There was a topic about this already, http://www.gamedev.net/topic/641550-how-to-retheme-this-game/ in the end I narrowed it to two options factory and corporation. This topic is so I can decide on one :)

I have this "engine". It is for a turn based economy game with a focus on personel management (you hire people and assign jobs/projects for them, pay salaries; you can also upgrade your buildings/office and have financial reports). It's pretty simplistic, for a small cozy tycoon type of game.

Question:

What kind of game (theme) it should be? And what overall mood (take a look at the screen above, since there won't be many changes in terms of graphics)?

* factory manager - you run a small factory (20-30 workers), produce something and sell it

* corporation manager - you run some unspecified corporation, similar to factory but you don't make real things but some "abstract things" or complete some "projects", it could a consultation corporation or something like that. It would be a lot of bureaucratic overhead (tossing useless papers around). Note it can't be really megacorporation, since the engine is suited for like 20-50 "workers" max (or maybe it can be and players won't mind to run a megacorportaion that has only 40 people?)

Which one to choose?

The factory seems more solid and easier to "like", but on the other hand corporation is more unique... But on the "third" hand factory games are non existant nowadays too so it will be sort of unique too...

definately corporation, it gives you more options(or they 're just easier to make a believable story for, dunno :P )
when orders come in and you have to bid for good personel, knowing they might be idle(or working highlyoverpaid) while waiting for an order that requires their expertise

Note it can't be really megacorporation, since the engine is suited for like 20-50 "workers" max

make it a game studio! <g>

make it a game studio!

That's actually over-used... and extremely game development-centric. I'd vote against that, some good games have already been made with that theme (gameBiz 1,2 and 3, for example, although they are not quite realistic).

Note it can't be really megacorporation, since the engine is suited for like 20-50 "workers" max

make it a game studio! <g>

No way :) That's exactly the theme I abandoned. I don't want to have anything to do with game dev theme anymore :)

Factory or Corporation.

Hmmm, so far the pool is clear, everyone wants Corporation Manager. Can you explain maybe, why? Is there some emotional response to running a corporation? Some desire maybe? It's clear you find it more fun, I wonder why (or to be more precise: what in the corporation manager aspect is fun for you?)

To be a bit clearer: It 's not about (direct) fun, it is about immersion, making a believable story around it;
although i do believe that anything you could implement in a corporation-game you could also implement in a factory-game in some way,
a lot of the things you 'd want the player to do(game-mechanics) would be easier to explain to the player(easier to make for you) while it would feel a little more realistic as well(immersion for the player)

(honestly, i hardly know the difference between a corporation and a factory, i assume a lot of corporations own a little factory or workshop somewhere,

and when imagining a factory i imagine something(resources) going in and something else(sellable products) comes out,
but i suspect most players will have a similar, probably skewed, image of the two)

What about a celebrity factory? You manage a company that produces celebrities. You take ordinary people who want to be famous and your team makes them famous earning incomes from their short lived popularity.

You might spend time and money having your trainers give them talents. Or you publicists might just invent all sorts of media hype and sensationalism like your star is addicted to coffee or a leaked embarrassing video of them. You could even give them a “reality” tv show.

• You would have scouts who find potential celebrities.
• Trainers who teach and improve their talents
• Publicists who generate good or bad hype
• Stylist who can make them more attractive
• Managers who try and keep them inline
• Accounts to ensure the profits are flowing.

I don’t think I’ve ever seen a satirical tycoon game like that.

No, I like "Factory manager".

In fact I've had such a game in my head partially-designed for about 20 years. Go and make it, please!

Seriously, I imagined something similar to "Theme hospital", but without the (funny, warped) medical stuff.

Like a kind of top-down view of the factory with little people and stuff like Theme park or something, but in a factory where you need to make stuff. And machines which occasionally break or explode or something :)

Mark

It was going so smoothly when some people decided to vote otherwise and now it's split 50:50 :D And I already had such a nice theory that corporation is better theme... :D

Oh well, at least now I know I will be fine whichever way I choose.

(honestly, i hardly know the difference between a corporation and a factory, i assume a lot of corporations own a little factory or workshop somewhere,

and when imagining a factory i imagine something(resources) going in and something else(sellable products) comes out,
but i suspect most players will have a similar, probably skewed, image of the two)

Good question. I don't know what "corporation " is eather :D I guess it evokes different emotional response, like corporate world with takeovers. Also a corporation (megacorporation) could own several factories. So I guess it could be a higher scale. But there are so many counterexamples...