Have we considered making serious, adult animated films?
that's a really NOT disney thing. We're aimed at children, families and for-all-ages.
We don't really have a reason to try to aim at that demographic too. Not yet.
now, I'm back! Let's see...
-[*] Clean Cars: You had this marked down as part of the Tomorrowland update, so it's probably a good idea to get to work on this. With the literal death of the planet looming, you have companies lining up at your door to help on this, as well as several prominent green tech research groups offering to let you take a peek at the future of batteries. Might be worthwhile to see if you can't make the cars run on electric and stick solar panels on the station. {CONSERVATION}
DC: 20.
Benefits: Increased ride reliability and popularity, good PR from conservation efforts. +5 to Eisner/Disney relationship.
Results: 100+25, Dice explode. 61+25, total 211. Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious success.
The problem, your imagineers tell you, is getting batteries that can be recharged, but that also have enough oomph to get the cars around the track more than once (the collective facepalm when you asked about a monorail-style powered track as they talked about batteries were amusing, even if that idea did have a few more problems than would let it be truly feasible). So once more, the imagineers ventured out into the scientific world for help. What they ended up getting was a nickel metal hydride battery, one that lasted longer the more times you charged it. They even managed to get in contact with a group that was claiming 84% efficiency after four thousand charges, something that seemed extremely valuable for the Autopia cars. More importantly, they've learned to ask forgiveness instead of permission, and have already left the tech with the other scientists, meaning the board can't gripe at you for having the tech slip into the world. There's already talks of fully electric cars springing up, with so-called hybrids that use electricity to offset gas usage now under testing. You get another wave of PR, and Roy is nearly in tears from seeing how beloved Disney is once again. Huge PR boost, +10 to Eisner/Disney relationship. Battery technology applied to ride and a few others, battery technology spread and adopted en masse as car manufacturers find a way to offset the use of gas. Economic crisis partially resolved as car companies rebound.
...what a way to start!
we got the batteries that, in the car industry, pretty much were the immediate precursors to the lithium-ion tesla uses.
THESE are the batteries the later version of the General Motors EV1 used (1996-1999)!
The first consumer-grade NiMH cells became commercially available in 1989.
[8]
They won't be as good as the tesla batteries, or even the batteries of most other electric cars of today (at least not any time soon). but they're also supposed to be cheaper, and I think they're actually still used today in some hybrid cars,
Prior all-electric plug-in vehicles included the
General Motors EV1, first-generation
Toyota RAV4 EV,
Honda EV Plus,
Ford Ranger EV and
Vectrix scooter. Every first generation
hybrid vehicle used NIMH batteries, most notably the
Toyota Prius and
Honda Insight, as well as later models including the
Ford Escape Hybrid,
Chevrolet Malibu Hybrid and
Honda Civic Hybrid also use them.
All in all this is at least a 10 year jump into the future I think, and it should also help in making renewables more viable. Great start!
Sub vote for exchange program. Gain Yokoi Gunpei in exchange, a general advisor with +5 to research rolls and +10 to videogame rolls. Gunpei will never join office politics.
-[] One of your newer imagineers. Will automate recruiting new imagineers for advisor roles, gaining one per year.
-[] One of your advising imagineers. Will develop closer ties to Nintendo, and give additional traits to the imagineer sent, but lose the imagineer sent for a year.
—[] Tony.
—[] Tim.
—[] Marty.
-[] Don Bluth. He's been making puppy dog eyes around you. Will greatly develop closer ties to Nintendo, and max out your relationship with Don. There's practically guaranteed to be Nintendo games using Disney characters if Don goes over, and he'll likely pick up some interesting insights and traits while there. However, you'll lose Don for a year, even if that does mean he won't get into any arguments.
...ok, who IS this "legendary" man?
He was a long-time
Nintendo employee, best known as creator of the
Game & Watch handheld system, inventor of the "cross" shaped
Control Pad, the original designer of the
Game Boy, and producer of a few long-running and critically acclaimed video game franchises, such as
Metroid and
Kid Icarus.
Yokoi said, "The Nintendo way of adapting technology is not to look for the state of the art but to utilize mature technology that can be mass-produced cheaply."
[11] He articulated his philosophy of "Lateral Thinking of Withered Technology" (枯れた技術の水平思考, "Kareta Gijutsu no Suihei Shikō") (also translated as "Lateral Thinking with Seasoned Technology") in the book
Yokoi Gunpei Game House. "Withered technology" in this context refers to a mature technology which is cheap and well understood. "
Lateral thinking" refers to finding radical new ways of using such technology. Yokoi held that toys and games do not necessarily require cutting edge technology; novel and fun
gameplay are more important. In the interview he suggested that expensive cutting edge technology can get in the way of developing a new product.
[14]
Game & Watch was developed based on this philosophy.
[15] At the time of its development,
Sharp and
Casio were fiercely competing in the digital
calculator market. For this reason, there was a glut of
liquid crystal displays and
semiconductors. The "lateral thinking" was to find an original and fun use for this cheap and abundant technology. The Game Boy and NES were developed under a similar philosophy.
[16] In the handheld market, Yokoi's refusal to adopt a color display for the Game Boy in favor of long battery life is cited as the main reason it prevailed against Sega's
Game Gear and the
Atari Lynx.
[16]
...
Damn, this guy's a genius! Nintendo must really respect us a lot!
We HAVE to answer in kind, and only our best will do!
-[x] Don Bluth. He's been making puppy dog eyes around you. Will greatly develop closer ties to Nintendo, and max out your relationship with Don. There's practically guaranteed to be Nintendo games using Disney characters if Don goes over, and he'll likely pick up some interesting insights and traits while there. However, you'll lose Don for a year, even if that does mean he won't get into any arguments.
high cost, as he's really usefull and losing him for a year will hurt...but we gain a lot. Once he gets back we'll probably get all kinds of new bonuses regarding both animation and videogames.
Then, at the time when Merlin would normally appear, instead the Old Man comes out and takes the sword. He examines it for a moment, before Link walks out and he hands the sword to him, saying only "It's dangerous to go alone. Take this."
ok, THAT's funny
-[*] A New Ride is Brewing: The Black Cauldron movie wasn't just a hit, it was a phenomena. It only makes sense to try and turn it into a ride. {PLANNING}
DC: 60.
Benefits: Skip planning stage for A New Ride and move directly to construction phase. Ride will be based on The Black Cauldron.
Results: 01+20+20+20+5+10, 76. Critical Failcess.
You look at the sketches and plans the imagineers have put on your desk. "So what you're saying is, you came up with a great ride system." Nods. "Kept adding to it." More nods. "And not until you had finished drawing out all the plans did you realize that the computing power we have available isn't enough, and won't be for three whole years." Sheepish looks, but also hesitant nods. You heave a sigh and gently rest your head on your desk. Ride plans finished, but construction can't begin for 3 years.
-[] Back to the drawing board. Scrap the plans and work on some new ones.
-[] Wait on the tech. It worked for Space Mountain, it'll work here.
mh...I'm uncertain.
On the one hand, we're going to have fewer actions next turn, so having to retake this is a bit of a bother
On the other hand, we're done with many of our board goals, so we
should be able to afford it, and we don't want to have our own properties take THAT much of a backseat compared to Nintendo's ones...
oh well
-[x] Back to the drawing board. Scrap the plans and work on some new ones.
-5 Board Approval, Ride closed pending new sponsor.
@Slynnwen question, is Disney simply unable to have a ride work without a sponsor? What do sponsors actually DO in regard to the ride? What do they offer/get?
-[] All aboard the nautilus. People (or your imagineers, at least) seem to love Verne, and you don't want to deny them.
-[] A chance to bail. A good chunk of 20,000 theming, but not so much that you can't replace it should the public's love of Verne wear off.
-[] Above the waves. The love for Verne is just a fad, and avoiding it entirely will stand you in good stead.
-[x] All aboard the nautilus. People (or your imagineers, at least) seem to love Verne, and you don't want to deny them.
We might as well push for the synergy with Journey to The center of the Earth.
Also Vernes' works are immortal. We could always make some movies or cartoons about them if interests for it lowers too much.
I mean, an animated series about the underwater travels of the Nautilus has A LOT of potential I think.
-[*] A Nintendo Series: You've got the rights for Nintendo, you've got ideas, perhaps it's time to put pen to paper and get a new show based on a Nintendo character out there.
DC: 25
Benefits: Closer ties with Nintendo, decent impact on improving Disney channel (3d6).
Results: 04+5+10+10, 29. Bare success.
Sadly, you can't get your ideas onto paper properly. When you try to explain them, you fail for all but one. You can't help but think there's something missing. Maybe you should try and learn Japanese to talk to the creators? If nothing else, it'll help you manage your connections to Nintendo. +9 (6,2,1) to Disney Channel quality. Further attempts at Nintendo Series and Films are locked until you have at least an intermediate level of Japanese learned. Sub vote on which game a series is made from.
-[] Metroid. Something about the sci-fi game made it easier to explain, perhaps the work on the new ride.
-[] Mario. The simplicity and slight surrealism spoke to you, and let the ideas flow easier.
-[] The Legend of Zelda. If there's one thing Disney knows, it's fantasy.
We REALLY need to learn BOTH French and Japanese. I was already thinking it, this just makes it more urgent. Hopefully we should have the time to start next year.
Also I'll go with Zelda. Metroid works better as a film than a series I think anyway. Maybe we can have Don Bluth make a Metroid movie once he gets back from Nintendo?
-[x] The Legend of Zelda. If there's one thing Disney knows, it's fantasy.
-[*] A New Hotel: The board has asked you to start working on a number of hotels this year. It's time to knuckle down and start working on some major expansions here, just so you can handle the increased guest flow. {PLANNING}
DC: 10 per success, requires 10/15/20 successes, for value/moderate/deluxe level resort.
Benefits: Move to Groundbreaking Stage.
Results: 26+20+20+20+10, 96. 9+1 total successes.
Well, the board is scared about the recession, so this might be the last new hotel you start work on this year. Still, you put your nose to the grindstone and begin the plans for a new hotel. After the comments on the Grand Floridian, you're considering a cheaper option, but you could always go for a higher goal again. Though, with Elizabeth staying on… 10 total successes on planning a new hotel, sub vote on type, further planning continued in "Everyone Can Stay, Part 1."
-[] Value.
-[] Moderate.
-[] Deluxe.
Well, we have Elizabeth, and we're paying good money (and board points) for her, so we might as well use her.
-[x] Value.
Results: 71+20+20+20+10+10, 151. 15+1 successes, overflow into Groundbreaking. 9/20 total successes.
Jerry handles the rest of the planning with gusto, knocking out the details with ease thanks to your well developed maps and moving straight into the groundbreaking. Perhaps your work with Elizabeth has made you too used to this sort of thing, as Jerry seems slightly put out when you aren't surprised at his progress. 9/20 Groundbreaking successes achieved for The Grand Floridian.
Poor Jerry
-[*] Continue Planning a New Resort (Lille, France): You've finally got a location down, now it's time to start getting to the nitty gritty details. Some people were a bit surprised about the exact placement, but given how cheap the land is here, and the fact that it's liable to become a European hub once the chunnel gets done, you think it's the best choice. {PLANNING}
DC: 15 per success, requires 50 total successes. 22/50 successes. +30 to rolls on this project. Reroll rolls below 10 this turn.
Benefits: Move to Groundbreaking.
Results: 99+20+10+30, dice explode. 60+20+10+30, 279. 18+1 successes, 41 total successes.
Hoo-boy, this quarter advanced the plans in Lille quite a bit. Working on a Verne ride appears to have spurred Tony and Tim on to new heights, and they dropped an entire binder of plans on your desk. Following that, the business with Chernobyl meant that you could get the land for dirt cheap. You'd be surprised if you weren't going into the nitty gritty details by the end of the year, or even next quarter. Or you could take a break from the project to focus on some other things, if you wanted. The board's going to be pleased either way. 41/50 total successes on the resort at Lille. Naming sub vote. +2 reception from excellent planning.
-[] EuroDisney.
-[] Disney France.
-[] Lille Disney.
-[] Write-In.
Weeeeeeeeeeee!
well, other than against Eurodisney (mostly because i want a name that's more "French" than "Europe" I don't have a really strong preference.
I'll go with Disney France, as it's pretty unlikely we're going to build another park in France anytime soon. Next time it will probably be Germany, Spain or Italy (if we're keeping to Europe)
-[*] Making Time: While they have said you're unlikely to beat Reagan for man of the year, they do want to run a piece on you. This could be a good way to get the word out about some things.
DC: (25-10), 15.
Benefits: PR boost, gain traits depending on roll and interview answers.
Results: 93+5+??, ???. Fantasmic success.
Time is thrilled when you mention that you're able to come in, and you make a note on your calendar. They asked if you'd share Man of the Year with Reagan, which to be honest, you'd be more than okay with. You're not sure how the President would feel about it, but given the Autopia update and knock on effects from that, hopefully he's not still too mad at you. Although Carl did mention that this was a decent opportunity to get the NASA letter to a magazine that'd publish it… Continued in "Why is this mouse smiling?"
-[*] Houston, We Have a Problem: There's a letter on your desk from NASA detailing a massive breakdown of management. You've been asked to help. It's up to you whether or not you do so.
DC: (50-10), 40.
Benefits: Hopefully, you fix the problems at NASA. Of course, you might get quite the boost from this, or you might never be known for it. It all depends on how this goes.
Results: 100+5, dice explode. 37+5, 147. Fantasmic success.
You spend many nights poring over the letter, trying to figure out how to address it. You're about to call a meeting with all your advisors when Carl Sagan comes into your office, asking about something involving Cosmic Odyssey. You look up, and a plan clicks into place.
"Carl, take a look at this, will you?" You say as you hand him the letter.
"Sure, Mike, but what… is… it…" He trails off. Continued in "Mission Control."
Also, WE GOT PR MAXED OUT!
-[x] Disney France.
