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CHAPTER 4

SOLUTION DESIGN

 

4.1. Proposed Simulation Design

The game observed previously is actually a business simulation that has different

area of business; therefore they have unique business process involved. Each of

the games has different variables and different correlation among those variables.

Based on the previous observation on the games, there are several variables that

are more obvious, which is shown on the following diagram. There are variables

that appear from previous observation but don’t appear on the design because

some of it can be similar or less important. On this part, the observation is based

on the game experience that user can see through running the game or

simulation. Further observation of from the games and simulation will produce

several diagrams.

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4.1.1. Lemonade Tycoon

 

Figure 1: Lemonade Tycoon Causal Diagram

 

In the lemonade tycoon, there are several variables involved, exactly 15

variables. Some variables require user input for further process and some

other are auto-generate based on the input from the user. Variables that are

user-input are: stock, price, upgrade, advertisement, and area. Beside the

variables stated before is part of the simulation that will be auto-generated or

calculated by the system.

Every variables are interrelated one another. Sales variable is affected by the

stock as the limiter, accepted recipe, price, number of people, and missed

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customer as the input required to generate the value inside the sales. The

sales variable itself affect the other variables such as customer satisfaction

and revenue.

Inside the lemonade tycoon there are 2 variables that is random value

generated by the computer such as weather and news. Those two variables

are assumed to be not exact in the real world. Therefore to represent the value

inside those variables are randomized.

4.1.2. Lemonade Tycoon 2

Lemonade tycoon as the sequel of the Lemonade tycoon is developing the

entrepreneur part of the first game. Compare to the first game this game

include the branches development of the stand. Player is able to build several

stands to increase their sales. Therefore the diagram is about the same with

the first Lemonade Tycoon, accept the “other stands sales” part that will

affect the sales of the other stand nearby.

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Figure 2: Lemonade Tycoon 2 Causal Diagram

 

4.1.3. Beefeater Restaurant’s Microworld

Inside the beefeater restaurant simulation there are a lot of variables

generated through the simulation process. Most of the variables are about

financial, marketing, and operational for the restaurant which has been

describe in the chapter 3 Beefeater Restaurant’s Microworld part. Majority,

the variables are auto generate through the simulation except the input such

as the amount of money allocated for labor, menu development, maintenance,

advertising, and meal price.

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Figure 3: Beefeater Restaurant’s Microworld Causal Diagram

Beefeater restaurant components can be classified into:

• Spend per restaurant (Labour, menu development, maintenance, and advertising)

• Menu appeal

• Revenue (Company profit, profit per restaurant, bonus, and profit target)

• Environment standard

• Service (Staff per restaurant and service quality)

• Satisfaction (reputation for value and customer base per restaurant)

• Sales (meal frequency and meals per restaurant per week)

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4.1.4. Roller Coaster Tycoon 3

Roller Coaster Tycoon 3 is quite complicated simulation game compare to

other game observed during the thesis, since the aim of the game is taking

care of the amusement park as a whole. Whole here means management of

staff, finance, marketing, and the operational including the development of

the park. Therefore to explain this game required 2 diagrams, first explain

each of the ride process during the simulation and the other explains the park

as a unity.

Figure 4: Roller Coaster Tycoon 3-One ride Causal Diagram

In this diagram about each of the ride in the roller coaster tycoon, the core

variable is the number of people comes to the ride. The variables that affect

the number of people are admission price, popularity, distance from the main

entrance and advertisement.

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In brief, the popularity is affected by satisfaction and advertisement. More

advertisement and higher people satisfaction will increase the popularity.

Relate it to the number of people, queue of length which decrease the

satisfaction is increase by the amount of people that came to the ride.

The next diagram is about the overall park, how the relation among the rides

(Figure 4.4)

Figure 5: Roller Coaster Tycoon 3 Causal Diagram

The Roller Coaster Tycoon 3 diagram shows the management process for the

a amusement park, that require to manage environment, loan, research and

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some other variables beside the variables for each ride from previous diagram

(Figure 4.4) .

The relations are as the following, number of people that come to the park is

affected by the entrance fee, park rating/ award accepted, environment,

advertising, and the number of rides build in the amusement park. Other

variables beside interest that became the limiter of the development is

maintenance, because more the maintenance cost will arise subsequent the

amount of rides build in the park.

4.2. Common Diagram

From the game observed there are several diagrams to represent the business

process inside the simulation. Even though the games draw different

diagrams, there are some similarities that can be extract into a diagram that

represent common business process.

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Lemonade Tycoon  Lemonade Tycoon 2 Beefeater Restaurant's 

Microworld Roller Coaster Tycoon 

3(one ride) Roller Coaster Tycoon 3   

Common Diagram 

Expense  Expense  Total restaurant cost  expense  Expense    expense Cash   Cash         Cash   

Profit per restaurant         Income  Income  Company profit  Income       revenue Stock  Stock             stock Sales  Sales  Meals frequency          sales Price  Price  Meal price  admission price  entrance fee    price Accepted Recipe  Accepted Recipe  Menu Appeal          product appeal Upgrade  Upgrade  Spend on menu developmnet     research    development Missed Customer  Missed Customer             missed customer Customer Satisfaction  

Customer Satisfaction  

Customer based per restaurant  satisfaction        satisfaction  

Advertisement  Advertisement Marketing spend per restaurant  Advertisment  Advertisment    advertisement 

Crowd Area  Crowd Area  Crowding         Number of People  Number of People  Crowding  Number of people come  Number of people come   

Number of people  

Popularity   Popularity   Reputation for value  popularity        popularity  Perfect Weather  Perfect Weather               Good News  Good News                  Spend on labour         Staff  Staff per restaurant     staff    staff    Other Kiosk Sales                     Service Quality                  Environment standard                  Bonus     park award/ rating            Profit target            

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        distance from main entrance         

         Queue length               Maintanance Cost         Spend on maintanance  maintanance rate  environment    maintanance             Number of ride built                  Loan                  Interest                  park value                  ride option      

Table 1 Comparison- Common Diagram

 

Figure 6: Common Diagram

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Comparing several processes in a business especially that has been observed

above there are 11 major variables. The variables are:

• Advertisement : The amounts of money the user are willing to spend for

advertisement or marketing.

• Development : The amounts of money the user are willing to spend for

development or upgrade.

• Expense : Total amount of money that user used to run the

business.

• Maintenance : The amount of money required and user willing to spend

to maintenance equipment and other.

• Missed Customer : The amounts of people come to the store or business but

leave before being served.

• Number of people : Amount of people that come to the store or the specific

market.

• Price : A price that user set as the product price

• Popularity : Customer acknowledgment to the store or business

• Sales : The number of people that has been served.

• Satisfaction : Customer satisfaction based on several variables

• Staff : The amount of money user allocated for human

resources.

• Stock : The amount of product, that user need before able to sell

anything.

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4.3. Animation Model Diagrams

The next layer of the design is the animation model that became the bridge of

the system to the user. The animation diagrams describe the relation from the

first causal diagram to the animation that visible to the end-user. Therefore

there are variables that have been stated from previous diagrams and new

variables that present the animation. The difference is shown in diagram with

boxed variables, new variables are blue boxed, and variables that have been

appeared in the previous diagram are not boxed. The boxes also briefly

describe which variables that can be seen from the final user point of view.

Comparing with previous diagrams that show more into mathematical side of

the simulation and the simulation model explain the game’s point of view.

Due to the time limitation, this thesis will limit the observation for the

animation diagram for the Lemonade Tycoon only. The reason for using

Lemonade Tycoon is that the game itself is quite adequate to represent real

world business and have interesting animation. Compare to Beefeater

restaurant that have very limited animation due to its purpose of simulating,

and Roller Coaster Tycoon 3 that mainly build for entertainment purpose and

very complicated variables to be observed during this thesis.

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Figure 7: People Animation Model Causal Diagram

Inside the game, people variable is important yet complicated. Number of

people that came to the stand is affected by several variables like what has

been explained before in the Figure 4.1. Inside the animation of the game

there are some variables that influence the number of people such as the

crowd.

Besides being effected, numbers of people also affect another variable such

as buy. Buy variable is specifically define the number of people that spend

some amount of money to get the product in this case is lemonade. Some

other variables are already defined in Figure 4.1.

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Figure 8: Location Animation Model Causal Diagram

The variable place (background) is one of the variables that have not been

defined in previous diagram. Place or background is representing the

situation of surrounding from the business. The relation with expense is that,

better place will have higher rent fee which will increase the expense. That

also means better place has more people or more crowd therefore the crowd

variable increase as the place variable increase.

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Figure 9: Supplies Animation Model Causal Diagram

Supplies diagram in this animation part is just the detailed version form of

the previous stock variable. Each variable can be defined differently, but all

of them are affecting and affected both expense and stock variable from the

Figure 4.1.

Some additional variables such as Maximum Number of Cup, Unused stock

(Recipe), Unused Stock (Sales), and Actual Unused Stock is actually some

additional information required for other parts of the simulation. For

instance, Maximum number of cup means the maximum number of cup sold

for a day which limits the number of sales.

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Figure 10: Report Animation Model Discrete Event Diagram

 

Animation for report is rather simple, data gathered through the game such as

sales, expense, revenue, and satisfaction variables are used for the report. The

report itself divided into several types and forms. The forms of report such as

chart and profit/loss, balance sheet and other are the representation of the

progress through the game.

Figure 11: Upgrade Animation Model Causal Diagram

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Upgrade is actually having several variables apart from what is drawn in the

diagram such as Ice-o-matic, Mr Fridge and some other. Power juicer and Ex

Serve Cash are the only variables that affect the missed customer. There are

some other variables that can’t be represented in a diagram. Other variables

function is as the following ,Ice-o-matic is add 100 ice cube per day, Mr.

fridge reduce the amount of spoiled lemon, and classic stand that increase

stock capacity as well as Lemon stand.