New count-down till polls close: Countdown to Sep 17, 2022 7:00 am in Denver
A quick interim update with the poll results:
Letara will have a Mediterranean climate, meaning mild but damp winters, and dry hot summers.
Letara will have moderately developed road, rail, ship, and air infrastructure, meaning that movement of people and goods is fairly easy in, out, and throughout the country by various means of transport. Improvement is certainly possible in all areas, but there are no major flaws or bottlenecks.
People of Letara live both in cities and smaller towns and villages. The capital city is a bustling center of business that still relies heavily on domestic goods from the countryside.
Currently, bauxite mining is a major economic driver by providing many stable jobs, and bauxite is the main export product of Letara.
Letara is a stable democracy where capitalist ideology allows companies to have a large influence on the future development of the country.
Last but not least, Letara is allied with its nearest neighbour Somunds. These allies have an open borders and open trade agreement, allowing for free movement of people and goods between the two countries.
I’ll go ahead and build the country in WR:SR now; stay tuned for the full reveal and Rd. 1 Prologue!
What game does that stand for?
Workers and Resources: Soviet Republic
(the abbreviation therefore would be WR:SR, btw)
Whoops! You’re right, in my haste I got it backwards. Not the first time I’ve done that. I’ll correct it in the post right away.
Ah, the irony of using a simulation of a communist government to create a Western-style capitalist democracy… Anyway, I hope this turns out very well in the long run.
Meh, the game mechanics of the other game are completely irrelevant here. I could’ve chosen from a number of other sim/strategy games I own, but I think that Soviet Republic just has the nicest balance of map size and visuals to accomplish my goal for some RP world building. You can take it as nothing more than visual fluff to spice up the immersion in this challenge series.
In 1946 Letara is in a bit of a tough spot on the world stage. Tensions with Montelin over their occupation of the disputed tip of the Letaran peninsula have almost escalated into a hot war. Other countries have denounced Montelin’s continued growing military presence, but have otherwise idly stood by as the DMZ is being threatened. Luckly Letara’s closest neighbour, Somunds, continues to be a valuable ally. Not only is this alliance a deterrent to Montelin and prevents escalation of the conflict, but also allows easier movement of people and goods in and out of Letara. However, Letara still has to maintain a sizable military that continuously drains the country’s resources. While other countries have reaped the benefits of a quickly growing energy glut with the discovery of easily extractable oil and gas, Letara’s economy is stagnant. The country is not exactly poor, but things could be better. The people still have a lot of faith in their democratic government and just get on with their lives as best as they can.
Although Letara has not managed to keep up with other countries in the world in terms of industrial development, they did manage to gain a decent position in the growing aluminium market by exploiting the abundant bauxite reserves. Bauxite ore is mined at the appropriately named Fortune Bauxite Mine; to support the mining operations Letara established a new mining town close by called Fortune. Although these reserves are near the Montelin border, operations have not been impacted thus far. The bauxite ore is transported to Mortham where it is refined into raw bauxite. From here it is transported by train to Storia Harbour, where it is loaded onto ships and sold to allied countries. Although bauxite isn’t as profitable as aluminium, Letara has not yet managed to establish a full aluminium industry.
In terms of cities and towns, Letara is moderately urbanized. The capital Lerance is located on a small peninsula in the south-central of Letara. It experienced a boom period in the early 20th century; most of the urban architecture in the downtown core is from this era. Due to its restricted building area it is dominated by relatively high density urban development. The older downtown core is flanked to the north-east by newer “block” development as a result of quick modern expansion that replaced more low-density suburb areas.
The second main town, Storia has recently experienced major expansion due to the construction of Storia Harbour, which facilitates the bauxite export. It is the main export hub and its economy is dependent on a continued supply of exportable bauxite - or other aggregate in the future.
The third city is the old capital of Letara, Fiegheni. This city was the capital until 1893 under the now abolished monarchy; in 1893 the capital was moved to Lerance to celebrate the new form of government and distance the country from its imperialistic past. Currently the city of Fiegheni still retains many of its historic downtown. Due to its scenic setting, it is now also a very much desired area for rich folks to settle or build their cottages (mansions) for weekend retreats.
The next largest city, Portunis, is a major historic wine region, which produces the famous Letaran ‘Fronaco Secco.’ Other notable towns include the mountain retreat and vacation town of Mont Modred at the foot of Mt. Modred volcano; the town of Chanceille where a small lumber industry exists, the agricultural town of Brospyne.
The general infrastructure of Letara is generally speaking up to par with most of the world. In terms of passenger rail, there is a main line connecting Somunds and the major cities of Lerance, Storia, and Portunis. There is also rail connecting the Fortune Bauxite Mine with the bauxite processing plant in Mortham and Storia Harbour. However, aside from some passing areas, most rail lines are single track, which leads to longer wait times.
There is one cargo port with aggregate loading capability. Currently it only services bauxite exports.
The only airport in the country is the medium-sized Lerance international airport. It services both passenger and light cargo transport, but there is only road connection here.
Speaking of roads, there are no interstate (divided) highways in Letara. Well-maintained asphalt roads connect the Somunds border and major cities (Lerance, Fiegheni, Storia, and Portunis; passing through Brospyne). Gravel roads lead into the mountains up to Mont Modred, and connect some smaller towns to the main highway. Otherwise it’s still dirt roads, including the roads to more remote villages and up to Chanceille and Fortune.
TL:DR - Letara is a moderately well-developed country with some economic struggles due to an ongoing political conflict with Montelin. Currently the country is mining bauxite ore that is refined to bauxite, which in turn is exported using ships. The road network is average for the era and has a mix of asphalt trunk roads, gravel and dirt roads to secondary and tertiary areas of the country.
Drive-through of Letara starting in Somunds, hitting all major cities and towns, showing off some scenic roads. Perhaps a bit long, but for the hard-core RP peeps, here it is. Driving music included to get those creative juices going! 
Given the current economy of Letara, most people just want something practical that gets them from A to B reliably and in relative comfort. In cities, roads are of good quality, but can be pretty tight, and parking space is at a premium. People do travel with their families to vacation destinations, including up to Mont Modred, but also abroad to Somunds. Just like everywhere else in the world, the upper echelons do like to show off a little, but they do want their cars to have tangible advantages over the cheaper cars that the regular plebs drive - if the car shines in any area they value (e.g. prestige or sportiness) that can justify the higher cost, they will buy it. People in rural areas have to contend with poorer road conditions and the lack of higher quality fuel, so they value some offroad prowess and above all else, reliability. If they can maintain and fix their cars themselves, all the better.
In game, the first round will span from 1946 to 1954 inclusive; models from any of these years are accepted for all three categories.
IRL, since this is the first round and a major update just dropped making everyone relearn how to build engines (and new hotpatches coming at a high rate), this one will remain open a little longer. Rules deliberation will be until Oct 3, on which date the round officially opens for submissions. The round closes Oct 23. @ 11:59 PM UTC.
In this period all cars are imported into Letara. All cars will incur a 20% import tax. To incentivise the existing bauxite industry and encourage more bauxite exports, cars with aluminium parts will receive a stackable tax break (up to 10% total):
No other taxes in this era.
In this early era there are not too many regulations regarding consumer cars. The government stipulates that:
You may submit up to three trims of the same model. Participation in other categories is not required. Participation with at least one car in this category this round will allow you to lobby/spend for the next round. Please name the model(s) of your submissions “LHC - 1C1 - <forum name>'” for the first trim, “LHC - 1C2 - <forum name>” for the second trim, and “LHC - 1C3 - <forum name>” for the third trim.
The ongoing conflict with Montelin has resulted in the presence of many “curious visitors” with “totally authentic” passports roaming around in Letara and taking pictures of key infrastructure. How they entered the country is anyone’s guess. Luckily the Letaran authorities have been able to offer many of them “luxurious involuntary stays” in a government-run “hotel.” These “guests” do need frequent transportation from one secret location to another. The transport has to be both secure and covert. Therefore the government is looking to purchase a small contingent of people carriers with the following criteria:
You may submit one vehicle in this category. Participation in other categories is not required. Please name the model of your submission “LHC - 1G - <forum name>”.
Ahh, who doesn’t love a good car race? Letarans sure do! In 1933 the inaugural episode of a highly illegal annual race was organized: the Cannonball Run. It ran on public roads and created quite a few dangerous situations. Despite best efforts by the Letaran government, they have had no success shutting down the race series. So in a move reminiscent of “if you can’t beat them, join them”, in 1946 the Portunis Cannonball Run was officially sanctioned for the first time. The rules are quite simple. To reduce the impact of the race on regular road users, the race is in three stages on closed roads. The race starts at the Somunds border town after a hearty breakfast. The car that arrives in Portunis with the fastest overall time is the winner. After the race, festivities are held at the local wineries and the winner takes home a mini-keg of perfectly aged Fronaco Secco. The rules are quite simple:
A leader board for each year of the round will be simulated; obviously cars can only compete after they have been introduced (i.e. if you submit a '49 car, it will not compete in '46-'48, but will compete in '49-'54). Again, track times are simulated with RNGs, but reliability, comfort, and drivability do help.
Last but not least, I will be participating in this event as well, so you get to “race” yours truly. Can you beat my 1946 “Mons 356-esque”?
You may submit one vehicle in this category. Participation in other categories is not required. Please name the model of your submission “LHC - 1R - <forum name>” and include three team names in the DM if you don’t want your teams be called ‘team 1; team 2; team 3.’
Reminder that when you submit your first car, please also register your corporation. At the least tell me where the company is from, but a short lore blurb would be much appreciated - or a link to a lore thread. You will participate in all subsequent rounds with this registered company, so make sure it is the company you want to use for the rest of the playthrough!
Remember, so overarching rules are in the OP, so please read that too.
Most importantly: have fun! I’m looking forward to our discussions, RP wold building, and all of your undoubtedly amazing submissions!
Metallic paint should be defined as any paint whose flake value is greater than zero; in addition, pearlescent paint should be defined as any paint whose pearl value is nonzero.
Is there any preference on Euro-shaped plates vs. US/Japan-shaped plates?
Not yet in this era. Put on the car whatever you prefer.
gotta say that 0 flake looks awful on almost every car
you more or less need some flake to make it not look dogshit
Hence the allowance for 0.2. Usually between 0.1 and 0.2 is just enough to make it look like a nice non-flake paint.
I’m considering entering the 1G portion of the contest, currently trying to see what I can cook up.
What are the other categories for consumer cars? I only see the government prison transport vehicle, and the racing car. What other categories, like off-road or family budget are there, or do I just build for any other category?
If it’s like ALC, you just make whatever you want for the consumer cars, and they are marked against similar cars by other entrants
There are no “other” categories. For consumer cars you can submit any car that you’d like to sell to Letarans, as long as it adheres to the rules and regulations. The government assignment and race categories are completely different and aren’t consumer cars.
How about advanced trim settings? I would like to be able both to shrink the transmission tunnel and to fiddle with the tyres to not make the black text bleed through the whitewalls.
Is it OK with white glass and orange bulbs in the indicators?
Edit: the advanced trim settings stuff is now updated. I think you need to use the tyre sidewall curve setting to play with the whitewall visibility, which is allowed.
