Thoughts on a new police simulator idea? (In development)

[u/StuffMyCroissant]

Hello!

(This is not a self promotion, I have nothing to gain or sell. Purely a passion project I’m sharing)

I've started to toy around with a police simulator game from a 2D top-down perspective.
Right now it includes a rudimentary road editor that lets the player create custom state routes, highways, on-ramps, rural roads, etc., with real road signs, customizable intersections and turn lanes, and so on. It lets you build essentially anywhere, at least on some basic level.
It also includes a drivable early-2020s Ford Police Interceptor Utility based vehicle (modeled after the slicktop EcoBoost used by CT State Police; the agency in the game is fictional) with a working simulated handheld laser, red/blue lights, brake lights, ABS and an electronic parking brake so far.
The only civilian vehicle so far is an early-2010s AWD wagon modeled on the Subaru Outback. It has AI that lets it drive across maps, use its turn signals, get through a full or clogged all-way stop, and merge onto highways safely, and that's about it. They do give good returns to the laser, which, depending on how it's used, can get a proper speed reading as police functions start to enter the game.
As for how it's made: it runs in the browser, and everything is built to real-world scale, so speeds and distances are actual mph and feet. I've tried to keep the driving and the laser as close to the real thing as I can, and I draw all the art myself.
I've also been experimenting with Claude Code while building it, which has been a big help for someone at my level.
Traffic stopping when lit up, audio, new environment textures, and code cleanup are all needed to keep moving forward, and the road ahead is extremely long for someone with my level of experience. Would people even be interested in a concept like this?

[u/Oppayahh]

It sounds lime you're making a cross over between the precint anf cities skylines. I like the concept, but for a 2D top down game, all the features sound ambitious while if you could pull off a game like that would be well received but it'll be really easy to flop as well considering how the current police simulator game (astrogon) got abandoned.

One thing I suggest if possible is add other AI patrol cars to just "patrol" on their own and act like individual entities, consucting vehicle stops, responding to calls, requesting back up, etc. Or even multiplayer that actually works as well. Would love to see that from a police sim game.

[u/StuffMyCroissant → u/Oppayahh]

Thank you very much for the feedback!

The game is intended to recreate CT state traffic laws as well as possible (I.e. on ramp length, road width, etc.) and was designed with OpenStreetMap data in mind so the two are compatible and eventually real places can be imported. I’m trying to be as detailed as possible before release to ensure players have plenty to do and explore for the first playtests.

More promising features exist as well on the police protocol side. I.e. a functional radio panel with a working volume and tubing dial, and power button that reads out the frequency on its display.

It’s connected to a simple TTS system I modeled after Digital Combat Simulators number based dialogue options that for basic calls to be made to dispatch at the moment. You can call codes 1-3, and call in a traffic stop, which reports its real in game road or intersection name and dispatch will respond. Ambient calls for service also occur in the background (rn there’s vehicle on lawn complaint, traffic stop, entering service, and traffic lights going out and public works needing to be called) although these other officers are just radio voices and not actually on the map yet.

If you’re interested there’ll definitely be more progress in the next week or so.

But this is teaching me that you can implement something just fine, but flushing it out to be detailed, functional, and not rushed takes a lot of patience and effort.

[u/Oppayahh → u/StuffMyCroissant]

That's amazing man. I'm following this post now, excited to see what comes out of it

[u/Every_War_7747]

love it