Idea for Tron city builder game where you can build your own Grid only by writing code and executing terminal commands
For a long time I thought that Tron setting would make for an amazing city builder game, but I used to imagine it like a generic city builder game where you have a conventional UI interface that allows you to drag-and-drop buildings and such.
But I think it would be way better and more unique if you had to build your own Grid exclusively by writing code in some simple programming language made for the game, or by executing UNIX-like commands inside of a terminal. Wanna derezz a malfunctioning or rebel program? You have to run a command that makes a sentry guard program on a recognizer go after it. Wanna have a new program living in your Grid? You have to write out actual code for it where you specify what that program does. Of course you don't have to type it out every single time, you can save templates (which you still need to create yourself or at least look them up online) and then modify them accordingly. Eventually you orchestrate entire subsystems--or city districts--with a few high-level commands because you wrote the abstractions.
Like this scene from Legacy where Edward Dillinger is trying to stop the leak of OS-12. He first runs a command that shows which process is connected to the master file, and then runs the command that essentially derezzes that program to stop the leak.
So there would be two main screens in the game, one looks like a terminal that Sam or Dillinger use in the film, it will allow you to write commands or code and also show the stats of your Grid in a computer-y way (like CPU load, list of programs, etc):
https://i.redd.it/kakjk3cr3ibh1.gif
https://i.redd.it/djbx303o3ibh1.gif
And the other one that looks like a more normal city builder with bird's eye view where you can fly around and observe your Grid and its inhabitants:
https://i.redd.it/z0s50acl3ibh1.gif
https://i.redd.it/2tiavqym3ibh1.gif
Your Grid can have many purposes and they can even simulate solving real-world tasks. You could have a scientific Grid where your programs calculate, analyze, and process scientific data. Or financial grid. Or hospital system. Or giant datacenter for a search engine. Or you could even write your own games with custom rules!
You have to take care of delivering energy to your programs (that blue liquid we see them drinking in films), managing traffic (literally and figuratively), solving bugs and malfunctions, securing your grid against external subtle hacking or huge DDoS attacks if it's connected to the web (which is comparable to a small team infiltrating you like Ares infiltrated Encom Grid, and a giant army flooding your Grid), and making sure your programs not only have purpose but can also be entertained through watching or participating in games or going to clubs similar to End of Line.
"Well wouldn't the screen that shows the Grid be useless since you can only interact with it through text commands?" you might ask, and I think that's not the case. By having your entire system visualized you will be able to fly around the Grid and identify where exactly it malfunctions or how exactly it should be expanded or modified. Instead of reading through your code you will be able to just peek inside the computer and debug by observing directly what's broken. And yeah, you can just use it to admire your own creation and look at tiny programs walking around living out their virtual lives.
