It is the third entry in The Political Machine franchise. In this iteration the United States of America is in the final months leading up to the presidential election of 2012. The game takes a lighthearted approach to its political setting. Candidates are modeled as bobble heads and the game is filled with satirical versions of many popular news shows.GameplayBased on the American Electoral College system, the player has their candidate fly around the country attempting to use ads and speeches to increase their percentage of the popular vote as well as likely electoral votes. The goal is to increase the candidate's standing to such a level that they will be able to obtain 270 electoral votes on election night, which is the end of the game. The player can also conduct fundraisers or establish (and then upgrade) one of three different types of HQs. Candidates can employ the use of Operatives to gain overall or statewide bonuses or incur penalties on the opposition. Lastly, the player can choose to cater to Special Interests which involves attempting to win the endorsement of Special Interest groups.AdsAmong your options for improving your standing in the polls (or decreasing your opponent's) are ads. Ads function as a tool to increase population awareness of your candidate each turn for as long as you keep them running and also shift your position on issues. You have the option of personally coming out in favor of any of the campaign issues or against them. Similarly, you are given the power to try to define your opponent as being for or against an issue in hopes of souring public opinion. Ads come in three different forms, those being newspaper, radio, and television, each with varying levels of benefit and cost.*Newspaper*Initial Cost: ,000Weekly Cost: ,000Change in Candidate's Position: 1/weekWeekly Change in Voter's Position: 1/weekNational Awareness Bonus: None*Radio*Initial Cost: 0,000Weekly Cost: ,000Change in Candidate's Position: 3/weekWeekly Change in Voter's Position: 4/weekNational Awareness Bonus: +3/week*Television*Initial Cost: 0,000Weekly Cost: ,000Change in Candidate's Position: 2/weekWeekly Change in Voter's Position: 2/weekNational Candidate Position Bonus: 2/weekNational Awareness Bonus: +1/weekAll changes in issue position as delineated above are relative to the stance the candidate takes on the issue. If the candidate runs an ad in favor of an issue then it will raise their position on it. If the ad is opposed to the issue then it will lower their position on it.SpeechesAnother campaign tactic at the disposal of candidates is that of delivering campaign speeches in a state. They create a large awareness bonus in the state and bring new issues to the forefront of voters' minds. Similar to the system used for ads, speeches follow the setup of a candidate positing themselves as being in favor or in opposition of an issue or painting their opponent as being in favor or opposition of an issue. Unlike ads however, speeches deliver an instantaneous bonus upon delivery without any bonus over time. Speeches do not have any monetary cost so they are a good option for keeping expenditure down. However, they do cost a significant amount of stamina, limiting the number of actions that can be taken within the turn.BuildingsThe player has a choice between one of three different types of buildings to construct in a state to augment their campaign efforts, each with three levels of effectiveness. Buildings are paid for from campaign funds and incur a one-time fee with no maintenance cost.Campaign HeadquartersThe Campaign Headquarters building raises the awareness of a state's population for the candidate over time. It also raises a set amount of money per turn, dependent upon the level of the building. Additionally, it unlocks more issues to campaign on within the state through advertisements and speeches.Consulting OfficesConsulting Offices generate a resource called "Political Capital" over time. Political capital is spent on the acquisition of operatives that can give can give candidates boosts or hamper the opposition.Outreach CentersOutreach Centers generate a resource called "PR Clout" over time. PR Clout is expended on landing key endorsements from Special Interest groups.Operatives Operatives are specialized campaign staff that can be hired on if the player has acquired enough PR Clout to do so. Some augment the players ability to campaign effectively while others diminish the effectiveness of the opposing candidate's campaign. The operatives and their effects are as follows:Consultant+4% Awareness/week in target state.Fashion ConsultantAppearance +10 points. Ads become more effective.FixerSelect the fixer then right-click an opposing operative to eliminate them.Intimidator-4% Awareness/week for opponent in target state.PR ConsultantMedia Bias +10 points. Interviews become more effective.Smear MerchantDecreases opponent issue rating by 15% in target state.Speech WriterCharisma +10 points. Speeches become more effective.Spin DoctorIncreases your issue ratings by 15% in target state.WebmasterDecreases your advertising maintenance costs in target state by 75%.Endorsements Endorsements signify that a candidate has secured the backing of a major issues group. The practical outcome of endorsements in game boils down to receiving a shift in your candidate's stance on a given issue and by extension receiving more credibility and support from those states who have heavy importance placed on those issues.The list of possible endorsements and their effects are as follows:Christian FederationAbortion Rights: -5A Christian Nation: +10The Environmentalists ClubAlternative Energy: +5The Environment: +10National Association for WomenAbortion Rights: +10Gay Marriage: +5National Civil Liberties UnionDomestic Surveillance: -5Gay Marriage: +10National Foreign Policy CommitteeAfghanistan Withdrawal: -5Missile Defense Shield: +10The National Gun Owner's AssociationFast & Furious Inquiry: +5National Organization for the Support of Colored PeopleMore Money for Education: +5Obamacare: +10National Union Action NetworkAuto Bailouts: +10Outsourcing of Jobs: -5Tea Party MovementBig Government: -5Tax Cuts: +10US Chamber of BusinessBig Government: -5Reducing Unemployment: +10Playable CandidatesDemocratsAl FrankenAl GoreBarack ObamaDennis KucinichHillary ClintonJoe BidenJohn KerryMichelle ObamaNancy PelosiRepublicansCondoleeza RiceDonald TrumpHerman CainJon HuntsmanMarco RubioMichelle BachmannMitt RomneyNewt GingrichPaul RyanRick PerryRick SantorumRob PortmanRon PaulSarah PalinCharacter Creation The game also allows the player to opt out of choosing a traditional candidate, instead of creating one of their own design. The player is given the freedom to choose the full name of the candidate, their political party, home state, gender, appearance, characteristics, and political platform.Campaign IssuesA candidate's political platform is comprised of their stances on various issues deemed important to their constituents. In The Political Machine 2012, candidates score their stance on an issue on a one hundred point system ranging from -50 to 50, where -50 is being greatly opposed to the issue and 50 is being greatly in favor of it. The campaign issues in The Political Machine 2012 are:A Christian NationA Strong MilitaryAbortion RightsAfghanistan WithdrawalAlternative EnergyAuto BailoutsBank BailoutsBig GovernmentCapital PunishmentCoal MiningDeficit ReductionDomestic SurveillanceExpanding Ethanol ProductionFarm SubsidiesFast & Furious InquiryFixing Mortgage DisasterFixing Obesity CrisisFuel Efficiency StandardsGay MarriageGreen JobsGun ControlHigh Gas PricesIllegal ImmigrationLaw EnforcementLegalizing MarijuanaMilitary Strike on IranMissile Defense ShieldMore Money for EducationObamaCareOccupy Wall StreetOutsourcing of JobsReducing UnemploymentSchool VouchersSocial SecurityState UnionsSupporting IsraelTax CutsThe EnvironmentThe War on TerrorTraditional ValuesVideo Game ViolencePC System RequirementsMinimum:1 GHz Processor512 MB RAM64 MB DirectX 9.0c 3D Video Card with Pixel Shader 2.0 Support1 GB Hard Drive SpaceDirectX 9.0cMinimum resolution of 1024x768Recommended:2 GHz Processor1 GB RAM128 MB DirectX 9.0c 3D Video Card
