Music/Cine/TV Manager.

[KeyserSoze]

Well, Here I go again.

I think that Adam should widen a little his range of game. Some reasons:

1-With each game in the WMMA and TWE Adam is fighting against himself. Each game is better, so there is less room of improvement. Also more time from game to game would be better to develop more things.

2-In other games (soccer, baseball) there are a bunch of good games to fulfil the expectations of the fanbase. However in the movie/music/tv manager games there is a fanbase, but no updated games. I mean no disrespect to the games that are published, but they have more potential than reality (as happened with EWR).

3-I believe that are several synergies between the Wrestling manager with the entertainment industry managers. Synergies in the development of the game, the customers, some game features.... I see some points of common development.

Well, my two cents. And sorry for my bad English.

[The-619]

I'd pay a lot of money for a good quality music manager game and probably a tv and movie one as well.

[praguepride]

Agreed. Games like Rock Legend and Mad TV are "alright" and fun to play, but it doesn't really let me cut my management teeth. It's too "loosey goosey", too random or too predicatble. They're all too shallow to really hold my attention for very long.

[xspudx]

I've continued to think about this idea for the long time, and I really do believe it's a cracking idea and would probably be the most popular game to date. I started thinking about how great Slade would be if Slash had been a part of it (marijuana induced idea, but still) and I realised how well the simulation type in the sports game could translate to a music game. Let's imagine the workers are the musicians and the stables are the bands. You can form, merge, break up or split any of the bands, some musicians won't play together because of personal differences and such, they would all have the same type of limitations two fighters would who wouldn't fight, for example.

Instead of shows, gigs are done in place. The setlist can be setup and changed depending on where they are, how often they've played the songs, how sick they are of playing them, how popular and how fresh. Albums can be made, bands that have broke up could still have material released, charts take the place of rankings. Really, almost anything in the current GDS games can be directly translated to a music game, same with TV, or any media type really. I'm not sure how it would actually be simulated, whether you'd play a manager or a venue owner or the band itself, the former would probably make more sense. You manage different bands, can manage multiple ones, get fired, drop them from their label, hire more, there's really so many ideas. I wish I had Adam Ryland's brain to do it, I think there's no way it couldn't be brilliant.

[20LEgend]

Edit: 2 tabs open wrong thread :p

[shoe1985]

I recently purchased a game called TV Giant, and man does it suck. I want to ask how hard it could be to make a quality TV sim, but from what we have gotten over the years, it must be difficult.

What I would want to see is a regular, primetime (8-11), TV season. Too many TV games try to do the 24 hour thing, and it always fails because it is too boring. The primetime TV sims I have played have been ok, not great, but you really enjoy them more because you are going up against real competition, plus primetime is were it is at.

A guy named Lee Rock made a game called Primetime a few years ago that had a lot of potential, but some issues caused it to miss being great. Sadly, he is nowhere to be found to discuss a future version.

I think Adam could do this genre justice.

[wt01]

I recently purchased a game called TV Tycoon...it was pretty much what I expected...basic face value it looks like a TV sim version of EWR/TEW...but is very badly done...I think if Adam did a similar game and intertwined WMMA and TEW into it then things would be pretty bad ass....one massive game...

[shoe1985]

TV Tycoon was a bad game, it is actually a game made by a guy who calls his version TV Manager. He licensed it out to Egames or something like that.

Like I mentioned before, too many of these games try to do a 24 hour schedule, and it gets tedious quickly. The games done in Primetime, 8-11 or sometimes 7-11, work best. You can set out your schedule of Sunday-Saturday by building shows to compete against other networks. Of course Friday and Saturday are weak nights for ratings, and you would probably put on low budgeted shows and hope for the best. Although, back in the day ABC had a TGIF lineup for Fridays that did very well.

So, you would setup you shows that air every night, and try to beat the other networks. You could try to gain advertising money by getting into deals with companies to air ads during shows. If the show does not meet a certain rating, you lose the ad money. You could put a highly rated show against a competitor's to knock them down, or they could knock your show's ratings down, making you look like a fool.

Some games like this have come close to hitting it on the head with quality, but seem to make a mistep or two. Primetime by Lee Rock was a game with a lot of potential, but needed more work. Sadly, he has left the scene, and I have no clue where to find the game now, changed computers without moving the game with the changing. Another game called Primetime, can be found some on some abandonware sites, is pretty good, but too short. Just when you get into the game, it ends. Also, it needed a lot more work. It had the basics down, but needed more work on details. MadTV was an interesting game, but it also lacked details.


This has always been a game idea that has been discussed over the years by potential buyers, but sadly, nobody seems to want to touch it. It would not be an easy game to make for various reasons, the number one is how do you keep people interested? I like the idea of having a pilot season, and trying to outbid other companies for shows/scripts. Doing test pilots to see how feedback is for them. There are a lot of ideas that could be used to create a game like this.

[shawn michaels 82]

TV Tycoon was a bad game, it is actually a game made by a guy who calls his version TV Manager. He licensed it out to Egames or something like that.

Like I mentioned before, too many of these games try to do a 24 hour schedule, and it gets tedious quickly. The games done in Primetime, 8-11 or sometimes 7-11, work best. You can set out your schedule of Sunday-Saturday by building shows to compete against other networks. Of course Friday and Saturday are weak nights for ratings, and you would probably put on low budgeted shows and hope for the best. Although, back in the day ABC had a TGIF lineup for Fridays that did very well.

So, you would setup you shows that air every night, and try to beat the other networks. You could try to gain advertising money by getting into deals with companies to air ads during shows. If the show does not meet a certain rating, you lose the ad money. You could put a highly rated show against a competitor's to knock them down, or they could knock your show's ratings down, making you look like a fool.

Some games like this have come close to hitting it on the head with quality, but seem to make a mistep or two. Primetime by Lee Rock was a game with a lot of potential, but needed more work. Sadly, he has left the scene, and I have no clue where to find the game now, changed computers without moving the game with the changing. Another game called Primetime, can be found some on some abandonware sites, is pretty good, but too short. Just when you get into the game, it ends. Also, it needed a lot more work. It had the basics down, but needed more work on details. MadTV was an interesting game, but it also lacked details.


This has always been a game idea that has been discussed over the years by potential buyers, but sadly, nobody seems to want to touch it. It would not be an easy game to make for various reasons, the number one is how do you keep people interested? I like the idea of having a pilot season, and trying to outbid other companies for shows/scripts. Doing test pilots to see how feedback is for them. There are a lot of ideas that could be used to create a game like this.

I wouldn't mind giving a shot at it...but sadly...i no nothing about programming. But i would love to join and lead a group of people that could work on this. I'm a witer, i have imagination, so i could come up it good ideas. Then with more people (code specialists included) we could hopefully do a very good thing to be released freeware. (EWR style) Maybe it's jsut a crazy idea of mine,but hey...i'd love to see a good game in this genre happening...and sadly...all the attempts made in recent - and not so recent - years have failed, as you very well explained. Some of those games had potential...some didn't! So...if anyone ever wants to join me in this idea, who knows? It all starts somewhere...i'd love to lead the way.

[crayon]

I love the whole Hollywood and Television idea as a theme, since I've got such a huge interest in the two mediums, but I have to admit that whenever I've brainstormed the idea of either industries as sims I have a hard time seeing how long they could hold attention for long, given that the life of an executive is actually pretty removed from the excitement of a movie/show getting made.

In fact, a sim where you act as a showrunner or movie director seems like the best fit (since it puts you in a position much closer to that of TEW, where you're juggling a lot of tasks and care about more than just how big your ratings are), although then it could kind of wind up like Hollywood Mogul, which I found to lose its sheen surprisingly quickly.

I'd love to see something eventuate, though. I just fear that it's the sort of game which people would want to input a lot more creativity into it than what it can possibly process.

[shoe1985]

I love the whole Hollywood and Television idea as a theme, since I've got such a huge interest in the two mediums, but I have to admit that whenever I've brainstormed the idea of either industries as sims I have a hard time seeing how long they could hold attention for long, given that the life of an executive is actually pretty removed from the excitement of a movie/show getting made.

In fact, a sim where you act as a showrunner or movie director seems like the best fit (since it puts you in a position much closer to that of TEW, where you're juggling a lot of tasks and care about more than just how big your ratings are), although then it could kind of wind up like Hollywood Mogul, which I found to lose its sheen surprisingly quickly.

I'd love to see something eventuate, though. I just fear that it's the sort of game which people would want to input a lot more creativity into it than what it can possibly process.

A showrunner type game could be fun to see happen. I wrote an idea a while back on one. It would have to be very detailed though because it would lose steam quickly. My idea was basically that you, the showrunner, would have to choose a genre, running time, story idea, and all the fun stuff that comes along with getting the idea for a show out there. You get picked up, of course, and you choose a cast for each character, which the cast and crew would have attributes and you want the right people for the cast and crew. Then you choose where to film, maybe do something like TEW does where you have storylines, and must choose a storyline for each character or even characters for the season. After this, you then go into writing and filming, choosing writers, directors, producers, and so on for each episode. Of course you would hire a writing staff for the season.

Say you are building the pilot episode for an action drama, you decide which writer(s) to write the pilot, and choose the director and other crew to film it. With writing, maybe have a list of options of where the story could go. Being it is an action show, the opening could be a highway chase with the lead character chasing after a villain. Now, if you choose the wrong writer, this could turn out bad, or even the wrong director. Basically, it could be similar to TEW, that you are building say an episode of RAW, but you are doing so with a regular TV show, but you have many options of where the episode could go. Like say you are leading the episode up to a big cliffhanger. You have the opening and cliffhanger done, and you must work to get the middle done. Also, the writers could give their ideas for where the storyline should go.

You could possibly plan for the end of the season too. Have a list of the episodes, and maybe say this is where the show will end, and you must build each episode up to reach that end. The writers and other crew could offer their opinions on whether they feel the show is headed in the right direction to reach the end, or maybe they feel the show should end differently.

Ratings could come in each week, and if they are low, maybe considering changing a storyline to up them. Bring in a special guest star for an episode. Maybe the network is not liking the direction of a show and offers their opinions on what to do.

This could be a really great idea, in my opinion. Not sure if this is what you were thinking of, but as I think and type, it is what comes out.

As for brainstorming a TV station sim, I think most people would be surprised at how many ideas would come at, and be expanded upon by other people. As mentioned, if you look at a game like Lee Rock's Primetime, or even the other game called Primetime, they were close to getting it right. LR's Primetime did not do enough detail wise, but if he kept working on the game and listening to fans of the game, he could have gotten it right. As for the original Primetime, I really thought it did well with booking shows on nights, and developing, but it lacked details and ended when things were getting interesting.

With the right person making this type of game, any of those working for Grey Dog, this idea could make a really good game.

With Hollywood Mogul, I have always felt a movie sim should run weekly. This way you can see the box office actually happen, and you could continue to promote movies. HM as is is very detailed, but moving towards a weekly model would work best, in my opinion. Daily would be great, but since little happens through the week, it would get tedious quickly. If you have ever played Sim Cinema Deluxe for the Mac, you would get where I am coming from more. That is a really good game, but needed more work. Sadly, the developer left the gaming scene a long time ago.

[Rick Arnold]

I love where you're coming from. All of the TV sim games seem to be from the perspective of running a TV station, but I definitely think a game from the perspective of a showrunner would be the best. I remember a game from the early 00s that was similar. It was browser-based and never went past the beta stages, but it was basically your idea there.

You set up the plot, genre and all that, then you went into the casting, where you'd set up your main crew, starring roles and all that. Of course, you had a budget so you couldn't go wild on the casting. Then you'd produce your pilot and depending on that, you'd get offers from networks. That's when the fun started, as you'd produce each episode. The options for each week allowed you select "buzz items" for your episodes -- like a "Very Special" episode and so on. You could also gain buzz by having a big Guest Star or Guest Director.

It was a really neat idea and it's a shame that no one's really spearheaded that and tried to make it a reality. In my opinion, it's a much better idea then running a station itself. It boils it all down to a delicate balance between making the best show possible and keeping the network happy by staying on budget and getting good ratings.

A showrunner type game could be fun to see happen. I wrote an idea a while back on one. It would have to be very detailed though because it would lose steam quickly. My idea was basically that you, the showrunner, would have to choose a genre, running time, story idea, and all the fun stuff that comes along with getting the idea for a show out there. You get picked up, of course, and you choose a cast for each character, which the cast and crew would have attributes and you want the right people for the cast and crew. Then you choose where to film, maybe do something like TEW does where you have storylines, and must choose a storyline for each character or even characters for the season. After this, you then go into writing and filming, choosing writers, directors, producers, and so on for each episode. Of course you would hire a writing staff for the season.

Say you are building the pilot episode for an action drama, you decide which writer(s) to write the pilot, and choose the director and other crew to film it. With writing, maybe have a list of options of where the story could go. Being it is an action show, the opening could be a highway chase with the lead character chasing after a villain. Now, if you choose the wrong writer, this could turn out bad, or even the wrong director. Basically, it could be similar to TEW, that you are building say an episode of RAW, but you are doing so with a regular TV show, but you have many options of where the episode could go. Like say you are leading the episode up to a big cliffhanger. You have the opening and cliffhanger done, and you must work to get the middle done. Also, the writers could give their ideas for where the storyline should go.

You could possibly plan for the end of the season too. Have a list of the episodes, and maybe say this is where the show will end, and you must build each episode up to reach that end. The writers and other crew could offer their opinions on whether they feel the show is headed in the right direction to reach the end, or maybe they feel the show should end differently.

Ratings could come in each week, and if they are low, maybe considering changing a storyline to up them. Bring in a special guest star for an episode. Maybe the network is not liking the direction of a show and offers their opinions on what to do.

This could be a really great idea, in my opinion. Not sure if this is what you were thinking of, but as I think and type, it is what comes out.

As for brainstorming a TV station sim, I think most people would be surprised at how many ideas would come at, and be expanded upon by other people. As mentioned, if you look at a game like Lee Rock's Primetime, or even the other game called Primetime, they were close to getting it right. LR's Primetime did not do enough detail wise, but if he kept working on the game and listening to fans of the game, he could have gotten it right. As for the original Primetime, I really thought it did well with booking shows on nights, and developing, but it lacked details and ended when things were getting interesting.

With the right person making this type of game, any of those working for Grey Dog, this idea could make a really good game.

With Hollywood Mogul, I have always felt a movie sim should run weekly. This way you can see the box office actually happen, and you could continue to promote movies. HM as is is very detailed, but moving towards a weekly model would work best, in my opinion. Daily would be great, but since little happens through the week, it would get tedious quickly. If you have ever played Sim Cinema Deluxe for the Mac, you would get where I am coming from more. That is a really good game, but needed more work. Sadly, the developer left the gaming scene a long time ago.

[shoe1985]

Anyone know if anyone from Grey Dog actually reads these suggestions and takes them seriously? From the responses on this thread, I believe there is an audience for one of these type of games, either a station or showrunner. Maybe we should send Adam or someone the link to read our views.

[Clarity]

I had a very like-minded idea a year ago and posted it in this section

http://www.greydogsoftware.com/forum/showthread.php?t=73274

The response was this

It's not an idea I have much interest in pursuing, sorry.

[shoe1985]

I had a very like-minded idea a year ago and posted it in this section

http://www.greydogsoftware.com/forum/showthread.php?t=73274

The response was this

It sucks nobody seems to want to tackle this idea. From the amount of games that have come out with this type of idea, it makes sense why they would avoid it. The games always seemed like they would turn out great, but they never do. We can hope one day someone will be willing to tackle this idea.

[Clarity]

What sucks is that in my own post, i'd figured out how to convert TEW over to this kinda of game. Its a shame my programming skills couldn't make this

[Wolverinex23]

well if there is someone who can do the coding....i would be verry happy to create the names.the history and so on...i have a lot of imagination just waiting to be put to work..

[Clarity]

well if there is someone who can do the coding....i would be verry happy to create the names.the history and so on...i have a lot of imagination just waiting to be put to work..

ditto

[shoe1985]

After a lot of searching, I have found Primetime by Lee Rock.

http://tvtycoongames.com/reviews/primetime

That is a fan's website of TV sims, and he has the demo and a link for you to purchase the full game. The only negative is Lee no longer supports the game, and there is no way of contacting him. It is a fun game and worth the $19.95. If only Lee would have continued working on it after the release because there was not a lot of he had to fix. Sure, he could of added more features, you can with any game, but this was a good game.