Winemaker (computer game)
| Winemaker | |
|---|---|
| Studio | Starbyte |
| Erstveröffent- lichung |
1991 |
| platform | Amiga , C 64 , Atari ST , MS-DOS |
| genre | Strategy game |
| Game mode | Single player / multiplayer , turn based |
| control | Keyboard , mouse |
| medium | Floppy disk , CDTV |
| language | German |
Winzer is a strategy computer game released in 1991 for the Commodore Amiga , C64 and PC. In this economic simulation, the player takes over the management of a winery.
Game setup
Up to four human players each inherit a ten hectare winery in a German wine-growing region. The aim of each player is to collect 1000 points in front of their three human or computer-controlled competitors, which are primarily obtained for producing good quality wines that can also be compete at regional and national wine awards. The game is divided into monthly rounds in which you can carry out different actions depending on the season. In winter you can on his vineyard vines of various grape varieties planted in the spring and summer of wine, besides occasional fertilization hope really only for good weather and from August begins the vintage . The main task here is to choose the optimal harvest times for his various grape varieties, taking into account his other resources. The longer you let the grapes hang, the more and better ripe or overripe grapes you can harvest, but by November at the latest you run the risk that the grapes will rot on the vine. After the wine press and a corresponding storage time in the barrel, you fill your wine in bottles, register it and try to sell it.
Game elements
The graphics and sound of "Winzer" were already modest by the standards of the time. Graphically, Winzer consisted of text and table menus as well as a few dozen decorative 2D graphics; acoustically, the game was largely limited to pleasant background music.
The appeal of the game arises from the successful mixture of elements from several game genres:
Economic strategy game
The winery is initially a business like any other. The player has to manage his start-up capital well, because the money for investments, vineyard and employees must be enough to generate income only after harvesting, pressing, bottling and possibly minimum storage period. Long-term investments in vines and barrel capacity must be weighed up just as sensibly as the most favorable time to buy consumer goods such as bottles. If you want to store good wines for a long time in order to achieve a high price, you have to produce cheap, quickly sold bulk wines at least initially so that you don't go broke in between. In addition, there are a large number of other ways of securing his future, such as advertising, export contracts, the purchase of harvesting machines, sabotage or wine adulteration. If everything goes well, you can think of using one of the next vineyard auctions to expand your own estate.
Viticulture simulation
However, you cannot win this game simply by trading successfully. Many points in the final bill can only be obtained through regular pressing of top wines. In order to be successful in this field, one must be very familiar with viticulture, as it is presented in "Winzer". And the programmers wrote this game with the intention of expanding the players' knowledge of wine, with gross simplifications and sometimes incorrect information being given in favor of the game principle. The budding winemaker has to deal with which grape variety is suitable for his own wine-growing area, to what extent the harvest quantity and must quality depend on the weather and which conditions the must must meet so that it can be made not just a simple table wine , but a late harvest , a selection or maybe even a Trockenbeerenauslese . The winemaker has to be ready to let the grapes hang until November - if the weather is good, maybe you can get a few degrees Oechsle to press a very good wine; if the weather is bad, the harvest is lost or perhaps still not good enough. In the latter case, should the existing grapes be harvested and used as a cheap QbA or should one hope for a bitterly cold December, in which a spectacular ice wine is possible?
Economy and viticulture are inextricably linked in this game and have ensured that this inconspicuous game enjoyed great popularity for a long time.
Web links
- Vintner at MobyGames (English)
- Remake for iPhone / iPod touch