Mad TV (computer game)
Encyclopedia
Mad TV is a television station
management simulation computer game produced in 1991 by Rainbow Arts
. The game puts the player in the role of a new program director
for a TV station. The player is in charge of selecting programming and earning advertising for the station, while simultaneously trying to marry Betty, an attractive woman working in the building.
For each day, the player must program seven hours of television and provide an advertisement block for each of those programs. The game offers many options to fill programming, such as purchasing the rights to classic movies and shows, or by producing your own shows. However, programming must be regularly cycled, otherwise it gets stale with the audience and produces low ratings.
Advertising is also offered via contracts, which require certain rating marks to pay out. For example, a contract for Nike
might pay better than one for a local business, but the Nike contract will require substantially more viewers. Access to more viewers can be achieved by buying more transmitters and satellites.
The player competes against two other television stations, run by computer-controlled program directors, in the same building. These program directors inhabit the same space and locations as the player, and they can directly influence the game by outbidding the player for certain movies or sabotaging programming lineups.
The eventual goal of the game is to win Betty's love. She is a cultural reporter who works on the top floor of the building. The other television station directors are also competing for Betty. Her affection rises when the player airs her culture program or buys her gifts, ranging from fur coats to diamond
rings. Furthermore Betty's love depends indirectly on the reputation the player has (which in turn depends on several factors such as ratings). Her affection level will never outrun the player's reputation level, so there is no use in simply pleasing her and neglecting the audience.
. Much of the in-game text features typos and Denglisch
.
Also it includes some bugs because of the port from the Amiga
to PC
.
Television station
A television station is a business, organisation or other such as an amateur television operator that transmits content over terrestrial television. A television transmission can be by analog television signals or, more recently, by digital television. Broadcast television systems standards are...
management simulation computer game produced in 1991 by Rainbow Arts
Rainbow Arts
Rainbow Arts is a German game developer company founded in 1984 in Gütersloh by Marc Ulrich which was later bought by Funsoft, and eventually absorbed by THQ in 1999...
. The game puts the player in the role of a new program director
Program director
In service industries, such as education, a program director or programme director researches, plans, develops and implements one or more of the firm's professional services...
for a TV station. The player is in charge of selecting programming and earning advertising for the station, while simultaneously trying to marry Betty, an attractive woman working in the building.
Gameplay
The main interface of the game involves moving a thin man through a multistory building via mouse clicks. By clicking on various doors, the player's character can enter other locations, which are portrayed in cut scenes. Each day is timed, and after eight game hours the day of programming ends.For each day, the player must program seven hours of television and provide an advertisement block for each of those programs. The game offers many options to fill programming, such as purchasing the rights to classic movies and shows, or by producing your own shows. However, programming must be regularly cycled, otherwise it gets stale with the audience and produces low ratings.
Advertising is also offered via contracts, which require certain rating marks to pay out. For example, a contract for Nike
Nike, Inc.
Nike, Inc. is a major publicly traded sportswear and equipment supplier based in the United States. The company is headquartered near Beaverton, Oregon, which is part of the Portland metropolitan area...
might pay better than one for a local business, but the Nike contract will require substantially more viewers. Access to more viewers can be achieved by buying more transmitters and satellites.
The player competes against two other television stations, run by computer-controlled program directors, in the same building. These program directors inhabit the same space and locations as the player, and they can directly influence the game by outbidding the player for certain movies or sabotaging programming lineups.
The eventual goal of the game is to win Betty's love. She is a cultural reporter who works on the top floor of the building. The other television station directors are also competing for Betty. Her affection rises when the player airs her culture program or buys her gifts, ranging from fur coats to diamond
Diamond
In mineralogy, diamond is an allotrope of carbon, where the carbon atoms are arranged in a variation of the face-centered cubic crystal structure called a diamond lattice. Diamond is less stable than graphite, but the conversion rate from diamond to graphite is negligible at ambient conditions...
rings. Furthermore Betty's love depends indirectly on the reputation the player has (which in turn depends on several factors such as ratings). Her affection level will never outrun the player's reputation level, so there is no use in simply pleasing her and neglecting the audience.
Gameplay issues
The game also suffers from many translation issues, resulting from its origin as a game originally produced in GermanyGermany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. Much of the in-game text features typos and Denglisch
Denglisch
Denglisch or Denglish is a portmanteau of the German words Deutsch and Englisch. Used in all German-speaking and Dutch-speaking countries, it describes an influx of English, or pseudo-English, vocabulary into the German or Dutch language through travel and the widespread usage of English in...
.
Also it includes some bugs because of the port from the Amiga
Amiga
The Amiga is a family of personal computers that was sold by Commodore in the 1980s and 1990s. The first model was launched in 1985 as a high-end home computer and became popular for its graphical, audio and multi-tasking abilities...
to PC
Personal computer
A personal computer is any general-purpose computer whose size, capabilities, and original sales price make it useful for individuals, and which is intended to be operated directly by an end-user with no intervening computer operator...
.