-> version FR de ce guide <-

Join the discord, min.level verified emails required.
https://discord.gg/PvNRY4Xe8H | you might need to refresh the page or discord "Ctrl + R" to see "private channels" as a new member after reacting for roles.
The bot is online 24/24. (but not operating, but only just updating shortage indefinitely).


hotlinks:

• spin-wheel numbers 0-5[www.online-stopwatch.com]
  DrugNames:
  
• spin-wheel drugs names Full[www.online-stopwatch.com]
  
• spin-wheel drugs names All but no psychedelics[www.online-stopwatch.com]
  Doublepick:
  
• spin-wheel choice Doublepick[www.online-stopwatch.com]
  RP:
  
• spin-wheel Ghost Raid[www.online-stopwatch.com]

You are the master of your gameplay restrictions, as to create an alternative to the vanilla gameplay.

In this guide I share what I've put together to create a custom gameplay mode with Cartel shortage.

Spoiler:
Keep Eddy : no EndGame
Don't unlock the psychedelic gang and eddy will remain.

NoDila rule: (optional)
Mortal Clients / Less money less quikly

• Have only 1 max. dealer per area.

to keep client to your mercy, and have less big orders.

Precursor:

• cartel Apartment: Don't go crazy on your lab equipment arsenal, SAVE MONEY.
  
• As soon as you have about 2000$ in your bank account for a laptop + jars. + rent apartment in East oldtown (or another save-location) : make a new save "START", before continuing.
  
• Abandon main apartment and never come back. (abandon all you drugs or not, whatever, the point is to play only with hideouts from now on).

Cartel shortage:

• Randomly disable drug availability from Eddie "staging a mule bust" (see next section Cartel shortage).

Difficulty and Loading saves:
Play with any in-game difficulty you want.
But the following "difficulty mode" are about "how to" stuff. I play SoftCore Mode.

Hardcore Mode:

• Getting caught with drugs you restart over from "START" save. Like perma-death but you have already a dozen hours saved/played.
  
• Getting caught without drugs: pay the fines and consequences.
  
• Assume consequences of OD's and loosing clients.
  
• So don't reload a save to avoid anything (Learn to play without bugs). You can quit and continue.

Softcore Mode:

• Getting caught with or without drugs: pay the fines and consequences.
  
• Assume consequences of OD's and loosing clients.
  
• So don't reload a save to avoid anything (Learn to play without bugs). You can quit and continue.

AchievmentHunter Mode:

• Scumsaving isn't scummy here :-) and you know how to keep a bug-free save. (Reload saves to ease your hunt)
  
• OD's : you do what you have to do. Unlock more dealers, or not.
  
• Money ? well I guess once you ride this OD's achievement you could unlock endgame and easily build all labs and villas. while you plant weed bonkers in Stink, deal and unlock more dealers. + milk Low quality areas.

Crybabycore Mode:

• Reload saves whenever you want.. removes what's left of immersion and roleplay IMAO. And potentially summon some game or session-breaking bugs (which could lead to crying).

Description:
Spin the wheel to "stage" a cartel drug shortage (like their mules got busted, or the cartel connection is lost, production has been hit, etc.), and randomly disable drugs from Eddie. Alternatively enable them "staging" a new route, connection or the production is back up.
(You are the client in this).
You have to set IN-STOCK or OUT-OF-STOCK these drugs from eddie:
Not the shadycom drug enable/disable that is affecting clients orders. (you choose whatever you want to sell, but you restrict yourself from buying some OUT-OF-STOCK cartel drugs)

How to keep track of cartel shortage drugs:
The only way with least effort, typing, handwriting, etc. I think of is...
doing this in-game with baggies.
Having 1g pure sample per drugs, arranged in two column or rows. And you simply switch them Eddie's available drugs and shortage drugs. Tada!
oops missing ganja in screenshot - I put it in a jar.

❓How to spin? :

• Spin the wheel of numbers to tell how many time you turn the wheel of drug names, none (0) to 5 times.
  
• According to previous* spin: Spin (or not) the drug names wheel n* times to randomly select which drug to disable.
  
• If the drug is already OUT-OF-STOCK, set it to IN-STOCK. (vis-versa).
  
• On a multiple spin, if drug is picked 2 times "double-pick: choose either
  1. It cancels (2 spin for the same drug) = follow the spins simply.
  2. You take the time to make one order of that drug and set it to OUT-OF-STOCK right after (oostock to oostock and instock to oostock) = the second spin count as a denying no matter what + take an opportunity to order before denying.
  3. Override the spins: keep only the first spin (double-pick), and re-spin the second = gain 1 extra spin for a better result (no double-pick).
  Let the spin-wheel choose: spin-wheel choice Doublepick[www.online-stopwatch.com]

🕧When to spin? :
- Each time one and the same dealer (ex.: your West Oldtown Dealer) pays his order.
or
- Set your frequency (randomize that :-P) or whenever you like. But forcing your self to deal what you have is what make this rules special. So its best to stick to a frequence like a dealer paying.

Optional - Experimental:

• Prices and disabling drugs to clients: +Hard: ( ❗ There is a bug with high prices and disabled drugs. This price thing is experimental and you have been warned!)
  
  Try not to disable drugs to your clients, instead: reply you can't deliver and disable only if you rly can't /!\ careful with prices too high (so orders about the drug you have no stock of will be smaller or avoided), like: making sure it's not cheap but over the reputation mark if there is shortage and your stock is running low. (This is buggy when if you disable the drug with a high price it will still affect sales of enabled drugs. Remember to adjust prices of disabled drugs so there are balanced with reputation bar)
  Actually: any drugs, disabled or not, priced higher than other drugs will affect the sales of other drugs. It's messed up!
  
  note: this is annoying early game: not many clients, and they order less, but also seems to avoid ordering at all instead of asking for an alternative drug, there is not much choice. (also cuz this drug price thing is completely messed up).
  Later: It's not a big deal :-) it's a bit less orders per day and they are smaller orders, but you have more clients and money so you are probably going to be fine

Set spin-wheels drugs names and number according to your progression.
Start with available drugs + each time you unlock one: available.

(new game with this rule can be unlucky, so don't let the rule break a game if no drugs are available + all your stock has run out, 2-3 unlucky spins can disable all drugs for long time. Just invoke "a new connection" or "another route" and cheat the rule for a result).

Weed and Amp and 0-1.
Ecstasy unlock: add to the wheel.
Meth unlock: add to the wheel. and 0-2.
Coca unlock: add to wheel and 0-3.
if you include psy-gang shortage: Psychedelics unlock: add to wheel and 0-4.
Heroin unlock: add to wheel (and 0-4 if you did not include psy-gang shortage).
Fent unlock: add to wheel and 0-5.

You can edit the wheels.

Numbers:

• spin-wheel numbers 0-1[www.online-stopwatch.com]
  
• spin-wheel numbers 0-2[www.online-stopwatch.com]
  
• spin-wheel numbers 0-3[www.online-stopwatch.com]
  
• spin-wheel numbers 0-4[www.online-stopwatch.com]
  
• spin-wheel numbers 0-5[www.online-stopwatch.com]

Drugnames:

• spin-wheel drugs names WeedAmp[www.online-stopwatch.com]
  
• spin-wheel drugs names +MDMA[www.online-stopwatch.com]
  
• spin-wheel drugs names +Meth[www.online-stopwatch.com]
  
• spin-wheel drugs names +Coca[www.online-stopwatch.com]
  
  (If you want shortage from the psy-gang):
  
• spin-wheel drugs names +Psychedelics[www.online-stopwatch.com]
  
• spin-wheel drugs names +Hero[www.online-stopwatch.com]
  
• spin-wheel drugs names +Fent (ALL DRUGS) [www.online-stopwatch.com]
  
  (If you don't include psy-gang shortage):
  
• spin-wheel drugs names no-psy +Hero[www.online-stopwatch.com]
  
• spin-wheel drugs names no-psy +Fent (All but no psychedelics)[www.online-stopwatch.com]

Extra:

• spin-wheel choice Doublepick[www.online-stopwatch.com]
  
• spin-wheel Ghost Raid[www.online-stopwatch.com]

Role-play events in case of "bugs" or to interpret things differently. Using a spin-wheel to randomize events.

Not the action raid with flashbangs.
If you get the "ghost" raid (hideout locked and no more furniture).
Accept the loss as:

• Your careless exposure got the attention of _*spin*_ and they took the opportunity to rob you while you where gone.

spin-wheel Ghost Raid[www.online-stopwatch.com]

SPIN possible:

• Meth-heads
  
• Coke-heads
  
• Junkies
  
• Shady neighboors
  
• Rival Gang/Dealer
  
• Corrupted authorities (finance investigation department / bad cops)

As you need to buy back the rent: interpret this as: damage repair cost.

- Leaving main apartment is to force yourself to build a real lab or hideout and be raid-able. + a bit more difficult to organize your movements.
- 1 dealer per area is to be realist like it's a small neighborhood and there is not hundreds of users. Also to leave some clients to your mercy, and get less maxed orders for difficulty.
- Shortage is to create something special which I believe lacks in the game (Core Game, and make the current state a "sandbox" mode).

Nice to hear your comments.

And if you know recent bugs and a trick around it pls check and comment on this guide:
https://gtm.steamproxy.vip/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2067844832

other guide:
https://gtm.steamproxy.vip/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2421959885

In case any one copies this, you must share this guide and credit me for *

* Cartel Shortage "function" randomizing drugs availability from eddy (with/using spin-wheel system in this case, or the Discord BOT on "TMC Cartel Shortage" ).
* And even though I'm not the only one keeping 6 areas / keeping Eddy or leaving main apartment:
I put this guide and "mode" together, made the research and testing, trying to make my guide readable, for you (and me) to enjoy.

I think about how to implement this kind of stuff for my own game development too, or a mod for DDS. (edit: I have coded a BOT for Discord so now it is officially a CODED mod and not only a guide with online RNG spins).

So please respect that.

[12.03.21|19:56] I've changed the "number picker" wheel to "name picker" so i could include the zero.
[13.03.21|13:41]Removed a rule in "Cartel Shortage" section. + typos and visual enhancement.
[14.03.21|5:30] typos and visual enhancement.
[8:38] Rule added to "Cartel Shortage" section.
[15.03.21|17:30] re-arranged links to spin-wheels and added optionnal/experimental spin-wheel set up in "Cartel Shortage".
[25.03.21] minor improvements guide updates in the last week. Clearer display, etc..
[01.04.21|2:57] minor display improvements.
[0x.04.21] Added RP events Ghost Raid spin-wheel section.
[10.04.21] Added spin-wheel for choice when "double pick" : 2 spins on the same drug.
[20.12.21] Created and hosted online 24/24: Discord BOT Cartel Shortage on my new discord server. link at the top.
[27.03.24] It's been a while, the BOT isnt active anymore since a long time, but it still auto POST / Updates the cartel shortage on the discord.

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NoG Ignoring the Gangs (Bal/Keij):

• Keep only 6 area (first 4: west and east oldtown + old-market and stink) +
  kennel and two-towers
  or
  -two-towers and slums
  -kennel and downtown
  -kennel and supermarket
  This result in blocking the call to gangs you usually get around level 20. And in consequence: Less area unlocked so less clients, and less running around to Sector B.
  
• Or ignore the gang requests (but this could make your UI have more infos or tasks)
  To continue unlocking area and get maximum clients.

G Playing with the Gangs (Bal/Keij)
Master your logistics, and serve the gangs order WITH cartel shortage! CHALLENGE +++

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