I have a couple of questions.

[dustmote]

Not sure if either is possible but thought I would give it a whack.

First, I would like to treat some industries like trains. Engines come into being on the year it is invented. Is it possible to set an industry (Say Bio-Gasoline or better yet, Automobiles) to not become available for use until a specific date?

We all know that if we over use a resource, that particular source of the resource will enlarge from small to medium and medium to large. Is there a way of downgrading resources? As in, if you slow down or stop your use of a resource, that source will slow down production? And can this also pertain to shrinking cities? If I stop shipping Steel or Passengers can a Metropolis shrink back to a city?

All items currently available that I have seen either spawn in place or you bring one item, say coal and drop it at a steel mill, the coal spawns one item of Steel. Is there a way to require more than one item? Say I want to make a Magazine manufacturer. I require Paper, Plastic, Ink, Glue and Machine Parts. Gives four Magazine carloads and recycled machinery. I just would like to find a way to make a One-Stop Shop instead of moving the items from city to city.

Wood => Paper
Oil => Plastic or Corn = > Corn Oil => Plastic
Soybeans => Ink
Cattle Ranch => Stockyard => Glue Factory
*Make Steel* => Machine Parts

I know it can be done in stages, I want to see if it can be done in one stop.

Is it possible for an Industry to change? If I build a Power Plant and keep it well fed, when it reaches large size, can it start making batteries for Electric Cars?

Thanks for your consideration.

[Burlington_Northern_3140]

VERY good things to work with if it is possible. I would be interested in the answer to this.

[darthdroid]

Not sure if either is possible but thought I would give it a whack.

First, I would like to treat some industries like trains. Engines come into being on the year it is invented. Is it possible to set an industry (Say Bio-Gasoline or better yet, Automobiles) to not become available for use until a specific date?

We all know that if we over use a resource, that particular source of the resource will enlarge from small to medium and medium to large. Is there a way of downgrading resources? As in, if you slow down or stop your use of a resource, that source will slow down production? And can this also pertain to shrinking cities? If I stop shipping Steel or Passengers can a Metropolis shrink back to a city?

All items currently available that I have seen either spawn in place or you bring one item, say coal and drop it at a steel mill, the coal spawns one item of Steel. Is there a way to require more than one item? Say I want to make a Magazine manufacturer. I require Paper, Plastic, Ink, Glue and Machine Parts. Gives four Magazine carloads and recycled machinery. I just would like to find a way to make a One-Stop Shop instead of moving the items from city to city.

Wood => Paper
Oil => Plastic or Corn = > Corn Oil => Plastic
Soybeans => Ink
Cattle Ranch => Stockyard => Glue Factory
*Make Steel* => Machine Parts

I know it can be done in stages, I want to see if it can be done in one stop.

Is it possible for an Industry to change? If I build a Power Plant and keep it well fed, when it reaches large size, can it start making batteries for Electric Cars?

Thanks for your consideration.

I can answer one of these questions, the rest are all modder questions. Yes, if you quit shipping to a metropolis it will shrink to a city and continue to shrink as time passes all the way to a village, even if it has 3 industries. Shipping (in or out) is what makes them grow and a lack of shipments in both directions will make it shrink unless it is a village which cannot shrink any further.
I don't think industries shrink, I think they remain the size they started at or attained from previous shipments, even when the city shrinks, but I could be wrong about that part, I've just never noticed one go from Large to medium or medium to small when a city was shrinking.

[Jancsika]

Not sure if either is possible but thought I would give it a whack.

I am afraid the answer is No, No, No, and No.

These are items that would improve the game immensely,but they are set in the basic game structure and there is no way to change them. If Firaxis would ever consider a Railroads! II, they are on everybody's wish list.
There were quite few detailed discussions about these things. You have to go back on some of the threads.
The way it looks Firaxis has abandoned this game, so we have to with what's available.
Jancsika