In accordance with the previously announced time for some more specific information about the changes planned in the next version of BF2 marked passes 0.8.2. It focused mainly on improving the balance of the game. Balance which is extensively and on a few essential for game elements.
Profits of movies
The main problem of recent versions has been the poor balance of profits generated by videos. This was manifested by problems with generating returns from films about genres, where large financial outlays were needed (e.g. for a studio, related to special effects). Therefore, such films, despite decent ratings (3*) had problems with the return of expenditures incurred on them. The new version tries to solve this problem.
One of the biggest challenges of properly balancing the profits generated by the videos was to make it easier for the game in the initial phase of the game (so that after one unsuccessful video the player would not go bankrupt), and at the same time not to lead to the situation that well-constructed films bring horrendously high profits later in the game.
I tried to modify the profit algorithms so that in a situation where the film fails (it receives a poor rating), the losses it will generate are not too severe (assuming, of course, a reasonable approach to its production) and allow for the creation of another film. On the other hand, so that the profits were not too large and it was required to systematically make a fortune, allowing for hiring better and better actors and investing in studios.
Ratings of movies
The algorithms for rating films by critics have also been modified. I tried to balance them even better, taking into account the parameters of the script, the target group, the number and parameters of the creators and their performance in a specific film. A 3* rating is not a bad rating. A 5* film is not easy to shoot and generally it is supposed to be (do not worry about the fact that after producing 10 films, you may still not succeed in this art).
Festivals
The films of virtual players (not to be confused with computer ones) nominated for festivals will not be so perfect. Therefore, it should be a bit easier to win prizes. At the same time, "a bit easier" does not mean, of course, that it is easy. Still winning the Oscar or the Palme d'Or should be a huge event for the player.
The algorithms for awarding the prizes themselves have also been modified to make them less unambiguous (a greater chance for the awards to be won by slightly more diverse productions).
Sundance
Changes in recent versions regarding the Sundance Festival limiting the maximum budget of the film that could be nominated for this award meant that it ceased to fulfill its function. On the one hand, it had quite high entry requirements (a 4-star film, and not very popular creators), on the other hand, the limitation of the film's costs meant that in practice, players did not win awards in the later phase of the game, when they had a larger budget and produced more expensive films.
Hence, I lowered the entry rating for this festival. As of version 0.8.2, films that can be nominated (and in theory win an award) can have a rating of 3*.
This will increase realism (Sundance winners are not always good films) and in addition, it will allow you to really experiment with young creators, and additionally make it easier to earn prestige points (even for nominations).
Unlocking genres
Speaking of prestige points, in the new version, I have drastically lowered their threshold necessary to unlock another species (on the basis of which you can create your own scenarios). Now more species will be available every 5 points. So to unlock the last genre in the game, instead of the 1000 points that had to be accumulated so far, 90 is enough.
This change is partly due to the more difficult rewards than in version 0.7.x and the fact that some people want to have access to all genres as soon as possible to create their own scenarios (and not laboriously unlock them throughout the game).
Party Game
I received information from you that the game in recent versions has become a bit more difficult (m.in due to dividends), which seems to be a problem, especially for new players. So I decided that one of the game modes will be a bit simpler. The choice fell on a party game. After all, as the name suggests, you should not stress too much during it. In this mode, there will be no dividend payments, which should, on the one hand, be a great convenience, on the other, allow for stress-free gameplay in the event that a larger number of players controlled by people take part in the game.
Reviews
Other novelties introduced in the next version will be new types of elements and the elements themselves reviews. Two types of review items have been added. They concern the description and evaluation of 2 actors associated with a specific type of role: foreground, supporting or episodic.
There are also over 300 new elements from which reviews are built, which will make them even more diverse.
Here are the most important modifications and changes that await you in the next version. Of course, I encourage you to share your opinions about what you think about them.