Empire Building

[Omnia sunt Communia]

THE LOWDOWN

Vice City was the first game to give us a taste of what's it was like to run your own criminal empire. San Andreas followed suit, but we were still lacking in the number of things we could do with our businesses. While we may have owned those properties - we never felt like we actually ran them. The next to offer us the ability to run our own empire was Vice City Stories, and while VCS did a good job of offering us the ability to protect our businesses; we still never got a taste of actually managing them.

 

I would like to see GTA NeXt take the Empire Building aspect of Grand Theft Auto to the next step. Not only would we be able to purchase, open and protect our own businesses; but we would have a say in how it is run and be directly responsible for it's management.

 

HOW IT WORKS

• After a certain point in the game, you would be given the option to start your own criminal empire. Running your own empire in GTA NeXt would consist of three stages; Purchasing, Opening and Managing.

 

PURCHASING

• Scattered around NeXt City would be various buildings available for purchase. These buildings will not be identified on the map, only by the "For Sale" sign outside each structure. It would be your job to scour the city for these buildings. Once you find one, a message will appear:

 

 

• "Press L1 to purchase this building for $xxxxx"*

Press L1, and the For Sale sign will be removed and you will be the official owner of that building.

 

Purchasable buildings would vary in size, condition and of course; price. These factors determine which businesses you can open (See: Opening) and how much profit they will make. You are not limited to how many buildings you can purchase, simply how many there are on the map.

 

Another alternative method of purchase would be to buy your properties online. This would be done via the internet, at a realty website. You would be able to search various buildings (not every building would be listed) and check their prices, sizes and conditions. You would not be able to experience them first hand, however, until you've purchased them and visited them yourself.

*That is for the Playstation version, the X-Box and PC versions would have different controls

 

OPENING

• Once you've purchased a building, the front door will be unlocked and you'll be allowed inside. Indoors you will find a solitary desk upon which is a laptop. Walk up to the laptop, and you will be offered the option of using the computer. On the desktop you will be given the usual options of; Internet and Exit, but you will also see a new option: "Open Business."

 

Click on Open Business and a display will pop-up. This display will give you several options as to what businesses you can set up in the building. You will also be told the price, weekly upkeep and weekly profit. Once you've decided on which business to open, you will be given a final insurance, screen before accepting.

 

The game will then advance six game hours (similar to when saving) and when you exit the computer, the interior of the building would have changed to match the business you selected.

MANAGING

• You've purchased your building and you've opened your business; but don't think the fun's over just yet! Once you've opened up your business it will now be your job to manage it, and make sure it's successful. This part of the Empire Building mode will be the most difficult, but still quite simple.

 

Managing your business is done via the laptop. Inside your business, walk up to the laptop and start using it. There will be another new icon on there, this time saying: "Manage Business." Click on it, and a display will pop-up that allows you to tweak various aspects of the business.

 

The display will show you various pieces of information, like; Weekly Income, Weekly Upkeep, No. Of Employees, Work Output etc. Altering these aspects will change another. For example; increasing the No. Of Employess will increase the Weekly Income but it will also increase the Weekly Upkeep (thus allowing you to play around with net and gross profits).

 

Each business would have different alterable aspects, unique to it's own. For example; Drug Rings would allow you to decide which drugs to sell, as well as how many dealers to hire and Strip Clubs would allow you to hire more Strippers or Bouncers.

 

The entire management process would be simple and fun, and everything you do would have an physical affect on the building (i.e. If you hire more employees, the number of people inside the building will increase).

TYPES OF BUSINESSES

• Businesses would be separated into two groups; Illegal and Legal. The major difference between the two is who will try and stop you. With Illegal Businesses, increasing the Work Output may also increase the attention you get from the local authorities. You may be required to defend your business against SWAT Teams or Bribe the police into letting you go.

 

Where Legal Businesses are concerned, rival gangs will often try and target you in order to gain protection money or as an personal attack against you. This may mean defending your businesses against rival gangs (in a similar fashion to VCS) or attacking rival gang businesses to take the pressure off yours.

 

Here are some examples of the types of business you may be able to open in GTA NeXt:

 

ILLEGAL

• Chop-Shop
• Protection Racket
• Illegal Casino
• Weapon Store
• Brothel
• Drugs Lab
• Drug Ring
• Crack House
• Etc.

LEGAL

• Cafe
• Strip Club
• Bar
• Casino
• Restaurant
• Etc.

That's pretty much all I have to say for now, I may or may not add more later, depending on whether or not I come up with any more ideas. I'd be happy to hear your thoughts and suggestions for an Empire Building mode in GTA NeXt.

 

[Omnia sunt Communia]

I just remembered another aspect I forgot to add to my original post:

 

MISSIONS

• Your businesses can't run on their employee's backs alone. As manager, you're going to have to get your hand's dirty every once and while in order to keep your business afloat. Each business will come with a pre-determined set of "missions." These missions will be different from business-to-business, but they will be randomly generated (thus giving you something to do after completing the game).

 

Depending on the business, the missions can be completely different. Some businesses wont have set missions, instead goals you can complete for a little extra money. The Chop-Shop for example, allows you to steal cars and bring them back to be sold for parts. Each car you bring back to the Chop-Shop will be rewarded with a cash bonus depending on the car and it's condition.

 

The Strip Club may require you to do one of several missions. You may either be required to beat-up a stalker who is bothering one of your girls, drive around and pick-up hookers to become new dancers or break-up a fight inside the club.

PAYMENT

• Your business pay-out weekly. Unlike previous Grand Theft Auto titles, you are not required to collect this money directly from your businesses. Instead, in this age of technology and high-speed information, your money is credited to your account automatically every Friday at 00:00.

[Omnia sunt Communia]

And about the whole 'getting your hands dirty' thing, I think that's a good idea, but i don't want to get called every 20 minutes because some asshole biker gang is attacking my biz. I'd like missions to expand my business, initiated by me for the most part.

That would be a completely optional aspect of the game. The missions can only be triggered when you directly choose to activate them. As for protecting your business, that may be something I need to think about. I'm not sure whether I want it to be a random thing, like it was in SA/VCS (albeit, more rare) or for it to be a random mission.

[Ultraussie]

This is a good idea.

Say, you could modify them with secret garages

And if its a Weapon Shop you can hold the customers hostage.....

Oh and you would be totally independent in the weapons area.

[Dingdongs]

 

You can go back and amend the OP, just so ya know.

 

And about the whole 'getting your hands dirty' thing, I think that's a good idea, but i don't want to get called every 20 minutes because some asshole biker gang is attacking my biz.  I'd like missions to expand my business, initiated by me for the most part.

As your business grows, you should be able to have to handle less dirty work I think. if a biker gang is attacking the business, your security should be able to handle it.

 

I think it's getting a tiny bit over the top, it sounds a bit too much like the Sims 2 open for business to me. I think it should be predefined as to what type of business you can have in each building, its GTA not Business Tycoon or something keep in mind.

[Omnia sunt Communia]

 

As your business grows, you should be able to have to handle less dirty work I think. if a biker gang is attacking the business, your security should be able to handle it.

 

Hiring Security is a good idea. Though the idea of 'dirty work' is to give you something to do after 100% Competition. Your businesses will be completely self-containable, but the option is there for your to jump in and make a bit of extra money and have something to do.

 

 

I think it's getting  a tiny bit over the top, it sounds a bit too much like the Sims 2 open for business to me. I think it should be predefined as to what type of business you can have in each building, its GTA not Business Tycoon or something keep in mind.

 

It's a pretty simple concept. Besides, does Sims 2 Open For Business allow you to open up Protection Ring and beat-up deadbeats? Didn't think so. It's not GTA Sims either, but we still get to decide what Niko wears. The name isn't important, and it shouldn't define what you should and shouldn't be able to do in-game. I am simply building upon a pre-existing feature.

[KevinR1990]

If the next game brings back empire building, then I'd like it to be similar to how you described it. Your ideas are in-depth, yet they don't intrude too much on regular gameplay.

[flicko]

 

As your business grows, you should be able to have to handle less dirty work I think. if a biker gang is attacking the business, your security should be able to handle it.

 

Hiring Security is a good idea. Though the idea of 'dirty work' is to give you something to do after 100% Competition. Your businesses will be completely self-containable, but the option is there for your to jump in and make a bit of extra money and have something to do.

Right, looking at that I'm assuming this whole concept will not count towards 100% game completion? If so then I think that is a very good decision. If this were to be required to complete the game 100%, I feel the gamer would eventually veer off from the GTA storyline, and start focusing on management more, and it would ruin the whole GTA aspect. I do think, if this would not contribute to 100% completion, then it should only be enforced once the gamer achieves 100%. That way you'd still get the GTA aspect of the game, and this would be an additional hobby to keep gamers hooked. And it might just work.

 

 

It's a pretty simple concept. Besides, does Sims 2 Open For Business allow you to open up Protection Ring and beat-up deadbeats? Didn't think so. It's not GTA Sims either, but we still get to decide what Niko wears. The name isn't important, and it shouldn't define what you should and shouldn't be able to do in-game. I am simply building upon a pre-existing feature.

Although it seems a pretty simple concept to you, at times when reading that it did seem like you were over-complicating things a little. But, as long as there isn't literally dozens of property to purpose and manage, and this feature will not contribute to 100% game completion, I like it!

 

How about a sell off option? Where you decide enough's enough, you've grossed enough revenue and profit from the property, and you decide to sell it again for more than you purchased it for in order to earn a bit more cash?

[IJM]

Right, looking at that I'm assuming this whole concept will not count towards 100% game completion? If so then I think that is a very good decision. If this were to be required to complete the game 100%, I feel the gamer would eventually veer off from the GTA storyline, and start focusing on management more, and it would ruin the whole GTA aspect. I do think, if this would not contribute to 100% completion, then it should only be enforced once the gamer achieves 100%.

I would suggest that completing various aspects of your empire building to a certain level should contribute to your 100%, but do not end when you achieve that. A bit like you could do 100% in the GTAIII, VC and SA games, but you could still do side missions afterwards.

[QwertyAAA]

Awesome.

Maybe something like, uh, specific upgrades? Such as, bulletproof vests and M60s for the guards (for a very expensive price, mind you), Infernuses or PCJs for the delivery businesses, impressive-looking black&chrome Admirals for the Loan Shark businesses, bulletproof cars, etc, etc..

[Flesh-n-Bone]

 

Awesome.

Maybe something like, uh, specific upgrades? Such as, bulletproof vests and M60s for the guards (for a very expensive price, mind you), Infernuses or PCJs for the delivery businesses, impressive-looking black&chrome Admirals for the Loan Shark businesses, bulletproof cars, etc, etc..

Which lucky bastard gets the chance to run this type of empire. Vic had a unbeatable empire but sadly it lasted only for a bit because he wasn't interested in crime.

 

Anyways that's an awesome idea, I would get carried away by it and forget about the storyline. In VCS R* did it very well but the missions and the whole thing got repetitive fast, I mean all the missions are the same. Take Loan shark for instance, you steal a bike then a truck, bike, truck and in the same order all the way. But for a PSP game that was a lot. This type of empire would keep me from getting bored for a long time.

Edited January 16, 2009 by Flesh-n-Bone

[QwertyAAA]

Awesome.

Maybe something like, uh, specific upgrades? Such as, bulletproof vests and M60s for the guards (for a very expensive price, mind you), Infernuses or PCJs for the delivery businesses, impressive-looking black&chrome Admirals for the Loan Shark businesses, bulletproof cars, etc, etc..

Which lucky bastard is gets the chance to run this type of empire. Vic had a unbeatable empire but sadly it lasted only for a bit because he wasn't interested in crime.

 

Anyways that's an awesome idea, I would get carried away by it and forget about the storyline. In VCS R* did it very well but the missions and the whole thing got repetitive fast, I mean all the missions are the same. Take Loan shark for instance, you steal a bike then a truck, bike, truck and in the same order all the way. But for a PSP game that was a lot. This type of empire would keep me from getting bored for a long time.

Precisely. And with random-car generators included. Maybe... Having to steal a helicopter by the good ol' 'drive your bike off a ramp and grab the heli and open the door and kill the guy' method??

[Lukok]

The idea that someone attacks your bussines is nice and it could be done like the San Andreas when someone attacked your territory you would be informed and you can fight for it...

[QwertyAAA]

The idea that someone attacks your bussines is nice and it could be done like the San Andreas when someone attacked your territory you would be informed and you can fight for it...

Or like, you know, Vice City Stories.