Installation was a breeze. The 5.45Mb file installs to the default location:
C:\program files\ Starship Tycoon\
and is 19.3Mb in size once installed.
Quote:
Starship Tycoon is an addictive and deep management/strategy game that puts you in charge of your own galactic shipping corporation. Transport passengers and cargos between the stars, manage your employees, and compete against AI opponents in this cool space game. The game has eight missions, played against the clock or in free-form mode, and a random map generator for unlimited replay. You can even import your windows address book to name your crew. Version 2.29 build 2.4 may include unspecified updates, enhancements, or bug fixes.
Reference accessed 19th July 2008 http://downloads.zdnet.co.uk/0,1000000375,39157997s,00.htm?r=2
The game is a simple 2D tycoon game; you can see the description of the game from the above quote. I’m not into this sort of game, so have only done a brief tour of the game. I’ve taken screenshots of every tutorial page of which there are around 50 images. You can find these by following the link below. There is also a tutorial document in the games folder which if you allowed it to install to the default location you can find by following the path above. The document explains how to edit the missions so that you can create new ones. There are nine campaigns and a random map button. According to the developer:
Quote:
You can play either in a mission-based or freeform 'sandbox' mode. There is enough gameplay in Starship Tycoon to keep you playing for months, you can run your company any way you like, from keeping the staff happy and well paid right down to running on cheap fuel, smuggling illegal cargoes, and bribing the customs officials.
Reference accessed 19th July 2008 http://www.positech.co.uk/starshiptycoon/index.shtml
The game is fully mouse controlled though you can also access many of the menu functions and commands via keyboard shortcuts. I’ve captured some of these when taking screen captures, but didn’t make a list because I wasn’t given advanced notice as I usually am. It’s easy to make a list of these if you want by hovering the mouse over any menus or command buttons. A small window will pop up telling you what the keyboard short cut is as well as give you information about the particular function.
I’ve listed several cheats below that enable you to skip levels, stop breakdowns, and run your ship without fuel, plus a few others that can help you through the game. The following link takes you to the developers page, where you can find useful information about your ships crew and ships modules:
http://www.positech.co.uk/starshiptycoon/moreinfo.shtml
I’ve also posted a link to an online review of the game. There were no big reviews, and most game sites that listed Starship Tycoon had no reviews, but the one I did find seemed on the whole favorable.
The game is also free standing, which means that you can play it from a pen drive or even a CD or DVD and you can transfer it from computer to computer once it’s been activated.
Reviews of Starship Tycoon:
http://www.download.com/Starship-Tycoon/3000-7496_4-10264555.html
Images:
All on one page:
As a slideshow:
http://s109.photobucket.com/albums/n61/Whiterabbit_01/gaotd/Starship%20Tycoon/?albumview=slideshow
Googled:
http://search.msn.co.uk/images/results.aspx?q=Starship+Tycoon&FORM=MSNH#
Cheats:
While you are in the main menu, enter one of the following codes to activate the specified cheat function. You should hear a sound when you enter the code correctly (assuming you have your speakers turned on):
50,000 credits.…………………………… baconbutty
Level skip.………………………………….. milo
No breakdowns.…………………………. repairomatic
Ships run without fuel.……………… ecoships
Disable morale.………………………….. jezebel
Disable wages.……………………………. bagels
System Requirements:
The system requirements are minimal, with specs that would have been considered high end around a decade ago, and so most community members should have no difficulty playing this game. It’s also Vista compatible for those who find many of these games unplayable on Vista. Does anyone know whether the Service pack fixed any of the major problems? I’ve got the home premium version which I’ve had for almost a year, but uninstalled after the first few weeks due to too many incompatibility issues – I’ll post the query in the forums:
http://www.giveawayoftheday.com/forums/topic/3614?replies=1
• Windows '98/XP/Vista
• Directx7 or later
• System 64 MB RAM
• 16 MB Video card
• 400 MHZ processor or better.
Conclusion:
This 2D tycoon game looks a little dated (despite it only having been around for two and a half years, (Dec 05); but don’t let that put you off this excellent tycoon game. It doesn’t have the graphics of games like Rollercoaster Tycoon or the simpler arcade tycoon games such as Lemonade Tycoon, but the game play has as many choices; and has enough game play to make it worth downloading, especially if you’re into tycoon games. I like the developer’s addition of a simple level editor tutorial which, as already mentioned, can be found in the installed games folder. Personally I won’t be keeping this one, I already have several tycoon games and space management games such as Genesis Rising, Spaceforce: Rouge Universe and a couple of years ago picked up a tycoon boxed set (Empire Interactive) for less than $10 which included six tycoon games (Industry Giant, Vegas: Make it big, Venture Tycoon, Ski Resort Tycoon {excellent game}, Real Estate Tycoon and Golf Resort Tycoon II). Compared to the playability of all of those and comparing it to the likes of previous tycoon giveaways such as Ice Cream Tycoon and other tycoon games that I have, I’d give this 5 out of 10. You can buy the game via Amazon for less than $5 if you miss today giveaway. Also it’s a standalone game (see above for explanation).