Episode 8 – The Presidency Update & The Rise of Cultism in City Story

After the massive success of the Party Feature, Jake realized he needed to keep the momentum going. He brainstormed ideas for new gameplay mechanics that would make City Story more immersive and engaging.

💡 Idea:

He decided to add a "Become a President" feature, where players could run for office, govern the city, and make decisions that impact the economy, security, and laws.

But with power comes chaos, so he also added cultism, a secret underground faction that could disrupt the city’s peace. Players could join or fight against cults, making for an intense role-playing experience.

Development Process

Feature 1: Becoming the President

Plan & Design

Jake outlined the Presidency System, ensuring it had depth and impact:

Elections System

Players can campaign and convince NPC citizens to vote.

Each election lasts one in-game week (real-time: 1 hour).

The winner becomes the President for a limited term.

Government Management

The President can increase or decrease taxes.

Pass laws affecting crime, economy, education, and health.

Assign ministers (other players) to help run the city.

Presidential Perks

Exclusive office in the City Hall.

Ability to call for military intervention if crime rises.

Can give city-wide speeches via an in-game news system.

Code for the Election System (Lua - Roblox Scripting)

local function startElection() print("📢 A new election has started! Players can now begin campaigning!") local candidates = {} -- List of players running for president for _, player in pairs(game.Players:GetPlayers()) do if player:GetAttribute("WantsToRun") then table.insert(candidates, player.Name) end end wait(60) -- Election lasts for 1 hour local winner = candidates[math.random(#candidates)] game.ServerStorage.CurrentPresident.Value = winner print("🎉 Congratulations! " .. winner .. " is the new President of City Story!") end game.ReplicatedStorage.StartElection.OnServerEvent:Connect(startElection)Feature 2: Cultism & Crime Syndicates

Jake wanted to add more danger to the game, making crime more immersive. Players could join or fight against a cultist organization running secret operations.

Cult System Plan:

🔴 Joining a Cult

Players can find cult recruiters in abandoned buildings.

To prove loyalty, they must complete secret missions.

Cult members wear masks and robes to stay hidden.

⚔️ Fighting Against Cultism

The President can deploy police to stop cult activities.

Players can join the Police Force and go undercover.

Players caught committing cult-related crimes will be jailed for in-game time.

Code for Cult Recruitment & Missions

local cultGroup = {} function joinCult(player) if player:GetAttribute("isCultist") == false then player:SetAttribute("isCultist", true) table.insert(cultGroup, player) print(player.Name .. " has joined the secret cult!") else print(player.Name .. " is already in the cult.") end end function leaveCult(player) if player:GetAttribute("isCultist") == true then player:SetAttribute("isCultist", false) for i, cultist in pairs(cultGroup) do if cultist == player then table.remove(cultGroup, i) end end print(player.Name .. " has left the cult.") else print(player.Name .. " is not part of the cult.") end end game.ReplicatedStorage.JoinCult.OnServerEvent:Connect(joinCult) game.ReplicatedStorage.LeaveCult.OnServerEvent:Connect(leaveCult)Development Timeline

💻 Coding: 3 Months

🎨 UI & Design: 1 Month

🧪 Testing & Debugging: 2 Weeks

📅 Total Development Time: 4.5 Months

Jake worked for hours daily, fixing bugs, adjusting game balance, and adding police interactions. He made sure cults didn’t overpower the government while keeping it fun.

Final Release & Twitter Announcement

📱 Jake’s Tweet:

"🚨 NEW UPDATE! You can now become PRESIDENT or join a SECRET CULT in #CityStory! Rule the city or take it down from the shadows. Play now! #Roblox #GameDev"

The response was insane. Players were excited to try out the new systems.

📊 Game Stats After Update:

Active Players: 5,000+ 🔥

Total Visits: 75,000 📈

Elections Held: 125 🗳️

Players in Cults: 700+ 🕶️

Presidents Removed for Corruption: 56 🤣

Jake's Reaction & Unexpected Problems

Jake was thrilled to see the insane engagement, but new issues appeared:

Players Exploiting the System 🛠️

Some players bribed NPC citizens to win elections unfairly.

Others rigged the police force, making cultists unstoppable.