''Mad TV'' is a
television station
A television station is a set of equipment managed by a business, organisation or other entity such as an amateur television (ATV) operator, that transmits video content and audio content via radio waves directly from a transmitter on the earth's s ...
management simulation
video game
A video game or computer game is an electronic game that involves interaction with a user interface or input device (such as a joystick, game controller, controller, computer keyboard, keyboard, or motion sensing device) to generate visual fe ...
published in 1991 by
Rainbow Arts
Rainbow Arts Software GmbH was a German video game publisher based in Gütersloh. The company was founded in 1984 by Marc Ullrich and Thomas Meiertoberens and acquired by Rushware in 1986. The company's decline began in the early 1990s: The dis ...
. The game puts the player in the role of a new
program director
In service industries, such as education, a program manager or program director researches, plans, develops and implements one or more of the firm's professional services. For example, in education, a program director is responsible for developing ...
for a TV station. The player is in charge of selecting programming and earning advertising for the station, while simultaneously trying to marry Betty, an attractive woman working in the building.
Gameplay
The main interface of the game involves moving a thin man through a multistory building via mouse clicks. By clicking on various doors, the player's character can enter other locations, which are portrayed in
cut scene
A cutscene or event scene (sometimes in-game cinematic or in-game movie) is a sequence in a video game that is not interactive, interrupting the gameplay. Such scenes are used to show conversations between characters, set the mood, reward the ...
s. Each day is timed, and after eight game hours the day of programming ends.
For each day, the player must program seven hours of television and provide an advertisement block for each of those programs. The game offers many options to fill programming, such as purchasing the rights to classic movies and shows, or by producing your own shows. However, programming must be regularly cycled, otherwise it gets stale with the audience and produces low ratings.
Advertising is also offered via
contracts
A contract is an agreement that specifies certain legally enforceable rights and obligations pertaining to two or more parties. A contract typically involves consent to transfer of goods, services, money, or promise to transfer any of thos ...
, which require certain rating marks to pay out. For example, a contract for
Nike
Nike often refers to:
* Nike, Inc., a major American producer of athletic shoes, apparel, and sports equipment
* Nike (mythology), a Greek goddess who personifies victory
Nike may also refer to:
People
* Nike (name), a surname and feminine giv ...
might pay better than one for a local business, but the Nike contract will require substantially more viewers. Access to more viewers can be achieved by buying more transmitters and satellites.
The player competes against two other television stations, run by computer-controlled program directors, in the same building. These program directors inhabit the same space and locations as the player, and they can directly influence the game by outbidding the player for certain movies or sabotaging programming lineups.
The eventual goal of the game is to win Betty's love. She is a cultural reporter who works on the top floor of the building. The other television station directors are also competing for Betty. Her affection rises when the player airs her culture program or buys her gifts, ranging from
fur coats to
diamond
Diamond is a Allotropes of carbon, solid form of the element carbon with its atoms arranged in a crystal structure called diamond cubic. Diamond is tasteless, odourless, strong, brittle solid, colourless in pure form, a poor conductor of e ...
rings. Furthermore, Betty's love depends indirectly on the reputation the player has (which in turn depends on several factors such as ratings). Her affection level will never outrun the player's reputation level, so there is no use in simply pleasing her and neglecting the audience.
Unfortunately cultural programs are not popular; airing only Betty's favorites will cause bankruptcy. The player has to balance his budget.
The game suffers from text translation issues, resulting from its origin as a game originally produced in
Germany
Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
. Much of the in-game text features typos and
Denglisch
Denglisch () is a term describing the increased use of anglicisms and pseudo-anglicisms in the German language. It is a portmanteau of the German words (''German'') and . The term is first recorded from 1965.Lambert, James. 2018. A multit ...
.
Legacy
The sequel, ''Mad TV 2'', was only released in Germany. In 2001 ''Mad TV'' and also ''Mad TV 2'' were released as
freeware
Freeware is software, often proprietary, that is distributed at no monetary cost to the end user. There is no agreed-upon set of rights, license, or EULA that defines ''freeware'' unambiguously; every publisher defines its own rules for the free ...
.
Mad TV
on chip.de
See also
* '' M.U.D. TV'', another television station simulation game
References
External links
* {{Lemon Amiga game, id=707
1991 video games
Amiga games
Business simulation games
DOS games
Europe-exclusive video games
Rainbow Arts games
Single-player video games
Video games developed in Germany