Ah, I forgot to mention that Railroad Tycoon is freeware now (you can download it directly from 2K Games).

EVE Online. Start out as a lowly miner or trader. In a year or 2 and with enough cash you can maybe get into the more advanced items for bigger profit.

I didn't like that game. Endless grinding, for almost nothing, and really not enjoyable if you want a quick play.

Yeah, it's not for everyone. Especially boring if you're training your character for combat and all you want to do is PVE. I started losing interest in the PVP aspect and eventually quit the game since all I did was run missions.

It is both.... One part business, one part Secret of Mana.
In one sense it is what you are looking for because you are running a single shop & are stocking the best goods that you possibly can while also keeping a certain atmosphere in your shop as to get the ideal costumer range. You don't actually ever have to do the RPG stuff to complete the game... you can just focus on the business aspect.

Repeat after me Abandonware is a myth it's piracy. Abandonware is a myth it's piracy. Copyrights last pretty much longer than computers have so no software not deliberately made public domain etc are still protected.

I'm glad someone else besides me realizes this.

What ive done in the past is found out who owns the licence ect emailed them and asked if they have a download for it and if not if they mind me using an abandonware site, usually theyre fine with it but its polite to ask.

It's definitely worth checking out, especially while it's on sale at Steam. The RPG aspects don't seem to be mandatory (IMO they're a bit boring compared to the rest), but the item shop management is pretty solid. Try the demo and see what you think.

I usually ask them to consider releasing it as freeware many of them don't even realise that the game they came up with in their bedroom in the 80's is still popular and in demand >.<

Not abandonware. You can still buy it from the SoldOut software lot. Anyway, I would suggest patrician 3 or the guild. Both of them have depth in excess, and should provide some fun along the way (especially the guild).

Not really. That's more of a city builder. I am looking for something that focuses on that one business/shop, and lets me run it.


I went for buying The Guild 2 Collection at Impulse, despite it not really being what I was looking for. But it seems to be the next best thing.

Has anyone played it? Are each of the expansions separate "games", or should I install all of them at once?