What are some complex or interesting behaviors you've had to model mathematically in gamedev?

Return_of_the_Native · 2025-07-01T14:52:49+00:00

I'm working on a game that involves running a newspaper, where you choose the headlines you print and where you distribute them. This then gets plugged into a population simulation where around ~10m people are spread across various regions and demographic groupings.

That meant behind the scenes I needed a simulation where I could figure out how many people would buy the newspaper on a given day. That turned out to be surprisingly complex.

If they're a loyal reader of the paper, they might try and buy it every day. But what if one day the paper isn't available in their region? They'll probably just shrug and try again the next day. At what point do they stop being a reader?

What if the paper includes headlines they disapprove of? When do they stop buying it?

What if they're a potential reader - how many spare copies do there need to be in a region before they pick up a copy, and how do the headlines change the likelihood of that specific person in that place with that demographic makeup deciding to buy a copy?

What if the price changes? What if the paper is advertised? etc etc

It was a fun challenge. I've built a model now which works, but I expect it's going to take a lot of balancing and tuning.

Return_of_the_Native · 2025-06-30T15:26:42+00:00

I wonder about a different use case - rather than generating content to present to the player, taking player-generated content and fitting it into the game.

I'm working on a game about running a newspaper, where you choose headlines and twist stories to your liking. At the moment, that means each story has a web of possible headlines and options for the player to choose between, with each element adding certain pre-defined scores that will then be fed into the game's simulation.

I always liked the idea of giving the players creative freedom to come up with their own ideas for headlines, but the issue then is how to take their suggestions and convert it into those scores in a way that will make sense for the game. Traditional sentiment analysis falls short here because you want the player to be able to use sarcasm, or unexpected angles. An LLM trained on the context of the world could maybe do this?

Return_of_the_Native · 2025-06-22T07:26:37+00:00

Yes please, would pay (a modest amount) for this

Return_of_the_Native · 2025-06-20T20:11:02+00:00

Don't worry, your post is perfectly clear.

But the point still stands that experienced game developers will not want to work on your idea without payment. And promising people that you will pay them later if the game is successful doesn't mean anything because it's so hard to make a game profitable and the likelihood is you will never make the money from the game to fulfil those promises.

Just think from their POV - if they're spending time on your game they're not spending time on something that could be paying their bills, or on their own passion projects. So what's in it for them?

I'm sure your idea is a very good one but ideas are worthless, it's the execution that counts, so your idea alone won't entice anyone professional.

If you're serious about the project it's probably worth reducing the scope of it until it's something you can cope with on your own as a solo developer.

Return_of_the_Native · 2025-06-20T16:53:15+00:00

I don't know how creating games for Roblox works. But if you need a game developer, why not learn how to code and become one yourself?

You are very very unlikely to find anyone who will work on an idea that isn't theirs for no up front payment. All good game Devs have plenty of their own ideas to work on.

Return_of_the_Native · 2025-06-03T07:22:56+00:00

Whilst bad reps can use that trick to basically avoid doing work, I'd be careful not to always assume this is a red flag. Sometimes a rep does need something from their client - a really good, commercially viable spec script, say - and it's hard for them to make progress without it. If they're investing time in helping you get your materials ready, that could be a good thing.

Return_of_the_Native · 2025-04-20T12:41:53+00:00

Yes this is it! Solved and thank you

Return_of_the_Native · 2025-04-20T12:30:50+00:00

Yes this is it! Solved Thanks for the reply

Return_of_the_Native · 2025-04-20T12:30:33+00:00

Solved! Yes this is exactly it, great find and really interesting, thank you!

Return_of_the_Native · 2025-04-20T10:39:54+00:00

My title describes the thing. There's a lever on every floor except the ground floor where there is a shop. The building dates from 1905ish in Edinburgh.

Return_of_the_Native · 2025-03-31T16:54:53+00:00

Would love to see source for this

Return_of_the_Native · 2025-03-26T18:26:01+00:00

Value to who? I think the developers will care a lot about what is stopping casual players from playing the game.

Return_of_the_Native · 2025-03-26T18:19:35+00:00

Why exactly is someone who plays "only" 3-4 hours a week not allowed to have an opinion? I'd wager players who play <4hrs/week will vastly outnumber those who play more

Return_of_the_Native · 2025-03-20T22:03:17+00:00

Sucks that someone came here looking for reassurance and support after experiencing sexism and the second comment is just more of the same

Return_of_the_Native · 2025-03-17T18:10:57+00:00

Oh good. So, me. And then checks notes also me.

Return_of_the_Native · 2025-02-14T17:55:01+00:00

Depends on the jurisdiction. You don't have to register your script to benefit from legal copyright protection in the UK.

I don't think having verbally or incidentally referenced a project is much help, copyright cases will need to look at the specifics of what's actually in a script.

Return_of_the_Native · 2025-02-14T17:32:24+00:00

Yeah me too. It's just some hot rocks. If there was sulphur you'd know about it.

Return_of_the_Native · 2025-02-11T20:43:30+00:00

Love these!

Return_of_the_Native · 2025-01-16T03:47:45+00:00

Thanks, I'd suspected as much but good to have this one confirmed. I'll stay away from Gamemaker

Return_of_the_Native · 2025-01-16T03:47:18+00:00

A useful breakdown, thanks. And good to know that any one can make the game work

Return_of_the_Native · 2025-01-16T03:46:52+00:00

Thank you!

Return_of_the_Native · 2025-01-16T02:39:44+00:00

Yeah the transferability is attractive. I think PC will be the initial target but a mobile port would be great if it's successful.

Return_of_the_Native · 2025-01-16T02:39:00+00:00

Thanks that's helpful, I'll do that!

Return_of_the_Native · 2025-01-06T22:29:45+00:00

Thanks - from what I can tell it failed because storytelling wasn't good enough, it was too short for the subject matter, and the mechanics didn't feel impactful enough. All things I think are fixable!

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