Hidden Agenda (game)
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| Hidden Agenda | |
|---|---|
| Developer(s) | TRANS Fiction Systems |
| Publisher(s) | Springboard |
| Designer(s) | Jim Gasperini |
| Release date(s) | 1988 |
| Genre(s) | Political simulation |
| Mode(s) | Single player |
| Platform(s) | Macintosh, MS DOS |
Hidden Agenda is an abandonware text-based computer strategy game written in 1988 by Jim Gasperini intended to simulate the conditions of a post-revolutionary Central American country. It is considered a forerunner of the Games for Change movement, alongside other early Macintosh games including Chris Crawford's Balance of Power and Balance of the Planet.
The game is set in a fictional country called Chimerica which has been recently liberated from the rule of the corrupt dictator Farsante and his ruling clique. The player takes the part of the newly elected president of Chimerica.
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[edit] Game play
The game begins with a press conference where the new president is asked a series of questions which determine the social class the new administration is likely to favour.
The rest of the game consists in choosing whom to consult and making decisions based upon the proposals of advisors. In addition to cabinet ministers, the player may choose to consult the representatives of various groups, as well as study press reports and an almanac of national statistics.
The challenge of the game is to balance the interests and influences of conflicting factions within the country. Too many concessions to one side of a dispute can lead to the disenfranchised party seeking extra-political redress such as an insurrection. Overreliance on one faction can leave the government vulnerable to a coup d'état.
[edit] Chimerica
[edit] Economy
The economy of Chimerica is mainly based on two export crops, cotton and coffee. The cotton industry is mainly dominated by large landowners, whereas coffee fields are mainly held by small to medium sized coffee growers. The newest and fastest developing export at the beginning of the game is low quality beef destined for the American fast food market. Most of Chimerica's food (primarily corn, flour, beans, and rice) is produced by campesinos.
Later on, with United States development aid, individual campesinos and farmers can receive help in producing vegetables for the American market along with utilising highly mechanized agricultural techniques. The United States is the chief market for Chimerican exports. However, the US will not offer development aid without Chimerican concessions on other policies, such as maintaining free-market economics and not building a large army. If the player decides not to pursue good relations with the US, they will have to rely on trade from Europe and the rest of Latin America, or take support from those hostile to the US such as Cuba, the USSR, and even Libya and the PLO.
[edit] Political parties
The player may choose up to four ministers from the three political parties to fill their cabinet, from the "contacts" list. As each party only offers three candidates, note that the player cannot fill all ministerial roles unilaterally. The three political parties are:
National Liberation Party: Comprised of nationalists, Marxists, poor farmers, and adherents of Liberation Theology, the NLP are the backbone of the nation's left. Their advice is strongly driven by Marxist idealism that can be further to the left even of contemporary Communist states such as Cuba and the USSR, and they have a strong faith in their ability to implement change for the benefit of the common people. They are necessary as ministers if the player wishes to implement a socialist regime, including radical land reform and pro-union policies, and take effective action against the remnants of Farsante's death squads. Their radical ideas are often difficult to implement; whilst the party tends to be fairly integral and obedient at the highest level, the player may find civil servants engaging in bureaucratic corruption, and the idealistic sides of the party are often willing to restrict civil liberties, harass the opposition, rig elections and merge the party with the state to further their cause unopposed. They side with Cuba, the USSR and other socialist countries.
Popular Stability Party: Although claiming to represent the ideals of freedom and personal liberty, the Popular Stability party is more of a gathering of the well-heeled of Chimerica and those whose livelihood depends on them. It will become obvious through their advice that they place a priority on their interests, and generally will attempt to maintain their status, at the expense of others' liberties. Nonetheless, the ministers in the PSP do to be sound-minded and economically responsible, and following their advice will generally promote economic growth, without which any attempts to develop infrastructure, education or healthcare will flounder. However, having them as ministers ultimately means alienating the poor. As previously mentioned, the Popular Stability Party is comprised of people looking to retain their own wealth and livelihood, and will encourage the player to take military action to repress populist movements and maintain stability. They side with the United States and other free-market capitalist countries.
Christian Reform Party: The only opposition party that was tolerated by Farsante. Members of the CRP are centrist politicians who often recommend a middle-of-the-road course of action. Most of the sensible advice comes from ministers of the Christian Reform Party, who appear to be the only party with a balance of level-headed and compassionate policies, and a sincere desire for maintenance of civil liberties. The party will offer the most moderate advice and are the most open to compromise. However, this can restrict the player from making significant or efficient advancements in any field; as the party is primarily concerned with maintaining balance and stability, they will often encourage rhetoric over practice and are prepared to reverse their policy directions when they prove unpopular with those affected. On the whole, however, most decisions made by the CR party will not cause as much instability as the other parties. The CR party is generally aligned with similarly moderate, non-aligned, countries, but if challenged by a strongly left-wing government, they will side with the dominant military and economic power, the United States.
[edit] Cabinet
Central to the game is the appointment of ministers to the player's cabinet. There are four positions which need to be filled, and ministers are chosen from the three main parties. The Agriculture Minister is perhaps the most important, being responsible for determining the extent of the much-demanded land reform policies, as well as being responsible for developing the country's struggling export commodities. The next most important is the Defense Minister, who implements policies concerning control of the Army. The Internal Affairs Minister decides upon budgetary policies such as infrastructure development and healthcare, and the External Affairs Minister manages Chimerica's diplomatic standing on the international stage. Ministers effectively function as tools to implement the player's decisions, rather than to advise the player upon several courses of action. Players employ both the ministers and their party's ideals when they are appointed. When using the Consultation function, the player can choose from the courses of action recommended by any of their four ministers on any issue raised, for example allowing them to accept advice from the defence minister on agricultural policy, and so forth. A flaw of this system is that it is impossible to make a decision outside of what the ministers advise. If an "interrupt" decision comes up, or an Encounter is initiated, there are only two courses of action available: that of the relevant minister, and that of the character who is being encountered. For example, if the player is being petitioned by an army general, the only options available will be those suggested by the defence minister and the general.
[edit] Strategies
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Once one understands how the game works, and that the ministers are there to serve the function of decision making tools, one can begin to experiment with the game and see the different results. As one plays the game, they will see that different strategies simply lead to different results, not necessarily good. One will see that they are trapped between a rock and a hard place on nearly all occasions. The Christian Reform party tends to offer the best advice, although it is very difficult to avoid angering the National Liberation party unless you have at least one of them on board.
Following a hard-right policy of strict free market and pro-USA principles will ensure a hefty supply of US aid, but a lot of resentment from the populace, whose situation will rarely improve under the measures. If you ignore the left, they will attempt to overthrow your government, and unless you have established at least some broad-based support, the government will fall. On the other hand, a move to neuter the left by staging elections within the first year of the administration will often result in the survival of the administration, but at the same time provoking a civil war.
A left-wing policy will survive, even if you totally anger the United States. You should be able to get enough support from the Soviet Union and Cuba to sustain yourself, and your support from "Other" countries (probably representing Europe, Japan, and Latin America).
[edit] Foreign Policy
A major element of the game is your foreign policy. You have three major sources of foreign aid, the USA, the Socialist World, and "Other countries", probably representing Europe, Latin America, and Japan. Your best interest is to make friends with the USA by far, for Soviet aid can only offer you much when you are at full-scale war against the reactionaries. By sticking to a USA-friendly policy (not too difficult), you can get a lot of aid projects and military support. Usually the "other" country supporters will not get scared off unless you turn to an extreme political position.
The USA provides military support in the beginning, as long as the arrangement is between the US army and Colonel Ehrlich. If you have national liberationists in your ministry, you can cut the US military support, but it makes Washington grow alarmed at the possibility of Soviet military aid replacing it, which is what the National Liberationists recommend.
With your foreign minister, you can make decisions about how Chimerica voices its opinion of the world outside, such as whether or not to condemn certain aggressive countries in the UN. This will impact directly the way that your primary benefactor, the USA, views its former protectorate.
In this game, it appears that while the USA does have its own hidden agenda and interests in the area, they offer the most viable opportunity for economic growth. On the other hand, they are derisive of efforts to better Chimerica socially, and even moderate reform may be denounced as Communistic.
