|
Post by jackryder on Apr 12, 2018 21:47:39 GMT
Does Script points increase in the future? I don't think so. The mechanic is used to balance the script quality. Otherwise players could just max out all sliders and produce awesome scripts. This way you actually need to think what aspects should be most important in your movie, each genre (and sub-genre, although that part is not yet implemented) needs a different balance. Asked because I was unsure whether it would be enough for every type of film. Hopefully we will test it out in the Alpha and Beta testing. Some suggestions can we have random comments about the films, like in the video we see the score rating from critics and audience can we in the background have some comments(generic comments) from them like good acting, bad script, well directed which could help us deduce what went wrong. After the film is released can we actor/director ratings to see how they have performed in the film?
|
|
|
Post by Admin on Apr 12, 2018 22:20:47 GMT
I'm not a fan of the random comment, because you need a ton of different comments, otherwise they become annoyingly repetitious. But I totally see you point regarding the "deducing what went wrong" thing. I haven't thought about that at all and that absolutely needs to go in. I'll come up with something, some kind of rating system for the different aspects. Promised.
|
|
|
Post by jackryder on Apr 13, 2018 12:52:04 GMT
For ideas you can check out the review screen in Hollywood movie studio and showtime. You should post this on Blog.
|
|
joe
Junior Member
Posts: 95
|
Post by joe on Apr 13, 2018 18:22:40 GMT
For the script development, is there one set perfect script for each genre (i.e. 4 points on intelligence, 3 points on humour, and so on) or is the system a little more dynamic than that? Obviously then that is multiplied by the skill of the scriptwriter? Also, do the writer/directors (like Tarantino, or Kenneth Lonngeran, etc) have the same profile for both? Like will it show up on the page they both wrote and directed? If they win an award for both will that all show up in one place? Because obviously writers have their own profile, I'm interested to see if the game recognises they're linked. Also, can people co-write? That's not a huge feature, just interested. Will we be able to edit the talent database? Thanks so much for all your hard work and your willingness to answer questions. It's really refreshing and reflects on the ultimate quality of this game. I'm so excited to eventually get my hands on it!
|
|
|
Post by Admin on Apr 13, 2018 19:54:13 GMT
There is a "best" ratio of points for each genre, but that doesn't mean that sticking tot this ratio will always result in a perfect or even just a good script. You also have to keep your scriptwriters strengths and weaknesses in mind. Straying from the "perfect formula" to make good use of your script writers special talents might result in a better script. You'll also need to keep your sub-genre in mind (I have not written the code for that, but that definitly will play a part eventually).
Yes, the game recognizes that. Both in Showtime and Hollywood Mogul, actors, writers and directors are different game objects that are kept in separate databases. That's different (and in my opinion better) in my game. Every Person is in the same database, but they have "tags": actor, director and writer. So there is only one Quentin Tarantino in the Database (with the tags director and writer) not "Tarantino the Writer" and "Tarantino the Director". This has some major advantages. One would be the answer to your question: The profile page in the in-game database shows all credits and all awards of a person. If they have both written and directed, they will have two entries in their filmography (one as "writer", one as "director" and all awards they win with this project will be listed on their page. Another one would be the possibility to easily change these tags during the game, so I can (and will) have events where a writer moves to the director's chair or an actors tries his hand at writing a script.
No, not right now. As you say, it's such a minor feature that changing the database structure for it isn't really worth it.
Yes, although I would discourage you guys from adding too many people. As you might know, all stats are dynamic... that was very important for me but the math behind it is balanced for a certain amount of people. Adding 50 won't be much of a problem, adding 500 will be. The effects will be more pronounced the longer the game lasts. The problem is that stats decreases at a steady rate. People need to work to increase their stats. However, the number of films produced each year is roughly the same (140-150 each year). The game is balanced in a way that the stats will stay stable on average. Some people will rise, some stars will fade, but on average you will have roughly the same distribution of stats. However if there are a lot more people in the database then every person will work less, so everyone will earn less "stats bonuses", while the stats decay will stay the same. After a couple of years that will result in most people having really low stats.
Sorry for the overly complicated answers. That was probably much more than you wanted and needed to know.
|
|
joe
Junior Member
Posts: 95
|
Post by joe on Apr 13, 2018 20:02:25 GMT
There is a "best" ratio of points for each genre, but that doesn't mean that sticking tot this ratio will always result in a perfect or even just a good script. You also have to keep your scriptwriters strengths and weaknesses in mind. Straying from the "perfect formula" to make good use of your script writers special talents might result in a better script. You'll also need to keep your sub-genre in mind (I have not written the code for that, but that definitly will play a part eventually). This is a relief! I'm glad it's not going to be straight forward - especially once sub genre is factored in. The more in depth/less formulaic/more creative this game will feel the more replayability it'll have for me. I love making creative films (sometimes bizarre ones) which are still critical hits.Yes, the game recognizes that. Both in Showtime and Hollywood Mogul, actors, writers and directors are different game objects that are kept in separate databases. That's different (and in my opinion better) in my game. Every Person is in the same database, but they have "tags": actor, director and writer. So there is only one Quentin Tarantino in the Database (with the tags director and writer) not "Tarantino the Writer" and "Tarantino the Director". This has some major advantages. One would be the answer to your question: The profile page in the in-game database shows all credits and all awards of a person. If they have both written and directed, they will have two entries in their filmography (one as "writer", one as "director" and all awards they win with this project will be listed on their page. Another one would be the possibility to easily change these tags during the game, so I can (and will) have events where a writer moves to the director's chair or an actors tries his hand at writing a script. I can't tell you how happy this made me! This was my /huge/ problem with Hollywood Mogul. It's a great game, but that element really irked me. I also hated that lack of writer profile generally. I love that you're incorporating that (it makes sense, especially as you're doing TV - which is more of a writers' medium than a directors' one). I also love being able to properly track who wins screenwriting awards.No, not right now. As you say, it's such a minor feature that changing the database structure for it isn't really worth it. Agreed! Was just interested.Yes, although I would discourage you guys from adding too many people. As you might know, all stats are dynamic... that was very important for me but the math behind it is balanced for a certain amount of people. Adding 50 won't be much of a problem, adding 500 will be. The effects will be more pronounced the longer the game lasts. The problem is that stats decreases at a steady rate. People need to work to increase their stats. However, the number of films produced each year is roughly the same (140-150 each year). The game is balanced in a way that the stats will stay stable on average. Some people will rise, some stars will fade, but on average you will have roughly the same distribution of stats. However if there are a lot more people in the database then every person will work less, so everyone will earn less "stats bonuses", while the stats decay will stay the same. After a couple of years that will result in most people having really low stats. Yep - I'd never add more than 20 or so anyway. Good to know.Sorry for the overly complicated answers. That was probably much more than you wanted and needed to know. No those answers were perfect! Thank you. The more details the better!!
|
|
|
Post by Catropis22 on Apr 14, 2018 9:06:04 GMT
Hey, just wanted to say I’m really excited for this game and keep up the good work! So I had some questions. For Tv Shows, I assume that we will be able to pick guest stars throughout the season, so us there gonna some sort of rating so we can determine which of the guest actors performed well? Also will it appear in their filmography even if they were just in a couple of episodes? Also when we are doing open casting, are we able to choose the actors who audition by race or what country they’re from etc? And once we pick someone they can be used by the other studios also right? Thanks a lot.
|
|
|
Post by JoeGuest on Apr 14, 2018 18:00:32 GMT
Do themes/settings/time period or topics have any implications on script wuality or critical or commerical reception?
Are all roles equally difficult, or is there an invisible number generated that we cannot see? Or are award nominations basically purely dependent on actor talent, not necessarily the role they're playing?
I imagine there will be award bias, i.e unlikely to win for an action movie vs biopic or drama?
|
|
|
Post by Admin on Apr 14, 2018 19:16:31 GMT
I can't really answer any of these questions because I haven't worked on these features yet. TV Shows are still pretty bare bones and they 're quite complicated (more complicated than movies). But yes... you'll be able to pick Guest Stars and yes, these guest star appearances will be listed in their filmography.
You can filter them by race, like you can do with the rest of the actors. The same checkboxes apply, so be sure to check them before you hit the "Open Audition" button. And yes, once you cast someone he/she joins the database for good.
The options you find in the drop down menus have no influence at the moment. I even thought about removing them completely for a while, because something that always bothered me about Hollywood Mogul and Showtime! is that you had so many choices to make, that didn't do anything. I want to minimize cosmetic choices. The reason I kept these options is because I plan to add trends, where certain plot types, themes, time periods etc. are especially popular or unpopular with critics and viewers. Topics (the once you choose from the list) are a completely different story. All these topics come with a target group appeal value and a value for general mass appeal and critics appeal, also an age rating and they play a big role in calculating the movies success.
All roles are equally difficult, but there's a difference between Main Characters, Support Characters and Minor Characters/Cameos. The bigger the part, the bigger the influence on the movies rating. Actors also gain more (in terms of fame and skill gain) from playing important characters. Award nominations heavily depend on the movie. No actor, no matter how good, will get an Oscar for a role in a big dump action movie or a cheap horror film or a cheesy romance. They need to be in a movie of critical acclaim to even be considered for awards. Of course these things often go hand in hand. A great cast will often (not always) result in a good movie.
|
|
|
Post by nighteye424 on Apr 14, 2018 21:15:04 GMT
The options you find in the drop down menus have no influence at the moment. I even thought about removing them completely for a while, because something that always bothered me about Hollywood Mogul and Showtime! is that you had so many choices to make, that didn't do anything. I want to minimize cosmetic choices. The reason I kept these options is because I plan to add trends, where certain plot types, themes, time periods etc. are especially popular or unpopular with critics and viewers. Topics (the once you choose from the list) are a completely different story. All these topics come with a target group appeal value and a value for general mass appeal and critics appeal, also an age rating and they play a big role in calculating the movies success. I'm happy you kept them because that is part of what I like about some Movie tycoon games
|
|
|
Post by Sheetrock 22 on Apr 15, 2018 7:05:28 GMT
Great work on the game, keep it up!! Just wanted to ask, the game can go on forever or is there a time limit?? Also the actors which are generated /open casting etc will have culturally appropriate names right? By which I mean we won’t have for example An Indian called Jack or something? Because that really helps keep the immersion ! Thanks
|
|
|
Post by JoeGuest on Apr 15, 2018 9:12:48 GMT
One thing that always really bugged me about HMS was that certain actors would have a ridiculous amount of Oscar wins/nominations, which is quite unrealistic in some sensee.
Is there a way to ensure the awards are more diversified, with newer talent, etc? Not sure how this would work from a coding POV.
It was always seeing Virgina Masden or Paula Patton with 30 Oscar wins was really irritating, I don't know why.
Feeding on from this, the talent pool really stagnated quickly, even with 'Talent Ages Every 3 Years' enabled. Is there a way to counteract this?
I found after 60 years or so the game got more boring from this perspective. I imagine that can be quite difficult your end though.
|
|
|
Post by JackBrox1 on Apr 15, 2018 10:44:11 GMT
Hey really looking forward to this game! So will an actor with good stats always perform well in movies because that isn’t the case in real life. Is it possible for a horrible actor to put in a good performance? Someone who did well in the open auditions will necessarily perform better in the movie as opposed to someone who didn’t do well in the audition?? Thanks
|
|
|
Post by Admin on Apr 15, 2018 12:15:55 GMT
I gave this subject some thought and decided to set a time limit. For the alpha version this limit is probably going to be 25 years. Why? Because after some long term test runs I decided that I don't want to have repeating movie titles (within one save game). With 140-150 movies a year this quickly becomes an issue, no matter how large the title database is. So right now AI Studios will never use a title more than once (The player can. I don't want to limit your choices). This improves realism and immersion but also means that the game needs to end before the ai runs out of titles. 25 years should be plenty of time, but I'll continue to expand the Database to extend the time limit.
Not yet. It's a minor issue, because their race might vary but their default nationality is american (as this game "takes place" in Hollywood). There won't be an Indian called Jack, because there are no Indians. However I get easily bothered by minor details like this, so I'm seriously considering separating the name databases for Asian and Hispanic last names from the main name database to make sure a Caucasian actor won't end up with the surname "Chang".
In my long term test runs I never ran into this issue. The database is quite big and there is only a handful of awards each year... so one person ending up with 30 Oscars? Possible, but unlikley. However awards are not completely randomized (and they shouldn't be IMO), so the most talented and skilled people will collect quite a few nominations and awards over the years, while the majority of actors will never win any kind of award.
By "stagnated" do you mean that there were no/few new actors while the actors already in the game grew older and older, so eventually you'd run out of child actors, teen actors and even young adults? Yes, there is a way to counteract this. New randomly generated actors/directors/writers will show up in the game, while people already in the game will retire, die or switch jobs (like an actor becoming a director). A nice gimmick: People in the game will fall in love, get married, break up and... have kids. These kids are more than tabloid news, they'll actually join the database when they are born and some of them will eventually follow their parents footsteps and become actors, writers or directors. If you still find yourself short of young talent you can always add them manually via the open audition feature. The only thing that bothers me at the moment is that you'll have to add pictures for new people yourself, otherwise the'll be displayed with a placeholder. Ideally I would like a collection of picture the game randomly assigns to newly generated people, but that won't be part of the alpha because a) It's a lot of work compiling a picture database b) I haven't figured out an ideal way to implement this code wise (it works right now, but the way it works means players can't add pictures to this random picture database themselves, wich is something I would totally want to do if I were a player and not the creator of this game. There is a work around, but it's clunky, so I'm still working on a more elegant solution).
Their performance mostly depends on their skill stats. I find this realistic. A great actor will always deliver a good performance, even in a shitty movie while not even the greatest director on earth or the best script ever written will turn an untalented piece of wood into Marlon Brando. However, actors also have a genre stat that defines (among other things) how well they are suited for a certain genres. To get the best performance this rating should match your movies genre.
|
|
|
Post by JoeGuest on Apr 15, 2018 14:56:11 GMT
I gave this subject some thought and decided to set a time limit. For the alpha version this limit is probably going to be 25 years. Why? Because after some long term test runs I decided that I don't want to have repeating movie titles (within one save game). With 140-150 movies a year this quickly becomes an issue, no matter how large the title database is. So right now AI Studios will never use a title more than once (The player can. I don't want to limit your choices). This improves realism and immersion but also means that the game needs to end before the ai runs out of titles. 25 years should be plenty of time, but I'll continue to expand the Database to extend the time limit. Not yet. It's a minor issue, because their race might vary but their default nationality is american (as this game "takes place" in Hollywood). There won't be an Indian called Jack, because there are no Indians. However I get easily bothered by minor details like this, so I'm seriously considering separating the name databases for Asian and Hispanic last names from the main name database to make sure a Caucasian actor won't end up with the surname "Chang". In my long term test runs I never ran into this issue. The database is quite big and there is only a handful of awards each year... so one person ending up with 30 Oscars? Possible, but unlikley. However awards are not completely randomized (and they shouldn't be IMO), so the most talented and skilled people will collect quite a few nominations and awards over the years, while the majority of actors will never win any kind of award. By "stagnated" do you mean that there were no/few new actors while the actors already in the game grew older and older, so eventually you'd run out of child actors, teen actors and even young adults? Yes, there is a way to counteract this. New randomly generated actors/directors/writers will show up in the game, while people already in the game will retire, die or switch jobs (like an actor becoming a director). A nice gimmick: People in the game will fall in love, get married, break up and... have kids. These kids are more than tabloid news, they'll actually join the database when they are born and some of them will eventually follow their parents footsteps and become actors, writers or directors. If you still find yourself short of young talent you can always add them manually via the open audition feature. The only thing that bothers me at the moment is that you'll have to add pictures for new people yourself, otherwise the'll be displayed with a placeholder. Ideally I would like a collection of picture the game randomly assigns to newly generated people, but that won't be part of the alpha because a) It's a lot of work compiling a picture database b) I haven't figured out an ideal way to implement this code wise (it works right now, but the way it works means players can't add pictures to this random picture database themselves, wich is something I would totally want to do if I were a player and not the creator of this game. There is a work around, but it's clunky, so I'm still working on a more elegant solution). Their performance mostly depends on their skill stats. I find this realistic. A great actor will always deliver a good performance, even in a shitty movie while not even the greatest director on earth or the best script ever written will turn an untalented piece of wood into Marlon Brando. However, actors also have a genre stat that defines (among other things) how well they are suited for a certain genres. To get the best performance this rating should match your movies genre. Maybe re Oscars, could it be coded that each subsequent win becomes slightly harder? I think this is quite realistic - it's why someone like Meryl Streep has 20 nominations but 3 wins. I don't think any actor has ever won more than 3?? I could be wrong I love the idea that winning two or three Oscars is a challenge. That way too it might mean there's a greater variety of winners. I suppose if actors talent is dynamic too we might have up and comers. - Also yes I meant an aging talentbase, but you answered that. Love the idea of celeb kids! I know placeholder pics are annoying but I don't find them completely off putting. It's something I can overlook. Thanks!
|
|