Space Management Game: Difference between revisions
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No, this isn't about [[Eve Online|Business Simulators played in the cold dark vastness of the stars]] (though it can be sometimes). The idea behind a [[Space Management Game]] is for the player to figure out how to make the most out of as little space as possible. |
No, this isn't about [[Eve Online|Business Simulators played in the cold dark vastness of the stars]] (though it can be sometimes). The idea behind a [[Space Management Game]] is for the player to figure out how to make the most out of as little space as possible. |
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"Space Management Games" is the collective name for a respectable number of [[Simulation Game|Simulation Games]] which all share the same principle: The player is the head of some organization or business, and receives a set amount of money (or points) with which to construct a facility - be it a business place, a secret lair of evil, an amusement park, even a city. The objective of the game is to maximize the efficiency of this facility by learning how to make its individual parts (usually called "Rooms", "Buildings" or "Zones", depending on the scope of the game) as compact as possible and placed to ensure the most efficiency, within a limited environment. Regardless of the theme involved, some of these rooms will need to be placed close to one another to cut the time required to travel between them, others will have a set minimum size and therefore be difficult to place properly within a confined space, and so on. |
"Space Management Games" is the collective name for a respectable number of [[Simulation Game|Simulation Games]] which all share the same principle: The player is the head of some organization or business, and receives a set amount of money (or points) with which to construct a facility - be it a business place, a secret lair of evil, an amusement park, even a city. The objective of the game is to maximize the efficiency of this facility by learning how to make its individual parts (usually called "Rooms", "Buildings" or "Zones", depending on the scope of the game) as compact as possible and placed to ensure the most efficiency, within a limited environment. Regardless of the theme involved, some of these rooms will need to be placed close to one another to cut the time required to travel between them, others will have a set minimum size and therefore be difficult to place properly within a confined space, and so on. |
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Inevitably, the facility will be inhabited or visited by a large number of staff and customers (often referred to as "Denizens") who spend their time traveling between these different areas, and the further they have to travel to reach their desired destinations within your facility, the less efficient the entire facility will be. If the denizens are your customers, you need to make sure that they spend as much money as possible in the facility before they leave, don't have to wait long in queues, and be generally happy about their experience. If the denizens are your minions or employees, you have to make sure that every area is easily accessible so that they don't have to travel long distances as they work, allowing you to hire as few of them as possible to make the whole operation run smoothly. |
Inevitably, the facility will be inhabited or visited by a large number of staff and customers (often referred to as "Denizens") who spend their time traveling between these different areas, and the further they have to travel to reach their desired destinations within your facility, the less efficient the entire facility will be. If the denizens are your customers, you need to make sure that they spend as much money as possible in the facility before they leave, don't have to wait long in queues, and be generally happy about their experience. If the denizens are your minions or employees, you have to make sure that every area is easily accessible so that they don't have to travel long distances as they work, allowing you to hire as few of them as possible to make the whole operation run smoothly. |
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* ''[[Zoo Tycoon]]'' |
* ''[[Zoo Tycoon]]'' |
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* ''[[The Movies]]'' can be described as this... without the customers. |
* ''[[The Movies]]'' can be described as this... without the customers. |
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* ''[[Jurassic Park Operation Genesis]]'' |
* ''[[Jurassic Park: Operation Genesis]]'' |
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* ''[[Rollercoaster Tycoon]]'' |
* ''[[Rollercoaster Tycoon]]'' |
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* ''[[Prison Tycoon]]'' |
* ''[[Prison Tycoon]]'' |
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** Lair: It's called 'Fortress' for a reason. Sophisticated defense systems can be installed, with a mixture of combat personnel, guard critters, and mechanical counter-measures. Currently defensive only, but the 'Army Arc' scheduled for development will enable raiding, offensive sorties, and ranged conquest. |
** Lair: It's called 'Fortress' for a reason. Sophisticated defense systems can be installed, with a mixture of combat personnel, guard critters, and mechanical counter-measures. Currently defensive only, but the 'Army Arc' scheduled for development will enable raiding, offensive sorties, and ranged conquest. |
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** Service: Currently most (all?) Fortresses are communist; booze and food are the only essential services, provided free by the state, so long as there are raws available. [http://threepanelsoul.com/2009/07/21/on-mixed-economies/ Earlier implementation of capitalist economies] have been aborted; though a revamp may make Service relevant again, it'll likely remain an option most players [[Scrappy Mechanic|won't choose]]. |
** Service: Currently most (all?) Fortresses are communist; booze and food are the only essential services, provided free by the state, so long as there are raws available. [http://threepanelsoul.com/2009/07/21/on-mixed-economies/ Earlier implementation of capitalist economies] have been aborted; though a revamp may make Service relevant again, it'll likely remain an option most players [[Scrappy Mechanic|won't choose]]. |
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* ''[[Startopia]]'', a [[Space Management Game]] [[In Space]], mixes Service with Lair gameplay. |
* ''[[Startopia]]'', a [[Space Management Game]] [[In Space]], mixes Service with Lair gameplay. |
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** Service: Your goal is to develop a recreational facility on a derelict space station, catering to a wide variety of alien life forms. These aliens show up, require certain facilities, and spend their heard-earned cash while you strive to keep them happy enough to spend it all. |
** Service: Your goal is to develop a recreational facility on a derelict space station, catering to a wide variety of alien life forms. These aliens show up, require certain facilities, and spend their heard-earned cash while you strive to keep them happy enough to spend it all. |
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** Lair: It turns into a very difficult combat game whenever part of the space station is occupied by one or more other companies attempting to do build their own facilities. Massive doors separating the station's torus design can be hacked open, initiating combat between the workers of one facility against it neighbour; essentially hostile takeovers. |
** Lair: It turns into a very difficult combat game whenever part of the space station is occupied by one or more other companies attempting to do build their own facilities. Massive doors separating the station's torus design can be hacked open, initiating combat between the workers of one facility against it neighbour; essentially hostile takeovers. |
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