Since T3 might have done its role, I'd like to transfer the proposed features to T4 and pending matters T3 hadn't done well.


http://forum.kalypsomedia.com/showthread.php?tid=8779

While I agree this would be good for multiple reasons (seeing what Tropico is like at night, the addition of dynamic lighting, more buildings/features like street lamps & car headlights, etc.), I think CoconutKid's response from the old thread makes the most sense.

CoconutKid Wrote:Haemimont tried for a full day\night cycle for T3 and found it too problematic; so they just used the dawn to dusk part of the cycle.

I don't know if there were technical problems with the lighting (windows, signs & street lamps) or the level of ambient\background light. However, there is a terrific problem with intergrating a day\night cycle into the game calendar. If you notice, the calendar days go by quite quickly -- so connecting them with the light cycle would be very much nothing more than a flashing light.

I'd prefer to see the devs focus on other more dynamic and new features than work on this relatively cosmetic one (that is admittedly difficult to implement). Still, it would be cool to have.

I think there's no difficulty with the graphical problem. Street lamps can be built alongside the urban street. I mean the street lamps will appear automatically when you build streets. They will surely add amazing lights in Tropican night time.

Aside from the amazing graphical sights we may see I think there are some interesting gameplay considerations if a day /night cycle could be implemented. More specifically the working day, shifts, entertainament time and weekends/holidays.

Does time move too fast to see someone leave their house at 7 a.m. drive to work, stay till 5 go home, then back out to go to the pub? We may see traffic jams restricted to rush hour times. Busier leisure services during evening and weekends, while industry continues 24/7. Quiet times during the night, where just night shift workers and police are out and about.

Graphically it would be stunning, but I'm not sure it works as a game??

In Simcity 4 (which did the night cycle thing well imo) It goes 24 hours in 1 sim year. Therefore you get a full day-night cycle. Although I think there would need to be an option to choose whether you want a 24 cycle or just daytime. I can imagine night-time building with no street lights and very little light from other buildings to be difficult.

@ Mikeeboy

Here's what an experienced programmer says:

(11-05-2011 02:30 PM)rj66 Wrote:  In any case, the traffic jams are more of a time dilation issue. A month goes by in a few minutes. Reduce the time compression and the traffic jams will evaporate.

So there is something else that can be accomplished with a day\night cycle.

---

Tongue in cheek: Change the time compression and the saved game problem would be corrected too. You could just let the game run continuously (24/7) at normal speed for a week to cover a 50 year rule, and only have to look at it when you had a break from your other life.

(11-05-2011 04:46 PM)CoconutKid Wrote:  Tongue in cheek: Change the time compression and the saved game problem would be corrected too. You could just let the game run continuously (24/7) at normal speed for a week to cover a 50 year rule, and only have to look at it when you had a break from your other life.

Yes, day/night cycling may be just for graphical enjoyment.

Id like to see night time. And honestly i dont really care about a daily cycle.. it takes someone a month to walk across town. they can be inside a building for weeks on end. So making it a daily cycle is absolutly silly..


BUT, how about an edict? I think that could work. let presidente' say.. Let there be light ! Or not...

perhaps add something that benifits night, and day, maybe some slight effect on people. Nothing huge, but perhaps something to atleast motivate you to flip the switch every now and again. I could see tourism going up slightly with night active, farming with day. It doesnt really need to have any effect but a slight change/effect i wouldnt mind.

Maybe with new crime additions, night would lead to more crime but an increase in toursim and entertainment. maybe old people would be less likely to be out and about and spend more time at home.

Day, increased production, better beach/boating, lower crime, but more chances of protests


Just brainstorming here.. But i think besides graphical it could add something extra.

Some folks worry about the night part of the cycle being so dark that the player would not be able to see enough to continue play.

That does not need to be a problem -- the developers can set the light level to be the equivalent of the July/Aug/Sept northern hemisphere full-moon. That gives plenty of light for the player to survey his world.

For a game example where it is well done, I refer you to Virtual Resort \ Spring Break/Beach Life. It has a delightful night cycle ; and its music track is also divided between day and night. Excellent effect.

Too bad Kalypso doesn't pickup that franchise and give it a bit of an update.

I had that game - loved it.

(12-05-2011 02:53 PM)CoconutKid Wrote:  For a game example where it is well done, I refer you to Virtual Resort \ Spring Break/Beach Life. It has a delightful night cycle ; and its music track is also divided between day and night. Excellent effect.

Too bad Kalypso doesn't pickup that franchise and give it a bit of an update.

Yes, BeachLife got a wonderful past.

With regret, it remained in 2D engine and no update heard.

(12-05-2011 03:04 PM)Mikeeboy Wrote:  I had that game - loved it.

It really is a lovely game isn't it. Very tightly balanced economically. Even though players could quickly bash their through a level\island; it has real depth of gameplay. Don't you think?

I found three things frustrating; and they are things which an update and refurbishing could easily fix.

1} The prebuilt "Scenarios" do not do justice to the gameplay available. They seem to me to be slapped together with a lot of careless work by a second level development staffer who really didn't have a good, in-depth understanding of gameplay. Easy to fix with help from a player base. Perhaps even a second & third 'campaign' could be squeezed out of it.

2} It is too obvious (or too British) that the "Holiday Reps" were somehow redesigned "mid-stream" ; and were intended to be management sponsored ESCORTS, if not overt prostitutes. Yes, I noticed the ratio of female to male "HRs' is very heavy to the female side. Not too hard to fix, I opine.

3} The Lifeguard Tower is unnecessarily cumbersome and mysterious. There should be tools to determine its effective radius and the boundries between beaches. Scheduling shifts for Lifeguards according to Towers is a nightmare; they need to be more identified with their assigned tower.

Opps -- drifted OT. But should Kalypso put it on the "To Do" list?

I'll be honest I got the game when it came out - 9 years ago - and my memory isn't what it used to be, but I do remember that altering the type of beer sold at the pub had some hilarious consequences.

It was a game well done though, balanced gameplay and a good setting. As a console gamer it usually takes something good for me to sit at my PC.

(13-05-2011 08:25 AM)Mikeeboy Wrote:  ..., but I do remember that altering the type of beer sold at the pub had some hilarious consequences. ...

The various beers decide the people's mood. There are five kinds:
Grimleys - makes them sad.
Cape Horn - makes them want sex. (They go out on the beach to get it.)
Smileys - makes them happy.
Thumpers - makes them get into fights, have security around, you can pick up some cash from the fines.
Smashers - makes them vandalize things, have mechanics ready to repair and security to collect fines.

(13-05-2011 01:48 PM)CoconutKid Wrote:  

(13-05-2011 08:25 AM)Mikeeboy Wrote:  ..., but I do remember that altering the type of beer sold at the pub had some hilarious consequences. ...

The various beers decide the people's mood. There are five kinds:
Grimleys - makes them sad.
Cape Horn - makes them want sex. (They go out on the beach to get it.)
Smileys - makes them happy.
Thumpers - makes them get into fights, have security around, you can pick up some cash from the fines.
Smashers - makes them vandalize things, have mechanics ready to repair and security to collect fines.

hah, that sounds like fun.. I could definatly see something like that working in T4

(11-05-2011 04:31 PM)astondb9 Wrote:  In Simcity 4 (which did the night cycle thing well imo) It goes 24 hours in 1 sim year. Therefore you get a full day-night cycle. Although I think there would need to be an option to choose whether you want a 24 cycle or just daytime. I can imagine night-time building with no street lights and very little light from other buildings to be difficult.

Yup, Sim City 4 was awesome because of this cycle. Can't be done in Tropico however as the time my subjects spend working/sleeping etc depends on how soon they get to their desired spot and then do everything afterwards. You basically can't have everyone get up and go top work on 9.00 because Tropico is too much centered on individual persons.

(11-05-2011 10:52 AM)Little Dragon Wrote:  I think there's no difficulty with the graphical problem. Street lamps can be built alongside the urban street. I mean the street lamps will appear automatically when you build streets. They will surely add amazing lights in Tropican night time.

Concurred, there could be some sort of edict that upgrading passed, say candles, to hooking it to your power grid increases safety in low-med crime areas, increases environment and respect perhaps?

If they would put night/day on a GUI switch, it then becomes purely eye candy which is fine for a game like Tropico 3/4