Don't Pull That Scaffold Out From Under Me!!

I had big plans for my video game this week.  I finally unlocked the custom production office, which contains the game's movie-making tool, and I was ready to shoot my very own movie.  The Movies is really two games in one.  There is the "tycoon"game, in which you have to manage the studio and all of your employees in order to gain supremacy in the film industry.  Then there is the movie-making game, in which you have to write, direct, produce, cast the stars, and make decisions regarding sets, and costumes.

Last week's presentation on Halo 3 got me thinking about the scaffolding in The Movies.  The tycoon facet of the game does this very well.  When I first opened my studio, a guide helped me through the beginning stages, giving me advice on what buildings I needed to construct and tips for how I could help my studio get a better overall rating.  The help slowly tapers off, but my guide always speaks up if I am neglecting my actors or if I need to build another bathroom.

For the movie-making facet of the game, all of my dreams of seeing my ideas come to life on the screen were slowed (I am currently still in production) by a lack of scaffolding.  There are tutorials I can select, but it seems to be taking a long time to get to the information that I really need.  During the process of trying to make my movie--a process that I was really looking forward to--I could feel myself becoming disengaged with the whole thing.  It left me wondering why the creators of the game didn't just use the same scaffolding model that they used for the tycoon portion of the game.

I have not given up on the movie-making yet, though.  It seems like one of those things that will be a lot of fun once I get the hang of it.  Until then, production on "Negative Transfer" will be slightly delayed...I guess this game should get a few points for being true to life.