Thoughts by Linki05 (18 Aug 2015) – PC (DOS)
A long time ago, dinosaurs ruled the earth… then men came along.
A long time ago, zeppelins rules the skys… then planes came along.
Would you like to participate in the conquest of the skies, earn money on the way and be awarded recognition as 1st class air travel pioneer, receiving a shiny medal from the German head of state himself? Then you’ve come to the right place!
As a fresh air travel pioneer, you start out with a small model which is fairly slow, can take only five passengers etc. (i.e. a beginner’s model). On top, you command a sum of cash which you should spend with caution at the beginning. The only way to earn money is receiving orders to build airships. With some luck, the Greek military would like to extend its fleet by 4 such zeppelins.
The crux of the matter is, however, that you have to be in the respective city in time before the award of contract and also have to have the best offer ready in the envelope. Otherwise, the order will go to the competition. Concerning the building of airships, you shouldn’t wait until being awarded a contract, but you should begin straight away so that that you can deliver immediately once you have orders.
By charging scientists to do research, you can develop better airships and put them into service. Because with 40 passengers, opening a service between Berlin and London may start being worth it, for example. Though because workers, scientists and fuel cost a hell of a lot of money and because you have to travel to the negotiations in time with your own airship in order to receive any orders at all, it is not simple to survive the difficult beginning. Once you’ve managed, you can finally give yourself over to the most beautiful avocation there is: love!
Rosanne Brixton tarries in one of the cities from time to time and we can chat her up a little. Not for long, but maybe long enough for a lasting impression and to later marry the lady?
The game offers many more possibilities than I want to put down on paper. You can use helium or hydrogen, always try to fill up in certain areas to save money, perform freight jobs and fly 3 zeppelins yourself, participate in records, catastrophes etc. It should be enough to get a first impression of the game. In the end, it is all about becoming the founder of the Lufthansa and operate it with zeppelins ;)
Graphically, the game is intentionally done in sepia to capture the flair of the times and it reaches (unusual for 1994) almost photographic quality (VGA 640x480, 16 shades of gray). A little ‘monochrome’ from today’s point of view, but more successful than in other games which were similar in style.
The sound strongly reminds of a synthesizer and it is hardly varied (though not nearly as bad as in Atlas). For the time, perfectly appropriate.
Summing up: the game is rather varied and it is a rather well-done business simulation with historical context. It is well made and you will learn quite a bit about the historical times, because papers are reporting about it.
Translated by Mr Creosote
