Oil Imperium was a game that I spent hours playing on my Commodore Amiga back in 1991. The graphics were good for that timeframe, the interface was easy to use, and the game was generally enjoyable.
The game consists of running an oil company, exploring new fields, and selling crude. Although the game primarily focuses on the economic aspects of the industry, it also includes some other minor game play features. The prices fluctuate during the game, so it is important to try and maximize the selling price.
Oil Imperium was a game that I spent hours playing on my Commodore Amiga back in 1991. The graphics were good for that timeframe, the interface was easy to use, and the game was generally enjoyable.
The game consists of running an oil company, exploring new fields, and selling crude. Although the game primarily focuses on the economic aspects of the industry, it also includes some other minor game play features. The prices fluctuate during the game, so it is important to try and maximize the selling price. Sometimes long term contracts are offered, but the player should ensure that the price exceeds the production costs, and that the player is producing sufficient oil in the particular region of the world to meet the contract or penalties ensue.
There are eight
regions to explore: Alaska, North America, Central America, South America, Europe, Russia, Middle East and Indonesia. The player can either buy a survey of the field prior to drilling, or opt to drill anyway and hope that the field produces enough crude in order to make the field purchase worthwhile. (Personally, I often elected to take my chances on certain fields early on without a survey to gain an early production advantage.) Prior to drilling, a concession must be purchased. The player can have the computer to drill or can make the attempt themselves.
In the drilling screen, the player must try to keep the drill bit centered while the drill bores through the earth’s crust into the crude oil below. (I found that drilling ocean squares was much easier, but offshore rigs were also more expensive.) The player is charged according to the amount of time the drilling takes. The player can drill faster by revving up the drill speed, but it makes the bit much harder to control. There are also oil fires that occur at random, and you have the choice of hiring a professional or putting them out yourself. Since you have a limited number of charges to do this, the placement is critical. (Make sure you are far enough away from the explosion! I was never very good at this, so I usually hired the professional.) It is important to check the bank accounts regularly to prevent theft.
One of the drawbacks to the game was that it was not easy to make time pass without missing something. I usually accomplished this through opening and closing a drawer repeatedly. Although the game has this minor drawback, I thought the game was one of the best of its time, and classic gamers should enjoy the experience.
