Industry Giant 2 was developed by JoWooD Productions AG in 2002. The new distributor is UIG Entertainment AG.
This time I got to play Industry Giant 2 game for a longer time. Read the article on our first impressions. I got to get more familiar with the gameplay mechanics.
Game Setup and Customizability
The game has a wide variety of maps to play, each with their own population size and difficulty. The maps provide differing challenges in building out logistics. Some maps have more bodies of water in them. This forces the prospective tycoon to build out shipping routes. These cost quite a lot of money to build and operate.
Other maps have more land mass. They are relatively easier to operate as the player can build out trucking and train routes which are cheaper. The population size matters when the player wants to focus on bigger cities to spare money on logistics; it’s cheaper to build fewer distribution networks with shorter distances. In big cities all stores are located close to each other.
There’s a possibility of choosing icon and colour for the player’s company. The rest of the settings are pretty restricted compared to other similar titles such as Capitalism Lab or Transport Tycoon. There’s no inbuilt mod support in the same way as the titles named above. As years pass the player gets to produce and sell more products. This contributes to variation in the gameplay which otherwise becomes repetitive.
Building a Corporate HQ – a Waste of Money?
The player can set up their headquarters in a location of choice. So far I haven’t found out what the function of the HQ is. The building doesn’t allow for new functions and it costs money so building it doesn’t make sense for me. Would be fun if the player would get access to new operations by building the HQ. Now building one feels like a meaningless waste of money.
Industry Giant 2 Game – When Do We Become Giants?
Building out actual industries which the game is named after depends on extracting natural resources and building logistic routes. There are several logistics steps in between extracting resources, building products and selling them. The player needs to build natural resources firms, warehouses and transport to move the resources. The end goal is to get the raw materials to a warehouse nearby the factory. In the end the player needs to build out logistics to get the products to the stores.
Some players will find the detailed logistics setup as enjoyable and others will find this feeling like an actual job. I’m undecided. I enjoy playing simulation games like Capitalism Lab and Transport Tycoon but Industry giant somehow feels more heavy for me. For an experienced tycoon with plenty of time at hand IG2 will be a pleasurable experience. For a newbie like I was during my first session it’s pretty dense. It takes time to get the hang of how to play the game.
There’s a big pro or con, depending on how you see at it. This is that getting to a situation with more action will take lots of time. Building out your empire goes sloooowwly. It’s not your half an hour spontaneous gaming experience.
What Do I Like About Industry Giant So Far?
- Setting up natural resource firms
- Building factories
- Preparing warehouses
- Building truck terminals
All these and building logistics to connect all the operations to each other can be an interesting experience. It’s fulfilling to see that the truck- and boat routes you’ve spent hours building eventually start bearing fruit. It’s a fascinating feeling seeing my trucks flowing freely across the map, making me money.
Industry Giant 2 VS Capitalism Lab
The thing though is that there are people who do this kind of stuff as their work. At times playing it feels outright laborious. This is because I’m constantly forced to micro-manage transport of goods or the prices of individual products in individual stores.
Instead of the CEO making high-level strategic decisions, the player often has their hands in the clay. In the end it’s you single-handedly running your industrial empire to standard.
Industry Giant isn’t either as immersive or pedagogical as Capitalism Lab, which at the moment might the favourite game of yours truly. Capitalism Lab allows the player to start their own company, decide which products they specialize in, do R&D, marketing and HR. There’s the stock market and banks with the possibility of doing financial acrobatics.
Overall, Capitalism Lab feels more immersive as it incorporates more of the real-world elements of business. The game feels a bit like a “dumbed down” version of Capitalism Lab with lots of tedious administration stacked on top of it.
Industry Giant 2 Game – the Conclusion (for now)
IG2 is a great play for experienced tycoons as it allows you to build out your industrial empire of dreams. At the same time, don’t expect the same immersion and endless hours of creative fun as you’d get from playing Capitalism Lab. Instead of making high-level decisions effecting the fate of millions you are stuck in micro-managing your transports and stores.
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