Constructor Classic 1997

With a MASSIVE list of things you have to keep track of and time-consuming ways to verify them, Constructor is as unforgiving as real life (except that IRL they don't bury you alive if you fail to build a park... I hope). Time-dependent unit production frequency means that you have to constantly monitor the spawn rate (and everything that it depends on), the process itself (to switch between unit production and money earning, for example) and the outcome (because trying to break the unit cap will get you both instantly and constantly penalized). At the same time, you have to an eye out for your resources and replenish them if need be, erect different types of structures, use owned special units to your advantage, repopulate vacant houses, manage repairs of all the buildings, fend of enemy attacks, furnish houses and gardens, adjust the rent both globally and locally, deal with complaints from the tenants and quickly finish the objectives given to you by the Council. A single mistake or failure to plan ahead can lead to a more or less abrupt game over, even on the easiest difficulty with just one enemy to take care of. So why, exactly, do I like this game ? Well - while it IS challenging, it can be rewarding when (rarely ;P) things go well. Also - the omnipresent humor doesn't get old fast - while you can get used to the all the different messages and unit responses, the least they do is bring a smile to your face once you can afford to notice them. Also - much of the difficulty stems from the fact that the AI cheats all the time (it doesn't really pursue goals, it's simply there to annoy you). This means (as weird as it may sound) that playing agains a real person can actually be SIMPLER. Because of that - if you want a much more relaxed experience - either try playing alone (without the AI) or compete against other players, if you're lucky enough to arrange it.

This is one REALLY frustrating game, because trying to handle at once the tenants, competition and hippies is like a road through hell... However, it is probably the funniest road to hell ever :) I've been trying to find this game for years and now finally here it is, little Christmas for me :) I really recommend this one, you can easily find yourself to become addicted to this title!

I have no fond memories of this game. I had never heard of it until I saw it on Gog. I am a mature player. I have been playing games since b4 this games release. I disclaim all that in the hopes someone else interested in this game may understand where I come from. I have spent the last 3hrs working with this game. In that time I have had to restart 5x. I am playing a little and reading the manual. Then back to playing. Every time I my tenants start to move out I close the game and head back to manual to see if I can figure out what went wrong. Firstly, there is no tutorial. There is no real description as to what the icons do. I had to read the manual to figure out most of these things. I still haven't figured out how to get the tier 2 houses, as the manual states they unlock after I've built a tier 1 house. My last attempt I built 5 T1 houses and no unlock. On one map there was a fire, but no way to call the fire department that I could find. My tenants complained about the smoke in the house. I sent a repairman and the house exploded, setting fire to my other houses. Exit, read, reset. When building a house they want you to set the size of the lot. This seems askew however, as you can't set any other houses in the same line. So I go about building houses with the full lot size. Bad idea. All my tenants complain that they want trees since there lots are so grand and empty. I click on the tree icon, but I need a gadget factory to build trees. The gadget factory is locked. The tenants move out. Exit, read, reset. I have played from SimCity Classic to SimCity 4, Civilization 2 through 5, and many other building, management type games, but this one confounds me. I leave this review in the hopes it will help anyone else who never played this game understand what you could be up against. I have read the reviews of how wonderful this game is to play, and I'm sure it is, I just can't seem to grasp it. Perhaps I just need to read the manual again.

I remember when I first played this game back then in 1998. I don't usually buy games online, but seeing I bought this, it should be proof that this game has something in it. Long story short, in this game you play as a property developer who will have to contend with rival developers, the demands of the city council, and the complaints of the tenants. So far sounds like your standard city building sim game - until you get to build the Undesirables, and play all manners of pranks (both harmless and lethal but all very disruptive) to your poor rivals. Of course, they can do the same to you, so watch your back. Unfortunately, the gameplay and interface had several flaws in it, which made playing the game frustratingly difficult - at first. 1. No way to fix fences for non-tenant buildings: If the AI sent a Foreman to take over one of your structures, eventually they WILL get it due to attrition. This works in reverse, but it's up to you if it's worth the trouble to keep coming back to take over their building. 2. Mob favor system: In a game where units have multiple life bars before they can actually be killed, it's a shame that the best combat unit (Gangster) is restricted by the system. In short, everytime you deplete someone's health bar, that takes 1 favor. If you took the person down with 2 Gangsters, that takes 2, not 1, regardless of who landed the killing blow. Mob favors can only be made at a rate of 1 per birth by level 3 tenants, so they're not exactly easy to accumulate until late-game. 3. The computer cheats in terms of resources, money, and units. Even after you purge the whole map out of their buildings and units, they just seem to always have spare tenants to convert into more workers. This can be very frustrating if your goal is to wipe them off the map. Doubly annoying because Gangsters are the only ones able to destroy their HQ, as the mob favor system means that you will run out of favor before their HQ goes down (took me 40 favors to destroy their HQ due to their units swarming my Gangsters). That said, know some tricks that will make your life much, MUCH easier: 1. Learn all the possible tenant complaints. Seriously, they complain so much and you need to prepare for every possibility. Much more pronounced in level 3 tenants and above. 2. The Undesirables Mr. Fixit (Mr. Fixit Store) and Cloppy the Clown (Video Arcade) are among the best units, if not necessary. Early game, you may want to build Pawn Shop to rob your rivals for cash or resources, but in a game where only Gangsters can destroy structures and it takes a lot of effort to kill an enemy unit, the ability to destroy structures and kill units in ONE blow is a huge, HUGE edge. Be careful not to send ANY unit into the Video Arcade, or they will be killed (which means, don't take over enemy Arcade, send a Psycho instead to demolish the structure). 3. Level 1 tenants produce workers and Level 2 tenants produce police officers, but level 3 tenants should be your bread-and-butter. They produce a solid income from rent and the aforementioned mob favors. Do be careful when they turn into Neighborhood Watch or Accountants; they will add more to your headache with their demands. Personally I think their bonuses are not worth the trouble.