The Movies ..... The Thread ..... The Game

[Coop]

The first movie im going to make is "Les cousins dangereux"

[WrongWay]

Originally Posted by Samdari

They write the review after playing it for that long. What would your score have been had you judged it in those 48 hours.

Just like everyone here my review would of been through the roof. Funny that Pirate thread here starts out with rave reviews for the first 5 pages then turn very ugly after that.

I guess I will check this thread in another 3 pages before the real reviews start getting in.

[Swaggs]

How is the tutorial (assuming there is one)?

Are the monetary values for salaries and box offices realistic (or even in dollars rather than something like simoleons)?

[Buccaneer]

You guys had to bring up Pirates again.

[sabotai]

Originally Posted by Swaggs

How is the tutorial (assuming there is one)?

Are the monetary values for salaries and box offices realistic (or even in dollars rather than something like simoleons)?

Let me get this out of the way....I experienced a CTD (crash to desktop, and my video card is fully T&L compliant. So, hopefully patches are coming) EDIT: Hurray for autosave. Only lost a few minutes.

When you start a new game, it basically sets you off on a series of tutorials for the studio management part. It eases you into the game. There are seperate tutorials for movie making but I have not watched through them yet.

Monetary values, I dunno. Right now I'm still in the late 1920's and my movies make around $150,000 (and they're still 1-star scripts). One of my guys has become one of the top actors though, so he pushes it up a bit. So I don't know. But, it does seem reasonable so far. And yes, it's in dollars, not fake name money.

[Buccaneer]

From my interpretations, it appears that Movies will be a game that no one will be playing 30 days from now. I hope there is some good enjoyment out of it.

[Kozure]

Originally Posted by hukarez

I don't mean to get too terribly off topic, but does anyone remember an old school PC game back in the early 90s (?) that was about you being in charge of a Television Network in an attempt to score the highest ratings?

You essentially pitched a show, gave it a title, a genre, and hoped to score high in sweeps month, etc...? There wasn't too much detail in the actors, but you were allowed a small space to type up a synopsis, and were allowed to place it in time slots to compete against 2 other rival network stations and what not.

I think I remembered this game. When you created a show, you targeted an audience? Teen, Adult, kid, elderly?

All I remember is the game crashing all the time. If it's the same game, it was fun. I played it a lot, despite the crashes.

Was it called "Prime Time"? Because i believe all you could do is set up Prime Time lineups for each day of the week.


EDIT -- Crap, missed your post where you said you found it. Yeah, it was a good game.

[Flasch186]

Originally Posted by Buccaneer

From my interpretations, it appears that Movies will be a game that no one will be playing 30 days from now. I hope there is some good enjoyment out of it.

I bought it and I can see how this is possible....heres to hope. What I dont understand about most games is, if they spent a little less on graphics and more on meat, like serious 6-disc worth depth, I would love it!! wouldnt most? Like my cop game idea - thousands of possiblities in the career of a cops life, minimal graphics but a free flowing storyline. Graphics minimal - full of meat and replayablilty and expansion. Which would most people want....police quest or a deep deep career sim for a cop?

substitute X for the cop genre and add that to any game and Ill buy it.

[Kozure]

Originally Posted by Flasch186

Which would most people want....police quest or a deep deep career sim for a cop?

Hey, if i wanted to be a cop, i'd steal a squad car!

And police quest (the originals) was a great game. Nothing like cuffing a drunk with his hands in front and have him strangle you when you are driving to the station! That crap don't happen in games anymore! heh.

Damn, it brings back memories.

[WrongWay]

I might as well be a lazy FOFC Homer I am and ask if anyone knows if there is going to be a real Player file?

[Kozure]

Originally Posted by WrongWay

I might as well be a lazy FOFC Homer I am and ask if anyone knows if there is going to be a real Player file?

If so, I wonder how often Tom Cruise will flip out on set.

[WrongWay]

Originally Posted by Kozure

If so, I wonder how often Tom Cruise will flip out on set.

Forget the Bar scene, I wonder if you'll have to go get him out of his Scientology meeting?

[Kozure]

Originally Posted by WrongWay

Forget the Bar scene, I wonder if you'll have to go get him out of his Scientology meeting?

Just tell him that L. Ron Hubbard is on the set. Cruise will believe anything.

[daedalus]

By the way, I haven't been following this game but here is a review by Gaming Trend, the folks that used to be Console Gold [a group that spun off of Gone Gold].

[Pumpy Tudors]

I spent a little over an hour on it, and I like it just fine. I think that once I get through the campaign one time, I doubt I'll feel the need to do it again, but it'll unlock everything in sandbox mode. I'm not going to try to convince anyone who's on the fence to buy this game, because if you wonder if it meets certain expectations, it probably doesn't. I'm thankful that it doesn't look like another Pirates!. I mean, maybe the campaign mode runs the same every time (or maybe it doesn't), but sandbox mode will open up a ton of possibilities.

Personally, I don't see how this is any worse than the Hollywood Mogul games. Perhaps HM gives a little more control over the content of the films, but there were a lot of things in HM and HM2 that didn't feel right to me. I love those games and still play HM2 occasionally, but I think the only thing that lifts the HM games is that nobody had great expectations of those. People evidently expected a lot out of The Movies, so if it doesn't deliver on some things, it's a disappointment. I would suggest just saving your money (or wait until the game is cheaper) instead of buying it and TRYING to like it. It's not worth that much effort.

I'm not going to pretend that The Movies is the greatest game ever. It does feel a lot like a Rollercoaster Tycoon type of game, which works for some people and not for others. It does work for me. Will I be playing it in 30 days? I'm not sure. There are a lot of good games that I liked which didn't last 30 days with me. I'm not playing Space Rangers 2, Gladius, NCAA Football 2006, Total Extreme Wrestling, Jade Empire, or NBA 2K6. I love all those games, but I moved on to other things. I'll get back to them all, but I don't play any game except Worldwide Soccer Manager (or Football Manger) for a month without putting it away. Civilization IV isn't even going to get that much love from me, and I think Civ4 is terrific.

Ultimately, if you don't like "tycoon" games, The Movies is probably not for you. It has a "cutesy" look and feel to it, and there are probably many aspects of the film studio business that are abstracted or not present. Those facts are going to turn a lot of people off, and I wouldn't recommend trying to enjoy this game when all it'll probably make you do is pine for something better.

[Swaggs]

Originally Posted by Buccaneer

From my interpretations, it appears that Movies will be a game that no one will be playing 30 days from now. I hope there is some good enjoyment out of it.

Sadly, how many games do you come across that you play for more than 30 days, anyway?

[WrongWay]

Originally Posted by Swaggs

Sadly, how many games do you come across that you play for more than 30 days, anyway?

Rise of Nations is still on my desktop getting about 1 play every week from me. I don't know why, but this game is just a great boredom killer for me when I have some free time and no new game.

[Airhog]

I played Q3 for about a year straight, and by that I mean that I played it at least 2-3 times a week for at least a year, probably more. If I hadn't lost my highspeed internet when I did, I might have continued to play it for some time...

[Flasch186]

yup, im thinkin' ill play it for awhile and go back to civ 4 and FOF....hrmmm, do I sell it to one of you now or wait a month and let it collect dust? i dunno.

[Mustang]

Well, I bought the game too.

First off, I'm in agreement with what has been said here. I'm you don't like the Sims and you don't like the Tycoon series, I would say move along. This is NOT an in depth movie studio simulation and personally, I never expected it to be so, the game is exactly what I thought it was. So, you can bypass everything else I'm going to say...

I've only played a few game years so.. I'm still in the opening portions

There is a small learning process with the game but, it is pretty basic stuff. The game has a good tutorial and eases you into the flow of starting with one actor/actress, director and script and working forwards. I'm only into 1925 but still only have 2 actresses, 1 director and some extras. I'm just easing into it. (More because of my dealing with the Sims where it seems their mood goes to crap in 2 minutes. I haven't seen that yet where your stars moods go to crap in a blink of an eye which is a good thing).

When there is something to do for one of the characters, the highlight trail is nice.. (some don't like it but, I don't like to hunt and peck all the time for the proper area) Overall controls and menus are pretty standard.. you can right click to get all the information on a star. Game is going to be pretty heavy on the click and drag.. (think Dungeon Keeper where you are picking someone up and dragging them to the next location)

I'm like Pumpy though in that I think I'll play the 'campaign' portion of it once or twice just to get things unlocked. IMO, I think the strength of the game will not be the management portion but, rather the Sandbox part. I think once people start doing mods, you are going to see some rather creative movies which is 95% of the reason I wanted the game in the first place. What they should do is just create The Movies: Sandbox edition where you just get the sets, props, Star Marker, etc so you can just make movies without having to unlock everything...


Just my quick thoughts after 1 1/2 hours playing... (most in the tutorial)

[Shkspr]

Oh, someone will have sandbox mode unlocked by the weekend.

I hit 2:30 playing it tonight, so there is a little bit of immersion there. I suspect the advanced movie maker will be pretty cool, but I'm sitting in 1930 here so I don't have a lot of options yet.

A quick overview of the movie making mode, which is where most people that WILL be playing this 30 days from now are going to spend their time:

You start off (in campaign game) by choosing either a script the game wrote or a blank script you came up with on your own. A "script" is a ribbon of movie film with two tracks - one to drag and drop the set to be used for each shot, and one parallel track with the blocking for each scene on it, described in a quick manner like "Discovering the Corpse" or "Exit with Gun". There are five genres and the shots you can use are tailored a bit to each genre. First you get the chance to edit the title and pick actors for each of your major roles (1 lead, two supporting so far, though maybe this increases in later years). You can also pick a "spine" for the movie, which will color code different areas of the film ribbon to correspond to the general dramatic arc in each genre (for horror, that would be Intro, Shock, Pursuit, Encounter, Preparation, Big Fight, Resolution). You are free to disregard that spine if you wish or drop in other scenes as needed.

Once you get into the main screen of the editor, you essentially click on an empty part of the film ribbon, choose the set you wish to use, and then choose the action you wish the characters in the scene to take. This will bring up a model of the set and blocking dummies will appear to take the role of each actor. You can drag the actors in your stable (or just color-coded dummies) in to change the composition of scenes. If the action you chose from the list (there are scores of blocking units to choose from) includes a prop of some kind, you may alter that prop to something more suitable (for instance, you can take a shot developed originally for use in war movies and change the M1 rifle the soldier is carrying to a Winchester rifle, making it appropriate for use in Westerns). Likewise, you can drag any actor from the scene and send them to wardrobe, to put on appropriate period garb or makeup (much like City of Heroes character creation). Lighting and weather effects can be laid in at the shooting stage, as well.

The final option to put in place as part of the script is a set of shot-dependent sliders. These are essentially the director's instructions during the scene - which camera placement to use, what emotion the main character should be playing, how much time the shot should last, etc. Different sliders will pop up depending on the shot you select, so you the only caveat is to make certain your shots match the rest of the film.

While you are altering these options, the middle of the screen is showing the effects of your choices, replaying the shot over and over. One item I haven't seen yet, since I just started playing, is that apparently, the skill of your actors has an effect on the screen. Placing a trained comedic actor into a slapstick situation will result in a smooth gag, while picking the janitor up and plopping him down into the same scene will make it come across much more poorly. Of course, all my actors suck so far, so I'm waiting to see how much of a difference this makes.

Once you've gone through and laid out your movie shot by shot with all the scenes you wish to include, the script in campaign mode is ready to shoot. At the beginning of the game, the actors and directors line up and shoot each take in sequence, and when they're done, the movie goes into theaters. After the postproduction studio is invented in the campaign game, however, shooting the movie is just the beginning.

In post, you can add audio in the form of music, sound effects, and dialogue. music and sound effects are included in the game, and you can browse your PC to add new sounds and music. There is an option with dialogue to have record your own voices and have characters lip-synch them in the scene, which seems like it could be fun to enjoy. Subtitles can also be added into the film, overlaying each shot you make. Each of the scenes your director shot in the game can be trimmed or split into different parts, which should allow cross-cutting, quick reaction shots, and other cool ideas.

Essentially, the main limit aspiring fimmakers are going to see in this package is finding the right blocking shots. I've only played for ten years and written one script so far, so I don't know if you're going to see the next big action flick come out of this game. I do predict that some strong dialogue-based comedies and drama will be seen in a few months.

[Flasch186]

Alrighty, im selling mine. who wants it $35 bucks and Ill mail it to you!!! lemme know, first come first serve.

[WrongWay]

Hopefully by the end of today we will have at least one review talking about the financial system of the game.

Please....

[Mustang]

Originally Posted by WrongWay

Hopefully by the end of today we will have at least one review talking about the financial system of the game.

Please....

It might be a bit before you get a real gauge on the financial system. Although... my early impressions are the it will be easy to make $$$. Even in 1920, my early movies were pulling down 100K..

But.. that might intentional. Ease you into the game as research packs become available with higher prices stars, more buildings.. etc....

[WrongWay]

Are you borrowing money from a bank?
Do you have stock?
Do you have competitors to buy out?
Any financial backers you have to smooth over to get money to make your big pictures?


These are some of the Tycoon parts of the game I was hoping to see.

[Mustang]

Originally Posted by WrongWay

Are you borrowing money from a bank?
Do you have stock?
Do you have competitors to buy out?
Any financial backers you have to smooth over to get money to make your big pictures?


These are some of the Tycoon parts of the game I was hoping to see.

Borrowing - Nope. Believe once you drop below a certain $ value, building most things are locked. Not 100% certain how it affects your staff. (mood probably suffers

Stock - No

Competitors to buy out? No but, you can hire their talent

Backers - Not that I know of.

[kcchief19]

I'm not really trying to belabor the point, but I do find it fascinating that people seem to be so divided on what their expectations of the product were prior to release. Granted, my vision of a "movie studio simulation" is tainted based on HM, which at this point is the premier "movie studio simulation," so maybe that is why I thought this would have a sophisticated financial model available and focus on "realitisic" results. Clearly first impressions say this is more like The Sims than HM. My impression now is that this is actually a "movie-making simulation."

I'm sure if you go in with the right expectations this game will be a blast. Clearly for fans of HM who wanted a game to advance the concepts establish there, this is not the choice. I'll move along and let you all enjoy your game now that fair warning has been established for other potential consumers.

[moriarty]

Originally Posted by kcchief19

I'm not really trying to belabor the point, but I do find it fascinating that people seem to be so divided on what their expectations of the product were prior to release. Granted, my vision of a "movie studio simulation" is tainted based on HM, which at this point is the premier "movie studio simulation," so maybe that is why I thought this would have a sophisticated financial model available and focus on "realitisic" results. Clearly first impressions say this is more like The Sims than HM. My impression now is that this is actually a "movie-making simulation."

I'm sure if you go in with the right expectations this game will be a blast. Clearly for fans of HM who wanted a game to advance the concepts establish there, this is not the choice. I'll move along and let you all enjoy your game now that fair warning has been established for other potential consumers.

It almost sounds like (from early reviews - I haven't played it) they wasted their time on the mgt sim part. Like they couldn't make up their mind on what the game should be - mgt sim or movie making application. I'm thinking this is part of Molyneux's problem lately. His ideas tend to be too big or perhaps vague, and the developers lose focus. Maybe it's his development studio's fault.

Seems like if they focused their attention soley on an incredibly deep movie making application (like an anime generation tool) then they could have something pretty cool. Or vice versa if they focused on the mgt sim portion. As it is, I suspect once folks play with the sandbox part they will find it lacking as well. Hopefully not. Anyways, there's always the add-on packs that will be for sale soon.

[GrantDawg]

Originally Posted by Flasch186

Alrighty, im selling mine. who wants it $35 bucks and Ill mail it to you!!! lemme know, first come first serve.

Why?

[Pumpy Tudors]

I wouldn't say this about many games, but I just want to make it clear (from my point of view): If you're not sure whether you want it, you probably don't.

[Swaggs]

From the reviews on here, I think I will be waiting unti it takes a price cut. I was more interested in developing talent (actors, directors, etc) and tracking my films throughout history (costs, box office, awards, etc) than actually producing films.

Two questions:

Is there an almanac sort of feature in the game, that shows your historical accomplishments?

Are the films that are created space hogs on your HD? That alone could be a killer for me.

[Flasch186]

Originally Posted by GrantDawg

Why?

not what i was looking for. Anytakers? $35 and I mail it.

[sabotai]

Originally Posted by Swaggs

Is there an almanac sort of feature in the game, that shows your historical accomplishments?

Kind of....but not really. Extremely basic. Not even worth mentioning.

Are the films that are created space hogs on your HD? That alone could be a killer for me.

You can set how good of quality you want to movies to be saved as. So you can set them on a very low quality and not have them take up much room at all.

So far my dissapointments with the game are that there isn't a weekly schedule. You don't set release dates, or anything like that. I wasn't expecting an HM like game, but I was at least hoping for a weekly progression to how much the movie makes (which, btw, HM didn't have either). Also, there isn't a yearly awards ceremony. There are awards from time to time, but it's not a yearly thing like the Oscars.

At this point, spending more time with it, I'd say it's 2/3rds Tycoon and 1/3rd Sims. You really don't have to spend much time with your actors at all.

Right now I basically have two sets of people. One group, I film comedy and romances with. The other is my horror group (I have 5 actors/actresses and 2 directors). I usually only have one movie filming at one time so one group does whatever while the other works. That seems to give the workers some downtime so they aren't bitching about stress and work all the time.

[Swaggs]

It doesn't sound like a bad game, just not what I was expecting. I think I was more in the kcchief19 camp on how it would be presented.

I will definitely check it out when it is $19.99.

[Flasch186]

in hindsight, how is Hollywood Mogul? Where can you check that out?


Ill consider a best offer on my "The Movies" Ill sell to ya.

[Pumpy Tudors]

Originally Posted by Flasch186

in hindsight, how is Hollywood Mogul? Where can you check that out?

http://www.hollywood-mogul.com is the site for Hollywood Mogul. It's a text game that is done pretty well. It's a little dated, and there are a few things that never "clicked" with me, but I played it a lot anyway. There's a fully-functional trial version on the web site that you can download and play. When you get time, try it out and let me know what you think of it.

[MikeVic]

Bought it just now.. $39.99CDN if you buy it before the 12th. Couldn't pass that up.

[Izulde]

I may have to get this after all... building movies sounds like a damn sweet idea after viewing some of the clips people have made in dynasties they're doing.

[Eaglesfan27]

Sounds like a game I'll get once it drops in price quite a bit. Thanks for the impressions.

[MikeVic]

I'll mention now before I start that I could care less for the sim side of the game... when I heard about this game, I just wanted it to be like 3D Movie Maker.

[WrongWay]

Originally Posted by sabotai

At this point, spending more time with it, I'd say it's 2/3rds Tycoon and 1/3rd Sims. You really don't have to spend much time with your actors at all.

Where is the 2/3rds Tycoon?

This is why I wantesd to buy the game for it's Tycoon, aka Business Sim, parts of the game?

What kind of Financials are in the game?


Do you have any controll over your movie advertising & merchandising?

Since it was advertised as a Studio sim and not just a Movie sim I was expecting to see at least the same Financials as say Railroad Tycoon. Everyone keeps saying Tycoon, Tycoon, but I have yet to hear someone talk about the Business Tycoon parts of the game.

[Airhog]

I would say this game is 1/5th part movie making, 1/5 part tycoon game, and 4/5th Sims.

Your financials are very limited. All you can do is set the salary of your actors and directors. Movies make money for a certain amount of time, then they have to be archived. There is no weekly report on how well your movie is doing, etc.

The Tycoon part of the game boils down to placing buildings, and trees and stuff.

I only made one movie myself, which actually did the same as nearly every other movie that I could make.

I think this game will appeal to those people that either have no interest in the tycoon part of the game, and want to make their own movies, and those people that love the sims. If you are looking for a deep tycoon game, you will be sorely disappointed. It looks like the problem with this game is that it tries to do everything, but in the end, it ends up doing none of them exceptionally well.

I am enjoying the game, but it just wasn't what I expected. I think that the Sims part of the game will probably become the most repetitve, I really don't want to drag my stressed out talent to relax, I just wish they would do it themselves. I am thankful that you do not have to manage all of your personell like that, just your actors. Right now I have 4 talents, 2 actors, and 2 directors. I am thinking that 6 total people is probably plenty. 2 directors, and 4 actors.

Final thoughts: If you don't care if your studio finishes first, or you love the sims, or the thought of making your own shorts sounds appealing, you will like this game. If your only looking for a RCT3 type game, look elsewhere, because this game will only disappoint you.


Just for reference, at this point in the game, I am in the late 20's, like 1929 or so.

[Pumpy Tudors]

Originally Posted by WrongWay

Where is the 2/3rds Tycoon?

This is why I wantesd to buy the game for it's Tycoon, aka Business Sim, parts of the game?

What kind of Financials are in the game?


Do you have any controll over your movie advertising & merchandising?

Since it was advertised as a Studio sim and not just a Movie sim I was expecting to see at least the same Financials as say Railroad Tycoon. Everyone keeps saying Tycoon, Tycoon, but I have yet to hear someone talk about the Business Tycoon parts of the game.

Let me make this simple for you right now. STAY AWAY FROM THE GAME.

It's a "Tycoon" game in the sense that you have to build your lot and you see a few people running around on it. Rollercoaster Tycoon is not a business sim. Mall Tycoon is not a business sim. Health & Fitness Club Tycoon (yes, that is a real game) is not a business sim. I would gather that Skate Park Tycoon is not a business sim either. They are much more like "lot-building" games in which you watch the characters perform actions onscreen and see how much money you make based on your lot layout and amenities. I will accept that Railroad Tycoon is more of a business sim than all of those, but it still has the building and layout aspects.

There is nothing in The Movies involving advertising (at least not early in the game, and I doubt that it appears later). There's nothing in The Movies involving merchandising. I don't expect to see anything like DVD or video sales after the movie is finished in the theaters. These are the types of business elements that are not present in this game. They're not even abstracted. They're just not there. Basically, you make a movie, it gets released, and it makes money for a few months. Then that movie is done. I don't think you get any kind of stats as far as how many theaters screened your film or how many people saw it. You get some "reviews" which are based mainly on the month in which you released the movie, your cast and crew's abilities, and the condition of your studio lot.

I'm not trying to rip on you here. I can just tell from your questions that you're looking for something that this game does not provide. In my opinion, this is an exact example of what I was saying before: If you're not sure that you want this game, you probably don't.

[Mustang]

Originally Posted by Airhog

I would say this game is 1/5th part movie making, 1/5 part tycoon game, and 4/5th Sims.

There you go folks.. It's official. You MUST get the game.. It is 6/5th of a game!!!

[WrongWay]

No, feel free to rip away. Any save me from the dissapointment of another game. Hell I was planning on pre-ordering this game untill I starting reading the reviews.

Seriously, you don't get to Advertise. Do you have any controll on generating a "Buzz" for your movie? Usually that is done with Advertising, merchandising, and maybe some pre-screening. What determines the Number of theaters your movie gets released on then?

[WrongWay]

Originally Posted by Pumpy Tudors

It's a "Tycoon" game in the sense that you have to build your lot and you see a few people running around on it. Rollercoaster Tycoon is not a business sim. Mall Tycoon is not a business sim. Health & Fitness Club Tycoon (yes, that is a real game) is not a business sim.

I am pretty sure this is wrong. Don't these game offer some Financials like a bank, bonds, or an advertising budget to ptomote your business?

[Pumpy Tudors]

In The Movies, there is no advertising. There is no merchandising. There is no "buzz" around a movie. There is no mention of how many theaters each film is released in. The only thing that determines how much money you make is the film's "rating" which is based on the factors that I listed before (your talent, your lot, the timing of the film's release, etc.).

Yes, some of those "Tycoon" games offer bonds or advertising budgets. Personally, I don't think those aspects are integral to your success in those games, though. When it comes down to it, those games are still "lot-building" games. In Rollercoaster Tycoon, the challenge does not come from determining when to borrow money, nor does it come from properly managing the advertising. The challenge comes from building a park and rollercoasters that will cater to the customers in the game. The Movies is very similar in that sense. You build a studio lot, you maintain it, and you make movies that will cater to the customers. The only thing involving money here is that you do have a bank balance, and you have to do all of your tasks and try not to run out of money. Perhaps our perceptions of a "Tycoon" game are different, but even if that's the case, The Movies does not provide those things that you seem to be looking for, WrongWay.

To enjoy this game, you would need to get the most joy out of the actual film that would be created. I'm not talking about the business steps that lead to the production. I'm not talking about looking back into your history books and seeing which of your films was most successful. I'm talking about the film itself. Ultimately, the main idea of thsi game is to create a movie and be able to watch it later. There's more to the game than that, but for anybody on the fence, this is what they need to understand.

[Flasch186]

Originally Posted by Pumpy Tudors

http://www.hollywood-mogul.com is the site for Hollywood Mogul. It's a text game that is done pretty well. It's a little dated, and there are a few things that never "clicked" with me, but I played it a lot anyway. There's a fully-functional trial version on the web site that you can download and play. When you get time, try it out and let me know what you think of it.

Well it has some plusses and minuses.

The font is awful. I got the talent pack and have been trying to play with that but there arent enough "filler" actors. I have no clue how to make a movie succesful, I mean I have created some bombs but dont know what has caused that. Other than that, it is the direction I would rather see a game go. Maybe spend 30% more time improving HM's graphics and 70% of the time keeping on the path of depth, and randomness of events, etc.

[WrongWay]

If I can change Tycoon gears here. How much of this game is about Player Development and Player contracts?

Divide the game play between Behind the Camera and behind the desk for me. Please.

Could this be an "Agent" type, Tycoon game.

[Pumpy Tudors]

Originally Posted by Flasch186

Well it has some plusses and minuses.

The font is awful. I got the talent pack and have been trying to play with that but there arent enough "filler" actors. I have no clue how to make a movie succesful, I mean I have created some bombs but dont know what has caused that. Other than that, it is the direction I would rather see a game go. Maybe spend 30% more time improving HM's graphics and 70% of the time keeping on the path of depth, and randomness of events, etc.

You touched on a couple of the things that initially bugged me about the game. Yes, the font is terrible. I don't think you can change it. You're right about the lack of "filler" actors, too. I seem to remember it being high-priced stars and very, very few people who will work for next to nothing. There wasn't anybody in-between. There are so many stars out there that all the talent packs want to include the big names, which I understand. My problem is that the talent files aren't modular. I wish I could take one person's "star" pack, add in somebody else's "director" pack, and then add a "B-level" pack. Unfortunately, there are too many limits in the game. You have a limited talent pool, a limited script pool, a limited number of movies that you can release, etc. While you can replace any of that data with your own creations, you can't really add to it.

As far as how to make money, there are some almost surefire ways to get a lot of cash. That's another problem. There are some very basic steps that you can take to guarantee monetary success with certain movies. Once you've learned the "formula", there's not much challenge to the game anymore, and that's where the in-game stuff falls apart.

I hope that Hollywood Mogul 3 addresses these things. Hollywood Mogul 2 is a very good game, but as you can see, it's not the ultimate movie studio simulation. It's the best, but it's pretty much all we have right now.

Originally Posted by WrongWay

If I can change Tycoon gears here. How much of this game is about Player Development and Player contracts?

Divide the game play between Behind the Camera and behind the desk for me. Please.

Could this be an "Agent" type, Tycoon game.

Contracts. Basically, you set how much money (maybe per year, maybe per month, I dunno) your stars earn. There is a single graphical gauge which tells you how happy each star is with his or her salary. Basically, if they get unhappy with it, raise their salary a couple of notches until their gauge goes up to where you want it. That's it. It is possible that your stars will become unhappy and defect to another studio, and I would imagine that they just take off whenever they want (I haven't had it happen yet), so there's no contract. You pay them, and if they like it, they stay. If they don't like it, they'll eventually leave. That's it.

The behind-the-desk stuff is basically building structures onto your lot, choosing which cast and crew members to hire, and then fulfilling whatever needs your employees have. By that, I mean that if they need more restrooms, build more restrooms. If they can't find anything to eat, build a snack bar or something. Also, after you have completed a film, you decide when to release it. There is some strategy to that, as certain films do better at certain times. There are also some events which happen that will bring up the demand for certain types of films. I don't remember anything specifically, but something happens sometime in the 1940's or 1950's which makes sci-fi films very popular for a while. So when that time approaches (and there's a timeline at the top of the screen which lets you know that it's coming), start working on your sci-fi films.

The Movies will not work as an agent game. There wouldn't be enough for you to do. You don't make offers to people in the talent pool. You can only choose from the people who are lined up outside your studio looking for work. You don't negotiate contracts. You don't negotiate anything. Essentially, the idea is to hire people to fill up the roles of your film, and then you build things around the lot to keep the people happy.

Seriously, as far as the business part of the game goes, that's it. Everything else involves the filming and editing of your movies.