The Daily Click ::. Forums ::. Daily Click ::. Suggestions Needed Economic Sim
 

Post Reply  Post Oekaki 
 

Posted By Message

s-m-r

Slow-Motion Riot

Registered
  04/06/2006
Points
  1078

Candle
30th May, 2011 at 22:30:26 -

I'm planning on posting a VERY simple example of an economic simulator. I started off with the idea of a pig farm, where the player raises and purchases pigs, then sends them to the 'meat grinder' to make them into bacon, ham, or sausage.

Although this is a fair start, I want to change it to something less violent. Can anyone think of a product or other commodity that meets the following criteria:
- grows larger over time: more by-products can be produced from more mature specimens than younger ones
- the specimen produces raw material for several different commodities (at least three you can think of)
- there is no loss of (animal) life involved
- expiration date: if the player waits too long, the specimen disappears and cannot produce additional raw materials, reduces their output, or disappears outright at a certain time

I could come up with a make-believe plant or something with a goofy name, but that's no fun. I'm looking for suggestions from you all; I have a few of my own ideas but I want to see if a suggestion from someone else is more entertaining.

Again, this is intended for use as an example of buying low, selling high, and some basic economic principles in effect with Alterable Values in an MFA file. The example will be posted here on TDC when it's done.

Edited by s-m-r

 
n/a

HorrendousGames

Sourpuss

Registered
  31/10/2009
Points
  481

VIP MemberEvil klikerGame Of The Week Winner
30th May, 2011 at 23:13:14 -

You could do cheese, which rewards the player based on patience, the older the cheese is, the more expensive it gets. However, your shop gets attacked every so often by Mongolians, and if you don't keep up with the repairs, your building gets condemned.

 
/-=?=-/-=?=-/-=?=-/-=?=-/-=?=-/-=?=-/-=?=-/-=?=-/-=?=-/-=?=-/-=?=-/-=?=-/-=?=-/-=?=-/-=?=-/-=?=-/-=?=-/-=?=-/-=?=-/-=?=-/-=?=-/-=?=-/
That Really Hot Chick
now on the Xbox Live Marketplace!

http://marketplace.xbox.com/en-US/Product/That-Really-Hot-Chick/66acd000-77fe-1000-9115-d80258550942

http://www.create-games.com/project.asp?view=main&id=2160

Otter

Rating

Registered
  29/06/2008
Points
  514

Wii OwnerIt's-a me, Mario!Mushroom
30th May, 2011 at 23:23:41 -

Perhaps do it with lemon trees instead? You could have it sold for Lemon Juice or Mountain Dew or Lemon Slices for Tea. Then perhaps less mature, or sour, lemons could be sold to produce different products.

Or perhaps do something stupid like ingredients for nuclear reactors, or maybe you grow different types of funky glowing nuclear plants, and sell them to Terrorist or Russians or US Government officials.

 
n/a

Sketchy

Cornwall UK

Registered
  06/11/2004
Points
  1970

VIP MemberWeekly Picture Me This Round 43 Winner!Weekly Picture Me This Round 47 WinnerPicture Me This Round 49 Winner!
31st May, 2011 at 00:02:30 -

Slightly off-topic, but if you're planning to make an economic simulation, you really must check out "M.U.L.E." which is the original and best - very simple (easily do-able in MMF2), but with a huge amount of strategic depth, and fun too.

http://www.racketboy.com/retro/nintendo/nes/2008/02/retro-masterpiece-mule.html
http://muttoo.on.ca/mulemanual/

 
n/a

s-m-r

Slow-Motion Riot

Registered
  04/06/2006
Points
  1078

Candle
31st May, 2011 at 04:41:32 -


Originally Posted by Sketchy
Slightly off-topic, but if you're planning to make an economic simulation, you really must check out "M.U.L.E." ...



TOTALLY with you on that one. I played the heck out of the NES version, and still do on occasion with an emulator.

However, I'm not going for such in-depth game-making at this point (although a MULE port would be SUPER fun to tackle!). The example I'm planning is just for some basic economic principles as well as adjusting Alterable Values, either through randomness or by player input.

Thanks for the suggestions, folks! If anyone else has a contribution, let's hear it.

 
n/a

Silveraura

God's God

Registered
  08/08/2002
Points
  6747

Game of the Week WinnerKlikCast StarAlien In Training!VIP Member360 OwnerWii OwnerSonic SpeedThe Cake is a LieComputerChristmas Tree!
I am an April Fool
31st May, 2011 at 12:15:17 -

Viva Pinata used Pinata's that you raised and sold. Economic simulators don't get much simpler than that.

 
http://www.facebook.com/truediamondgame

The Chris Street

Administrator
Unspeakably Lazy Admin

Registered
  14/05/2002
Points
  48487

Game of the Week WinnerClickzine StaffAcoders MemberKlikCast StarVIP MemberPicture Me This Round 35 Winner!Second GOTW AwardYou've Been Circy'd!Picture Me This Round 38 Winner!GOTM December Third Place!!
I am an April FoolKliktober Special Award Tag
2nd June, 2011 at 00:04:10 -

A baby simulator.

The game starts with a born baby. You must feed it milk to let it grow. Eventually it grows into a toddler. Then a teenager. When it turns 18 you can kick it out the house and send it on their way.


Specimen produces raw material for different commodities: It wets the bed and defecates in its potty; the material can be used for compost in the garden. During childhood it throws temper tantrums out in public. This generates sympathetic looks / disgust from other parents. You placate the child with a toy or sweets to shut it up. During teenage years it grows a mind of its own. Thinks its an adult and starts staying up all night. Steals from your wallet. The benefits it brings you are that you can punish it by taking its internet away or throw it out on the street. Frequently it may fall pregnant (if female) and you can either punish it by a trip to the clinic, or start the whole cycle again, raising the kid as your own but never saying anything about it. Upon adulthood the child grows up and is suddenly independant. This brings in rent! Finally it moves out. And eventually you die.

Expiration Date:
At any stage during the childs life should you not feed him for a day or so, he or she will call for help, and be taken by social services.

Success:
When the child reaches adulthood, you earn yourself a chocolate brownie.



 
n/a

Knudde (Shab)

Administrator
Crazy?

Registered
  31/01/2003
Points
  5125

Has Donated, Thank You!Clickzine StaffKlikCast StarVIP MemberGhostbuster!Dos Rules!I donated an open source project
2nd June, 2011 at 03:57:49 -

Marijuana. No, I'm serious. Hemp can be sold for paper, clothing fibers, strong rope. The current medicinal/illegal drug debate could also put a kind of morality spin in the game where people might not expect it.

 
Craps, I'm an old man!

s-m-r

Slow-Motion Riot

Registered
  04/06/2006
Points
  1078

Candle
2nd June, 2011 at 04:39:27 -

You're on the right track there, Shab.

I'm initially concerned about this demo being appropriate for all ages, so I may only go with the hemp version in a stand-alone release that's not intended solely as an example.


 
n/a

The Chris Street

Administrator
Unspeakably Lazy Admin

Registered
  14/05/2002
Points
  48487

Game of the Week WinnerClickzine StaffAcoders MemberKlikCast StarVIP MemberPicture Me This Round 35 Winner!Second GOTW AwardYou've Been Circy'd!Picture Me This Round 38 Winner!GOTM December Third Place!!
I am an April FoolKliktober Special Award Tag
2nd June, 2011 at 09:19:18 -

I take it my idea of brilliance wont be considered

I'll take a serious stab at an idea, if I think of anything I'll let you know.

 
n/a

HorrendousGames

Sourpuss

Registered
  31/10/2009
Points
  481

VIP MemberEvil klikerGame Of The Week Winner
2nd June, 2011 at 18:10:50 -


Originally Posted by s-m-r
You're on the right track there, Shab.

I'm initially concerned about this demo being appropriate for all ages, so I may only go with the hemp version in a stand-alone release that's not intended solely as an example.



Are you talking age appropriate, or "My child can't experience anything I think is wrong because they might do it if someone tells them about it"? I don't see anything inappropriate about being honest with children and teaching them the positive and negative about drugs, after all their only alternative is health class, "truth" commercials and DARE programs, all of which label all drugs as horrible things that make you crazy and only stupid people use them, which by stupid parents is considered a good thing, despite the fact that it is highly inappropriate.

 
/-=?=-/-=?=-/-=?=-/-=?=-/-=?=-/-=?=-/-=?=-/-=?=-/-=?=-/-=?=-/-=?=-/-=?=-/-=?=-/-=?=-/-=?=-/-=?=-/-=?=-/-=?=-/-=?=-/-=?=-/-=?=-/-=?=-/
That Really Hot Chick
now on the Xbox Live Marketplace!

http://marketplace.xbox.com/en-US/Product/That-Really-Hot-Chick/66acd000-77fe-1000-9115-d80258550942

http://www.create-games.com/project.asp?view=main&id=2160

Hagar

Administrator
Old klik fart

Registered
  20/02/2002
Points
  1692

You've Been Circy'd!Teddy Bear
2nd June, 2011 at 18:37:32 -

I propose a game of epic proportions called "GnomEcononmy". The game goes a little bit like this:

Phase 1: Collect Underpants.
Phase 2: ?.
Phase 3: Profit.

For some reason I think I have heard this before... Being a bit more serious now, it's quite a tough question you have posed. I think you are pretty much limited to plant life from your specification. Seasonal vegetables may add a twist on things (like they are harvested in certain times and must be sold quickly) but it does not sound very fun.

You could use a video game comapany. The code base grows larger and larger with more time spent on it, the number of bugs decreases, and the game is more likely to sell well (assuming the development time is not too long that the graphics become old hat). Trouble is software development is usually asymptotic (and kind of an expontial curve) - you can never reach a 100% perfect piece of software - so you have to balance the release date and the number of folks working on the game.

Thinking about it, it could be quite a fun game (Theme developer springs to mind).

 
n/a

s-m-r

Slow-Motion Riot

Registered
  04/06/2006
Points
  1078

Candle
2nd June, 2011 at 18:39:08 -

@ Chris: Ah, I must have skipped past your message somehow; sorry I missed it! I'll definitely consider all suggestions.

@ Horrendous: Not to dwell on something way off-topic, but I'd say it's not my responsibility to gauge someone's ability to choose between legal activities and those that might have them (or their parents) locked up. I'm staying away from potentially controversial topics for the basic example.

If I really wanted to make an issue out of it, then hell yeah, I would go for a kind of decriminalization game. I know a handful of people who suffer from chronic pain and only alleviate it through self-medicating with marijuana. Then at my day job, I work with literally dozens of people who have had their chances of employment shattered due to using such a substance. Their lives have been destroyed not because they used a currently illegal drug, but because they were convicted of a victimless crime that did not disrupt society in the least, at any level.

I don't have time to involve myself in a drug-use debate. Please don't take it personally.

Meanwhile...any more suggestions for the economic simulator? These are all cool ideas!

 
n/a

Sketchy

Cornwall UK

Registered
  06/11/2004
Points
  1970

VIP MemberWeekly Picture Me This Round 43 Winner!Weekly Picture Me This Round 47 WinnerPicture Me This Round 49 Winner!
3rd June, 2011 at 02:05:49 -

Coconuts.

http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/the-coconut-revolution/ (a really interesting film)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coconut#Overview_of_uses

 
n/a

Muz



Registered
  14/02/2002
Points
  6499

VIP MemberI'm on a BoatI am an April FoolHonored Admin Alumnus
3rd June, 2011 at 15:27:27 -

Trees?

Wait longer and they grow bigger.
Chop it down, make lumber, etc.
Less people care about trees dying.
If you wait too long, then an environmental charity agency buys it for chump change.

 
Disclaimer: Any sarcasm in my posts will not be mentioned as that would ruin the purpose. It is assumed that the reader is intelligent enough to tell the difference between what is sarcasm and what is not.

Image
   

Post Reply



 



Advertisement

Worth A Click