Weekly Game Talk: Entrepreneur

HELLO!

As something like this has been hinted at a couple times and not ever put into action, I decided to start up this Weekly Game Talk Thread.

Every week, a game will be chosen and linked here in this thread. Readers are then urged to play the game and write a little bit about it. There will be no pressure to write any sort of lengthy review or make any sort of graphics, however all these things are welcome.

Thank you for your participation!

Entrepreneur: The Beginning

This week's game is Entrepreneur: The Beginning! by PepsiRanger

This should be in the Game Discussion forum, obviously.

OHR "Book" Club?
OHR Bookclub Game Selection Rules
Next OHR Bookclub Selection (5)
Next OHR bookclub topic?

OHR Bookclub meeting #1: Sword of Jade
OHR Bookclub Meeting #3: Fantasy Under a Blue Moon X
OHR Bookclub Meeting #5: Walthros
I can't figure out what happened to #2 and #4...

We talked quite a bit about this in IRC (that is, the Book Club meeting concept). Years ago the same concept was tried on CP, and it was very successful; I would try to copy the previous formula. The discussions went on for much longer than a week, and the games were picked carefully. I don't think it would work well if interesting games aren't picked. So I think this should definitely be more than a week per game. That's not necessary enough time for everyone who wants to take part to play the game if they haven't already. Previously, people were given weeks of warning what the game would be, so that they could ahve played the game when the discussion began. On the other hand Spoon literally hadn't picked a game when posting this.

However, I think Entrepreneur is a great choice. As an OHR game it's rather unique, it's got quite a bit of content and allows a different playing styles which haven't been explored and Pepsi had little feedback after the recent release. I know I still owe him feedback, but I'm really busy right now, and about to get a whole lot busier unfortunately; I think I'll disappear. (I've already had a rule to block slimesalad.com for a while, but it's not working!)

Oh yeah, and Giz nominated Entrepreneur, so he better cough up some remarks.

Actually, I like the idea of planning out the game of the weeks in advanced so people and play ahead and be ready.
That said, Entrepreneur: The Beginning will not be this week's game of the week. It will instead be next week's, Starting 11/24 Ending 11/30. That way people will have a bit of prep time, and we'll have weeks starting on Sundays, which just makes sense.

Here you go:

OHR Bookclub Meeting #2: The Eight Granasties
OHR Bookclub Meeting #4: Purgatory

Thanks for finding these, by the way. Fascinating reads.

Seeing as how this is the first week of this Game Club thread, I'll start things off.

Entrepreneur: The Beginning

Personally, I felt Entrepreneur was too hard to get into. What I wanted was to start up the game and get right into some lemon-aid stand like gameplay with a cooky twist. What I got was so much intro and prep work that I lost interest, the first time I played, before ever actually selling coffee.

It's hard to really fault the game for having a story in that way that it does, and I know I'm not the biggest fan boy for story driven video games. The game does have some real interesting gameplay. The style keeps my interest and overall I think it's a pretty good game.

I'm kind of reminded of charbile's comic review of my Kinvesard game where he basically questions the reasoning behind criticizing someone's game. I mean, who am I to judge this game? There's clearly some strong game development choices going on here. This game could be called a work of genius just as easily as it could be called junk. Who's to say?


On to more detailed stuff:
I found the separated instruction downloads a bit odd and after downloading them I was instantly overwhelmed by their size.
The included short stories, on the other hand, were a welcomed surprise. I actually like it when developers include things other than the main game in their zip file (aside from viruses).

Starting up the game, I'm underwhelmed by the game's graphics. Not only are they of minimal, some of the color choices are distracting if not eye sores. However, all that said, the large amount of graphic uniqueness is actually pretty cool, and does add a lot to the game once you get past the color and quality.

Exploring is pretty unrewarding. There are a few little things to find here and there, but for the most part, there's a massive map and very little to find on it. Walking down into the buildings from behind into what I expect to be a door only to find myself deep within the building with only wasted time to show for it left a bad taste in my mouth.

The gameplay mechanics are pretty complicated. I found myself having to really pay attention to really understand what was going on. This is actually one of the things about the game that really appeals to me.
The other thing that really appeals to me is the amount of work that's clearly put into it. It's hard not to like a game that's had so much time and effort pour into it like this game has. There's some really cool things going on in this game.

Anyways, It'll take a bit of time, but I suggest giving this game a chance.

How ist the spoony one choosing these games?

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dOn'T MiNd mE! i'M jUsT CoNtAgIoUs!!!
Play Orbs CCG: http://orbsccg.com/r/4r6x

Here are my 2 cents about "Entrepreneur: The Beginning"

Liked:
I liked some of the jokes. I guess there were more jokes, but I didn't get them because they related to other things/games/movies/something I don't kow.
Also, I liked the name of the hero, I didn't realize the pun to soon, but as I did, I laughted.
This game dosen't seem like the standart rpg, you have to buy and sell coffe, this sounds diffrent from "kill an evil monster"-plot.

Didn't like:
The gaphics. It lookes like a really old gamboy game... the sprites look realy old, the sprite's fashion style lookes old, the way they talk/think about the girl sounds conservative (= old)...
Considering the fact that the game plays in the past it's actually well done.
Still, it's not my personal taste.

About the map, I agree with Soonweaver, the gaphics are well fitting together, but the mag is quite large.

Gameplay:
I faild to really play the game, one time because I took more things than I could pay out of the cupboard, and I failed to figure out how to put them back... basically that's how I got
suck in a store.
I restarted went throug the whole story/intro-thing again and then I came as fas as where I had do make coffe. I placed all my items on the displays, but I coudn't pick them up again or use them for making coffe.
After that I gave up and did not start the game again.

Conclusion:
I feel like I can not really judge the game, because I didn't get very far.

For thoses who did better than me playing that game:
What is the "real" gameplay like?
And is there a way to get out of a shop, if you took to many things from the shelves?

By virtue of being the one to get things rolling by starting the thread I guess.

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Being from the third world, I reserve the right to speak in the third person.

Using Editor version wip 20170527 gfx_sdl+fb music_sdl

I haven't re-played this week, but since I have been a playtester I have been able to play this game fairly often.

There is a lot to see. Whenever I play I focus on trying to make as much money as I can. This can be a real struggle. Scraping together the cash to buy better ingredients and equipment is hard, but it does feel possible. I also enjoy trying to please the Coffee Critic. I think I have only actually succeeded in impressing him once, and boy was I proud of myself. I also enjoy learning the preferences of the different customers.

I like the option to be unethical. This game really does ethics right. I feel guilty about feeding my customers sandwiches that I found in the garbage, but I do it anyway, because they ordered a sandwich, and I couldn't afford any fresh ones today.

Once when I was playtesting, I played a version where the investment script was slightly bugged, and I earned a ton of money very fast. The investments are a great way to earn money normally, but with this bug it was ridiculous, and I was able to run around and buy everything there was to buy, which wasn't as much fun as struggling for it.

I don't know if anyone else got far enough to purchase the lawn mower, but it deserves special mention. The optional lawmower mini-game is pretty substantial, and definitely worth a try, even if your true love is just selling coffee.

I think that title banner needs to be wider.

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Super Walrus Land: Mouth Words Edition

Hey guys, just wanted to say thanks for choosing my game first. I was concerned after releasing it that no one would actually give it a fair chance. I know it's not everyone's cup of tea (see how I almost made a pun?), so I get that it'll be hard for a lot of you to get into it. For those who give it a serious run, I think you'll have a great time with it.

I was gonna sit out of this discussion and see how you all handle it, but when gameplay issues come up, I think it's better just to intervene and make sure you get the best experience out of the game, and I can see that I need to intervene here. (Though, I wrote the instructions in such a way that most questions are already answered if you search the appropriate categories, so if you're still stuck after reading my comments, please scan the document for the section you're having trouble with. Every issue you might encounter should already have an entry in there.)

I also want to reiterate that the game comes with a tutorial that walks you through the first day of business. You have to play the intro to play the tutorial, so if you skip the intro, you won't get access to the tutorial. Here's a protip: You can make an extra $50 during the tutorial if you're clever enough. If you still have questions after all of that, there's an in-game help system at the Whipping Shed that addresses nearly every element in the game.



Now you know why they have a separate download. ;)

I thought I had included them in the .zip file, too. Such a detailed game needs a detailed instruction book.



I try to do this with all of my games. It's my way of thanking you for taking the time to try it out. (What good is a "book club" without reading material?)



Admittedly I'm no expert in 8-bit graphics, but because this was originally made for an 8-bit contest, I was stuck with limited color rules. One of these days I'll be redesigning it with regular graphics, but probably not until I'm ready to finalize the game.



Yes, I know this is TMC's number one gripe, and I'm the first to admit that it's annoying when there is not much to see at this stage. But I will be filling in the maps more in the next version, so I do have a purpose for making it the size that it is.

Note: As of this version, there is only one northward-facing storefront. Sapphire's Consignment has a sign out front.

Protip: You do have the ability to run instead of walk. Hold SHIFT to run.



I never advertised this as a "Tycoon" game. It's always been considered a "business adventure." Adventures require setup, background, and planning. What's the point if that's not there? That said, I understand that selling coffee is the main draw, and the main reason why I wanted to make this game, so I get the anxiousness of wanting to start making your customers sick right away. ;) But do understand that there is so much more to this than making coffee and selling it. This will be more obvious in coming versions when the game reaches closer to completion.



The theme of 2009's 8-bit contest (the one this game was originally made for) was 80's. Stylistically, it's supposed to meld The Karate Kid with Better Off Dead.

Note: This is my dream gaming scenario, and there was no way I could pass up the chance to pay homage to my favorite decade using my favorite theme and most addictive beverage as the catalysts.



Did you see the menu item called "Shopping Cart"? You have to empty it. The cart is just a rebranded version of the item menu, so all you have to do is dump the item(s) you don't want, and you won't be stuck anymore, you hoarder. :p



You have to make the coffee before you can put the items in it. You also have to have the cup to pour the coffee in. Basically, you make coffee in-game the way you would do it in real life: Turn on the machine (after placing it), put in the filter, pour in the grounds, (coffeepot brews automatically when you exit the menu), grab your cup from the counter (you have to buy or find the cups first), wait until the coffee is done brewing, take cup to the coffeepot, get coffee, take hot coffee to your garnishing or supply tray, add whatever you want, serve to customer. The tutorial does explain all of this, as does the in-game lessons at the Whipping Shed, as does the game instructions.

Note: If you're still having trouble, make sure you have the required ingredients and objects to make coffee. At its most basic you need a coffeepot, store powder (bought at the Shop Down the Street) or old powder (found in the trash), new or used filters, and paper cups or used cups. If you're missing any of these things or some variation of them, you won't be able to serve coffee to your customer. Again, the tutorial et al. makes this clear.

Eventually I'll be adding in coffee-making skill points that will allow you to do things out of order and wreck your cup when you're a novice. Should make for a hilarious time.



Yes, you can put the stuff back on the shelf (through the "shopping cart" menu item), or simply thieve it (if you have high enough persuasion).



I hope you never start a business in real life. And if you do, I won't be eating there. ;)

Guys, I do appreciate you taking the time giving this a run. For those who tried to wing it on your own, I hope you'll give it another go now that you know better how to play it. Keeping posting your comments. This is the most feedback I've gotten in four years!

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Place Obligatory Signature Here

@Meowskivich:
I discussed which games should be picked on the IRC channel. Those present on the channel at the time had a voice in the matter, and the games were chosen based off which games seemed like the best out there that haven't really been given that much attention in the community yet.
This doesn't mean this is how they will always be picked.

@marionline:
I'm glad I wasn't the only one turned off by the game's required level of up front effort at first.
Good to hear that you gave it another try. Maybe you could even try again later this week.

@BMR:
It's funny you say that, because I didn't personally choose any of the 3 games slated for book club game week. In fact, I don't think I'd ever have chosen these 3 games myself.

@Bob the Hamster:
You make the game seem pretty darn fun. We need a few more people to get into the depths of this game and tell us about it.

@The Wobbler:
Noted.

@Pepsi Ranger:
Ah, yes I remember this contest now. It actually makes the whole game make a lot more sense.

@EVERYONE ELSE:
If you haven't already give this game a play, I really urge you to. There's a lot of good stuff here.
And remember,
"If you're not going to play other people's games how can you expect other people to play yours?" -Anonymous

please reduce the size of the picture. i can't read any of this cause it makes the lines run on too long.

that or the site admin needs to get some css up in here and set a fixed width for the html body. and add some color to the palette. i mean just green? really? and what's a 'slime salad' anyway? who are you people where am i

Heh, it actually fits my screen perfectly. Didn't think about people having lower resolutions.

EDIT:There. I had meant to shorten it after reading surlaw's post, but... well didn't.