|
|
Build-a-lot 3: Passport to Europe HD
|
|
|
|
|
|
Graphics & Sound:
Ah, Europe... the Eiffel Tower, the canals of Venice, Big Ben... and then there's what you'll actually see in Build-a-lot 3: Passport to Europe HD: small subdivisions - from above. The artwork in Build-a-lot 3 is cartoony and simple, yet concise. When your workers rush to a job site, they're represented by a yellow hardhat. A Policeman rushing to settle a domestic dispute is represented by a policeman's hat and a Fireman... yup, a fireman's hat. The animations used for the construction of the buildings are nice, showing the buildings going up in stages and the paint jobs work their way across the building when they're being applied, but there's not a lot of location-specific scenic views or actual photography to showcase "Europe."
The music is nice and soothing, in stark contrast to most of the sound effects. The sounds of a smoke alarm going off, arguing people and breaking glass are all unsettling, but do a good job to alert you that something needs to be attended to. There are other, less jarring sound effects, but these don't necessarily have urgent actions for you to take immediately upon hearing them. When I find myself wanting to play but not wanting to disturb others around me, I've tried playing with the sounds muted, but this greatly increases the risk of me missing a fire alarm or other vital emergency and losing more rent until I notice the problem.
There isn't any voice work; all of the "spoken" messages are simply displayed as text on the screen for you to read. This feels like a missed opportunity to add some additional European flair, but then again, it may be better to not have an attempt at different European accents than to have poorly done ones, which can come off as generic or stereotypical, so who's to say. |
|
|
Gameplay:
The concept of Build-a-lot 3: Passport to Europe HD is simple. Manage the properties you start with in a way that increases your wealth, allowing you to buy, restore, upgrade, paint and build more properties. You can earn money by renting or selling properties, and upgrading the properties will increase the value of both (rent and selling price). In addition to simply building your wealth as much as possible, there are specific goals that must be met for each level. These goals may include owning a certain number of a certain type of house, having a certain minimum monthly rental income, having a certain minimum amount of money in the bank or having built some specific non-residential building, such as a Police Department or Lumberyard. You'll want to check your level goals frequently to make sure you're working toward your goals, as there is a time limit looming over you.
Non-residential buildings, such as Fire Departments, Police Departments, Lumberyards and the like are considered "eyesores" and people dislike having them next door, but these services make your life as a developer much easier, allowing for faster response to emergencies and cheaper and easier access to materials. Also, as mentioned above, certain levels require certain buildings to have been made.
Build-a-lot 3: Passport to Europe HD is a balancing game; you'll need to keep one eye on your level goals, one eye on your money and materials and one eye on your current properties so you can quickly respond to fires, needed repairs or domestic disturbances as they pop up (usually at the most annoying times). And yes, I realize that adds up to three eyes. This is why being able to hear the sound effects is so important; you can let your ear "keep an eye on" the emergencies, since there are sound effects associated with them. If you play with the sound muted, expect for your houses to have emergencies that you don't catch for a while - and expect the losses in rent associated with these emergencies. |
|
|
Difficulty:
Before playing Build-a-lot 3: Passport to Europe HD, I had considered investing in real estate and "flipping" houses for profit. When I first started playing Build a lot 3: Passport to Europe HD, I decided I had a knack for it and thought maybe I should give it a shot. If you find yourself in the same position, keep playing. As you progress through more and more levels, they get progressively harder, with many conditions you would have to think about in real life. I'll be the first to admit that the prices and the very direct way that you pay for such things as police intervention from outside of your neighborhood are overly simplified, but the principle is sound; that's what simulations do - they simplify a system so you can observe the effects of different circumstances. If you ever considered real estate development, think of this as your playground.
When you play Build-a-lot 3: Passport to Europe HD, you will need to be very aware of the goals for the current level. It's only by completing all of the goals that you can pass the level. Also, be mindful of the repercussions and prerequisites of the goals. Early in the game, the goals are fairly straightforward; if the goal is to have four painted Victorian homes, you have to get four Victorian homes and paint them. Later, however, your goals will have indirect requirements: if one goal is to have six landscaped houses, you also have to build a Garden Center (which allows you to do landscaping in the first place), even though that, in and of itself, isn't listed as a goal. One particularly annoying level start me out with five lots and no houses (hence, no income being generated) and one of the requirements was to have five empty lots. This meant I had to build stuff and then later, demolish five buildings to have empty lots. |
|
|
Game Mechanics:
While a lot of things are greatly simplified, Build-a-lot 3: Passport to Europe HD is not only entertaining, but does a good job of illustrating some of the issues to be dealt with in the real estate development business. While it's true that hiring a worker in the game is a one-time upfront flat fee, in real life, you're dealing with a recurring bill and have to deal with various aspects of hiring and managing employees. However, having to decide how many workers to employ, with the understanding that it takes some time to bring a new worker up to speed, but you can't "sell" a worker and get your money back... these lead to tough decisions. Do you spend money to hire another worker, or try to schedule jobs so that you get them done over a longer period of time, but with fewer workers? Remember that the money you would spend to hire another worker could just as easily be spent on materials to do repairs, upgrades or build new buildings... then again, you might need that money to pay for an emergency responder to come to your aid, should one of your rental houses catch fire, for example. This balancing act is well illustrated in Build-a-lot 3: Passport to Europe HD. If you play this game and you're not careful... you might just end up learning a thing or two about real estate development.
|
|
|
-Geck0, GameVortex Communications AKA Robert Perkins |
|
Related Links:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
