Not sure if this was the right forum area since its my first time on here!

So recently I've been thinking about this idea and I've had a few goes at making it and I get stuck. I can't find a way to add these ideas and get around them.

My idea is partly inspired by the old PS1 games where you chase a car as the police. Although it has a fairly simple concept I thought about making it on a bigger scale rather than going around corners and follow a path. Mostly inspired by GTA 4's LCPDFR mod and brought up because of the new GTA 5 police AI system and how they will behave now. I'm a big fan of police cars so when this idea came to mind I thought, lets go!

The idea is the player would be in a city where its freeroam and you can drive around. The cars would be fitted with things like Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) system to scan every car that passes. Each car would be linked into the Police National Computer (PNC) where if it has any illegality it would make a noise and you could follow and try to stop. Other units such as Firearms, Dog, Tactical and Air could be played but mostly the game would revolve around roads/highways and in a fictional city.

The game is quite a challenge and I want to have a go but my ideas fall at the first hurdle and I try to overcome it. I feel that my ideas are too weak and I just need someone to have a look at my ideas and tell me what's good, what I could do better and what I should add?

Suppose that I'm playing the game, and I've come across a suspect. Now, if there aren't any complications that would lead to calling in reinforcements, what's the simplest way that I could take them down?

Suppose that I'm playing the game, and I've come across a suspect. Now, if there aren't any complications that would lead to calling in reinforcements, what's the simplest way that I could take them down?

You could use the PNC to run the name through. If the name has no warrants and everything checks out depending on the offence you could let him go, give him a fine, or give a street caution. Its all up to what the player would deem fit at the time.

playing meter beater doesn't sound like much fun, you need bank robbers and real sh*t to deal with. that could be pretty cool. chasing joy riders, stuff like that. it's all about the chase. and of course the occasional shootout! but being a cop, your rules of engagement are rather limiting, so not too many shootouts. as for calling in backup, that would likely turn into a "sitiation" where everyone including the chief shows up, there'a big standoff with negotiations and such, and you end up getting sent out for coffee and doughnuts. (yawn!).

i could see chasing bank robbers through the alleys of London in little mini eurocars, or joyriders in a stolen hot something through the streets of Tokyo by night. two very cool scenarios there.

check out the following movies for inspiration:

the driver - the ultimate car chase move - bar none.

fast and furious - late model - fake wheelies - my 700HP chevelle road-racer would eat them all for breakfast - but surely they must have good car chases.

worlds worst drivers - reality - cable

bullet - steve mc queen - most famous car chase in the movies.

the transporter - good euro action there

as i recall they did some good stuff in Bourne Identity as well - or that may have been transporter again.

gone in 60 seconds - saw it. don't remember anything spectacular though, other than Angelina Jolie of course <g>.

playing meter beater doesn't sound like much fun, you need bank robbers and real sh*t to deal with. that could be pretty cool. chasing joy riders, stuff like that. it's all about the chase. and of course the occasional shootout! but being a cop, your rules of engagement are rather limiting, so not too many shootouts. as for calling in backup, that would likely turn into a "sitiation" where everyone including the chief shows up, there'a big standoff with negotiations and such, and you end up getting sent out for coffee and doughnuts. (yawn!).

i could see chasing bank robbers through the alleys of London in little mini eurocars, or joyriders in a stolen hot something through the streets of Tokyo by night. two very cool scenarios there.

check out the following movies for inspiration:

the driver - the ultimate car chase move - bar none.

fast and furious - late model - fake wheelies - my 700HP chevelle road-racer would eat them all for breakfast - but surely they must have good car chases.

worlds worst drivers - reality - cable

bullet - steve mc queen - most famous car chase in the movies.

the transporter - good euro action there

as i recall they did some good stuff in Bourne Identity as well - or that may have been transporter again.

gone in 60 seconds - saw it. don't remember anything spectacular though, other than Angelina Jolie of course <g>.

I understand and thats why I get stuck between realism and gameplay. I want the game to be realistic but not too realistic to drive people away. The game wouldn't just revolve around a beat cop's normal day. I hopefully want to bring scenario's like bank robbery chase, security van hijack and many some other things into it aswell. They do sound like hard but fun tasks to deal with. The problem with shootout is if I want to base it around my local police which we have 3 units with 3 people per unit. So that means theres only 9 people that can carry guns where I live. That could need a transition where you can choose between "classes" and say be a traffic cop and then change into a firearms officer if you go to the station or a certain area.

Calling backup in the sense of traffic police would mean that you are incharge of this chase and have control. You would be first in line following this vehicle. In the sense of say a firearms officer, it wouldn't be normal as one call of a firearm and all 3 units are sent to the scene to lockdown the area. I'll be looking into the movies, I've seen most of them but it doesn't hurt to watch it and take notes.

I suggest that you find the single most important action you want your players to perform, and make it into the simplest game you can, as quickly as possible. It doesn't have to be realistic or fun, as long as it's playable. Then add elements to the game, and tweak the rules one at a time until you have a playable game that resembles what you wanted to make to start with.

If you're worried it's too realistic/not realistic enough, ask someone to play it (with you, if you don't have AI yet).

I suddenly have a strong urge to play a Theme Police simulation game.

Oh well, back to Theme Hospital. :)