Oldtimer (computer game)

Oldtimer , subtitle: Experienced History Part II - published in the USA and Canada as Motor City - is an economic simulation by the Austrian game developer and publisher Max Design , developed by the Austrian developer Alcatraz . It was released for the Commodore Amiga as well as for DOS and is the successor to the game 1869 - Hart am Wind .

The player takes on the management of an automobile manufacture in the early years of the automobile era, from the development of the individual parts to prototypes and test drives to international sales. It was one of the last productions by Max Design and is probably the most realistic implementation of the business of the early automotive industry.

Game character

In 1994, Oldtimer continued the series Erlebte Geschichte by the developer Max Design and is also a historical simulation, with a focus on a realistic representation of the simulated historical epoch - which became a very successful chart title in Germany.

action

The game is set in Europe in the early years of the automobile industry , with the player having to control the fortunes of an automobile manufacturer in a playing period from 1886 to 1929. The player takes on the task of building up a company and turning it into a successful automobile manufacturer compared to the competition .

This already begins with the procurement and the sensible and careful handling of funds for his company. If it is operated too wastefully, the company is facing bankruptcy within a short time. In oldtimers, the player is significantly involved in all aspects of vehicle construction. This means that the customer not only has to put the respective individual parts in development, but also ensure that the raw materials required for this, such as steel, glass and rubber, are always available in sufficient quantities and that there is no production bottleneck or even a production stop - He must also react with foresight to the sometimes strong price fluctuations of the substances and, if necessary, change the quantities to be ordered.

The player is not only challenged to invent new individual parts, which he then has to assemble into a prototype. He is also forced to always follow the market with new developments, otherwise the buyers simply stay away or even cancel their orders. The components of the automobiles must also be chosen with care. If, for example, the chassis is too weak for the total weight of the vehicle or the engine is just able to move little more than the occupants, the buyers sometimes penalize you with significantly smaller order quantities - even missing any orders is possible.

When the first own automobile is finally ready for production, the player can put his latest creation through its paces in historic races with the automotive and racing elite.

The next step is the production of the individual parts, whereby a separate production facility is required at this point for each type - body construction, chassis construction, engine production & final assembly. The player has already set up these with wise foresight in order to take into account the imminent completion of the individual parts developed. The player must also take care of the timely hiring of workers and, if necessary, adjust the wages in order to be able to employ larger numbers of staff more quickly.

As soon as the first own car has been mass-produced, you can encourage your respective specialist dealers to buy with discounts or their customers with increased advertising budgets. If sales have started satisfactorily in the region, it is advisable to gain a foothold nationwide through additional dealer branches and to face the challenges of the 20th century with your automobile company.

All relevant technical and economic innovations such as the invention of the starter , electrical lighting or multi-gear shifting as well as significant developments in vehicle construction (e.g. piece chord, assembly line production) are simulated and have a direct influence on the game.

The possibilities of action of the game are thus in the turn-based simulation u. a. in research and development, the production of components, the final assembly of automobiles and participation in automobile races. In addition, a branch network has to be maintained, a successful marketing strategy worked out and the order processing has to be carried out with dealers. A fundamental distinction is made between the market segments for small, medium-sized and luxury automobiles.

Processing of historical events

Real historical events also have an impact on gameplay in classic cars . Creeping advances such as the introduction of increasingly automated production techniques are simulated as well as technological revolutions - such as the electric motor - or political crises (such as the First World War).

The oldtimer player was once again able to enjoy large-scale animation sequences with atmospheric background images and clips . The CD version also contained a 90-minute soundtrack . The 150-page bound hardcover manual also earned its name for this game and offered extensive background material with which the history of the early automotive industry was presented in articles and large-format graphic material. Furthermore, the PC version was delivered with an electronic automobile encyclopedia and continued to contain film and sound material from the early days of the automotive industry.

Press reviews

"It looks superb!"

- Amiga Power magazine

"As early as 1869 , Max Design proved that digital history lessons can be gripping - the second lesson for business simulators now follows fresh from the PC classroom."

- Amiga Joker magazine

Trivia

With Oldtimer as the second part of the Erlebte Geschichte series , Max Design, like its predecessor , played a decisive role in shaping the genre image of the “typically German WiSim ” in the nineties and, together with a few competing titles such as B. The patrician , new standards established. You have a large fan base in German-speaking countries to this day. For example, there are numerous forum entries written later, in which reports are repeatedly made of (mostly unsuccessful) attempts to get the old games running again on modern hardware, or the desire for modern new editions is expressed.

However, it is extremely unlikely that there will actually be new editions or a continuation of the series. With Max Design's sudden cessation of business in 2004, a continuation of the Experienced Story seems practically impossible.

The driving and racing simulator, technically remarkable for the time, was reserved for the PC and Amiga AGA version, and the electronic automobile lexicon was even included in the scope of the game in the PC version only.

The game is still available for purchase today. The Amiga dealer Vesalia Computer, which is quite well known in the community, still offers at least the Amiga version (AGA, ECS / OCS) for sale. Nevertheless, Oldtimer found its way into the archives of the various abandonware archives years ago . It can be found on the well-known abandonware sites such as Abandonia .

Web links

TheLegacy.de Screenshots and photos of the game material at TheLegacy , from February 24, 2009
Youtube: Video of the intro including the soundtrack , from August 30, 2011
Abandonia.com Oldtimer - Experienced History Part II aka Motor City on Abandonia , from August 30th 2011

Individual evidence

^ Motor City for Amiga (1994) - MobyGames. Retrieved September 30, 2018 .
↑ ^a ^b ^c Amiga Power: British Amiga Power magazine about oldtimers
↑ ^a ^b ^c www.Kultboy.com Amiga Joker magazine about oldtimers
↑ ^a ^b Kultpower.de magazine PowerPlay about 1869
↑ Amiga Games magazine about 1869
↑ GameStar.de: GameStar magazine about mass layoffs among Anno programmers
↑ Vesalia Computer: Oldtimer - Experienced History Part II
↑ Abadonia.com Oldtimer - Experienced History Part II aka Motor City on Abadonia

[1] Motor City for Amiga (1994) - MobyGames. Retrieved September 30, 2018 .

[amigapower-2] Amiga Power: British Amiga Power magazine about oldtimers

[amigajoker-oldtimer-3] www.Kultboy.com Amiga Joker magazine about oldtimers

[powerplay-4] Kultpower.de magazine PowerPlay about 1869

[amigagames-5] Amiga Games magazine about 1869

[gamestar-6] GameStar.de: GameStar magazine about mass layoffs among Anno programmers

[Vesalia_Oldtimer-7] Vesalia Computer: Oldtimer - Experienced History Part II

[abadonia-8] Abadonia.com Oldtimer - Experienced History Part II aka Motor City on Abadonia