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. Â 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. Â I could plot against Queen Victoria, or become as miserly as scrooge. Â 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. Â Want to take part in the american civil war? Â Well, be in the right place at the right time and you will! Â Did you enjoy Martin Scorsesee's 'Gangs of New York'? Â 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. Â So, how would I go about capturing Seven Dials and making it my own?
Well, first I'd have to go there. Â 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. Â 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. Â 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. Â 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. Â 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! Â 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? Â Well, they're going to need managing...













