Help
Mad TV is a TV simulation: You have to manage your own TV station, buy movies and spots and all the rest of it.
There's an in-game help system: In the right border you find a guidance for every important room. kannst. Otherwise, the FAQs on this page could help you. For further help, have a look into the bulletin board.
Enjoy the game!
Mad TV FAQ
written by Mr Creosote | www.goodolddays.netWhat's this all about?
You are to manage a local TV station. If you're successful, you'll get the most beautiful woman in the world: Betty Botterblom.
Where am I?
In the original game you was the guy in the center of the picture, who starts walking when you clicked somewhere (but not in this browsergame). Simply click on a door, and you'll enter this particular room. Move your cursor above the arrows on the right of the screen to take the "elevator".
There are lots of rooms. Do I need all these?
No, not all. Some rooms have - like in the original game - no function. Perhaps you have an idea how to use this room?
What do these two screens on the bottom tell me?
The left one shows in the television planner the category of the focused movie. The right one is the reversed view through a TV. You can see the living room of an average family. People will gather there depending on the type and quality of your program. It's more of a joke, doesn't have a real function.
I've figured out that the number behind the dollar symbol represents my money. But what is that couch and this heart about?
The number behind the couch are your viewers in millions. The bar next to the heart tells you how much Betty likes you. Also try to move the mouse over the numbers.
Wait! There isn't a moving clock!
You're right, different to the original game, the game isn't in real time. That has the advantage that you don't spend too much precious time of your life with playing online games: A day in the game is much faster gone as in the offline version.
Ok, I am able to walk around now, and I've visited all the rooms. What now?
Well, start again. You've surely wasted too much money to survive the first two weeks. You can restart your game in the boss room (just cancel your job).
The Boss said I should start working. But what should I do first?
It's now approximately 17h. Your program starts at 18h. That means you've got only about an hour left. Your first visit each day should be the advertising agency. Make sure you're the first one to visit it each day. Commercials are your only real income, so you need them. Move the mouse over the offers. You'll see the name of the company and a slogan. Important are only the things under this. The "Bonus" is how much money you'll get if you fulfill the contract. If you don't you have to pay the "Penalty". Don't let this happen! Then there is the minimal audience you need to fulfill it. If you broadcast the spot without having enough viewers it doesn't count. Last there is the number of spots and the period of time in which you have to broadcast them. Sometimes there are genres listed. Of course, you have to fulfill this too. If you've just started the game, you won't have a big audience. You'll need a contract with 0.5 million viewers, one with 0.25 and one with 0.0. Compare the available contracts. Take the ones with the longest time to fulfill them. And of course those with which you get the most money. A good start would be (e.g.) Aunt Lizzy's, Logical, Hoffman and Rushware. Don't worry if one of these is not available. The others are just as good. Just make sure you don't take commercials that require a special genre.
Ok, I signed some contracts. But what now?
Go to your news studio. News are broadcast each full hour. If you have interesting news, more people will watch the following programs. Click on the news ticker. Just choose the ones you want. Later you can also purchase other categories.
Are news and commercials all I'm able to broadcast?
Of course not. The main program can be planned at the computer in your office. You can set up a program using a simple drag& drop system. The left column (the big one) is for series, films etc. The commercials are placed in the right one.
I want to broadcast more commercials in order to make more money!
That's not possible. You can't change the basic scheme, so you can send only one commercial per minute - those where the days!
Does it matter which program is on which time?
Yes, it's quite important in fact. 18h and 19h are normally best for series. After that you should take movies. It still depends on the films genre where it is placed best. Comedy can start at 19h or 20h, while Action will work much better starting at 21h or later. At the beginning you don't have much of a choice, though.
I wanted to broadcast Rosemary's Baby (or something similar) on 20h. But shortly after is begun the screen went blank. Why?
Some films are X-Rated. If you broadcast them before 21h, they will be confiscated. That means no viewers and the film is also lost for you.
What kind of films should I buy?
Just get some cheap ones at first. Something like Mad Max II, Citizen Kane or Doctor Zhivago.
Why is my audience decreasing when I broadcast the same film again next day?
After the viewers have seen a program, they don't want to see it again so fast. Examine the film's stats. There is a bar next to the word 'current'. You should only broadcast a film if this bar is filled completely.
Hey, I've noticed I can sell my old films. I don't have any use for them anyway!
Think about it twice before you sell a film. Especially at the beginning. After a few days the film will be current again. Wouldn't you regret it then, if you had sold it on bargain? Of course, you have to sell really old stuff sometimes, when you can afford better films. But until then keep the old ones!
I've just bought a new kick-ass movie. But for some reason I can't find it anywhere! Have I been framed?
No. It's just that you can only keep four programs in each category at the same time. Go to your library and put your new film from the suitcase in the category instead of another one. If you purchase a movie by auction, you have to wait for the next day until you get the movie.
I just don't have enough money. I always get broke after a few days!
You can get additional 100k from your boss later. But I don't advise you to do it. It's just a credit - you have to pay interest every day. Note that your first 200k have to be paid back to the boss, too.
I've seen in the statistics, that the other players get a far bigger audience than I can get theoretically! Do they cheat?
They've just bought more transmitters. Click on the map in your office. While the simple transmitters will only get you a bit more viewers you can also buy satellites later to cover more at once.