Ferrago writer Andrew Macarthy speaks to developer Jon Law about his thoughts on forthcoming city-simulation Tycoon City: New York. Plus! We give you the chance to win your very own copy of the game... free. Generosity comes naturally at Ferrago Towers (hmm - Ed).

AM: For those reading this who haven't yet come across Tycoon City: New York, could you briefly explain what the game is about?

JL: Tycoon City: New York is about building up a business empire and the most famous city on earth. The focus starts out on individual businesses and grows into chains of businesses as you spread across Manhattan. You're able to delve into hundred's of business types including restaurants, bars, stores of all types, clubs and of course building up the landmarks of the city. Also, once a business is placed you can upgrade it to increase its appeal and other stats. The detail is much higher at street level, with near on 60,000 'real' people going about their daily lives.

AM: How long did Tycoon City: New York take to make from conception to completion and was there ever a point where you thought that you'd taken on too much?

JL: Over two years! I think certain people thought we'd overstepped the mark, but if you want to build a city, it's got to be New York! Of course we did restrict ourselves to Manhattan Island - the Hudson makes a good, natural boundary, and the island houses the vast majority of the world famous landmarks. Also, we haven't included EVERY street, it would just be too much to cover, so I guess we have a fairly accurate 'caricature' of the islands road network.

AM: Of course the incredibly detailed city environment is something we've all never come across before, but above this aesthetically pleasing element, how else do you feel Tycoon City: New York helps progress the existing genre?

JL: The focus is more on fun than maintenance. Too many games in this genre force you to tweak numbers and balance tiny details. This game is about building and expanding into the whole of Manhattan Island. You don't want to keep getting drawn back to a business to fiddle with the price of beans! You want to build the next big thing, move onwards, and perhaps more importantly, upwards!

AM: How difficult was developing a living, breathing New York inside a computer game? Was researching such an ambitious feat a lot of hard work?

JL: From the outset the programming team looked at the problem and came up with some cool ways to run a cityscape of this magnitude and detail without grinding the to a halt. You really get a true sense of the scale of the project when you're down at street level, zooming along the streets, seeing the mass of activity all around you. It takes a fair while to fly the whole length of the map.

Researching the city itself was great. New York is an exciting place and when work is fun like that, it seems wrong to call it hard. When it comes to building up the data that runs the city, that's a different matter. The number of businesses and people types made for a mass of data.

AM: How have other noteworthy examples of the genre influenced you, Sim City most significantly?

JL: Actually, I don't think Sim City had much influence - it's a very different game. Tycoon City: New York is more of an extension of our own direction, an expansion and broadening of our own horizons.

AM: Could you estimate the lifespan of Tycoon City: New York? How long will it take the average player to succeed in completing the city's 12 districts and becoming the city's top entrepreneur?

JL: During test one of the guys here was able to fly through the game (without cheating) in 11 hours, but he knew exactly what to do and how to take few shortcuts. I think an average player will be looking at 20 to 30 hours, but there's no rush. Take your time and enjoy it...

AM: It seems the emphasis in Tycoon City: New York is on the player having fun, and not worrying them with micromanagement and overwhelming responsibility. Was this a deliberate tactic?

JL: Yes. This title is aimed at drawing the mass market into this style of gameplay. This game will not slap you down for making a mistake, forcing you to try over and over until you finally succeed. It's all about putting you in a cool environment, giving you some tools to play with and an incredible city to build. The game constantly rewards you visually drawing you further in.

AM: Will there be any connectivity options in the full game that allows players to inhabit and experience each other's cities?

JL: Save games are interchangeable, so you can see what other people have created. Of course screenshots are too, there's already quite a collection from of Greenwich, taken from the demo.

AM: Any plans to release similar games themed on other famous cities? Tycoon City: London or Tokyo, perhaps?

JL: I hope so, and it's interesting that you mention Tokyo - a lot of people do. We already have ideas for a few cities, but as I've already said, New York is the top choice, so the next one will have to bring something new in order to beat it! I can't give much more away really though, so watch this space!

AM: Presumably you've played the game quite a bit yourself! Which elements do you enjoy most? How could the concept be expanded further in future iterations?

JL: Oh yeah. I've played it a little! What I love about it is that after working on it for so long I still enjoy playing it; it's a very creative experience. It's easy to use and you can quickly get an area of town up and running and busy. I find that I tend to get lost in it, making the most beautiful street corner, then just sit back and watch as people use my businesses. Other times I'll actively go after cornering a business type, building up the biggest head quarters in the city, but playing through the Opportunities really exposes you to al the elements of the game.

As to the future, there's loads of potential here, from various themes to new locations.

AM: Thanks for your time, Jon.

Now for your chance to make it big, in the Big Apple. Enter our below for your chance to win a full copy of Atari's new game. All you need to do is answer a simple question... aren't we nice?

Name:
Email:
Question: What Asian metropolis does Jon Law mention as another interesting city?
Rules:
  • Employees of Ferrago, Big Red or will find their entries demolished.
  • Multiple entries have no planning permission.
  • The Editor's decision is final, he is the mayor of this town, punk.
  • The competition will proceed for two weeks, after which it will be sold as real-estate.

    By Andrew Macarthy