"The Political Machine 2024" wishlist.

[A Lone Reed]

My biggest request would be to have historical Presidents of the United States featured in the game. George Washington. Also, Abraham Lincoln, as well as others would be good to see with the game's release.

On top of that, it'd be interesting to see an encyclopedia featured within the game to help players to learn more about the people featured. It would make the game more educational and teach a bit about history, which I love.

Thank you for your time.

[vthemighty]

Seconded. Political Machine 2020 promised us quite a bit of historical candidates. I'm going to expound upon this a bit further by mentioning how many of the biggest criticisms about 2012 and 2020's political machine in popular reviews were due to the game not having much if any historical candidates. It will be interesting if 2024 is going to give much in the room for single-player content. But primaries, a comfy candidate selection, and a good modding scene to recreate certain election scenarios and all that alone could fill the biggest single-player woes.

This would help tremendously for the game's advertising. That's one part I did love about the Founding Fathers DLC was finding out about the federalist and anti-federalist papers and positions, and even fringe issues such as the founding father's hemp farming, which is largely forgotten about today. Fun little nods like that in the ideology trees made the games so fun to play back and revisit.

I will say there is one notable issue about historical candidates, and that is that they tend to power creep a lot of the other characters. I know there was a large share of Obama / Reagan players online in 2020 when you could find matches, but maybe it wouldn't have been so bad if there were so many other presidents to choose from if those two weren't your cup of tea. Although nothing quite beats the satisfaction of running a great campaign and winning against some of the best candidates and presidents of all time.

If you look at the list of candidates they had planned for 2020, the game would've been another tier higher had they all managed to make it into the game. E.g. Jfk, FDR, Jimmy Carter, Harry Truman, Andrew Jackson, Woodrow Wilson, Ross Perot, and Bill Clinton was supposed to have his own ideology tree.

Not only would all these historical candidates mean even more replayability, but more ideology trees to fit in and throw our custom candidates into, and more assets to decorate your candidates with. And that's always a good thing. It's what I'd call a win-win-win for everybody.

[jacrispy]

i agree they should add historical candidates and i also think they should add people who ran in past primaries so you can recreate past primaries and so primaries wouldnt be boring after 5 games and maybe even add some popular senators and congress people but the more Candidates in the game the better

i hope to that the custom character designer can go in depth so the workshop can be big cause if you look at the 2020 workshop no one really has a character that looks real and its not their fault its cause there so little options so if people can make a candidate that looks real that would be good

they should add custom maps to the workshop if maps would be modifiable and people could create new ones or old historical us election maps in the workshop that would be sick and help the replayablity

they should also have popular yt shows and new media as interviews instead of just cable tv
they play more of a part and role this election cycle then any past election

running as part of a 3rd party or independent would be sick and again make the game way more customizable and replayable .

hopefully creating an ideology is easier i remember they wanted that to be the case in 2020 but they couldnt and you had to go in the files, hopefully creating a ideology in this game is easier

[millsj87]

I feel like every president / historical candidate might be alot for the base game, but maybe there could be a DLC bringing them. An in-game Encylopædia would be nice. I would also like to see them carry out on some of their promises, although not technically a promise, I would've loved to see the other candidates they were thinking about adding, and ideologies too. I would love customisable maps, but if they aren't already implemented / in progress that might have to wait until 2028. Third parties would be great too, as optional. And I don't see why an easier, in-game way to make ideology trees shouldn't exist. I've always wanted to make ideologies, but I just couldn't figure it out and got migrained staring at the blank white XML page.

[vthemighty]

With this game adding Drengin battle armor, do you think this game should add Lord Kona as a part of the game?

Would be a fun little nod to Galactic Civilizations IV and the character's one-time appearance from 2008. Could contrast nicely with the Meteor and Rutabach from the last game.

[millsj87]

Originally posted by vthemighty:

With this game adding Drengin battle armor, do you think this game should add Lord Kona as a part of the game?

Would be a fun little nod to Galactic Civilizations IV and the character's one-time appearance from 2008. Could contrast nicely with the Meteor and Rutabach from the last game.

Definitely. I love the non-sensical characters. I would also be in favour of adding Vermin Supreme as he is an actual person too, although I am not sure if he's running in 2024.

[vthemighty]

I'm hoping this game will be quite balanced and that candidate ratings are pretty good this time around. The best minority appeal candidate in the last game was Trump, but with so many distinct candidates this time around (Ramaswamy, Haley, Cornel West, potentially Tim Scott), then there should at the very least be some candidates that are capable of doing great on minority appeal basis' beyond Obama, Kamala, AOC, and Biden.

I hope to see some Republicans that aren't terrible on media bias either. This time around Nikki Haley has been promoted a ton by nearly every major network, and it would only be right that it reflects well in the game. Especially considering the fact that every single Republican in Pol Machine 2020 never did well beyond average! Meaning that you were always playing second-fiddle to aggressive dem strategies that utilized Minority Appeal and Media Bias to swamp the map, meaning you had to play a very defensive and reserved game, on an already dem-leaning map.

For reasons like this we had people swap between the two parties during the Political Machine tournament to keep it fair, especially since nearly everybody wanted to play Dem. And it was a big issue in online play, as Dems would generally have entrenched in advantages.

For reasons like this I hope to see some Republicans that can do well on the media front, or that don't have awful ratings. For reference only one Dem in 2020 had a bad rating on media bias, and that was Tulsi Gabbard. Yet on the Republican side, you had George W. Bush, Donald Trump, Dan Crenshaw (he should have great media ratings!), Ted Cruz, Mitch McConnell, Rand Paul with disliked or loathed ratings.

At the very least if Romney returns, maybe he should have some good media bias score. And Sarah Palin being indifferent on the media is a little odd one, since I thought her strength was charisma and minority appeal, seeing as how she brought out an entire faction of republican voters that preceded the tea party, and was the biggest reason she was chosen as McCain's VP. Although I don't know why Palin's intelligence is average especially when AOC's is dim, but she's an example of a candidate that really should get changes to be more in line with her real life candidacies.

And because of how stamina means you don't get all the town hall points, candidates like Jeb Bush, and Barry Goldwater would only get 3 points from town halls at most, despite having liked media ratings. I imagine the issue will be fixed in political machine 2024, but these are just examples of how political machine 2020 ended up discriminating against Republican candidates (perhaps incidentally) in a big way that made people not want to play as Republicans in competitive and online settings.

After well over 100 matches of online play and 100s of hours of games against the masochist AI with no random events, and skipping every interview possible. I do have a good tier list which demonstrates some of the findings, and Republican struggle overall.

https://imgur.com/a/mp60G0b

[DarkKnight]

Originally posted by millsj87:

And I don't see why an easier, in-game way to make ideology trees shouldn't exist. I've always wanted to make ideologies, but I just couldn't figure it out and got migrained staring at the blank white XML page.

I second that. I have bad eyesight and autism. I gave up after a few times.

[vthemighty]

Being able to see results at the end of hte game (state margins, who came in what place, what percent etc.) and polling like in the previous political machine games would be madly appreciated.

[akivida]

I hope vote-count cheating (like mail-in fraud and electronic hacking) is included as a mechanic? Realism is important!

[DarkKnight]

I hope they include Russian, Iranian, Chinese, Turkish, Saudi, and North Korean interference.

[vthemighty]

Not sure if people have posted any candidate wishlists. But here are some candidates that I think would be cool to see:

Returning:
Barry Goldwater - but perhaps this time with an emphasis on conservative principles that have a libertarian and anti-government lean on social issues, whilst having interventionist foreign policy. Perhaps represented in his campaign time by being able to gain defamation money and thwart the effectiveness of attack ads as one of his cards, e.g. Goldwater v Ginzburg. And perhaps being able to gain a primetime endorsement from Ronald Reagan as one of his celebrity cards which would be much stronger than other celebrity/enthusiasm cards to make his deck stand out.

Some other cards of his should cement his role as the godfather of conservatism, by demonstrating strong conservatism principles such as government skepticism (anti-big government, critical of welfare programs, etc.), and being able to be the first major republican to take advantage of the southern strategy (and successfully). Although his media bias wouldn't be very great (understandably) and unlike modern Republicans, he would be far more critical/distant from the religious right, true to many republicans of the mountain west. But he would have strong views against socialism/communism. And some of his cards & playstyle would have more of a grassroots than establishment appeal when it comes to winning the primaries and presidency.

If I had to make a strong educated guess on his stats, he would be loathed by the media, have exceptional intelligence, and good charisma skills (which would end up sometimes getting him in trouble due to his outspoken rhetoric). And he would certainly be a political expert given his senatorial history.

Michelle Obama - If/when Obama is around and in the game, I hope she will share his Political Deck, and would be a more beloved character by the media, with some relatively passive and inoffensive positions (as she hasn't defined her character yet in the political foray). She's been talked about a lot, and seeing as how the other games had characters like Barbara Bush, and how she was a candidate in 2016, I think she would be a good bringback candidate this time around too.

Mitch McConnell - If this guy can get an experience level above expert, and a deck that goes beyond what it means to be an establishment republican, then he could be a real fun candidate that specializes heavily in pulling levers, and getting his way. He probably wouldn't be a very popular politician, but he would be a very effective one that specializes in doing what it takes to win an election and obstructing the other side no matter what cost to prevent effective governing. Definitely has a lot of potential for a uniquely modified version of the republican establishment deck. Instead of getting endorsements, some of the deck could have them proposing/announcing major legislation but for more political capital.

Nancy Pelosi - Similarly to McConnell, she would be very focused on taking her version of establishment dem deck, but on steroids, while not being seen as very popular, but being very effective at what she does. Both her and McConnell would have no problem getting a lot of funds, but probably would be too busy to be on the campaign trail. I think with a unique enough deck, some of these candidates could have some absolutely powerful cards that shape the whole nation in a way that others wouldn't, but at the expense of requiring much more political capital, while trading in their savvy for politicking instead of celebrity wowing and endorsements.

AOC - I have a strong feeling she will return, given that she was one of the most highly requested candidates in 2020, and got into the game relatively quickly due to high demand. I think that she has demonstrated a lot of interesting press and positions since, and would be a natural must-have to eventually come back.

Tulsi Gabbard - She's been a speculated VP pick, and if this game ever finds a way to handle independents, it would be natural to see her comeback in some style, as she'd be an interesting candidate that has dabbled in both democratic and republican tendencies, seeing as how her character has changed quite a bit since 2020. She definitely would be quite a unique returning addition this time around.

Ron Paul - a Libertarian classic that has had wide-reaching and unorthodox campaign strategies in a manner similar to Bernie.

John Kasich - A very interesting republican from the 2016 cycle that has since parted ways with his party. He's got some positions on expanding medicaid, and being against repealing the ACA, while being pro-Trump Impeachment that could make him stand out. I think you bring this guy back, and Marco Rubio, you could finally recreate the iconic 2016 Republican primary.

Some New Additions that I think would be cool:

Liz Cheney - She would be an oldguard style republican a la Nikki Haley and Mitt Romney. Would carry on the Cheney name in the Political Machine series, and would probably be more critical of Trump, but otherwise quite a capital-C conservative, with hawkish views. Quite a lot to work with on her character. So I think she'd be an interesting candidate that stays true to a lot of expected Cheney-esque positions.

Donald Trump Jr - Similarly to Michelle Obama, he would be a candidate that can play similar to his namesake, but with some different stats and demographic appeals going for him that would set him apart issue wise, and he would be a fun what-if candidate to play around with.

Joe Manchin - Guy has been talked about a lot, and he definitely would be a bit like a Democrat's version of Burgum with moderate views, and relatively average stats, but with a long political history to back him up, and would be in a better position to take rural states than most traditional Dems. He has a lot of interesting policy positions to work with, and I think he would be a rather fun primary and general candidate.

Andy Beshear - Can't go wrong with a rural young Dem in Kentucky with a bright future ahead of him.

Jon Ossoff - First Millennial Senator, and a Dem from the state of Georgia too that has been in multiple high-profile congressional elections. He probably would have some of the best stats on media bias (so I'd make his media bias the max) as that has become a centrally defining theme of his character, thanks in no small part to special elections. I definitely think he would be a very fun candidate to play as.

Beto O'Rourke - I imagine he'd be a bit similar to Ossoff, a candidate loved by the media, young, and charismatic, and from an emerging sun-belt swing state, but with some rather different issue scores, and without the victories to back it up. Beto does have a relatively large national profile due to running in multiple highly-watched elections. He's definitely a candidate I'm sad that didn't make it in the 2020 Political Machine, as I thought he would've played very uniquely stats and state wise, and he absolutely would have some powerful stamina and charisma.

Mary Peltola - Democratic Congresswoman from Alaska, she would play well with indigenous rights which would be interesting from a campaign perspective, and she's a blue dog Democrat, so she might be able to use the same deck as him if something like that is ever made. She's also for marine environmental protection, natural gas and oil, and the 2nd amendment, which would make her a very interesting candidate in the general and in primaries.

Marjorie Taylor Greene - I just think this one would be very funny and a standout candidate that would be fun to play with. She could also have a unique deck that would make her play quite interestingly unlike any other Republican, and she's by far one of the most notorious representatives there is right now.

George Santos - Same reason as above, although Santos would probably bend the rules and have a unique deck that involves bending the rules and doing whatever it takes, even if it means outrageous lies, or changing issue scores on the map with lies that come at a cost. His deck could be based off cards that come with nothing but trade-offs, that would be very uniquely Santos. I could see the devs having a lot of fun coming up with this one.

Debbie Wasserman Schultz - And just to be fair to the other side since; if one side has a questionable corruption candidate, maybe the other side should too. If George Santos' deck fits enough, it could be re-used to apply to her as well. She's quite well known for allegations of corruption, questionable use of political capital, and major mismanagement during the 2016 election. As a Florida Democrat she has been in a lot of heat for questionable money ethics that transcended social boundary lines, and she likewise would have a lot of explaining to do to the media and voters. As a candidate, she definitely could be someone that uses the convention to her will to cheat the primaries.

Hunter Biden - He's been in the news a lot, but has made no political ambitions (and probably never will), however that wouldn't stop him from being a rather interesting candidate. like Marjorie he has a lot of name recognition, but not so great popularity. Like George and Debbie, he probably would have wild issue scores on anything from Drugs to Ukraine. Although it's possible that maybe he could have Biden's deck, to simulate an election in which Republicans got their wish and were running against Hunter Biden, and because it would be interesting to have Hunter Biden and trump Jr in the same game.

Tucker Carlson - And for a non-political candidate who can't seem to escape the news, with how there isn't any interviews this time around, it would be fun to bring him back, but this time as a playable candidate seeing as how his name recognition has even transcended his news moniker.

Also out of all the candidates that were supposed to be worked on/included in Political Machine 2020 - I really wished to see how Perot would have played the most. As he was the most interesting out there/wild card interesting choice of the bunch.