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Theme Hospital

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Theme Hospital
North American PC cover art
Developer(s)Bullfrog Productions (PC)
Krisalis Software (PS)
Publisher(s)Electronic Arts
Producer(s)Mark Webley
Designer(s)Mark Webley
Artist(s)Gary Carr
Writer(s)James Leach
Sean Masterson
Neil Cook
Composer(s)Russell Shaw
Tony Cox
Platform(s)PC, PlayStation
ReleasePC
PlayStation
  • EU: February 1998
  • NA: 31 March 1998
  • JP: 18 June 1998[1]
Genre(s)Business simulation
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

Theme Hospital is a business simulation game developed by Bullfrog Productions and published by Electronic Arts in 1997 for the PC, in which players design and operate a privately-owned hospital with the goal of curing patients of fictitious comical ailments. The game is the thematic successor to Theme Park, also produced by Bullfrog, and the second instalment in their Theme series, and part of their Designer Series. The game is noted for its humour, and contains numerous references to pop culture.

Peter Molyneux and James Leach came up with the idea of creating a Theme game based on a hospital, but Molyneux was not directly involved in development due to his work on Dungeon Keeper. Many ideas were intended, but not implemented due to time constraints. Multiplayer support with up to four players was added in a patch. The game received a generally positive reception, with reviewers praising the graphics and humour in particular. Theme Hospital was a commercial success, selling over 4 million copies worldwide, and was ported to the PlayStation in 1998. A Sega Saturn version was in development, but cancelled. The game was re-released on GOG.com in 2012 and Origin in 2015, and the PlayStation version was released on the PlayStation Network in Europe in 2008, Japan in 2009, and North America in 2010. Revival attempts have been made with the development of open-source remakes such as CorsixTH.

Gameplay

A typical hospital.

The player is required to build an environment which will attract patients with comical diseases, and then treat them while tending to their needs. The game has a somewhat dark sense of humour, similar to that of Theme Park in many ways (such as in terms of deaths).[2] Although the player has no direct control over the patients who wander the hospital, they have some influence over whether to evict them from the hospital and in determining what to do with them when given a choice by the hospital's staff. The player can pick up any staff member in the building and move them to a different area (perhaps to reassign them to another room or send them to get rest), and also dismiss them if they argue about pay or are no longer required.[3] The player may also force patients to take a chance at a cure for their suspected disease before diagnosis is complete (at the risk of killing the patient),[4] and rearrange queues.[5] Diseases include Bloaty Head (where the patient's head has swollen), King Complex (where the patient likes to impersonate Elvis Presley), and Alien DNA (where the patient has transformed into an alien).[6]

The player starts with an empty hospital,[7] and must build rooms and hire doctors, nurses, handymen and receptionists.[8] Each staff member has statistics that affect their performance, and doctors can be trained so their statistics will increase.[9] Rooms include GP's Offices, Psychiatric rooms, Operating Theatres and Pharmacies,[10] and are built by placing down a blueprint, assigning the location of doors and windows, and then placing down furniture (each room has required items, but can have more added).[11] The player may also set up items (such as benches, fire extinguishers, and plants) in the open corridor spaces provided.[12] Patients see a GP in his office, and if he cannot make a diagnosis, will send them for further diagnosis in a specialised diagnosis room. Patients then return to the GP's Office to see a GP again with the information gained from the diagnosis procedure. Once a diagnosis is made, the patient will be sent for treatment.[8] Not every room is available at the start; the rest must be researched.[13] Some rooms, such as the Inflator room—where patients with Bloaty Head are treated—contain machines which require regular maintenance by a handyman: if neglected for too long, they will explode, killing all occupants of the room.[14] Doctors must have acquired certain specialist skills to practise in certain rooms, such as the Research room (used to research new rooms and cures, and improve existing ones) and Operating Theatre.[15] There are rooms that only staff use, such as the Staff Room and the Research room, and patients also require toilet facilities.[13]

Diagnosis and treatment cost patients money, and the player can change hospital policy, including the amount of diagnosis patients require. This can be set to over 100 per cent to force patients to have further unnecessary diagnoses. Other policies include when staff can go on breaks and whether they can leave rooms.[16] The player can also take out loans.[17] From time to time, events such as emergencies (in which patients arrive and must be cured within a time limit or they will die), and epidemics (in which a disease spreads rapidly) occur. During the latter, the player can attempt to cover it up by curing all affected patients before a health inspector turns up. If the player fails, he or she is fined and must face a damaged reputation.[18] Reputation is a statistic that shows how well the player's hospital is doing, and affects the flow of patients.[19] VIPs may also occasionally ask to tour the hospital; if impressed, the player is granted a cash bonus, a reputation increase, or both.[20] There is an advisor who keeps the player informed about what is going on.[21] Rats may infest the hospital, and the player is able to shoot them with the cursor.[22]

The player competes against computer rivals named after famous computers, real and fictional: these include Holly from Red Dwarf and Deep Thought from The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.[23] The game is timed with days of the year,[24] and at the end of each year (game time), players are judged on their performances, and may be given trophies, reputation increases, or cash bonuses.[25]

Each level has set goals in the fields of financial attainment, hospital reputation, patients cured, and hospital value.[2] The player is given time to build the hospital at the start of each level before patients start coming.[24][26] Holding negative funds or allowing sufficient patients to die will bring about losing requirements. When the goals have been met the player has the option to move on to a new, more elaborate hospital with tougher winning conditions and more diseases present, or stick with their current one.[27] If enough rats have been shot, the player is taken to a special level whose goal is to shoot as many as possible.[22]

A patch was released that fixed bugs and added support for Serial Cable, Modem, and IPX/SPX network gaming (with up to four players[28]) in the Windows version, and a difficulty setting.[2][29][30] In multiplayer, each player has a colour, which patients will wear to distinguish from those of other players. "Litter Bombs" are featured, allowing players to spread litter around other players' hospitals, while staff members can be persuaded to work for other players, and there are "Mini Missions", with instructions for players to perform. Players are also able to chat with each other during a game.[29]

Development

The idea for Theme Hospital came from Peter Molyneux and the journalist James Leach, who explored the possibility of other Theme games while discussing Theme Park. Leach suggested a hospital, and Molyneux was enthusiastic about the idea. Development began when the designer Mark Webley selected Theme Hospital from a list of possible games put together by Molyneux, and Webley, along with the artist Gary Carr, visited the Royal Surrey County Hospital and Frimley Park Hospital to get inspiration. Carr was initially displeased at the prospect of working on Theme Hospital: he had previously left Bullfrog to work for The Bitmap Brothers because he did not have faith in Theme Park. He chose to return based on his belief that he would work on Dungeon Keeper, which he was eager to do. Initially, Theme Hospital was to feature real diseases, but these were replaced with fictional, comedic afflictions as it was decided that the game's maladies should not be too realistic. During the initial stages of programming, Bullfrog hired James Leach, who wrote the game's text and came up with the diseases. Molyneux was not directly involved in the game's production as he was working on Dungeon Keeper.[6]

It was decided the graphics should be like those of cartoons. Webley and Carr decided that players should think of the hospital as a business, with profit highly important, although the game deviates from the NHS model. The team, who worked in offices near the Royal Surrey County Hospital, drew some inspirations from Theme Park and borrowed a great deal of code. A program which made animation easier was built upon by Webley, who dubbed it the Complex Engine, and the team also used the same sprite-drawing program. There were not many meetings, and Webley took the team to the pub weekly with a list of tasks to perform. Webley explained that the way the team worked gave members ownership of their development areas, as only they would perform their assigned duties otherwise they would not get done. The disease called King Complex was to be called Elvis Impersonator, but Elvis's estate owned the rights. Bloaty Head was based on an allergic reaction Molyneux had, when his face became an "alarming size".[6]

According to Leach, the volume of work was small. A big problem was that the team had too many ideas, and insufficient time to implement them all. For example, other diseases were planned; one of these was Animal Magnetism, which would see patients with attached animals which would have to be cut away. Another idea that was not implemented was the possibility of four separate in-game eras: futuristic, mediaeval, Victorian, and modern. An idea that Molyneux pushed Webley's team to implement was a screen that enabled players to mix coloured chemicals to apply them to diseases. Accessibility was also a concern for the team: with so many options, it was felt that players could treat the game like work. The tester Jon Rennie simplified the game from the original design; Webley was keen for players to be able to begin play without a long tutorial.[6]

Theme Hospital was released in 1997. The game attracted some controversy from NHS managers, who argued that the game mocked hospital management. Webley was invited to appear on a local radio station; he did not consider the game to make light of real-world health management because it featured fictional diseases rather than real ones. Theme Hospital was a commercial success, which surprised Bullfrog and Electronic Arts. It repeatedly appeared in the top five of budget charts and sold over 4 million copies. In 2014, Molyneux stated that he wanted the game to make a comeback, and described Theme Hospital as "a great game that I and many people remember".[6]

Ports and re-releases

In 1998, a PlayStation port of Theme Hospital was developed by Krisalis Software.[31] The PlayStation version was released as a download on the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Portable from PlayStation Store in Europe on 31 January 2008,[32] in North America on 31 August 2010,[33] and in Japan on 28 October 2009.[34] This version is no longer available for purchase in Europe since September 2014, after becoming free for a short period of time.[35] A Sega Saturn version (titled Sim Hospital as of October 1995) was in development and due for release in mid-1996.[36]

In 2012, Theme Hospital was re-released on digital distribution service GOG.com.[37] In January 2015, Origin distributed Theme Hospital free for a limited time through their "On the House" programme.[38] It was distributed a second time through the "On the House" programme in September 2015, as a temporary replacement to Command & Conquer: Red Alert 2 due to an excessive number of requests for the latter.[39]

An open-source remake, CorsixTH, enhances the game with features such as higher screen resolutions and a level editor.[40] CorsixTH is available under the MIT Licence,[41] and in 2012, a version was released on Android, available on the Google Play Store.[42][43] A version appeared there in May 2012, but security and copyright concerns were raised.[44]

Reception

Theme Hospital received positive reviews from critics, receiving an aggregated score of 73 per cent on GameRankings based on two reviews.[45] Critics noted the strong gameplay, detailed graphics, satisfying comedic tone, and voice acting performance, but fell conflicted on music, repetition, the artificial intelligence, and the user interface.

The British magazine PC Gamer's Steve Owen praised the game's challenge and "cute" graphics, but criticised the interface. Despite this, Theme Hospital was named as an April 1997 Game of Distinction.[47] Frederick Claude of Coming Soon Magazine complimented the "highly detailed" graphics and "very simple" user interface, but criticised the repetitiveness and lack of multiplayer support that would later be introduced with a patch.[51] GameSpot's Trent Ward eulogised the "fantastic" graphics, the "realistic" voice acting performance, and the humour, but criticised the artificial intelligence as "flawed", and concluded that the game "just doesn't fly".[48] Bonnie James of The Electric Playground commended the graphics and "lovely" opening sequence, but found the music "horrible".[52] Dawn Jepsen of Computer Gaming World eulogised the humour, especially the "wackiness" of the illnesses, and the graphics, and described the game as "delightful and absorbing".[2] Edge complimented the balance of patients and illnesses against the player's resources, and described the game as a refinement of the genre.[53] Jeuxvideo.com also approved the humour, and the graphics, describing them as colourful.[55] PC Zone commended the detail, saying it gets players "helplessly immersed", and awarded the game its PC Zone Classic accolade.[57] Computer and Video Games's Alex Huhtala praised the "large and colourful" graphics, but commented that the humour wears off after a while, although is good to begin with.[46]

Reviewing the PlayStation version, James Mielke of GameSpot criticised the controls, but commended the addictiveness, and described the port as "almost completely intact".[49] IGN also criticised the PlayStation version's controls, and praised Bullfrog's "wonderfully sick" humour, saying its "brilliance" makes Theme Hospital a "must-have".[50] Reviewing the PlayStation version on the PlayStation Network, Dan Whitehead of Eurogamer echoed these sentiments by criticising "awkward" the controls, and complimenting the "comedy ailments".[54] Absolute PlayStation had a mixed view about graphics of the PlayStation version: they criticised the resolution and colour palette, but complimented the sprites. The user interface was criticised as being reminiscent of a 16-bit game. Despite the criticisms, they complimented the humour and described the game as "a blast to play".[56]

See also

References

  1. ^ "テーマホスピタル" [Theme Hospital]. PlayStation Store (in Japanese). Sony. Retrieved 6 October 2016.
  2. ^ a b c d e Dawn Jepsen (August 1997). "Rx for Fun" (PDF). Computer Gaming World. No. 157. Ziff Davis. p. 194. ISSN 0744-6667. Retrieved 5 October 2016.
  3. ^ Manual, pp. 25–30.
  4. ^ Manual, p. 31.
  5. ^ Manual, pp. 25,26.
  6. ^ a b c d e "The Making of Theme Hospital". Retro Gamer. No. 130. Bournemouth: Imagine Publishing. June 2014. pp. 46–51. ISSN 1742-3155.
  7. ^ "東京レトロゲームショウ2015：第12回 「テーマホスピタル」で人間のドラマがあちこちで繰り広げられる病院経営に挑みたい". 4Gamer.net (in Japanese). 30 July 2015. Retrieved 6 October 2016.
  8. ^ a b Quick PlayGuide, pp. 9–11.
  9. ^ Manual, pp. 11,27,28.
  10. ^ Manual, pp. 7–11.
  11. ^ Manual, p. 7.
  12. ^ Manual, pp. 11–13.
  13. ^ a b Manual, p. 10.
  14. ^ Manual, pp. 32,33.
  15. ^ Manual, pp. 8–11.
  16. ^ Manual, pp. 23,24.
  17. ^ Manual, pp. 24,25.
  18. ^ Manual, pp. 34,35.
  19. ^ Manual, p. 5.
  20. ^ Manual, pp. 35,36.
  21. ^ Manual, p. 4.
  22. ^ a b "Everything you wanted to know about Theme Hospital but were too afraid to ask...". PC Zone. No. 52. London: Dennis Publishing. July 1997. pp. 126, 127. ISSN 0967-8220.
  23. ^ Mark Langshaw (24 January 2015). "Theme Hospital retrospective: Just what the doctor ordered". Digital Spy. Retrieved 6 October 2016.
  24. ^ a b "Theme Hospital" (PDF). PC Zone. No. 50. London: Dennis Publishing. May 1997. p. 7. ISSN 0967-8220. Retrieved 6 October 2016.
  25. ^ Manual, pp. 37,38.
  26. ^ Quick PlayGuide, p. 9.
  27. ^ Manual, p. 38.
  28. ^ "EA's Darklight Conflict and Theme Hospital". Gamezilla. 24 February 1999. Archived from the original on 25 February 1999. Retrieved 6 October 2016.
  29. ^ a b Bullfrog (1997). Theme Hospital Netplay (Media notes).
  30. ^ Bullfrog (1997). Theme Hospital ReadMe.txt (Media notes).
  31. ^ "Theme Hospital [PS]". GameStopPlus. Retrieved 5 October 2016.
  32. ^ Tom Branwell (31 January 2008). "More PSone games on PSN". Eurogamer. Retrieved 5 October 2016.
  33. ^ "Theme Hospital (PSOne Classic)". PlayStation Store. Sony. Retrieved 5 October 2016.
  34. ^ "テーマホスピタル" [Theme Hospital]. PlayStation.com (in Japanese). Sony. Retrieved 6 October 2016.
  35. ^ Meg Pelliccio (11 September 2014). "Theme Hospital free on EU PSN". Pixel Dynamo. Retrieved 5 October 2016.
  36. ^ "Killer Bullfrogs Launch Game". News. Mean Machines Sega. No. 36. Peterborough: Emap International Limited. October 1995. p. 13. ISSN 0967-9014. {{cite magazine}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help)
  37. ^ Oshry, Dave (16 April 2012). "Theme Hospital in HD is Glorious! Here's How To Get It Working". Gameranx. Complex. Retrieved 12 May 2016.
  38. ^ Phillips, Tom (21 January 2015). "Theme Hospital is free to download on Origin". Eurogamer. Retrieved 12 May 2016.
  39. ^ Phillips, Carl (17 September 2015). "Theme Hospital is once again On The House, Red Alert 2 to return "very shortly"". Dealspwn. Retrieved 12 May 2016.
  40. ^ Moritz Förster (14 June 2016). "CorsixTH: Bullfrogs Theme Hospital auf aktuellen Rechnern spielen". heise online (in German). Retrieved 17 October 2016.
  41. ^ James Gilmour (22 May 2012). "Free version of Theme Hospital available on Android". Pocket Gamer. Retrieved 17 October 2016.
  42. ^ Woolley, Alan (22 February 2012). "Running Theme Hospital on Android with CorsixTH". Armed Pineapple. Retrieved 12 May 2016.
  43. ^ Woolley, Alan. "CorsixTH". Google Play Store. Retrieved 12 May 2016.
  44. ^ Ryan Whitman (21 May 2012). "Classic Game "Theme Hospital" Ported To Android For Free, But Beware The Suspicious Paid Version In The Play Store". Android Police. Retrieved 6 October 2016.
  45. ^ a b "Theme Hospital for PC". GameRankings. Retrieved 9 October 2016.
  46. ^ a b Alex Huhtala (May 1997). "Theme Hospital". Computer and Video Games. No. 186. Peterborough: EMAP. pp. 74, 75. ISSN 0261-3697.
  47. ^ a b Steve Owen (April 1997). "Theme Hospital". PC Gamer. No. 42. Bath: Future plc. pp. 86, 87. ISSN 1470-1693.
  48. ^ a b Trent Ward (17 April 1997). "Theme Hospital Review". GameSpot. GameSpot. Retrieved 5 October 2016.
  49. ^ a b James Mielke (18 May 1998). "Theme Hospital Review". GameSpot. GameSpot. Retrieved 5 October 2016.
  50. ^ a b "Theme Hospital". IGN. IGN. 15 April 1998. Retrieved 5 October 2016.
  51. ^ a b Frederick Claude (1997). "Theme Hospital – PC Review". Coming Soon Magazine. Retrieved 5 October 2016.
  52. ^ a b Bonnie James (14 April 1997). "Theme Hospital". The Electric Playground. The Electric Playground. Archived from the original on 1 August 1997. Retrieved 5 October 2016.
  53. ^ a b "Theme Hospital". Testscreen. Edge. No. 44. Bath: Future plc. April 1997. p. 84. ISSN 1350-1593.
  54. ^ a b Dan Whitehead (4 February 2008). "PSN Roundup". Eurogamer. Eurogamer. Retrieved 5 October 2016.
  55. ^ a b "Test : Theme Hospital". Jeuxvideo.com (in French). 19 September 2009. Retrieved 6 October 2016.
  56. ^ a b "THEME HOSPITAL". Absolute PlayStation. June 1998. Retrieved 6 October 2016.
  57. ^ a b "Theme Hospital". PC Zone. No. 49. London: Dennis Publishing. April 1997. pp. 72–76. ISSN 0967-8220.

Sources

  • Theme Hospital PC Manual (UK ed.). Bullfrog. 1997.
  • Theme Hospital PC Quick PlayGuide (UK ed.). Bullfrog. 1997.
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