Windfall: The Oil Crisis Game

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Windfall: The Oil Crisis Game is a real-time business simulation game developed by David Mullich in 1980 for Apple II. Based on queuing theory and released after the 1979 energy crisis, the game puts players in the role of Engulf Oil chief executive, setting up gas prices and salaried workers, monitoring of gas station lines, scheduling oil tanker arrivals, and oil price negotiations with OPEC countries racing against clocks maximize profits. Like most Edu-Ware games, Windfall has an educational aspect, showing a delicate balance in complex systems.

Video Windfall: The Oil Crisis Game

Gameplay

Players have six main options in simulating the operations of this oil company:

1. Observe the Service Station: A low-resolution graphics display appears, featuring six service stations, two of which are under player control, while four are operated by computer-controlled competitors. Small colored blocks entering the line at each station represent thousands of cars. The queue length at each station is an indicator of gasoline demand with the current selling price and the time it takes for each station to serve the car.
2. Observe Dock Yards: Another low-resolution graphics screen appears, describing the oil tankers arriving at the dock. The queue length on each dock is an indicator of oil supply at the current purchase price and the time it takes for each dock to serve each tanker.
3. Service Station Statistics: A text information table allows players to see things like the amount of gasoline that each station should sell, how long the line waits for the car, how many rival stations may underestimate the player's price.
4. Dock Yard Statistics: This text table shows players how much they pay the oil producers, how efficient the flow of oil from their suppliers, how much they pay their dock workers. Sometimes bad weather can slow ship arrivals.
5. Set Up Wages, Prices, and Purchases: Here players can change the price of gasoline, wages from their station workers, and choose their oil sources from among some fictitious OPEC countries.
6. Financial Status: This screen allows players to view the financial health of their company, buy or sell shares, and try to fix prices.

The strategy is based on some simple economic principles. If a player pays its employees badly, the service time will be longer; however, if the player pays too much, the price will need to be raised to maintain profit, but competitors can steal the business at a lower price. If the price of gasoline is too high, the government may come in and set a price limit. Sometimes, shareholders will override a player's decision.

Hours continue to run through the game. When the time expires, the player's performance is evaluated.

Maps Windfall: The Oil Crisis Game

Reception

Windfall , like most games from the Edu-Ware zip-lock bag era, only sold a few hundred units. However, this has been well reviewed, receiving an "A" rating from Peelings II magazine, which concludes, "Behind this simple screen (maybe) a pretty sophisticated realtime simulation program is synthesized with a real-time display updated. Considering the programming effort involved and the educational value of the program, it is an offer and it is very fun to play. "

Bruce Webster reviews Windfall at The Space Gamer . 31. Webster commented that "If there is a problem with this game, it is that the topic may not be so appealing to you, or that the treatment may be too simple for your taste, and I can think of no serious objections to the game."

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References

• Catalog Products . Edu-Ware Service. March 1, 1980. < span> Ã,
Martellaro, John (1980). "Windfall". Peelings II . 1 (2): 11-12.

src: pastdaily.com

External links

• Windfall (video game) on IMDb
• Windfall in MobyGames

Source of the article : Wikipedia