So, I have this issue twice now, and it ruins te experience.
When I get into trouble, the bank offers a sort of bail-out, and you need to pay X amount back after Y period. The problem is that suddenly the bank doesn’t want X back, but 2-3 times X. I first hoped it was a error in the message, but unfortunately when the time is there to pay, they charge the big fat amount instead of the amount which was settled. Causing me to go bankrupt and throwing away another hour
Expansion idea: Game Dev Liquidator Tycoon - you start off playing the role of a small accountant in charge of liquidating bankrupt game development companies, scraping off as much on the side as you can, and eventually make your way to buying out Activision-Blizzard and turning the company around so they make something non-shit.
I’ve did some more research. This is what happens:
The bank offers me 100, and tells me to pay back 200, so double. However, when it is time to pay, not the initial amount is doubled, but the already double amount is taken, so you end up with 400 to pay instead of 200.
Say you’re 200k in the red, and they offer you 400k for you to keep going: now you only have 200k.
In a year they take back 800k - double the loan amount.
I also think it’s a bit brutal. I’ve gone bankrupt before now when I had a big selling game, and the amount the bank took in one hit bankrupted me, when if it had been staged payments or even if the bank had waited a month I would have been fine.
I feel that a proper “loan” mechanic where you pay it back monthly would be more realistic and more forgiving for the player. I think i’ve only had one game where I’ve turned it around from needing a bailout to doing really well. If you’re that much in the hole, the bailout will basically finish you off. You’re just delaying it a year.
Problem is they ask 400k, but suddenly demand 900