Well, that really depends on the kind of player you are. It might be more lucrative to invest in different towns if you manage to always target the right business opportunities.
On the other hand, by concentrating on a single town you have the chance to influence and control social parameters (by building schools, hospitals, etc.), which ultimately ensures your businesses run more smoothly i.e. profitably. Also, it's quite nice to have your entire emporium concentrated in a single spot so that you can easily show off its power and beauty.
How do I deal with my prices?
As in real life, in Starpeace Online, prices are the result of supply and demand. Of course, you can set whatever price you want, but at the end of the day people choose what they'll buy. Note: the price isn't the only determining factor in a purchase, other important parameters are: accessibility, quality and advertisement. If people buy your product like crazy, you might raise the price a little bit or alternatively, you might lower the price if the product is not selling well. The great thing is that all the other merchants will be doing the same. At the end, the actual average price of a given product will be the result of a number of factors in any given world. This not only happens with commerce facilities, industrial production is subject to this same supply and demand dance.
However, tycoons can organize themselves or there can be monopolies. In those cases it's possible for some players to exert a great deal of control over prices. This is dangerous to the economy. A basic product (like food) set at a very high price could critically damage the spending power of the population. This scenario would end up eroding the demand for other less critical products, to the point where some commerce facilities and factories would be forced to shut down. Unemployment will rise, and the spending power will be reduced even more. A global crisis could ensue.
The mayor (or president or minister, in the case of a world crisis) can put a halt to this. He or she could impose severe taxes on the monopoly and use that money to create an alternative production source in order to eventually depress prices.
How do I deal with salaries?
As every good capitalist soul knows, unemployment is good for business. Of course, too much unemployment is bad, but rates between 5 and 15% make for a healthy pool of workers from which they can draw from. If workers are in great demand, you might end up paying too much in salaries just to keep your facilities running. Also, the more money you pay, the more people will want to work for you. Competition over workers can sometimes get out of control, at times reaching a point that almost nobody is making profit due the salary drain.
On the other hand, lowering salaries too much can also be dangerous. Starpeace Online worlds have a closed economy; that means a change in one parameter could induce changes in other parameters that don't initially appear to be related. Remember, money does not grow on trees! If you happen to be making a lot of money, someone, somewhere is loosing it. This cycle not only involves other players, but includes the simulated population as well.
If salaries are too low, the average person won't have enough money to buy goods and have a decent life. Commerce facilities will sell less and eventually the demand for new goods will decline. At this point, some factories will start loosing money until their owners finally close them. That will increase unemployment and thus further reduce the population's spending power. This vicious cycle will continue until the city (or the whole world) falls into a severe crisis.
The mayor of a city has the ability to put a halt to such economic downturns. He or she can set the minimum wage for entire workforce, thus putting end to the greedy behavior of the local tycoons.
If I make a lot of money, can I share it?
Of course! You can do whatever you want with your money; choose to give your money away or keep it. The only limitation is that you cannot give away any portion of the initial $100 million you got from the IFEL. This means that if, after your gift, you have less than $100 million, the transfer won't be successful. Note: giving money is a friendly act that will not be forgotten in the future by the person you gave it to.
Is it also possible to get it back with an interest?
No, unfortunately, once you give it away, it's gone forever. Look on the bright side, you made a new friend.
Are there any stocks?
In the future, we might add some more features such as stocks.
If I seem to be doing badly, can I borrow money?
You have to prove to the bank that you can make enough money to pay back the loan. As a result, you'll need to have a positive income ratio to get loan approval. Otherwise, you'll need a friend to lend you the sum you need.
Where can I borrow?
There are two places, either from your friend, who you don't necessarily have to pay back, and then there's the bank, where you will have to pay an annual interest set by the bank. You can also go to a player's bank.
How much can I get from the bank?
You can borrow up to 500 million per level. For example as Apprentice, you can ask only up to 500 million, Entrepeneurs 1 billion and so on.
