9 replies to this topic

[smaza]

Hi

I've had this idea in my head for a while now, and I think it would make a good game: a newspaper simulation game.

Basically, you start in a small town as a newly founded newpaper, and you manage all aspects of it. As time passes, the town grows bigger, rival newspapers emerge, and you have to increase staff to keep your business going (for instance, if the town starts to get big but you have few journalists, then you will have fewer stories, so people will be more inclined to purchase rival newspapers.) Events happen, such as disasters, and you have to choose whether to cover it or not. (for example, if you cover a disaster purely for the money or not at all, the critics will write about it, and your popularity goes down.)

Some of the features I have thought of already:
*Some of your staff (journalists, interviewers and columnists specifically) have fame, and if they become too famous they might refuse to work for a while, but if you fire them then you lose popularity, so you have to put them on leave for a while.
*If a famous staff member covers a big event such as a disaster, your paper becomes much more popular, at least for the day.
*A headline generator, with a picture below it, that shows at the start of each day and the player can customise if wished, plus an archive that remembers all of it. (Its the sort of minor detail that tends to attract players )

I think it'd make a cool time-wasting game, but I need some suggestions/input.

What should the goal of the game be?
What sorts of events should happen?
Any features that I've missed that would be awesome?
Do you guys like the idea?

Any feedback at all would be nice

Edited by smaza, 13 March 2009 - 11:41 AM.

[DMEISTER]

I think it is a good idea but I like most simulation games of this sort (as in Tycoon style games). I like the idea about staff but I think it should be more along the lines of the quality of your staff is directly proportional to how many people buy the paper. So you could have the ability to interview reporters and there could be certain specialities. Like some are good at doing sports only, that sort of thing. Or you could have classes of employee like some are reporters, some are photographers, some are editors, maybe have ratings so some people can do a bit of everything but nothing particularly well whilst some are ace photographers but rubbish at actual reporting etc. And you can hire a cartoonist or a person who does crosswords or an agony aunt or something. There is tremendous scope here. I am not saying you should include all of this, they are just ideas that I think might be cool.

The player should have some sort of contract or set of goals like:

Increase readership by 10% within a year
Win Newspaper of the year award within 3 years
Make a profit of $xx,xxx

[masterofhisowndomain]

Sounds like a great idea, please continue with it..

The journalists covering stories across the world flashed up a certain game called 'Evil Genius'; you can send minions across the world on the World Domination Map and begin missions to increase your notoriety. The game handles this particular element very well, so I suggest you find it somehow. Here's a screenshot illustrating my point: Screenshot

[smaza]

@DMEISTER: indeed, some of those things I thought about, but forgot, like the quality of staff. Thanks for the ideas

@masterofhisowndomain: Evil Genius? looks a lot like risk from your screenshot, but sounds good.

Edited by smaza, 15 March 2009 - 12:45 AM.

[negen99]

The idea sounds awesome!

Ideas: you should be able to buy rooms inside your building. Much like theme hospital. You need to hire photographers, free-lance photographers, reporters, and what ever else you might need. Also I think Peter Parker and Superman should have a cameo in the game, just for fun sake.

My only doubt I have is ... is there enough to do with a newspaper to make a full game?

[Demonhawk]

This would be way better done with visual basic
Also see: Drug Lord 2

Edited by Demonhawk, 15 March 2009 - 08:12 AM.

[smaza]

The idea sounds awesome!

Ideas: you should be able to buy rooms inside your building. Much like theme hospital. You need to hire photographers, free-lance photographers, reporters, and what ever else you might need. Also I think Peter Parker and Superman should have a cameo in the game, just for fun sake.

My only doubt I have is ... is there enough to do with a newspaper to make a full game?

Awesome ideas... superhero cameo's, eh? excellent.

I dunno if there's enough for a whole game, but these days most games don't consist of much anyway (most commercial FPS's are just the same engine with maybe 20 scenarios) so I'll be fine.

This would be way better done with visual basic
Also see: Drug Lord 2

For one, I suck at visual basic,
and for two, this game will have graphics.
Also, i love that game.

[sargent_stick]

Add some economics to it too. Such as how you invest your money in the newspaper (colour pages maybe, delivery, etc), the cost of the newspaper to businesses, individuals, etc. and the negotiation of staff payment. Eg. The more famous the journalist becomes, the more other companies will be willing to pay him to join them and so you have to give him more money.

[Carnivac]

I played something that sounds like this about 20 years or so but I think based around a magazine. Can't remember what it was called but it was all just text graphics but oddly addictive.

There's also one that's sorta similar in game style but based around being a rock star manager that was inspired by a newspaper headline that was pretty fun and might inspire you. Could really have some fun with the trashy tabloid aspect of a newspaper.

Rockstar Ate My Hamster

Edited by Carnivac, 16 December 2009 - 11:21 AM.

[jcoaster2008]

In my eyes, the newspaper industry seems to be failing. More and more newspapers are going out of business, due to the internet, and the cost of paper.

An interesting addition to the game would be to portray the internet in a dark light, and try to fight against it. Maybe it could take away subscribers, and you'd have to try harder to regain them.
You could also have the cost of paper as a factor. Maybe different world events could increase or decrease paper costs during the game. Such as a big environmentalist act that stops a major logging company, which would increase the cost of paper.