All posts tagged in Management
Aug 15, 2019
Hundred Days is an upcoming simulation game with a page already on Steam. To us it seems like a cross between a farming game and a business-tycoon or money-management game, like Chocolatier. You arrange your field and grow crops of different types of grapes to harvest them in different seasons.
But in addition to that, you also choose the recipe for your wines. It’s not all about the type of grape. The grape’s growing conditions affect its quality and attributes. Even the type of yeast you use to ferment the grapes will have an impact on the wine’s final quality. If you want to make the big bucks in Hundred Days, you’re going to have to grow the best grapes and make the best wine.
You’re even going to have to manage the soil’s PH levels. PH levels are a measure of how acidic or alkaline your soil is, and would have an effect on your grapes’ final flavour. When you harvest will also affect their attributes. With such a level of realism, we think this indie developer, Broken Arms Games, must have a real passion for vineyards and winemaking! We look forward to becoming digital oenophiles, too, once Hundred Days releases.
Key Features
- Simulative and realistic approach suitable for both beginners and more experienced players
- The ability to cultivate different types of vine
- Analyze the soil and choose the grape variety that best suits those characteristics
- Organize work in the vineyard such as pruning or chipping
- Protect your vines through specific treatments depending on the type of disease
- Check the state of ripeness of the grapes and decide when to harvest
- Follow the winemaking processes and enhance the characteristics of your wine
- Select the yeasts and bacteria used during fermentation
- Decide how and which of your wines age with aging
- Customize your bottles by choosing their shape, color and other aesthetic characteristics
- Create your sales network and adapt the characteristics of your product to the type of customer
- Manage marketing and social activities to increase the reputation of your company
Broken Arms Games uses the tagline “A game of choice, nostalgia, and winemaking.” We’re intrigued by where ‘nostalgia’ comes into play! We also like that every choice you make in the game has an influence on its outcome. We’re looking forward to discovering and growing every type of grape and figuring out every last type of wine we can squeeze out of them!
Watch the video here, or go directly to the official site for even more info. We hope Hundred Days will be releasing soon, because we’re ready to dive into those lovely vineyards!
If you like money-management or tycoon-style games, check out Planet Zoo, due for release in early November. Or if it’s the farming aspect of Hundred Days that appeals to you, then have a look at our list of farming games on console.
- Jul 3, 2019
Rolling Hills is a simulation game about owning your very own sushi restaurant, created by indie developer Catch & Release. To get all of the updates on this game you can follow the developers on Twitter here and their Discord channel here. You can also see below on everything we know so far with tons of new screenshots!
Here are some of the bigger changes coming to Rolling Hills this month:
- Conveyor belt sushi! We’ve finally come up with a fun way to learn what each customer likes while still letting you flex your creativity as a sushi chef.
- Procedurally generated customers, therefore a sci-fi convention might bring a dozen different robots to your restaurant instead of just the one.
- Occasional special orders that you can fulfill for big bonuses.
- Plates that need to be collected and washed for a more realistic restaurant sim vibe.
- Super cute receipts at checkout and lots of ways to reward different play styles (rewards for quality, for variety, for speed, etc.)!
Once all of these changes have been implemented, the developers plan on working on their long-term goals; the storyline, lots of recipes and ingredients to discover, and new people to meet! By people we mean adorably weird humans and talking animals.
Feast Your Eyes on This!
Below are a few animations from the prototype of the game to tie us over until we can get our hands on it for Steam and the PlayStation Store. As you can see, we have been shown three customers: a chicken wanting our recommendations, a caveman that’s free at last, and a wizard making ‘punny’ jokes. We also get to take a look at the overall aesthetics of the restaurant so far and what seems to be the way we can fill our displays with sushi. Moreover, that making sushi will require you use your skills at pressing buttons just at the right time.
Want more games with sushi in them? Check out our most recent article on The Sushi Spinnery, and own another restaurant. Because sushi is yummy.
- Jun 28, 2019
Creature Resort is an upcoming mobile game now in early development by BIGUMAKU. The developers say in their most recent blog that they “had some values and themes in mind from the get-go, including relaxation, cuteness, and a sense of ‘home’.” We here at myPotatoGames are big fans of Studio Ghibli and this game is reminiscent of Spirited Away in the best possible way! See below for what we know so far and a glimpse at the artwork!
This armless fellow is nicknamed sunhog About Creature Resort
Creature Resort is going to be a resort management game with a difference: your guests will be creatures from all over a mysterious and colourful fantasy world. You’ll meet tiny magical spirits and elegant A-listers – but your spa hotel will need to be the very best it can be (lest you receive a negative review)!
The image above is the concept art the creators decided upon. According to their blog, they wanted something that “leans more towards low poly, but uses added texture and the odd extra visual interest to create a richer experience.” Furthermore, they continue to say that they wanted the world to feel magical and filled with secrets.
Hilda Creatures
Hilda Creatures is another mobile game developed by BIGUMAKU and was produced in association with Silvergate Media. The game is based on the Netflix Original Series of the same name (currently available since 2018) which itself is adapted from the Hilda comic series published by a sister company of BIGUMAKU, Nobrow. If this is an indication of what they can do, we are all the more excited for Creature Resort!
Start your own adventure now alongside blue-haired heroine Hilda. Place items and wait to see who shows up: will it be a tiny Elf, a fluffy Woff or maybe an enormous Troll?! Watch the creatures play with the items, chat and picnic with them, then capture the moment with your camera! Meet them all, collect memories and new friends, and fill up your Friendship Book.
More Information
Follow indie developer BIGUMAKU on Twitter here or their Instagram here. Be on the lookout for adorable new creature guests such as this little guy below.
Want to manage and befriend more spirits? Check out our article on Spiritfarer here. Give them a place to call home and prepare them for the afterlife in this touching management game.
- May 31, 2019
Equilinox is a relaxing nature simulation game which allows you to create and nurture your own living ecosystems. To create an ecosystem you place plants and animals into the world, each of which has its own life-cycle, behaviour, and requirements so you need to make sure each species has a decent habitat with sufficient resources. The game was created by Karl Wimble, the solo indie game developer of ThinMatrix. It was released back in 2018 but has had many bug fixes, tweaks, and new features added since, which you can see down below.
Creative Mode Added
Creative Mode, a sandbox mode, was just added to Equilinox today, May 31st, 2019. You now have the freedom to put whatever you want and however much of it you want in your landscape without any restrictions or points needed. You can put things such as 10,000 swarming bees, Super Mario pixel art with mushrooms, millions of multicolored sheep, or a bunch of angry spitting camels. However, all species have to have been previously unlocked in your Normal World. Although. Although, you will have complete control of the day/night cycle (forward, backward, pause) and will be able to get some really nice screenshots in-game. You can take a look at what to expect with Creative Mode in the creator’s YouTube video below as well as a summary.
Key Features:
- Unlimited placing of plants/animals.
- Unlimited trait modification.
- New color customization options.
- The ability to “duplicate” an object, copying all its traits.
- Hold M when placing to place multiple objects at once.
- Hold N when placing animals to place a “swarm” of animals.
- Day/Night cycle controls.
New Species Added
Flies and carnivorous plants have been added to the game. These plants are able to grab passing flies with their long “tongues” before consuming them.
Meerkats are the first burrowing animals able to dig a network of holes and tunnels in their territory and use them for transport and to hide from predators. They can often be found standing on their back two legs to keep an eye out for danger. Two new plant species were also added for you to unlock. Desert grass provides a new food source for desert biome animals, and the marigolds are pretty flowers which can live in higher altitude woodland areas.
Eagles are now available in Equilinox. These birds live in the mountains but can swoop down to nearby biomes to go hunting for smaller animals. When they catch their prey they carry it back to the nest to feed their young. Furthermore, jellyfish came with the same update as this one. These strange fish will sting any fish that comes too close and can be genetically modified to be harmless or very effective killers. Also, the jungle has one new bush species which blooms spectacularly only once a year.
The most recent addition of species added to Equilinox are dolphins! These aquatic mammals dive in and out of the water when they’re happy.
The developer had mentioned in his latest devlog video that he intends to add pandas to a later update but is already starting to think about moving on to another project entirely. You can catch up all the news you have missed or purchase this game now on Steam here. For other related news, check out our latest article on Planet Zoo and become the very best zookeeper!
- Unlimited placing of plants/animals.
- May 30, 2019
Planet Zoo is currently being developed by Frontier Developments. They probably need no introduction as they also are the ones behind Planet Coaster and Zoo Tycoon. The game is a management and simulation game about creating your very own zoo. The game is set to release sometime in the Fall of 2019 for PC. You can view the announcement trailer and some information about the game with us here.
Another Planet Zoo Developer Journal has been posted, where Programmer Megan Brown and Senior Designer David Bamber discuss animal behaviours. See below for the major details about their developer post and how you can better manage your zoo.
From left to right: Programmer Megan Brown and Senior Designer David Bamber Habitats and Socializing
There needs to be the correct types of terrain and environments for the animals. There also needs to be somewhere where they can take shelter if they dislike being out in certain weather conditions. Meaning, weather can impact your zoo and your animals’ welfare. For example, rain and snow will make a habitat colder which may have a positive or negative consequence on your animals. Timber Wolves especially would love a snow drift or two.
Of course we all know that keeping your animals happy is a very important part of being a good zookeeper. The animals require a habitat well suited to their needs and desires as well as ongoing care and attention. Habitats need to be spacious enough for the number of animals they contain. That might be a few, depending on the species, because some animals need to socialize more than others. Plain Zebras for that matter will get unhappy very quickly if it finds itself alone.
Shelters and Privacy
Shelters are vital because the animals need a space where they can hide when they are stressed. They can become stressed due to weather conditions or if too many guests are peering in at them. Animals need some peace and some privacy too! Some animals are shy so avoid making a path all around the enclosure. The developers suggest to put windows in the walls at strategic points or a one-way glass instead. Keep an eye on your animals’ behaviour when it seems that they are always hiding. Another example of behaviour is when they lie down in a manner that shows that they are sick.
Food Quality and Other Necessities
You’ll also need to take care of food, water, enrichment items, and the habitat cleanliness. Therefore, you’ll need to make sure you have plenty of zookeepers. Something you may find new is what the developers had to say about food: Food quality is another thing you’ll want to take into account, as it improves the nutritional welfare of your animals. You can research better quality foods for each species, but this will carry an increased cost, so it’s up to you to decide if it’s worth it. Higher welfare animals have the potential to live longer, raise young more successfully, and be more appealing to guests.
Speaking of cleanliness, we felt the need to share the following quote from David, the Senior Designer: I don’t think we can talk about animal behaviour without talking about dung… it’s always a fun aspect to work on (my YouTube recommendations list is now very specific)! We’ve tried to pay special attention to the size, shape, number of ‘boli’ in a pile, and frequency compared to eating rates. We wanted to make sure this vital aspect of zookeeper work is properly represented, and some animals will need extra keepers simply to keep up with the volume of dung (I’m looking at you Elephants!). We know from our conversations with keepers that this less glamourous side of animal care is time consuming, but is absolutely vital to keeping them fit and healthy. By the way, every piece of dung is a physics object that rolls downhill!
Mating System
The mating system compared to Zoo Tycoon will be a little more detailed this time around. Specifically, who will mate with whom. In real life animals have hugely varied mating habits. This ranges from monogamy to polygamy and to seemingly no mating rules at all! This is a more realistic approach to real-life wildlife. To give some examples: with West African Lions, only the Alpha male will be allowed to mate with the females in his pride. Reticulated Giraffes however will mate with any member of the opposite sex.
You can even build habitats for pairs and juveniles, ‘bachelor’ groups of young males, or related family groups. Each species has a range of group sizes and gender mixes it is happy with. Therefore, dig into the Zoopedia to research and plan your populations. The developers go on to say: Maintaining a diverse gene pool is very important, especially if you want your population to remain healthy. Inbreeding between closely related animals will lead to reduced fertility rates and increased chances of catching nasty diseases, so to maintain a healthy group, you will need to make sure mating does not occur between related animals and may need to periodically introduce new individuals to maintain diversity.
Frontier Developments also mention the following: Another example of this is how West African Lions interact with each other as a group. If you put more than one adult male in with an adult female then those animals are going to fight for dominance, and the winner of that fight will become the Alpha of the lions in that habitat. This grants him the sole rights to mating with the females and producing offspring, so if you want specific creatures to breed you’ll need to keep this in mind.
More Annoucments
The developers have been posting different animals that they are confirming will be in the game via Twitter. Each week we get a new reveal along with #ZoopediaFacts about them. The most recent animal is this little cutie-pie below. In one of their Twitch videos, they mention that different species of animals, such as tortoises, will change depending on the island they are on.
Planet Zoo will be appearing at E3’s PC Gaming Show on June 10th, 2019 where they’ll be on stage to reveal the first gameplay trailer for Planet Zoo! We’ll finally get to see how enclosures are constructed and the movements of some animals! Stay tuned with us at myPotatoGames as we learn more about this game!
- Nov 30, 2018
[dropcap]F[/dropcap]ans of the RollerCoaster Tycoon games (which simulate theme park management), will be pleased to learn that a similar game entitled Parkitect is now available to play on Steam.
Parkitect is a sandbox theme-park construction-management game for Windows, Mac, and Linux. After a two-year early access period, the game was released worldwide yesterday, 29th November 2018.
Developed and published by Texel Raptor, Parkitect shares the premise of RollerCoaster Tycoon games: To build a successful theme park. Players are able to build rides, design and manage the park, and tasked with keeping their guests happy.
Parkitect differentiates from RollerCoaster Tycoon in that it offers players features such as:
- Staff buildings
- Resource depots
- Hidden staff-only areas
- A branching map system
Parkitect can be purchased on Steam, where it currently holds a 9/10 rating and has very positive reviews, for a modest price of $29.99.
With the abundance of negative reviews expressing disappointment in Atari’s RollerCoaster Tycoon World, could Parkitect be destined for success like the popular 2016 game Planet Coaster?
- 1
- 2
