Cash Kills Early Game

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All Forums >> [New Releases from Matrix Games] >> Shadow Empire >> Suggestions and Feedback >> Cash Kills Early Game

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Cash Kills Early Game - 8/29/2020 9:48:09 AM

mike0me

Posts: 4
Joined: 8/25/2020
Status: offline

I am playing games with minimal start at beginner setting. Lack of cash repeatedly kills those games. The only in game solution offered is to sell assets - but market is soon saturated. I improve private economy whenever possible. I have tried to raise taxes, but fail rolls - lately that option hasn't even been offered. Despite nearly impossible rolls, was eventually able to establish trade with a major; no income seems to be coming from it. Workers don't work, despite average moral -- presumably because I can't pay for more workers. The forum mentions deficit spending, but game doesn't seem to allow it. Many (most) other problems require cash to solve, but none is available. Further builds are meaningless without workers. I have have a minimal military, but have had to cut pay; unit moral is bottoming out and they are evaporating. Either I am missing some important point (highly possible), or you have made changes for later in the game that has killed the early game. If I have missed an important point, an in game solution should be offered.

Post #: 1

RE: Cash Kills Early Game - 8/29/2020 10:19:39 AM

Lovenought

Posts: 227
Joined: 8/21/2017
Status: offline

You can't sell Rare Minerals?

(in reply to mike0me)

Post #: 2

RE: Cash Kills Early Game - 8/29/2020 10:23:48 AM

HansLemurson

Posts: 134
Joined: 7/28/2020
Status: offline

Cash is very restricted in the early game, but gets easier as time goes on. I personally like that challenge, but it can be a bit much.

To try to avoid going bankrupt, I take the following measures:
-Cut expenses by reducing worker salaries to 4, and cancelling the sign-up bonus for recruits.
-Aim for getting an Interior council as one of my early choices so that I can raise taxes. (don't usually see die rolls fail until 30% income tax)
-Ensure that your SHQ commander has a high Trade skill. Get extra cash on sales, and savings on purchases. High enough Trade skill can even result in profit buying/selling the same item (an exploit that will be patched).
-Wait at least 3 turns between resource sales to allow the price to recover. In the early game, Rare Minerals are your money-maker since only advanced techs use them.

I do agree though that the availability of money in the game is a bit out of balance.

(in reply to mike0me)

Post #: 3

RE: Cash Kills Early Game - 9/1/2020 12:28:38 AM

mike0me

Posts: 4
Joined: 8/25/2020
Status: offline

Thank you for the suggestions. I will give them a try. Unfortunately the minimal start includes no Rare Minerals or a way to get them (other than purchase). I was wondering if recruits who have not been assigned to units also draw pay - the game starts with 500/turn recruited even though forming new units is out of the question at that time. I will also try eliminating recruiting until ready to form units. If so, a fix might be to have default setting for recruits lower or to treat unassigned recruits as Nation Guard who are unpaid but free to work the civilian economy until they are assigned to a unit.

This is a great game, and I hope to get up to speed on it.

(in reply to HansLemurson)

Post #: 4

RE: Cash Kills Early Game - 9/1/2020 3:05:06 AM

HansLemurson

Posts: 134
Joined: 7/28/2020
Status: offline

If you are paying your soldiers a salary (which you don't have to, since you feed them), Recruits cost you money whether they are in a formation or not.

As for Rare Minerals, I believe that every start has some scavengable ruins. You will find that your city starts with a "scavenger community". This will give you a small amount of metal and oil, but if you nationalize it then you will be able to get some Rares income. It's a good idea in general to nationalize these assets, since they are consuming finite resources for only partial benefit to the state.

But that does bring you back to the money shortage, since it will cost you *all* of your starting cash in order to nationalize it. However, even paying $500 will pay off fairly quickly when you're earning 20-30 rares/turn, along with the additional metal and oil.

Figuring out how to get cash fast is very tricky in the beginning.

(in reply to mike0me)

Post #: 5

RE: Cash Kills Early Game - 9/1/2020 7:50:13 AM

ramnblam

Posts: 199
Joined: 6/9/2020
From: Australia
Status: offline

On starts more difficult than regular, your opening move should be to nationalize the scavenging asset over the truck depot. This will give you a much needed metal boost and let you sell the rare metals to keep your cash flow somewhat fluid.

(in reply to HansLemurson)

Post #: 6

RE: Cash Kills Early Game - 9/18/2020 1:11:23 PM

TheSquid

Posts: 46
Joined: 5/5/2019
Status: offline

I find that most starting cities start with one or more hexes immediately next to your city also containing ruins. So if you didn't want to nationalise the existing scrap yard, you can just build a second one in the neighbouring ruins instead. This won't cost any money, though it will cost other resources instead and will take slightly longer before it's operational.

I believe this means that you'll be taking resources away from the main scrap yard, since I vaguely recall that scrap yards can use the scrap value from neighbouring hexes in addition to the one they're in - though I may be misremembering this? But if it does work that way, all that means is that your scrap yards will run out of materials to mine a bit faster - but by that time you should have other options already set up.

(in reply to ramnblam)

Post #: 7

RE: Cash Kills Early Game - 9/18/2020 1:42:28 PM

Atomikkrab

Posts: 28
Joined: 8/4/2020
Status: offline

You always want to nationalize the scavenging asset. not only does it get you resources, it also drives the civilian economy to build light industry (which you want) sooner because the money you pay for the asset goes to their reserves.

But also the minimal start is just that, minimal. You have basically nothing and must work from there.

(in reply to TheSquid)

Post #: 8