Confessions of an Automationeer, Part 18: Yo-Yo Budgets
CSR has had a wide variety of themes and budgets since its inception. Yet over the past seven rounds, each round has consistently alternated between entry-level and high-end cars, with just one exception (CSR44) in that period; that round allowed for the submission of mid-range cars, and indeed many of the submitted entries were exactly that. So why has CSR been on a roller-coaster ride in terms of price lately?
The answer, surprisingly, lies in the basic premise of CSR. By design, it is meant to be a realistic depiction of what a car buyer goes through before purchasing a particular kind of car, from subcompacts to hypercars. Given that each sector has a different budget, going up and down the price spectrum repeatedly makes plenty of sense. The upshot is that any users participating in CSR have to calibrate their skills depending on the maximum post-markup price, engineering time and production unit limits; as such, anyone who does not will be out of their depth as soon as they try to step out of their comfort zone, and may even be disqualified for being over budget (although it is also possible, and quite common, for an entry to be rejected for being too cheap).
However, I have managed to adapt well enough over the past few rounds to deliver a highly competitive entry in each case. In fact, three of them - the Albury Crusader II 5.7 Touring from CSR47 in particular, as well as the SMG CK60 and Albury Pilbara XP6, ended up as finalists, although they were more average than I intended, to the point that they were outclassed by more capable entries. From the above experience, therefore, flexibility from round to round is a vital asset for any CSR entrant. So if you are faced with any Automation challenge that forces you to step out of your comfort zone, by all means consider the necessary steps that must be taken before taking the plunge, and if you choose to do so, be sensible with your budget as well as your engineering choices.
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