Starting on Later Dates

[Erzebet Bathory]

So, have been playing for a while, and recently went, "You know what? I'd kind of like to be able to start later, skip the boring stuff I have to work on." And have now discovered that it feels almost impossible to actually survive, so it's time to reach out for help. Most recent attempt was starting in 1995. Had the dev room, had the sound, graphics, etc, everything checked off, and still wasn't able to make a B game over 20%.

So, how do you get a solid start going without going bankrupt for that? What trick am I missing?

[Kyouko Tsukino]

The "trick" is that late game starts are advanced game starts, and you need to know how to go through all the "boring stuff" and learn some things that you'll need to know to start at a later day.

For example, the stat points requirements for game increase heavily, and games of smaller sizes are much harder to score high on later (for example, I only use B games until 1990-1995, where it becomes too much of a hassle to keep them above 90%) The later into the game you are, the more points you'll need to get the same review score, regardless of things like sliders or experience (both of which matter, but aren't end-all to review scores.)

Another thing is, in 1995, playing normally*, you'll have a 5-star studio, at least one 5-star IP, hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of fans and can have at least triple what the game gives you for starter money - and you'll have most if not all the "specialized" rooms built and staffed, and several games out making profit for you. Your employees will also be in the 40+ skill range, if not 50+, compared to the scrub 30+ you get as a zero-star studio.

And lastly, things like "sub-genre," "sub-topic" and whether you have enough gameplay features to fill up the genre of your choice, will also matter for review score.

To put things in perspective: I've played hundreds of hours in non-modded Legendary in normal game speed (and more in modded/sandbox environments, which don't necessarily mean "easier.") The 1995 game start is tough to me in Hard, which I can survive with no problem when starting in 1976. The 2005 and 2015 starts are basically "no, thank you" for me above Medium.

So yeah, they're challenge modes for those who are seeking to test their play styles against a difficulty that's purposefully stacked against them.

* Or at least what I consider "normal," which may be too intense/boring/repetitive for others, as I make one game per month after 1977.

[Erzebet Bathory]

..... I *start* with an IP? Well. That's something I never noticed lol. Maybe I need a bigger staff? My last attempt was a six-person dev room, and 3 people in the specialized rooms, then slap on all the features.

Any solid strategy you can suggest?

[Kyouko Tsukino]

No, what I mean by "playing normally" is "starting from 1976" and IPs are automatically created when choosing to make a new game not related to any previous game you developed. IPs are also one of the biggest modifiers to sales you can have, not using sequels or spin-offs is a very dangerous strategy, only advisable if you're trying to make the game more difficult.

Anyhow, to sum up what I said up there: Starting in the "boring" part of the game allows you to have a lot of things that you won't have when starting later, which is what makes "late start" runs a lot harder. Even the 1985 start is a big step up in difficulty.

Solid strategy? Well, for starters, your workforce is fine for 1976. The later into the game you go, the more people you'll need to get enough stat points. In 1995 (starting from 1976) I tend to already be in the triple digits as far as work force goes. I half-jokingly call my playstyle "throw people at problems until they stop being problems."

Frankly, I don't play "late starts" because I frankly don't enjoy them. They force you to rush a lot of things, and create a hectic game pace. You can't depend on contracts to get experience because they are usually coming in too slowly, so making a lot of bad B games to get the experience, then making a B+ game when you have a lot of game elements at three or more stars and a work force large enough, can let you get 90%+ reviews, which is what will make the money start flowing in.

If you just want to get to the "good" part quickly without increasing difficulty much, you can use the game speed modifier when creating a new save (with "adjust work speed" checked, else it will be hell.)