge of how the actual process works, but it feels like it should stand to reason that simply learning something new doesn't just magically get added into the software. That people have to sit down and code it in for it to take effect. In that sense, the sales bump the OS is getting simply from completing the tech without having to actually release a new update to benefit from it feels weird to me. In fact, I haven't really observed OS sales dropping off at all based on lack of updates. I went some 4 or 5 years in between updates at one point and there really wasn't any appreciable decline in sales during that time. I'm fine with that in the sense that I have the only OS on the market atm, so as long as computers are being sold and need one, you take what you can get, even if it hasn't been updated in years. But I wonder if it would follow the trend I've seen in the software releases where sales will tick up hard when there's an update, and then drop just as hard in between those periods. Perhaps you need competition for that to play out, and when you simply control the market there's no real fear of losing your share. Anyway, mostly just rambling. I'm honestly fine with it being different between the 2, but the sales jump for simply completing a tech for OS feels weird to me and it should require the actual update to benefit from it.

As to the pictures. I'll list the examples I've found. Under the digital age DLC tab, and then the software tab. The 5th picture down shows console OS's. The 11th picture down shows game consoles and smart phone OS as options.

[David]

but the sales jump for simply completing a tech for OS feels weird to me and it should require the actual update to benefit from it.

Please email me your save game file at info@enlight.com and I will look into this.

As to the pictures. I'll list the examples I've found. Under the digital age DLC tab, and then the software tab. The 5th picture down shows console OS's. The 11th picture down shows game consoles and smart phone OS as options.

I will place it with a correct one.