Cartels, Collusion, Trusts, and Antitrusts

[toxiciron]

Don't you hate how large corporations will all decide to come together and increase their prices simultaneously? What if that happened in Kenshi? Two producers of one product come together to collude price, form a trust/cartel, and increase prices across the board? There could be consequences like governments trying to track these motherf*ckers down, or perhaps even boycotts. Heck, maybe corporations would even send armies after each other... maybe that's how companies run in this game, just little mini-countries kinda.
This also brings about the issue of monopoly. One producer cuts price to force another producer out of business, or powerful producers try to influence government to "regulate" (prevent) other start-ups in their market.

I got an idea just now while writing this, most people's brains separate government from companies and corporations, but really, government is just a type of corporation. They just run different things. It's hard to describe the point I'm making... imagine in a wasteland where there is no law, a company, say, a producer of metal ores, agrees to protect all the people that work for them. These people could all move in next to the mines. As the company produces profits, it can do other things, like designate a city grid and layout. BAM, you've got a corporation that is suddenly a government. isn't that all that government is? Just a sort of... company? Anywho, this might apply to gameplay because cities could belong not to governments, (in our subconscious sense of the word,) but corporations.

[Marcuss2]

Nice idea/suggestion as I think! Realism is anarchy.

Added to suggestions list

[iSuck345]

This seems like a good idea.

[Mask]

Would love to see this implemented! You'd need all the pieces, of course... As you say, gotta have drawbacks and ways of fighting it off.

[Finson]

Love this idea! I hope Kenshi can be the kind of game where this sort of thing happens accidentally. Like, if you were the CEO, there wouldn't be an "appeal to [blank] corp to form a cartel on iron ore" button, but rather, you could sort of make it happen gradually and subtly.


I have a slight disagreement with you on the whole government/corporation distinction though. Just a slight one. Government is, in theory, supposed to be a more moral institution than corporations, and corporations are purely for-profit, free market entities. You still have a strong argument, but in my view, the function of government is SUPPOSED (not always in practice, sadly) to be not just a monopoly of power, but a system imposed to balance power in favor of the people's interest, or it is simply a way to establish widespread order, either way, I think that fundamentally separates it from a corporation, whose principal objective is gain. Though, I think you do have a point, there is a lot of overlap there, especially since many governments often behave opportunistically toward their people. Anyway, I only say this because I would hope that the game would handle governments and corporations very differently, even though either one could end up in the same role in terms of their power, and one could functionally become the other.

[toxiciron]

^Yes, perfect. I'm not saying gov't should be exactly the same, but maybe similar

[PnzrNorm]

Resurrecting this thread as it has the most relevant title for the topic.

+1 to explosively dynamic economies (would take a lot of time and effort, but I think it would be worth it)
+1 to corporate factions
+1 to unique NPCs that represent mayors, CEOs, and other important members of factions

I have a slight disagreement with you on the whole government/corporation distinction though. Just a slight one. Government is, in theory, supposed to be a more moral institution than corporations, and corporations are purely for-profit, free market entities. You still have a strong argument, but in my view, the function of government is SUPPOSED (not always in practice, sadly) to be not just a monopoly of power, but a system imposed to balance power in favor of the people's interest, or it is simply a way to establish widespread order, either way, I think that fundamentally separates it from a corporation, whose principal objective is gain. Though, I think you do have a point, there is a lot of overlap there, especially since many governments often behave opportunistically toward their people. Anyway, I only say this because I would hope that the game would handle governments and corporations very differently, even though either one could end up in the same role in terms of their power, and one could functionally become the other.

I have a counter-arguement to this.
Put any amount of NPCs into positions of power within a single faction and give these NPCs an agenda to make money/goods for themselves rather than building housing, infrastructure, or income-producing structures, and this would instantly transform from a government to a corporation.

I really, REALLY like the thought of NPC towns expanding/settling new places on their own, though it would take a lot of effort, and it likely will not happen until after resources are placed in fixed locations since the expanding NPC towns would require building materials, which require stone (or cats).
Actually in order to prevent stagnation, it would be better if NPCs were able to construct structures with cats representing the equivalent to the cost of building materials rather than having to produce meager resources just to grow.

[anduin_lothar1]

Wow I loved this idea so much that i would swear it was valentine's day chocolate, this needs to be implemented either by Chris or a modder needs to make this when the game is fully released.

[PnzrNorm]

Wow I loved this idea so much that i would swear it was valentine's day chocolate, this needs to be implemented either by Chris or a modder needs to make this when the game is fully released.

Shouldn't be too hard to make a mod for this right now. I've been meaning to learn how to mod for a while now but life takes its toll on Kenshi. :p