I have gone nuts for this very simple but addictive computer game called "Chris Sawyer's Locomotion". Like most of the games I buy it is a simulation/strategy game where you have scenarios to complete. Your task is to build a transport empire in various time periods utilizing the existing transit technology of that decade. Buses, trucks, trains, ships and planes are built and managed by you to transport people and commodities around the map, allowing the cities to grow and your company's value and cash to rise.
The game was produced just last year but it was already in the Bundleware pile at Wal-Mart. $15 for this and Roller Coaster Tycoon 2 Triple Thrill Pack (made by the same guy, Chris Sawyer) bundled together. Not bad.
The graphics are retro but in games like these playability and AI are more important and it does a fairly okay job in those areas. It is not the best game in my slowly-rebuilding library, but it can chew up time as effectively and effortlessly as Civilization III: Conquests.
Speaking of Civ, Civ IV is due out soon. Too bad Mildred is way too weak to handle it. Boo hoo.
Who's Mildred? Why this computer of course. Actually, she is named Mildred X, as in "the 10th".
Mildred X is the 10th PC I've owned.
Here's the timeline of the succession of the Mildreds:
1992-1995 Mildred I 386sx 33MhZ 4MB RAM
1995 Mildred II 486dx
1995 Mildred III 486sx
1995-1996 Mildred IV 486dx
1996 Mildred V Intel Pentium I 100MhZ 32MB RAM
1996-1998 Mildred VI Intel Pentium I MMX 120MhZ 32MB RAM
1998-2001 Mildred VII AMD K6-2 3-D Now! 300MhZ 64MB RAM 4G HDD
2001 Mildred VIII AMD K6-2 3-D Now! 300MhZ 64MB RAM 20G HDD
2001-2004 Mildred IX AMD Athlon XP 1800+ 1.5GhZ 256MB RAM
2004-now Mildred X Intel Celeron 1GhZ 256MB RAM 2) 20G HDDs
I know, technically Mildred VII and VIII are the same except for a hard drive upgrade but VIII didn't last long anyway. She came into being because VII's hard drive fried and I ran out and bought a new hard drive, got it home and found out that I had, over the years, lost my bootleg copy of Windows 98. So I broke out my credit card and had to buy a full version of the then most recent Windows ME. The bitch is if I could have just endured another month without a computer, I could have bought a full version of the much better Windows XP which had yet to debut. But I was impatient.
Mildred IX's power supply bought the farm last summer and because of the chaos of last year I was sans 'puter for several months until they were getting rid of some PC's at my then workplace in New Orleans and I was able to pick this baby from the trash heap for free.
It's a downgrade and I will need to save up for the next Mildred to play the oh-so-3D games of late but it's okay for now. Play Locomotion well, and lately, that's what it's all about, baby!
Well I'm playing hooky from work today (naughty me, tee hee!) so I got the whole day to play with myself...er, ah, via the computer game, of course! (wink)
The game was produced just last year but it was already in the Bundleware pile at Wal-Mart. $15 for this and Roller Coaster Tycoon 2 Triple Thrill Pack (made by the same guy, Chris Sawyer) bundled together. Not bad.
The graphics are retro but in games like these playability and AI are more important and it does a fairly okay job in those areas. It is not the best game in my slowly-rebuilding library, but it can chew up time as effectively and effortlessly as Civilization III: Conquests.
Speaking of Civ, Civ IV is due out soon. Too bad Mildred is way too weak to handle it. Boo hoo.
Who's Mildred? Why this computer of course. Actually, she is named Mildred X, as in "the 10th".
Mildred X is the 10th PC I've owned.
Here's the timeline of the succession of the Mildreds:
1992-1995 Mildred I 386sx 33MhZ 4MB RAM
1995 Mildred II 486dx
1995 Mildred III 486sx
1995-1996 Mildred IV 486dx
1996 Mildred V Intel Pentium I 100MhZ 32MB RAM
1996-1998 Mildred VI Intel Pentium I MMX 120MhZ 32MB RAM
1998-2001 Mildred VII AMD K6-2 3-D Now! 300MhZ 64MB RAM 4G HDD
2001 Mildred VIII AMD K6-2 3-D Now! 300MhZ 64MB RAM 20G HDD
2001-2004 Mildred IX AMD Athlon XP 1800+ 1.5GhZ 256MB RAM
2004-now Mildred X Intel Celeron 1GhZ 256MB RAM 2) 20G HDDs
I know, technically Mildred VII and VIII are the same except for a hard drive upgrade but VIII didn't last long anyway. She came into being because VII's hard drive fried and I ran out and bought a new hard drive, got it home and found out that I had, over the years, lost my bootleg copy of Windows 98. So I broke out my credit card and had to buy a full version of the then most recent Windows ME. The bitch is if I could have just endured another month without a computer, I could have bought a full version of the much better Windows XP which had yet to debut. But I was impatient.
Mildred IX's power supply bought the farm last summer and because of the chaos of last year I was sans 'puter for several months until they were getting rid of some PC's at my then workplace in New Orleans and I was able to pick this baby from the trash heap for free.
It's a downgrade and I will need to save up for the next Mildred to play the oh-so-3D games of late but it's okay for now. Play Locomotion well, and lately, that's what it's all about, baby!
Well I'm playing hooky from work today (naughty me, tee hee!) so I got the whole day to play with myself...er, ah, via the computer game, of course! (wink)