Hey there guys, a newbie here. We’re a startup studio Rhapsody Games and for the last 12 months we’ve been working on our first ever project, the one that we’ve agreed to call “Movie Industry”. The name is quite explicitly tells what game is actually about - running a movie studio in Hollywood.
Just to get a better idea, here are some screenshots:
Features:
Kick-ass pixel art visuals and slick-lookigng GUI;
USA map, a huge market available for your conquest;
40+ different craftable movie sets in 6 settings - Adventure, Fantasy, Modern, Historical, Space, War;
6 types of upgradable buildings;
5 character types - Directors, Actors, Camera men, Scriptwriters and VFX guys, each of them with personal skillset;
Quirky storyline, based on rivalry with your former friend.
As you can see, from POV perspective Movie Industry is unusual for a common strategy-and-sim games. But we think it works better for this particular setting. Players start with a small and dusty office and scriptwriters shack, and they progress through upgrading their offices and accessing more and more advanced technologies.
Crafting and collecting new movie sets are a big part of the gameplay. Players should collect 4 unique parts in order to craft a new set and use it for shooting new movies.
The game is in alpha right now, i.e. everything is working like it should, we’re just now adding layers of polishing on it.
The target platforms would be iOS and Android, with possible PC release as well later on.
The game is free2play, however we tackle players progression gently and won’t squeeze pennies from players.
Now, the most important thing for us right now is to gather some feedback. What do you guys think about our game based on the information above? What would you like us to include in the game?
Looks nice overall. The character art especially is good.
I’m not sure about the map though. Feel like the cities don’t “pop” enough. Maybe the map background needs to be desaturated? Or maybe the cities need an outline or circle around them?
My initial reaction based on the other screenshots is “Is this a Tiny Tower style game?” because that’s what it looks like at a glance.
You’ve probably researched “The Movies” by Lionhead Studios… but just in case you managed to miss that, it’s definitely worth looking at for some inspiration. The Movies is easily the most similar game I can think of off the top of my head.
I usually don’t post much, but your game reminded me of the awesome “The Movies” game…
Also, I may be a perfectionist, but I would modify the palm of the first screenshot. It’s a bit strange, especially if you compare it with the one of the second screenshot.
I also agree with Casimps: you should better emphasize the cities on the map.
Appreciate the feedback! I agree, we probably should do something with the map. And of course we know about Lionhead’s The Movies, because this was one of our inspirations. But we’ve decided to concentrate more on business side and development of your studio because it should feel way more satisfying.
We keep all our in-app purchases fair and valuable for players. One of our rules is to allow players enjoy the full game without paying a dime. You’ll pay only if you want to enhance your experience or support the developer.
Hi, one thing that bothered me in the movies was the balance between business and actual movie making. It was nothing of both, you couldn’t either not do a really nice movie or you couldn’t manage your studio. At the end you just did meaningless short movies, just to keep the money floating in.
In a new game like this, there should be a decision at the beginning, focus on movie making or just the managing part.
At the end I edited the files, to play the game the way I wanted it.
I’d say we’re more on management side, compared to creative, because in the end this is was the most fun part in The Movies. The development of the studio.
