#OFFWORLD TRADING COMPANY DEMO HOW TO#

(I should also mention that maximum zoom out is the only logical way to play OTC, but in the current build that murders my frame rate. When I do look at the main screen, I donвЂ™t look at it as an exciting space colony вЂ“ I just look for the coloured icons which denote the specific type of resource I need more of, or that I want to temporarily subvert my opponentsвЂ™ supply of, then I switch back to my numbers. I can see that thereвЂ™s lots of cute detail in there, as constructions construct and shuttles shuttle, but thereвЂ™s no cause to actually watch this stuff other than for its own sake, and not even much opportunity to as I need to keep such a weather eye on my own personal stock market. ThatвЂ™s not inherently a bad thing, as so far IвЂ™m finding Offworld Trading Co to be an extremely compulsive and tense spreadsheet-balancing game, but partitioning the UI this way can make the вЂmainвЂ™ screen feel like a bit of a waste.

#OFFWORLD TRADING COMPANY DEMO HOW TO#

I go over to it when I have to place a new building, but that takes a second, after which my head snaps back to that left hand bar and stares unblinkingly at it, waiting to see the effects on whatever resource IвЂ™ve just allocated a new construction to or worrying about how to make another one increase. The remaining 7/8ths or so of the screen, where all the pretty building is happening, barely gets a look in. The problem with this is that, well, I am spending a huge amount of my time with the game watching the numbers, which are concentrated into a vertical strip down the left hand side of the screen. Monitoring the likes of how much carbon youвЂ™re mining, how much water youвЂ™re using, how much power youвЂ™re selling is your primary focus.

Essentially what youвЂ™re doing is making sure youвЂ™re obtaining more of most resources than you need to spend, and building is a reaction to monitoring that rather than the key activity. New buildings, building permits and upgrades are bought with certain and varying types of resources, but you can always buy in a resource you donвЂ™t have with spare cash. Rival corporations are doing the same, and in the earlier stages of the game youвЂ™re trying to place structures on the most resource-rich areas of the planet before theyвЂ™re snatched by the others. Your primary job is to watch the numbers (which show the various types of resources you have, and more important their in- and outgoings), and place new buildings on the tiles which will speed up the acquisition of said numbers. The only moving entities in the game are automated craft which shuttle resources from their various mines and generators back to your headquarters. The key difference from the buildвЂ™nвЂ™bash norm is that you donвЂ™t create any units. YouвЂ™re in charge of a newly-founded corporate spacebase on Mars, which must expand, harvest, buy and sell resources in order to expand further вЂ“ so far, so familiar.

Offworld Trading Company is a combat-free, sci-fi real-time strategy game from the lead designer of the sumptuous Civilization IV.ДЄ great concept with a great pedigree вЂ“ can it possibly be as good as it sounds? But enough about Snickers More Nuts, letвЂ™s talk about Soren JohnsonвЂ™s new game, an Early Access version of which was released this week.

Offworld trading company demo