Bug I came across:
- Income Tax <25% rise shows the cost of 18 like:
1
8
So it may need the text box extended?
Oh, and for ‘Prison Regime’, there seems to be ‘Crime’ twice, inverse to one another?
Suggestions:
Income tax:
Instead of ‘Flat Tax’, rename it “Flat Income Tax”, leaving it as it is, but rename Income Tax “Progressive Income Tax” which will have 4 staggered sliders, the PC the cost being to move one, or multiple in the same turn. I know the devs seem to not like stating specific numerical earnings, so the sections created by the sliders could be for Low, Lower-Middle, Upper-Middle, and Wealthy earners. The top marker (highest tax paid) would have to be lower than 100% minus the flat income tax rate of course (ala Downunder’s suggestion).
UBI:
Currently far too cheap, far too weak.
I’d like UBI to scale from “spending money” to “All Needs Covered” (£X per person scaled for the slider), and when you have the max out, you should have such happiness from the retired, that it’d counter then removing state pension (as the most inclusive UBI covers retirement costs) - among other welfare benefits (unemployment, food stamps, childcare). The higher on the scale UBI is, the lower all the other sliders could be without losing any net happiness from the affected groups. Or at least a net happiness increase from ‘everyone’ much like income increasing. Currently the top rate for UBI gives every voter in Britain <£150/month though so the top end in-game is literally the lowest I’d say is ‘worth’ doing UBI for.
For comparison, in the UK, it’s estimated the cost to give all adults £7.7k (gov. pension) and kids £3.5k a year it would cost (Raw) £438Bn.
Cabinet Options:
I get that within any part there are hawks and doves, and different economic ideas, but if I’ve been playing a left wing socialist government for 5 years, why would a person who is sympathetic towards Conservative Capitalists want to be on my staff and why would I want them? Perhaps the happier a group of people are with you, or the larger their population, the more likely cabinet options with those sympathies are likely to pop up. In a similar vein, it’d be nice if my starting cabinet were
Policies with Expiration dates/tied to crises?:
Just an idea, but when I was hit with a debt crisis, I introduced a flat tax of about 30% to make up the shortfall the interest created, and once I was out, I removed it. I saw it as a ‘patriot investment’ where everyone in the country had to reverse-UBI for the sake of our coffers. Maybe once you’ve given emergency powers, you can tie policies (or movement of sliders) to return once the emergency you tie it to is over? I.e Mandatory physical fitness in schools, but only until the obesity epidemic is over, etc.
Losing an Election =/= Losing the game(?):
Politicians, though usually just the party, do make comebacks, re-win elections after losing. It’d be interesting if you could ‘place’ your opposition parties on the political compass at the beginning, and should you lose an election, it’d be cool if the game allowed you to quit, or instead simulate to the next election, during which winning party pulling the nation in a direction from how you left it. After which you may be a leftist party who regains power, to find the right wing libertarians have abolished a progressive income tax for a flat one! Etc. You’d have short election-turns where you’d be able to make speeches, promises, etc like normal.
Elections could be more… Just more:
This leads on to my thoughts on the elections - unless I’ve missed something it seems there’s no real rhyme or reason to the other party votes (other than them not being you). I’d be great if the above happened, and so by placing them on the political compass they would more naturally attract certain disaffected voters - in the UK’s 2010 general election, Labour collapsed to the Young voters moving to the Liberal Democrats, and middle-income voters moving Conservative for example. It’d be great if you could strategise around ‘promising to raise pensions, because you’re trying to attract voters away from the 2nd place party, and ignoring those who’re the 3rd party, etc. Unless I’ve missed something about elections, they seem rather ‘roll to see’ situations (obviously based on your popularity).
In a similar vein, to add to the election I’d be great if instead of a set list, I could simply click a ‘Manifesto mode’ which has the exact UI, except everything (both already implemented and not) are free, and anything you do within it becomes a campaign promise. I kept wanting to promise UBI, but only being offered cutting raising unemployment - for example. I’d also say if you win a majority you should then receive a discount on the cost of what you’ve promised - in the same way that once the Conservatives won the 2019 UK General Election, the Brexit discussion was over, the policy was certain from then.
One last Thing (nit pick if anything)
Any reason why the graphs only roll back x amount of policies? I’d love to be able to scroll that bad boy back to when I took office no matter how long into the game I am.
Hope this is helpful feedback, loving the game as-is after about 6 hours on it.