Game Review (written by Hooktong) Added on: 08/30/2006
This game is essentially a very good business game, the player being the head of a company that makes consumer goods and sells them. It is generic in nature as to the items being made. The best part of the game is that you can set the Parameters for play at the beginning of each game. It can also be played in a number of different ways. You can use:
Open Play - All players see each others quarterly reports.
Closed Play - Each player sees only their report, going to the computer screen at their time.
Hard Copy - Each player's report is sent to a printer. The best part of this function is that you do not all have to be at the computer for the entire game. The game saves between the Report printout and the input by players, so it may actually be played over a length of time.
The game allows for up to 6 players of which up to 5 can be computer players. The player chooses the number of players in each game. The player then enters information about his company. Then the scenario setup comes to place. The player may accept the random scenario set up or he may change the parameters of each game by entering information on how he wishes the game to be played.
The player can choose between different products, raw material pricing, inflation, GNP, economic upswing and others.
Each of the parameters affect the game, according to guidelines chosen by the player, some beneficial, some adverse.
Each Quarter you receive a report advising you of the:
GNP - Gross Nation Product changes, CPI - Consumer Price Index, Raw Material cost changes, Purchasing Power of Consumers, Prime Interest Rate, Events (Factory burns down, Offers to Automate part of Assembly Line, Workers request raises, etc.)
Each Quarter you have to choose how you will act during the next 3 months. The player must enter: RM Purchases - Raw Material purchased, Production - How many items your factory will produce (10 is normal but you can go up to 20), Finished Goods Price - The cost of your produced items, Advertising and Marketing - Amount you will spend for these two items Affect sales), Research and Development - Amount you will spend for these two items (Affect costs), Loans - Amount you wish to borrow from the bank (Watch out interest rates will not be Prime), Factories - Allows you to build new factories, or sell old ones if you’re having financial issues.
Special Memos - These will be representative by a letter in response to events that happen during the game (I.E. Your workers ask for a raise, you can approve, disapprove or come to agreement).
At the end of each year you will get an Annual Report on what your Real Dollar Equity Growth is, along with a simple balance sheet showing where your income came from and where your expenses were spent.
Each turn is 3 months and the shortest game that is suggested is 2 years (8 turns), but it can be set for as much as you wish. The longest I played was 20 years.
The final report will show you how you placed against the other players or computers.
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