Game Design, Programming and running a one-man games business…

Democracy 3 and overrides

cliffski

I have long wanted to code a particular system for Democracy 3, and finally got around to adding it, just before I (recently) put in mod support. I’m calling the system in general ‘overrides’. Essentially, what it is, is a way for someone to create a text file that specifies a connection between two game objects and define them with a new equation, or negate them, or add a totally new link. This is best served by an example…

“AND ON THE EIGHTH DAY HE CREATED GAMBLING”

There is a relationship, coded into the game (data-driven of course) between gambling policy and the happiness of religious voters. By default, as you legalize and liberalize gambling, religious voters become more upset, with a degree governed by an equation, such as -0.2*(x^3), where x is the intensity of gambling (degree to which it is legal).

This equation is picked by me, as being my best guess of the general effects of gambling on religious people. However… In the USA, I get the impression gambling has a more negative connotation. You guys banned online poker, for example. Maybe religious people should be more annoyed? maybe -0.4*(x^3) or maybe the curve should be 0-(0.45*x), or whatever else you like… Overrides allow this to happen, because each country has a folder full of overrides which get automatically applied when that country is played, enabling me to tailor each country a bit.

It gets better…

In theory, adding the capability for a folder of player-designed overrides is trivial, meaning players who decided that in their view, gun ownership reduced, not exacerbated crime, could save out an override to that effect, and never be offended by cliffs liberal gun-hating ways again! :D

Also… it’s a modders paradise, because not only can you add new simulation values, policies etc… now you can zero-out existing effects. So if the game has object A affects object B, and you want to mod it so in fact A affects C and then C affects B, to add some subtlety and complexity and extra feature… then you could do that without *ever* having to alter the original game files at all. This should make experimenting with player-made mods much much easier, and less risky than normal.

I hope people get stuck in and use them :D

 

7 thoughts on Democracy 3 and overrides

  2. Cliff,

    This is FREAKIN’ AWESOME, man! I’m so happy to see you’re putting this in place for Dem3. Wow! You just made me a very happy dude!

    Chris

  3. I think you’re right in that gambling probably viewed more negatively here in the United States than in the UK. Historically, the objection to gambling has been mainly religious in nature, but nowadays I’d say that the objection is less religious and has more to do with a view that gambling ruins people’s lives and is associated by many people with drugs and crime. Gambling also has a very strong association with organized crime. When people think of gambling, they imagine Las Vegas and its attraction to the criminal elements, and they don’t want that near them.

    I would say that at least here in California most people don’t necessary object to gambling, but nobody wants a casino near them. Many people go to Nevada, where gambling is legal throughout the state, and to local Indian casinos, which can exist because state law doesn’t apply on the reservations. The only grumbling I ever hear about is that the casinos might attract undesirable people and crime; casinos are fine as long as they are a sufficient distance away. The people of Alabama, on the other hand, would probably invoke religious reasons.

    Lotteries, on the other hand, are clearly gambling, and are allowed in every state as long as they are well-regulated and the government gets revenue from them. They don’t involve casinos, so tend to be much better accepted. Sports betting is also allowed in many places, but is heavily regulated.

    I’m not clear on why online gambling was banned, but it wasn’t because people were outraged that it was occurring. I can’t recall hearing any non-politician get upset about it. I suspect it may have more to do with stronger enforcement of existing laws accompanied with the government’s desire to regulate (and tax!) the activity. Revenue is a huge reason gambling gets approved in this country, and I can imagine that officials would be very unhappy if they weren’t benefiting from it. No doubt the companies that own the casinos were also putting pressure on legislators to ban online gambling. That would be seen as a threat to their big profits.

  4. I have already paid for game.
    This is the best game I ever played like this but…
    “There were problems loading data for ths campaoghn” !! wrrr
    I didn;t delete ANY ship. It is posiible to resolve this mistake.

    I will very priciated to have any answers>… please help !

    Best Regards
    Luke

  6. If I understand, a casino can let a person ban themselves. This is often done in case of gambling addiction. Effectively the casino if they catch the person in the casino can toss them out. I read there was concern that something like this may not be the case online.

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