TV Shows: Your Input

[Admin]

As you might know I'm currently working (among other things) on TV Shows and I'm struggling a little to balance Micro-Managing and Gameplay-Mechanics, so before I go forward or make any drastic changes I would like to hear your ideas.
I know this is a feature many players want, but as far as I know there has been now game to really offer that yet.
I'm wondering what you guys have in mind. What do you expect? What would you like to see? Just throw everything you have at me.

[raf55076]

I have to say up front that the TV side of the game isn't a top priority for me but I do have some ideas as to what a TV simulation would need.

1) Having a TV side would mean weekly turns.
2) There would have to be a way of quickly setting up a seasons worth of episodes which means quickly being able to hire directors and guest stars for at least a dozen episodes. More if the show airs on noncable stations.
3) There would need to be some way to sign actors, actresses and writers to contracts that last at least one year and in some cases multiple years. This would interfere with them being able to star in or write a movie during a good part of the year.
4) If you want to go deep, there would need to be some sort of show runner who would be responsible for the direction the show takes. Someone who sees the big picture.
5) Have you given any thought to public versus cable stations and how those could be very different in what content they are allowed to air?

I'll end my post with these 5 ideas. I may have more in the future.

[Admin]

1) Having a TV side would mean weekly turns.

That's the way I set it up from the beginning. I think it makes more sense for Movies as well.

3) There would need to be some way to sign actors, actresses and writers to contracts that last at least one year and in some cases multiple years. This would interfere with them being able to star in or write a movie during a good part of the year.

True.

4) If you want to go deep, there would need to be some sort of show runner who would be responsible for the direction the show takes. Someone who sees the big picture.

I was actually thinking to go with just a show runner, while the writing staff und the directors will be auto-generated based on the budget and the show runners stats. I think combined with special events (hiring a famous director or writer for an episode or letting an actor on the show try out the directors chair) that should be ok?

5) Have you given any thought to public versus cable stations and how those could be very different in what content they are allowed to air?

Well... kinda. Here's what I'm planning for distribution: You can either sell your tv show to a broadcast network (which network is willing to buy what and the price depends on the kind of show you are producing) or you can add you show to your own streaming service. Offering the show to a network means instant money, but less freedom and the chance that you show might be dropped if it's not doing well rating-vise. Building up your streaming service library is more of a long term investment. The new show will only generate money indirectly (by generating more subscribers and more subscription fees), but if you manage to acquire a solid subscriber base with a couple of popular flag ship shows, you can get a steady income and the freedom to develop more unconventional ideas.

2) There would have to be a way of quickly setting up a seasons worth of episodes which means quickly being able to hire directors and guest stars for at least a dozen episodes. More if the show airs on noncable stations.

That's the thing I'm struggling with: How much micromanaging is too much? Do you guys want to be able to edit the plot, characters, theme etc. of every single episode? Initially that's what I planned but I'm now realizing that might be to much (even with the option to auto-generate everything). I'm thinking about taking one step back: Instead of every single episode you produce a whole season: You decide on the length, setting, era, topics, etc., you create a list of characters for that season and a list of story-lines (separated into main plots and subplots).
I'm starting to think that makes more sense, because viewers rarely make decisions on an episode-by-episode basis. Once you're hooked on a show, you will watch the next episode, even if that episode might not be that great and vice versa, once you stopped watching you probably won't tune in again, even if the next episodes are better.
So I'guess viewership should change slowly over the course of a seasons (if it's a good season with interesting story lines the viewership will start to build up by word of mouth, if it's a weak season the viewership will slowly decline from episode to episode)?

What do you think? Just writing this down helped me a great deal by the way, so thank you for your contribution1

[Godfather]

I would very much like to turn a film into a TV series and a TV series into a film.

[Admin]

Dec 3, 2017 9:33:01 GMT Godfather said:

I would very much like to turn a film into a TV series and a TV series into a film.

You can totally do that, both with your own productions and source material you bought.

[JR]

In terms of micro managing TV sows I think instead of doing it just one time we have the oppoetunity to do it 2,3 or 4 time like arcs. Example: Agents of Shield Season 4. They had 3 arcs or pods first was Ghost Rider which lasted like 8-10 episodes then LMD which lasted from 9-15 episodes and Agents of Hydra that lasted 16-22 episodes.
What about special episodes like traditional episodes example Friends Thanksgiving episode and Brooklyn 99 Hunt/Halloween episode.

[sirsandy]

An option to not micro-manage.

Assigning a showrunner that producing the show. If they succeed more season and creative control if fail maybe raise the budget or sack the showrunner.

The important aspect is Rating, Profits for the studio, and how it affects the Franchise appeal.
for example, Inhuman could generate ok rating and profit, but the franchise appeal is faltered, it's better to cancel it rather than bring down the whole Marvel franchise.

[Admin]

In terms of micro managing TV sows I think instead of doing it just one time we have the oppoetunity to do it 2,3 or 4 time like arcs. Example: Agents of Shield Season 4. They had 3 arcs or pods first was Ghost Rider which lasted like 8-10 episodes then LMD which lasted from 9-15 episodes and Agents of Hydra that lasted 16-22 episodes.

If I get you correctly, you want multiple story arcs per season? I'm totally on board and at least the groundwork of such a feature is already done. You can set up as many story arcs as you want and decided in wich episodes they will appear (although I'm struggling a bit with coding that part), so in theory, if you want a shows that's completely episodic, you can create 20 one-episode-story-arcs for 20 episodes.

What about special episodes like traditional episodes example Friends Thanksgiving episode and Brooklyn 99 Hunt/Halloween episode.

Interesting. Yeah, I think that could be done.

An option to not micro-manage.

Absolutely. I'm trying to make micro-managing as optional as possible. A game should never feel like work.

[JR]

www.tvsimgame.com
www.tvsimgame.com/forum/

The links are for a forum based game, you can go through it and get some ideas.

[Joe]

I work in TV development in the UK and so happy youve decided to include this.

Will there be some sort of commissioning process, as in you send the pilot script to networks and they greenlight or reject? So potentially not all your TV ideas will go away?

[JR]

Can we make Anthology Series?

[Admin]

Will there be some sort of commissioning process, as in you send the pilot script to networks and they greenlight or reject? So potentially not all your TV ideas will go away?

I definitely would like to include this. I just need to research the process more and figure out how to code it, but I think it will be in the game (maybe not in the Alpha Build)

Can we make Anthology Series?

Yes you can.

[JR]

Can we be able to create Reality shows, Talk shows, Sport shows or something like wwe.

[Joe]

Dec 11, 2017 17:54:01 GMT Admin said:

Will there be some sort of commissioning process, as in you send the pilot script to networks and they greenlight or reject? So potentially not all your TV ideas will go away?

I definitely would like to include this. I just need to research the process more and figure out how to code it, but I think it will be in the game (maybe not in the Alpha Build)

Can we make Anthology Series?

Yes you can.

I work in TV (developing dramas from idea to greenlight) in the UK so happy to provide info if needed. Think it's quite a different system in the states, though. 

[Admin]

Can we be able to create Reality shows, Talk shows, Sport shows or something like wwe.

Not right now, but if this is something a lot of people want, I'll add it to the wishlist.

I work in TV (developing dramas from idea to greenlight) in the UK so happy to provide info if needed. Think it's quite a different system in the states, though.

I'll take all the help I can get. If you want, you can sum up how things work in the UK. Just give me everything you got.