Today I am going to take a deeper dive into the World Simulation Engine and what exactly makes the actors tick, in-game.
The number one personality definer in-game are the traits an actor can have. Each trait consists of multiple +/- values that effect everything from how they behave on-set and off, how they promote projects and how they interact with other talent. An actor typically has between 5 and 10 traits.
Traits are broken up into "Positive", "Neutral" and "Negative" categories and effect the in-game world in many different ways. Below are a few examples of trait effects:
Trait
In-Game Effect
Bankable
+5% to +15% box office multiplier based on fame, +10 to +20 hype when cast, rival studios value them more when greenlighting/casting, salary ask +10%.
Audience Favorite
+0.08 weekly TV rating, better tabloid positivity, fewer negative headlines, better late-night outcomes, lower off-rails chance, reduced scandal backlash, small box office lift.
Charismatic
Strong late-night boost, stronger trailer impact, major chemistry bonus, small box office lift.
Easy To Work With
Lower production/conflict/on-set issue chance, faster relationship growth, better nudity clause acceptance, steadier filming quality, small filming quality bonus.
Professional
Lower production/conflict chance, reduced quality variance, steadier filming, faster career growth, better nudity clause acceptance.
Diva
Higher conflict and production event chance, more perk demand, co-star quality penalty, co-star relationship penalty, salary ask increase.
Overpaid
Salary ask +25% to +50% based on fame, rival studios are less willing to cast/greenlight, underwhelming films take an extra box office penalty.
Chaotic
Higher production/conflict/chaos chance, much higher late-night off-rails chance, wider quality variance.
Inconsistent
Much wider performance quality variance, higher chance of extreme outcomes, weaker filming stability, higher production event chance.
Known Addict
High absenteeism, risk overhead, tabloid heat, production event chance, and scandal backlash.
Method Actor
Higher performance potential and filming quality, but higher production/conflict/delay/injury risk and weaker director interest.
Versatile
Reduced genre mismatch penalties, faster career growth, casting interest boost.
Traits can be gained and lost as time goes on. For instance, as actors age and accumulate an acclaimed filmography, they can earn the Highly Respected trait. Traits will directly effect production of a project. So be mindful when negotiating with talent. There are many different factors at play when negotiating with talent however, so it is certainly possible to sign a difficult actor and still have a relatively smooth production process.
Relationships are tracked in-game at two levels. "Pair Relationships" between two actors, and "Actor Social Profile" for each actor. Social profile will effect what type of relationships an actor will have with various people, although this is not a hard limit. Meaning actors that are generally difficult can still have good relationships with people. Traits play a heavy role in the Social Profile.
Pair Relationships are the interactions between two actors and cover everything from small interactions to feuds to romances, keeping a shared history of everything. Every interaction between two actors will have a +/- effect on their relationship. Sometimes small, other times large. As more interactions happen and the relationship grows, the relationship will branch into either a friendship or a romance, usually depending on the interactions preceeding it.
Conversely, relationships can go the opposite way with a lot of negative interactions between actors causing discontent between them, eventually leading to feuds and rivalries that can carry on for years, across projects and appearances. Rivalries can have cascading effects and involve other actors. For instance, if an actor is in a clique with other actors, the clique members will also have a negative relationship with the rivaled actor. Speaking of cliques, or groups, they can form naturally in-game as time goes on. They are relatively rare and need a bit of a perfect storm to come together, but they can be powerful.
If popular enough, the group can capture "lightning in a bottle" if they work together at the height of their fame, giving boosts to projects they appear in together. Too much of a good thing though will cause the audience to sour on seeing them paired together so often, leading to diminishing returns if not spaced out properly. The groups can range from 4 - 6 members and there is a limited number of groups in the game at one time. Relationships spill over on-set. Either growing or changing an existing relationship or have new ones form. Working together on sets is a great way for actors to get to know each other. Sometimes on-set chemistry can really click, so much so, the production begins to generate more hype earlier, as word spreads of the fun on-set atmosphere.
This works in reverse as well if on-set chemistry is terrible. The production has a chance to become tabloid fodder for its behind the scenes antics, and conequently harming the final box office.
Romances happen organically in-game and go through different stages as the actors relationships progress.
Much like in real life, actors can date, break-up, get married, get divorced, stay together but never marry, become widowed or have affairs. Their romance status can effect their performances in-game. An actor going through a bad break-up or divorce might not be giving their best performances. Some traits combat this, such as Professional and Respected. This works in reverse as well. An actor in love may deliver great performances. When actors wed it can become a top tabloid story. Their weddings will be attended by other people they have relationships with. Sometimes an actor can choose to take their spouses surname, then change it back if they separate. Affairs can and do happen and depending on those involved and their fame level, it can become a big story. Affairs have an immediate effect on the relationships of those involved and can quickly hinder an actors performance while active in a project.
When an actor dies, it isn't just a one-off event. Depending on their status in the industry, their fame level and relationships, there is a period of industry mourning for the fallen actor.
Those with relationships with the deceased can ask for days off from production to attend funerals and pay their respects. Spouses become widowed and become available to romantic interactions from others again.
Organic biographies keep updating as different events happen in the actors life, such as winning awards, become widely known for a specific role, who they are dating, or who they are close friends with.
Late night talk show appearances are an important part of promoting a project, but sending the right actors is crucial. Traits play a big role in how the overall tone of the interview plays out.
You can "watch" the interview run in live time in a question, then answer format. Or skip to the end and read the transcript. Good interviews provide boosts to the hype of a project and a small amount of star points for the actor. Events can also happen backstage or even on-air between different actors or the host and an actor, effecting relationships. Like on-air skits an actor takes part in for the show, for example.
There is a lot more involved with the world simulation and a few surprises you'll just have to see for yourself, but I tried to provide a clear overview of a lot of the main points and ideas. Please reach out if you'd like to know more or have anything explained further! Mark | PrattDesign