Strategy
Getting Started
- We strongly recommend starting with a retail store. It should probably start on Standard land. If you know which product you would like to specialize in, choosing a more specialized store will work.
- The benefit of starting with retail is that money comes directly from the public. Factories and farms are more risky because they have to go through stores to make a profit, and if you don't have your own store you'l need to find other players to be your customers. You may even want to use only stores, getting supplier deals from other players.
- To decide how much to pay and how many to buy, you may want to consult PHIL - Product Help and Information Lookup. It can provide rough guidelines for getting your sale started, and help you avoid overpaying or underselling.
- Although the market is a good place to start, you can save fees and get a regular supply by making deals with other players. Because everyone with a farm or factory needs customers, you may be able to cut a good deal. Once your partnership is established, they send you an invoice for the goods, and when you accept it you have a ready supply to sell.
- If you want more money fast, the quickest way to grow is by purchasing tickets (available from the Office menu). You can always gain lots or βucks to help your business grow, and by supporting the game allows Simunomics to continue growing as well.
Mistakes
- Mistakes happen. (pets.com.) Even a great company can make a mistake. (Crystal Pepsi) Maybe you picked a bad product (Harley-Davidson Perfume.) Or you had profits, but bet big on something new and lost. (Enron.) Or you stuck with the old business too long when the economy changed (Polaroid.) Sure, it seems dumb in retrospect. (Gerber Singles - Adult food in baby food jars) You don't even remember what you were thinking (Bic disposable underwear.) The important thing is to get over it. A mistake doesn't have to ruin you if you react properly. (New Coke.)
- Factories, farms, and research centers can all be converted from one product to another quickly and cheaply. Stores cover a range of products to begin with.
- If you have a building or research that you don't want, another player might. They may even pay you more than its cost to make up for the build time.
- If all else fails, you can reset off of the Options menu (from the Office).
- Resets are limited to every 6 hours. You should try out your chosen path before deciding that it's a mistake.
- Be very careful - a company lost to a reset cannot be restored.
The Next Step
- Once you are making money from your store(s), you may decide to start producing your own products. Then you can start selling your own products in the stores and finding player customers of your own.
- To select which product line to enter, you may again want to use PHIL. This tool will analyze all sales and recommend 10 products for each city. These tend to be the products with less competition at the time.
Long-term Strategy
- Once you have decided on a product, you'll probably want to start making it more desirable. Building an R&D center will allow you to start researching higher qualities. And (if you are Speculator Level or higher) you can start advertising to gain some Brand awareness.
- Spreading out to too many products will limit your effectiveness with each one. On the other hand, putting all of your focus on just one product can make you vulnerable. Choosing the right balance is one of the challenges of Simunomics.
- With your cash flow established, you should start thinking about long-term goals. Consider the Awards and look at Ranks & Stats listings.
- Pick a short-term goal, like donating to five charities or dominating one product in one city for a week.
- Choose a mid-range goal, such as dominating 3 products in 3 cities for 3 months, or making the top 10 in the Prestige/assets ratio.
- You should also pick some difficult goal, like being the biggest companies in the game or having the highest Prestige or highest Award count.
Ask Around
- Many different strategies are possible. Ask other players for ideas or tips, especially in the Simunomics Forums. You may find an opening for a product or service that players need but don't yet have.
- Join a Trade Group or start your own. Trade Groups allow players to work together for the goal of finding partnerships or discussing ideas.
Be Open to Change
- The most predictable thing about an economy is that it will change. In Simunomics you can't pick one product, location, or method and be guaranteed that it will work forever. The best strategy is a flexible strategy.