The Perfect Game for Armchair Auto Industry Know-it-Alls?

[Ming]

I've long thought of designing a low budget game with my programmer better half that looks a lot like this one.

I've yet to try the demo but the video looked so much like what I've been wanting (the chassis design thing is not so hot, but otherwise...) I had to share: http://www.veloci.dk/gamebiz/cb/

[Neanderthal]

Great idear. You go, Ming.

I am working on a Senator game. It's pretty easy.

[sigma]

And of course... it's PC only.

[wildgoosechase]

Hopefully it is a modern interpretation of "Detroit". I was never able to get that to run on win95, only 3.1. It was interesting but buggy.

[jkennedy293]

I wonder if it has a bailout feature?

[Uzzy]

Interesting

[Ming]

Well the first thing that hits you is worker "Wage Demands" / strikes lol -- so I guess it could be considered close to life as a CEO in Detroit?

[turiddu500]

Hmm that looks pretty cool. What market do you start the company in? (USA? Europe?)

[Uzzy]

Funny how only the Auto Industry has this type of game. Are there any others? Is there a Bank CEO game, or a retail outlet CEO game? Anything like that? Kind of goes to show you how important the Auto Industry is, I guess.

Maybe a sports franchise owner, I could see that being a game they might make.

[turiddu500]

There is a famous business sim called Capitalism.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capitalism_(computer_game)
I've never played it so I can't speak to how fun it is or not.

A few other industries have some successful simulators:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baseball_Mogul
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Railroad_tycoon < Very fun game series.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Football_Manager
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_S...27s_Locomotion

[Uzzy]

Originally Posted by turiddu500

There is a famous business sim called Capitalism.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capitalism_(computer_game)
I've never played it so I can't speak to how fun it is or not.

A few other industries have some successful simulators:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baseball_Mogul
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Railroad_tycoon < Very fun game series.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Football_Manager
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_S...27s_Locomotion

OK, I was thinking there must be a business one of sorts. That's where I was going with the banker one. And there are sports ones, which I'm not surprised at...Railroad Tycoon? I'm picturing that as like a period piece where your character wears vests and carries a pocket watch and monocle.

[turiddu500]

Originally Posted by Uzzy

Railroad Tycoon? I'm picturing that as like a period piece where your character wears vests and carries a pocket watch and monocle.

Its more like a model railroad I guess. I haven't played it in a long while but you lay down track, buy trains and cars etc..

Here are some screenshots:
http://www.strategyinformer.com/pc/r...reenshots.html

[Puzzel]

Originally Posted by wildgoosechase

Hopefully it is a modern interpretation of "Detroit". I was never able to get that to run on win95, only 3.1. It was interesting but buggy.

I need to go looking for my "Detroit" disc... loved that game. I think I had an updated version that ran on WinXP (or at least Win95).

I will definitely check this out tonight. Good find Ming.

[paul8488]

Originally Posted by wildgoosechase

Hopefully it is a modern interpretation of "Detroit". I was never able to get that to run on win95, only 3.1. It was interesting but buggy.

Oh I totally forgot about 'Detroit'! I used to LOVE that game. I must still have the disk somewhere... have to try and dig it up...

[Bravada]

Detroit was classic. I've spent weeks having fun with it, trying to figure out how to crack that game (i.e. win, not the other thing) until I've found out the simulator was actually so messed up it was impossible to do well by playing logically. Yet still, it was fun to create all those cars.

Too bad that game builds upon the least interesting aspects of Detroit - cobbling together a car using parametres too simple to resemble real life and too complicated to really gather casually playing. Graphics is nonexistent and the game seems to be a giant spreadsheet with an unfriendly user interface.

On the other end of the spectrum is "Car Tycoon", an obscure game by the obscure German developer JoWood, known for botching great concepts with half-baked releases marred with bugs and underdeveloped gameplay options, but neat graphics. While Car Tycoon is probably the most underdeveloped of all their games, hushed for release not even halfway ready, the sight of your cars actually driving through the streets, the noise at the assembly plant and the cash till sound whenever you sell a car made the game immensely more rewarding than Detroit.



I don't think many people actually played Car Tycoon, as the first release was bugged on the verge of being unplayable (at least my copy was, but I've found only complaints similar to mine in lieu of support - the game cost less than $10, so I just gave up on it). It was later quietly re-released as "Car Industries", and I might be one of the dozen or so people who actually bought it. It is playable and enjoyable, even if limited to about as many options and features as Tetris. As with all JoWood games, it could be a real hit if expanded with the obviously missing features.

BTW, JoWood's saving grace is a great game called "Traffic Giant". While also prone to stall and full of bugs, it is about the only game they can claim is actually fully developed, and perhaps their best concept. I love it and I sincerely hope one day for it to be remade in the same spirit. If by any chance you stumble accross a copy, do buy it (and don't harm your computer the time it stalls on you just when you were about to win that wicked level).



It is your Transport Tycoon Deluxe, mass transit mode, with people travelling to actual destination, lines and all. If you are the least bit turned on by urban planning, buses, trains, trams and such, you are guaranteed to have lotsa fun with that.

Oh, if you like business/management sims, you should also try SimuTrans: www.simutrans.com. It is free, and perhaps not as nice as even the 1990s TTD (though the pak96comic is cool), but the simulator is really the best thing so far in this genre IMHO.

Is there a Bank CEO game, or a retail outlet CEO game? Anything like that?

There is the Mall Tycoon series, whose best feature is a quality selection of muzak, but overall can give you up to a week of gameplay before you get immensely bored (assuming you play 2-3 hours a day, not 24). Overall a really well done game, just the parametres controllable were poorly chosen, and the simulator, while realistic and well-balanced, just kills some joy and challenge. Eye candy is maxed out in the last installment though.



Funnily enough, I've never heard of a banking sim. It could be REALLY fun, but I guess it's to intricate for anybody to attempt it, and hardly marketable.