Hello, and welcome to the first of a series of devblogs, where we share a look at some of the key gameplay features of Tax-Force.
Your goal
The planet is in debt and its final notice served. The government of Farset 13 has 7 cycles to pay its outstanding fees to Cosmic Ray Tech, provider of planet-wide solar shielding, or the whole system will be shut down, burning your planet to a crisp.
As the first (and only) recruit of the newly-formed Tax-Force, you have the authority to raise the cash and pay the debt, by any means necessary.
How to pay the Debt
Farset-13 is a haven for tax-dodging billionaires and crooked corporations, and it’s time to collect.
Your primary targets are tax-evading billionaire mutants, from deranged scientist CEO’s working in Medtech, to kid crimelords hiding in the city's slums.
Once a target is acquired, you'll need to fight your way through their mutant bodyguards, desperate to protect their employer in exchange for a meagre pay check.
If (and that’s a big IF) you reach a target, you’ll enter the negotiation phase.
Negotiations
Once confronted, Targets will try to give you the worst possible deal they think they can get away with.
You can push targets into a bigger payout by meeting one of a mission's bonus conditions that align with their industry. For example; sending all security guards to the hospital could mean more profit for a Medtech company, and more taxes collected.
With several options on the table, you'll need to make a strategic choice on how best to collect payment.
Strategy
Will you negotiate in good faith and allow partial taxes to be paid directly towards the debt, with the rest gathered as immediate resources to fund public services?
Or maybe collecting the debt at the end of the cycle, and granting government contracts to the CEO, is the best strategy to boost the private industries. After all, more profit; more taxes.
Then again, maybe you've had enough of these corrupt billionaires and order the business stripped for immediate resources to invest in public services, and seek to pay off the debt through a growing economy.
Consequences
Whatever your choice, you need to accept the consequences, as decisions will affect every aspect of the game from your debt goal, to narrative and gameplay… and in this line of work, you might need to rely on a good public healthcare system.
These strategic negotiation choices are supported by our economy system, which we'll cover in the next blog.
To be continued…
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