How to steal a part of London
If you haven't already - go check out PART ONE and get excited about the prospect of web games again. For the rest of you : read on.
I'm a Londoner, so, when I think of this new game I'm making, what I get excited about is the prospect of rubbing shoulders with Bill Sykes and Sherlock Holmes; Moriarty could be my adversary or my ally. I could plot against Queen Victoria, or become as miserly as scrooge. In this game, my knowledge of history will work for me; if I knew about the events on Cable Street - July 18th 1852 - then if I showed up at the right time I could experience those events.
But this game isn't going to be tied to London, or any location for that matter - it's powered by google maps, and so it's based wherever you are. Want to take part in the american civil war? Well, be in the right place at the right time and you will! Did you enjoy Martin Scorsesee's 'Gangs of New York'? Well, you'd better head to the five points if you want to join up with the Dead Rabbits...
London had a similar situation in what is now Seven Dials in Covent Garden - what used to be the location of a large slum - you may recognise it as the place that sinks into the sewage at the end of Oliver Twist. So, how would I go about capturing Seven Dials and making it my own?
Well, first I'd have to go there. There's a few great coffee places there, so even if I don't have my smartphone I can rock up with my laptop and point the browser to the game; it'll recognise my current location and center map to where I am. If nobody has claimed the area, then I'll have the option to claim it myself - this can be done in several ways :
Brute Force
If I already have some people willing to fight with me, then I could rock up and take the place by force - roughing up anyone who opposes me. The local population might not appreciate this, though - particularly if I've developed a reputation as a brutal ruler as well as conqueror.
Buy it Out
If I have a wad of cash, I could head to the Town Hall and buy the land that the buildings are on - this is a bit more sneaky, and will cost you a hefty sum - but at least half of the town won't hate you.
Run for Mayor
So, you've done a few missions for the territory's residents; you've fought off a few thugs and you've found some missing children - they think you're the bees knees. Now might be a good time to see if they'll just voluntarily vote for you to represent their needs and run their local community...
These are a few of the ways I've come up with so far - there will be more, and I want the player to be able to claim territory however they want so that they're not forced down one particular play-style.
Once claimed, an hour will pass to allow anyone to contest the claim - maybe the residents will rise up against you and fight for their land, maybe there'll be a rival bid for the land, or maybe another mayoral candidate will appear and you'll have to fight for the residents hearts and minds. Each eventuality will have its own mini-game and its own challenges - this will not be the same problem with a different skin, but a series of unique, fun experiences.
If your claim succeeded - congrats! The new territory is added to the map and labelled as yours for all to see.
And what about the buildings and people that came with it? Well, they're going to need managing...
