Wow...Astounding...Amazing...Can’t believe it! That’s what I said when I saw the gas prices shoot over $3.00 a gallon. Like everyone else we were struck dumb that this was happening and in most cases angry that oil companies were making huge profits at our expense. Even the explanations couldn’t offset the thought that we had been taken, which still reverberate today. With that thought in mind, I installed Big Oil to begin my adventure into the world of big oil!Installation was quickly completed and I jumped right in. Sometimes I don’t take my own advice, which is read the instructions! The results were immediate, I had no idea what the heck I was doing. As this is a simulation, you’ll need to read it thoroughly. One thing I thought was cute while waiting was the loading screen. It was a picture of an old time gas pump with numbers from zero to hundred. It reminded me of these types of pumps that I saw as a child when my parents used to stop for gas. Ok, I’m showing my age a bit, but it did bring back old memories.
Back to the instructions though. There are only seventeen pages, but a lot of information is packed into them. Game play is in two modes, those being easy and expert. You start off picking either free mode or a starting city. There are various period scenarios if you don’t want free mode game play. You can play multiplayer online or against the computer which will manage a number of various oil companies. These can be turned off depending on how many competitors you want. You select the color, name and symbol of your company and off you go.
To begin, you’ll start near the city you picked and need to buy a drill claim license. Once this is done you do a trial drilling to find out if the location has marketable oil. To do this you will need a specialist, which can be hired, for the right price of course. This hired individual has certain weaknesses and strengths depending on who you hired. Unless you mark him on retainer, he will look for other work once he has finished your job request. You may also “fire” him to replace with a better specialist.
Gas stations, shipyards, and vehicle depots can be added to your empire, increasing your bottom line, and determining what routes to deliver the different products as well. Ships can be purchased and you can determine what routes to set. Accounting and banking are important functions and are covered as well. The stock market is where you can buy stocks and sell them. This is important as you can end up buying majority shares and control other companies. Multiplayer support is provided via LAN or the internet. You may host or join existing games depending on your preferences.
I thought the simulation was somewhat interesting to play overall, but I had negative feelings on the quality of play. Overall the graphics where not up to par as some of the better simulations I’ve played. That doesn’t mean they were awful, but more washed out then they should have been. Charts were another problem with obstructing the view of the screen. When they came into play, you weren’t sure what was happening behind the scene, while you glanced at them. Camera viewing was a problem, till I got the hang of it. At times it was difficult to connect pipes and build roads without toggling the view properly. One thing it did you is gave me a clearer understanding on how the oil production industry works and that’s a very good lesson indeed!
Father of two, now grown children.What are my kind of games? Strategy, RTS, RPG, Fantasy, Science Fiction, and online games such as Dark Age of Camelot and Asheron's Call. Of my dislikes I would say puzzle games such as Myth, FPS type games such as Doom. Also simulation type games, and games that are just plain bad.
My knowledge of the industry mostly evolves around beta testing games, such as Earth & Beyond from EA, Saga of Ryzom, and companies like MSN and Acolade. Self taught web design is another interest I have. Family life is entertaining at times. It also can get weird as well, after you have been married 31 years.
