Hello!
A big thank you to everyone who played the demo for Hollywood Animal -- and in case you haven't, you have until August 31st!
Of course, the full game will offer lots more mechanics and features. Today we'd like to talk about a few of them.
Studio Policy
The first few years of Hollywood Animal are spent getting to know the basics and trying to navigate the strange world of the movie business. Once you've settled into your personal play style, you'll have the chance to choose a Studio Policy. Aspire to become a major studio or a trash king, a boutique arthouse studio or an efficient mid-budget film factory.
Studio Policy isn't just about passive bonuses and a new building on the map. It also opens exclusive mechanics, from the intensive promotion of film stars, to making a film in a single week about a robber whose body is covered in penises. (And who among us can say the latter endeavor is less worthy?) As always, the game doesn't insist on anything; you can choose not to choose a Policy, and develop in all directions at once. Still, success is most often achieved by those who know what they're after.
The Alliance
Regulate thyself, or be regulated. The Film Studios Alliance of America sets the rules by which the industry operates. What story elements will mark off as too liable to incur the wrath of the public and the government? How many films can be released per year? Shall we agree to cap actor salaries and advertising budgets? Depending on the style of play you choose, very different rules may benefit you. Use your influence to push your own agenda -- or undermine your competitors.
… Or spit in the Alliance's face, resign your membership, and bow to no one's whims! The path of the outcast is incredibly difficult, but it offers rare rewards.
New friends
Should you get mixed up with the Italian mafia, if you're already friends with the Irish? Is it best to help the prosecutor become mayor, since he's set on ridding the city of gangs and corruption? Is it really so scary to cooperate with the Third Reich, if World War II hasn't even begun yet? Is it wise to marginalize the Ku Klux Klan if many of its members are devoted moviegoers?
The more characters you meet, the more tangled the thicket of mutual benefits and risks.
Proprietary technology
Not only can you upgrade technologies, you can also invent your own. Why depend on third-party manufacturers? Carefully choose your technology's features, don't skimp on the research budget -- and if the circumstances are right, you might create a camera that's a decade ahead of the competition!
Then you can decide whether to sell your miracle invention to your competitors, or favor a long-term advantage over an immediate profit.
Police raids
Confiscation of property, fines, employee arrests -- the law can be hard on criminals, but it's even harder on those who cross the police chief. Who wants to urgently hide a sports car at the bottom of a pond, or kick all the illegals out of the studio? Better to remain a good boy and a loyal friend -- or at least find an informant at the police station. After all, the police aren't obliged to go after you specifically. There's plenty of other film studios in the neighborhood.
Or maybe it's time to put an end to this outrageous corruption once and for all, and restore order to the city?
In a forthcoming gameplay video, we'll share some of the above in greater detail, but even this is just a peek. You'll have advanced release customization options, a bag of assorted PR tricks, complicated competitors’ behavior, major historical events, detailed analytics...
We'll make sure that the possibilities feel limitless, and the game world becomes really alive and dynamic.
Stay tuned!