Science/en

From virtonomics

TECHNOLOGY

All production enterprises are characterized by a certain technological level. Technology level influences labor efficiency and goods quality. High technology level decreases energy consumption, improves quality and labor productivity. On the other hand, high technology level imposes higher demands on staff qualification and equipment quality.

There are 2 ways of technology introduction:

  • buy a technology (or develop it in the laboratory) and introduce it to any enterprise of a certain kind;
  • buy a technology license (a right to introduce a technology to a certain enterprise).

Price of technological level raising consists of two parts: cost of technology and cost of introduction. When you buy a technology, the first time you have to pay both for the technology and for its introduction, but if later you decide to raise technology level for another enterprise of the same kind, then you must pay for technology introduction only. As usual, players purchase license in case if they don't have enough money to purchase a technology, or in case if technology purchase is not reasonable (for example, the player has only a few enterprises of similar kind, so he'd prefer to buy a license).

Практически все производственные предприятия игры характеризуются определенным технологическим уровнем.

Уровень технологии влияет на производительность труда рабочих и качество продукции. Чем выше уровень технология, тем выше производительность труда, ниже затраты энергии и выше качество. С другой стороны, технологический уровень накладывает более высокие требования к квалификации рабочих и качеству оборудования.

Максимальный технологический уровень для внедрения на предприятии определенного типа определяется технологическим уровнем, доступным компании, владеющей предприятием.

Плата за повышение технологического уровня предприятия состоит из двух частей: плата за покупку технологии и плата за внедрение. Покупка технологии осуществляется компанией один раз: то есть при повышении технологического уровня другого предприятия такого же типа компания платит только за внедрение технологии.

При покупке высокотехнологичного предприятия у другого игрока его технология не становится собственностью компании, хотя и используется на купленном предприятии. Поэтому, если вы захотите установить этот технологический уровень уже на другом своем предприятии, вам опять придется оплатить как покупку технологии, так и её внедрение.

Игрок может самостоятельно исследовать более высокие технологические уровни в лабораториях.

Также реализована рыночная возможность внедрения технологий только на одном подразделении - как альтернатива рынку технологий, покупаемых для внедрения игроком на всех предприятий определенной отрасли его деятельности. Это - создание рынка продаж так называемых лицензий. Для представителей мелкого и среднего бизнеса покупка лицензий - альтернатива покупки технологий в случае, когда у игрока нет средств для покупки технологии, либо когда у игрока количество предприятий одной определенной отрасли незначительно и покупка технологии экономически не оправдана.


LABORATORY

General Information

Your laboratories need for technological researches, which can bring you new technologies of higher level.

Building Laboratory you need the following:

  • define its size
  • hire scientists
  • buy equipment (devices)

Maximum possible number of scientists and equipment depends on the size of your laboratory. Available technology level also depends on the size.

Technology level will require the equipment of certain quality. Moreover, equipment quality requires minimum skills level of laboratory staff.

In case if you want to work with technologies and inventions of 5 and higher level, laboratory must be attached to a working factory (80% of its efficiency or more). Factory profile and technology level must correspond to the current research.

Minimum size of required factory depends on the level of explored technology:

Level Maximum number of scientists Available technology level Remarks
1 10 Up to 4 -
2 30 Up to 8 Starting from level 6 a factory (farm, mine, etc) is required — minimum size
3 100 Up to 13 Factory is required — size 2
4 300 Up to 19 Factory is required - size 3
5 700 Up to 25 Factory is required - size 4
6 1000 All Factory is required - size 5

Research

There are three research stages:

Preliminary research, hypotheses forming

The basic duration of preliminary research stage depends on the current technology level (up to level 8 is 3 weeks, then longer). Even if you increase the number of scientists it won`t speed up the research, usually slows down because of low efficiency of laboratory. In case you've bought one or several technologies of last 5 levels, the first stage will be longer (for ½ of duration of first stages of missed technologies). In case you have not investigated previous levels of technology the duration of the first stage will be longer — in proportion to the duration of missed investigations.

The number of hypothesis depends on skills level of laboratory manager. Every hypothesis has a possibility of success and duration modifier.

Research. Hypothesis processing

During second stage you`ll have to choose one of hypotheses then scientists will perform research with a possibility of success which you already know.

In case of failure, you can repeat this research. The possibility of success will be higher by 1%. In other words, each hypothesis can become successful in the end.

Basic duration of hypothesis working out depends on technology level and possibility of success (you`ll need more time if you want to work out more reliable hypothesis).

Additional number of scientists will speed up this work. On the contrary, low efficiency of laboratory will slow down this work.

Industrial testing

The final third stage of research: testing and industrial trial of invented technology.

Duration of this stage depends on technology level. Additional number of scientists will speed up the research.

Technologies of level 5 (and higher) will require a factory attached to the laboratory. Profile and technology level of this factory must correspond to current research.

Duration of this research depends on laboratory efficiency, as well as factory efficiency

Technology levels

Level Scientists required (min) Goods quality (max) Remarks
2 5 2.46 -
3 10 4.17 -
4 10 6.06 -
5 15 8.10 Required level 2 of the lab
6 15 10.27 Required a factory attached to the lab
7 15 12.55 -
8 30 14.93 -
9 40 17.40 Required level 3 of the lab
10 40 19.95 -
11 60 22.58 -
12 60 25.29 -
13 100 28.06 -
14 120 30.90 Required level 4 of the lab
15 150 33.80 -
16 200 36.76 -
17 250 39.77 -
18 300 42.84 -
19 360 45.96 Required level 5 of the lab
20 420 49.13 -
21 500 52.35 -
22 600 55.61 -
23 700 58.92 -
24 700 62.27 -
25 700 65.66 -


TECHNOLOGY MARKET

Any player who has invented a technology in the lab, can put it up for sale. You can sell only your own inventions, you can't re-sale any purchased technology. There are no restrictions for the technology price — this is a market price. However, the number of current technologies for sale for one enterprise is limited — minimum 10; maximum — according to the current «Research» qualification level.

Market price of the technology will be defined at the time of the game update, and it won't change during the game day. Market price is calculated on basis of information about all technologies of this kind that have been put up for sale.

Profit from technology sale is calculated fro the last game day, considering prices and participants of last day auction. Profit is distributed among all participants (technology sellers) depending on the declared price.

When putting a technology up for sale you have to pay a commission fee equal to 1% of declared price. If you increase sale price, you must pay a commission fee equal to 1% of difference between declared and sale price.

Any player who has invented a technology, can sell a license for this technology use. License will let certain enterprise to introduce this technology. Number of licenses for sale is proportional to «Science research» skill wih coefficient = 3.

TECHNOLOGY LICENSE MARKET

Technology license market provides a possibility to introduce a technology to a single enterprise.

Applications for introduction

The customer applies for introduction of a technology he needs for the certain production enterprise. Maximum price must be divisible by 1000 and limited by current cash of the customer. The customer pays for the service and introduction expenses. Bidding is closed. The customer has all information about the current offers. Number of offers is unlimited, however total amount of offers must not exceed total amount of Customer's currency. Attention! You have to pay a fine in case if you introduce license to a factory of a clone with a purpose of start capital transfer, etc.

Kinds of applications

  • Competitive Price is declared: the maximum price that the customer is ready to pay for introduction.
  • Uncompetitive Price is not declared: the customer is ready to but a license on market price, which is formed during the bidding with competitive offers.
  • Short-term In case if during the bidding the application didn't meet requirements as a competitive, then it becomes uncompetitive.

Sellers offers

Inventor of Technology (Sold) publishes a proposal for self-installation technology. Trading can only own inventions. The minimum price should be a multiple of thousand. The tender closed. Seller has full information about the auction the previous day and on his proposals, but had no information about the current proposals of competitors. The total number of limited skills in scientific research (3 * level skills in the field of «research»). Install the license to clone plants, aiming to start the transfer of capital, would penalize the administration, as well as other similar violations.

Kinds of offers

  • No bids Minimum price is declared. Bargain is possible only at the declared price.
  • With bids Minimum price is declared. Bargain is possible at the average price between seller's offer and customer's application.
  • Uncompetitive Price is not declared, introduction will be done at the average price formed during bidding.
  • Short-term In case if during the bidding the application didn't meet requirements as a competitive, then it becomes uncompetitive.

Bidding

License bidding and enterprise upgrade will be performed at the time of the update, according to the results of applications and offers received. Bidding is divided into 3 stages.

First stage

All competitive offers with «no bid» mark are considered. The most cheap go first at the price of seller on account of the most expensive applications, provided that price is within set my Customer maximum limits.

Second stage

All the offers, left after the first stage are considered. The most cheap go first on account of the most expensive applications at the average price between sellers and customers.

Example of second stage: The customers have formed applications for introduction of technology of second level with the following parameters: 100 applications at price not higher than 2000, 50 applications at price not higher than 1000, 1 application at price 10. The sellers have formed applications: 20 at price 100, 10 at price 500, 100 at price 1000, 1 at price 2000.

Bargains will be done as follows: first of all, demand applications with maximum price will be processed, by means of supply applications with minimum price. Out of 100 demand applications with price 2000 20 at price 100 will meet the requirements at price (2000 + 100) / 2 = 1050, 10 applications with 500 at price (2000+500) / 2 = 1250, 70 application with price 1000 at price 1500. Out of 50 demand applications with price 1000 will meet the requirements: 30 at the price of 1000. One application with price 10 will not meet the requirements, since there is no supply applications with price 10 or less. 2O demand applications with price 1000 (out of 50) won't meet the requirements, since the number of supply applications is limited. Supply application with rice 2000 won't meet any demand.

Third stage

Uncompetitive and short-term offers, left after the first two stages are considered. All the required offers are going at the same similar average price of competitive bargains. In case if there is no bargains for competitive offers, then there is no possibility to define the average price and there will be no bidding for uncompetitive offers.

License market. Examples

Example 1

The customer has a fence-building factory with 1 level of technology. He wants to produce super-fences. For this purpose he needs to introduce a 10 level of technology, i.e. to buy a license. The customers composes an application: I want to introduce 10 technology for 10 000 000 or less*. It means that the customer has composed a competitive and not short-term application.

  • Hereinafter: we are talking about the price of license. The cost of introduction is not the subject of bidding, it will be withdrawn in a common way.

In the same time the seller of a (technology) license composes an offer: I'\ want to sell 10 technology for 7 000 000 exactly. So, this is a competitive, not short-time offer without bidding. This is a basic, the simplest example of a bargain. The seller will sell a license for 7 million both the seller and the customer will be satisfied.

Example 2

Two customers: the first one is ready to buy for 10 million another one — for 15 million. Two sellers: one sells for 7, another sells for 10. The same kinds of offers and applications. As result: the customer who was ready to buy for bigger price will buy for 7, and another one — for 10. This is logically correct — the one who took the risk wins more.

Example 3

Greed stimulates commerce. Suppose that the seller is ready to pay more than 7 millions. But he doesn't know how much more or he knows, but hopes that there will be even more generous customer in the bidding. In this case appear offer «with bids». Suppose, that the applications are the same as before, but the offer is: «sell for 7 million or more». In marker terms this is a competitive, not short term offer with bids. As result: the one who was ready to pay more, will buy for (7+15)/2 = 11 million. The customer is happy because he paid less than he had planned. The seller is happy because he sold at higher price.

Example 4

Now about uncompetitive applications. It means that a customer wants to buy a license at average market price, or to buy for 10 millions or less and if there will be no suitable offer, - at average market price (short-term offer). This is a very risky application — because the average price might be whatever. But this offer is reasonable: 1) if all know that there are many offers and will be enough for everyone, so they don't want to lose a bargain because of stupid discrepancies in the figures; 2) if they don't want to make price unreasonably high; 3) if they are not very familiar with the market, but really need a license.

The example. One customer composes a short-term application for 7 million, second customer composes a common application, third own — uncompetitive. Offers: three at 10 with bidding and turning into uncompetitive. Result: on the second stage the customer, which has offered «up to 14 million» will get the license for (14+10)/2 = 12 million; on the third stage both left customer will get the license for average market price = 12 million. Again, all happy. But the first customer paid more than he wanted.

Example 5

Sellers make uncompetitive offers almost on the same reasons: to be sure that they can sell it, not to rise prices too much or when they are not very familiar with the market.

Example. Applications are the same as in previous example. Offers: «not less than 10 million», «not less than 20 or uncompetitive» (short-term) and simply uncompetitive. Result: on the second stage the second customer buys it from the first seller for (14+10)/2 = 12 million. Other customers will get it for the same 12 million. In case second seller had a non-short-term offer, he simply wouldn't sell anything. Bidding closed. Nor customer, nor seller sees the current market supply. They only see results of previous bidding. Bargain will be fulfilled during the update.

RATING OF TECHNOLOGY ACHIEVEMENTS

This rating shows how successful the companies are in field of their own science research.

The calculation takes into account the best (with the highest level) of invented technologies in each of the technological niches. Rating score is considered as the sum of the squares of the best technology of the companies, plus a bonus for the technological leadership, is also a box-level, equally divided among all the companies-leaders.