The DopeGame

(Working Title)

Overview

            Basically this game would be a drug manufacturing and distributing simulation, but not very realistic one. The way I see it, it would be a cross between Harvest Moon and Drug Wars. Visually it would be really similar to Harvest moon.

Story

          Nothing too complicated. The player controls a kid (late teens to early twenties) whom inherits his grandparent’s farm outside a suburban town. The problem is his grandparent’s had accumulated quite a bit of dept before their passing. Being from an urban area he starts making money the best way he knows how. He gets his hustle on.

Gameplay

Farm

The farm would be were all the manufacturing goes down. The player starts with a handful of common marijuana seeds. The player must plant the seeds and nature them to maturity; once grown they could be harvested and sold in town (Yield would be measured in ounces), and more seeds could be purchased.

Later on more involvement would be introduced. The player could buy chronic and kind bud seeds. The game would feature many popular strains of marijuana (Original Big Bud, Afghan, G-13, White Widow, and … these names won’t mean much to the non-stoner readers). However, marijuana would not be the only choice of product for the player to produce, after the player gains some notoriety opium and cocoa plants would become available.

Once enough capital was gained the player could built a processing building on his property. This would allow the making hashish from weed, heroin from opium, coke from cocoa, and crack from coke. The processing plant would be necessary for the opium and cocoa plants to be profitable.

A lab would also be available for the creation of synthetic drugs. With a lab methanphedamine and LSD could be made and sold.

Town

The town would be were the player sold his products, but it would play a greater roll in the game then just that. There would be legitimate shops were players could buy fertilizers and other items for greater yields, a underground head-shop where players could buy herb seeds, a science-shop where ingredients for synthetic drugs could be purchased, and a gun store where weapons could be bought.

The town would also be where connections are made. Connections are integral part of drug dealing, and therefore the game. Buy talking to people on the streets the player could gain new business partners, and people to sell to.

As the player gained clients his notoriety would grow, and people would be willing to buy more product from him. New connections would also start showing up at his farm looking to make deals. Columbians would come bearing cocoa seeds, and Arabians would bring opium seeds.

The down side to notoriety would be that cops would take interest to you. Undercover cops would show up on the street. Only through skillful communications could the player tell the difference between cops and real buyers. If the player isn’t careful in his dealings the DEA will start raiding his farm, and he’d have to fight them off, which would get more difficult as he become more infamous.

Anyone in town could be offered deals. Each drug would have addictive qualities, so someone who buys crack from you once will be more likely to buy every time you offer after that. Each person would have his or her own personality. A preacher wouldn’t be very likely to buy from you, but he’s probably report you to the police. On the other hand some kid skipping school all the time is almost guaranteed to buy some weed.

Combat

            The game would have some simple combat, so you could protect yourself from rival dealers. There would be a few different types firearms to choice from. The more expensive the deadlier. In combat the game would become turn-based, similar to Fallout. Combat would start under one of two conditions; someone attacks the player or the player attacks someone.

Weapons Types

I. Handguns

            9mm

            .45

            Uzi

II. Rifles

            Bolt action

Shotgun

            Carbine assault

Reputation

           Through the game the player would gain a reputation with different people. There would be five categories of people reputation would be gained and lost with; street dealers, street buyers, Afghans, Colombians, police, and town’s people.

            How these people felt about the player would reflect the player’s dealings with them. If he rips off street buyers (normal people in town) they won’t buy from him anymore, on the other hand if he gives them good deals they’ll buy more from him. Ripping off street dealers (like normal town people, but will buy in larger quantities) would piss them off, not only would they not buy from you, but they might attack when the player get near them. Pleasing street dealers would lead to better connections. Quality of your product would also effect noteriety with buyers. Afghans and Colombians would raid your farm if you piss them off, and sell to you cheaper if pleased.. You can only gain negative notoriety with police and town’s people. The police consequences where went over earlier. Town’s people would narc you off to the police increasing your chance of getting busted. Offering drugs to law abiding citizens would decrease your stance with them.

Since you don’t sell to Afghans or Columbians they would work on a payment system. Once you make a deal is struck the player would be required to give them a percentage of their profit. The player could choose to short them (resulting in loss of reputation), or pay extra (increasing reputation).

Conclusion

            That’s the basics. I haven’t really went in depth on how everything would work, but I believe it has the potential of a really enjoyable game, even if it’ll never be made. It’s just an idea.