Monopoly Tycoon

Monopoly Tycoon
Developer(s)	Deep Red Games
Publisher(s)	Infogrames
Version	1.4
Platform(s)	PC
Release date(s)	September 30, 2001 (US)
Genre(s)	Simulation
Mode(s)	Single Player, Multiplayer (LAN)
Rating(s)	ESRB: Everyone
System requirements Win95, P266MHz, 64MB RAM, 90MB free disk space

Monopoly Tycoon is a construction and management simulation PC game published in 2001. The player operates a business that owns stores and apartments in a city derived from the Monopoly board game. Instead of using dice, the game relies more on the speed and innovativeness of the players. In the standard mode, the user plays against the AI opponents. In the multiplayer version, players go against other online players in order to gain victory.

There are various levels with varying difficulty. Some involve just financial prosperity of the businesses while others involve success in the political arena. But the primary objective of most levels is to accumulate the most wealth in the given time.

Gameplay

Examining the status of one of your businesses during a game. On the left side you have the summary of its income, profit, sales, etc.

In Monopoly Tycoon, the player operates a business by owning businesses, apartments, and being landlord to blocks. The player earns income from selling products and services, housing people in apartments and hotels. Income is also generated from rent for any blocks that the player is landlord of, plus utilities and railroads.

Monopoly Tycoon has the same set of blocks as the board game with an additional three. When a player is landlord of all blocks of the same color, they are able to build hotels. In addition, being landlord of any property allows the player to build park space.

As in the board game, there are railroads and utilities blocks that players can become landlord of and receive income from. To become landlord, there is an auction amongst the players with the property going to the highest bidder.

At the end of the day, the player is offered a mystery card similar to those from the board game. Some of the cards are a simple deposit or withdrawal of money from the player's account. Other cards allow the player to aid his businesses or harm the opponent, say by restocking one of his stores or giving an opponent block bad publicity.

Businesses

Basic Businesses

When the game starts in the year 1930, "basic businesses" like grocery stores, clothes stores, and diners are automatically unlocked. Other businesses available at the start of the game include a bakery, book store, café, doctor's office, toy store, news stand, fish market, butcher store, jewelry store, souvenir shop, electrical store and hardware store. Original night businesses include a restaurant, a bar, a cinema, a theatre, and a ballroom.

New Businesses from 1940-1980

Day Businesses

New day businesses are unlocked starting in 1940 and continue being unlocked every decade until 1980. These businesses include an ice cream parlor (1940), an antique store (1940), a delicatessen or deli (1950), a sports store (1950), a music store (1950), a travel agent (1960), a general store (1960), a pharmacy (1960), a department store (1970), a health club (1970), a computer store (1980), cell phone shop (1980), an electronic superstore (1980), and a supermarket (1980).

Night Businesses

New night businesses are unlocked starting in 1940 and continue being unlocked every decade until 1970. This is because all of the night businesses in the game that existed when the game was made (2001) already existed by 1975 to 1980 in real life. These businesses include a nightclub (1940), pool hall (1940), fast food outlet (1950), bowling alley (1960), amusement arcade (1970), and video store (1970).

Characters

The characters available in the game are based on the tokens available for the standard Monopoly Board Game. Each has a short description in the game describing the tokens' strengths. Also, each token has their own color which is used in the game on the store awnings, the player comparison bar, the big city map, and to represent that token. These tokens are:

• Shoe (brown)
• Horse (blue)
• Battleship (light blue)
• Top Hat (orange)
• Cannon (green)
• Iron (yellow)
• Thimble (purple)
• Racecar (red)
• Dog (pink)
• Wheelbarrow (dark blue)

Time

Time in the game is different than real time. The game starts at 9 AM in the year 1930, and the year goes up every day at midnight. The years increment by five years every day. In each year from 1930 to 1995, there is corresponding music from each decade from the 30s to the 90s. The 90s music continues until 2030 (this year can only be reached on some levels). When the clock reaches 2030, original 1930s music plays again until whenever the level is over.

Closed Businesses (Midnight to 6 a.m.)

A day in Monopoly Tycoon is 24 hours long, like a regular day. The day starts at midnight (starting in 1935). Then, all businesses are closed until the day businesses open hours later. If the player owns a monopoly and has built hotels, the people staying in the hotels pay their dues at about 2 AM.

6 a.m. Costs (6 a.m. to 9 a.m.)

Every day, at 6 AM, the players have to pay for stock and bills that go to the utilities (6 AM costs). Tenants in apartments also pay their rent. If the player has enough apartments or a monopoly of blocks, their cash can actually go up. Other ways that players can make money include owning utilities, railroads, and other blocks (where businesses pay rent).

The Daytime (9 a.m. to 5 p.m.)

At 9 AM, the "day businesses" open up until 5 PM when they close for the day. All businesses stay closed from 5 to 6 PM to close down or open up for the day/night.

The Nighttime (6 p.m. to Midnight the next day)

At 6 PM, the "night businesses and entertainment" open up until midnight when another five hours go by, a new day begins, and the night businesses close for the day. Then, all businesses stay closed from midnight to 9 AM for the night and the day starts over again.

Regular Scenarios

There are a total of 16 levels in Monopoly Tycoon. The following is a description of those levels and one bonus level that is unlocked when the player finishes all of the regular levels.

Starting Out

In this level, there are no competitors and the city is filled with apartments. The goal is to achieve a total 100 sales. There is no time limit in this level.

A Homely City

This level is different to the previous level as there are no apartments in the city.

Compete For Sales

In this level, the player must compete against one opponent and try to reach the target amount of 200 sales. This is the first level where there is competition against another player. If the player is any character except for Iron, he competes against Iron. But if the player is Iron, then the competitor is Battleship.

$3,000 Daily Profit

In this level, the goal is to be the first to make $3,000 in daily profit before any of the opponents. Each day at midnight, the player's daily profit resets at zero, as a new day has begun. This level is the first level to feature property auctions for different blocks, like Boardwalk (Mayfair), Illinois Avenue (Trafalgar Square), or Connecticut Avenue (Pentonville Road). Later in the game, there is a similar level called $6,000 Daily Profit. The only difference between these two levels is the target daily profit level.

First to be Worth $20,000

In this level, the goal is to reach a target empire value of $20,000 before the up to five opponents. Later in the game, there are two slightly different variants of this level: First to be Worth $25,000 and First to be Worth $40,000. The only difference between these three levels is the target empire value.

Greatest Empire Value by 1945

In this level, the goal is to get the highest empire value by 1945 at midnight. The player has only 15 years to do so against up to four opponents. Biggest Empire Value by 1960 and Wealthiest by 2000 are similar versions of this level. The only difference is the target date and the title.

First to be Mayor

To beat this level, the goal is to build, own, and beautify the city to win three rosettes to become mayor. Every day starting in 1940 at 6 p.m., the city votes for one player to win a rosette. The first player to have three rosettes wins. The Race for Mayor is a slightly different variant of this level because the player has to get 5 rosettes instead of only 3.

Sell, Sell, Sell

This level is much like the 2nd level (A Homely City). But instead of a target of 200 sales, the target is raised to 3,000 sales. The first player to get 3,000 sales wins.

Last Man Standing

In this level, there are a total of six players. From 1940 on, the city will vote for which player is supporting (building businesses, landscapes, apartments, etc.) the city the most. The player with the least percentage will be eliminated until only one player is left in the city. That player wins.

$6,000 Daily Profit

This level is similar to the $3,000 Daily Profit Level, but the target has been raised to $6,000.

Greatest Empire Value by 1960

This level is similar to Greatest Empire Value by 1945, but the player has twice as much time to get the empire value (1960); 30 years instead of 15.

First to be Worth $25,000

This level is similar to First to be Worth $20,000, but the target empire value has been raised to $25,000 instead of $20,000.

The Race for Mayor

This level is similar to the "First to be Mayor" Level (Level 7), but the player has to get 5 rosettes instead of 3.

First to be Worth $40,000

This level is similar to the levels First to be Worth $20,000 and $25,000, but the target empire value has been raised again to $40,000.

Last Man Standing 2

This Level is similar to Last Man Standing, but there are 5 opponents and the first elimination is in 1945 (the fourth day), not 1940 (the third day).

Wealthiest by 2000

In the final regular level of the game, there are 5 challenging opponents trying to have the biggest empire value by the year 2000. This level is similar to the "Biggest Empire Value By 1945 or 1960" levels, but there are 40 more years than the "Biggest Empire Value by 1960" level (Level 11). The player has a total of 70 years to win. This is the only level in the game where all of the day and night businesses are guaranteed to be open and available by 2000 (by at least 20 years).

If you beat this level (and make it to midnight of 2000), the game credits appear and the city lights up with fireworks. The Mr. Monopoly statue in the center of the city is replaced with a statue of your character.

My Mega Metropolis

After the player has unlocked (and beat) all 16 levels, bonus level called "My Mega Metropolis" is unlocked. In this bonus level, the building restrictions have been banished and the player can create the city of his dreams. On Easy, the player starts with $40,000,000; only $20,000,000 on Hard. The player can build as many (or as few) stores as he wants, and all of the properties have not been built on by the city at all.

This level is similar to "Sandbox Mode" (comes in Version 1.4), except there's 1,000x more cash to begin with. For example, on Hard, you start with $20,000,000 in this level. On Sandbox Mode, you start with only $20,000.

Custom Scenarios

If the game is patched up to version 1.4, the player will also have access to 10 new scenarios. They can be found under "Custom Scenarios" on the Single Player Menu. These scenarios are similar to the regular ones, but they're harder in various ways. In most of these scenarios, the opponents have a head-start in businesses, sales, money, and empire value.

Empire Catch Up!

The goal is to have the highest empire value by the year 2000, except this time the opponents all have a head-start because they start the game already owning a few businesses in the city. On Medium and Hard difficulties, they own more businesses and everyone starts out with less money ($5,000 on Hard, $6,500 on Medium).

State Run Utilities

The goal is to be the first player with an Empire Value of $40,000. However, the opponents once again have a head start, just like in the previous scenario. Just as the title indicates, the Utilities are not up for auction in this scenario, making the task a little harder.

You Got It All

Quite possibly the most fun of the Custom Scenarios. This scenario starts in 1980, meaning that all of the businesses are available right out the gate. The goal is to be the first player with an Empire Value of $70,000. This is one of the few scenarios that will last well beyond 2000.

Swinging Sixties

This scenario starts in 1960, meaning that some of the newer businesses are available from the start. The player with the highest Empire Value by 2000 wins. This is a lot like the "Wealthiest by 2000" regular scenario, but the game begins in the year 1960, as opposed to 1930.

Land of Riches

Quite possibly the hardest scenario in the entire game. The goal is to have the highest Empire Value by the year 2000, but this time, the Utilities and the Railroads cannot be leased for the entire scenario. On top of that, the opponents all have a head start in the city similar to what they had in Empire Catch Up and State Run Utilities. Their head start in Medium and Hard difficulties is also greater than previous scenarios. According to the game, if a player beats this on Hard Difficulty, they could call themselves a true tycoon.

Block Release

The overall goal is to have the highest Empire Value by 2000, but at the start of the game, none of the blocks in the city are available for auction. As the game goes on, the city will decide which blocks it wants to make available for auction. (Note: It is beneficial to stick with the standard US board for this scenario, because when the blocks are made available, Mr. Monopoly will refer to them by their US names.)

The Campaign Trail

This is an off-the-wall election scenario. The player must win three rosettes to be elected Mayor, but this time, the city is very well developed, almost to the point where there is no room for actually building businesses. Instead, the aim is for the player to use his cash to lease enough of these well-built blocks to win votes. In harder scenarios, the opponents start the game with blocks under their control, making the task more difficult.

Reign of the Outsider

In this scenario, the player needs four Rosettes to become Mayor. The opponents start the game with businesses (and in harder difficulties, blocks as well). This is one of only two scenarios where the players starts with a business; a Cinema on Park Place.

Profitable Proposition

Be the first player to make $8,000 profit in one day. However, the opponents start the game with businesses and on Hard, they start the game accounting for every business in the city and they all have Empire Values well over $20,000. Quite possibly the nastiest scenario in terms of starting the game at a disadvantage.

Survival of the Fittest

This is a Last Man Standing-esque scenario. The elimination begins in 1945 at 6 PM. This scenario is very easy on Easy difficulty because the player starts with a huge apartment on St. Charles Place (the only scenario where the player starts with an apartment and the lead in Empire Value). On Medium, the player only starts with a Clothes Store on Virginia Avenue, and on Hard, he starts with nothing but cash.

Music and Sounds

The music of the game is lighthearted and changes as the game progresses through the different decades. For example, in the 1970s (1970 and 1975 Monopoly Tycoon years), music from the 1970s can be heard; in 1990 and 1995, 1990s music plays. This music will play until the year 2030 is reached (this year can only be reached in the "My Mega Metropolis" level, "Starting Out", "A Homely City", "Sell, Sell, Sell", and the "First to be Worth $20,000, $25,000, or $40,000" levels). At that point, music from the 1930s can be heard from then on.

After every two days at midnight, the music from the previous decade becomes quieter and quickly fades away, while the music from the next decade starts at normal volume. For example, when midnight of 1960 occurs, the music from the 1950s fades away and the music from the 1960s plays at normal volume.

Other sounds indicate the time of day. People, cars, and the wind all make noises, in varying degrees depending on the time of day. For example, during the morning, footsteps of people waking up and coming out of their apartments is played to signify the time the city wakes up. Throughout the game, also, the sound of coins falling can be heard when the player makes money.

Multiplayer support

Monopoly Tycoon also includes support for multiplayer game play over a LAN or Internet connection. Additionally, there is support for finding live online opponents through the included GameSpy Arcade software.

Reception

Monopoly Tycoon received generally positive reviews from critics. It received a 'great' score of 8.5/10 from GameSpot^[1] and a 'great' score from IGN of 8.2/10.^[2] Trey Walker at GameSpot said that "Monopoly Tycoon is the kind of game you might have imagined as a kid while you played the real board game."^[1]

The developers of the game, however, were critical of their work saying that "I don’t think we got it entirely right either."^[3]

Known bugs

It is possible to build shops and apartments on railroad stations (otherwise unbuildable blocks) as showcased here.^[4] The player can build on utilities too but it is necessary to be the landlord of the corresponding utility.

Notes

1. ^ ^{a b} "Monopoly Tycoon". GameSpot. http://www.gamespot.com/pc/strategy/monopolytycoon/index.html. Retrieved 2 June 2011. 
2. ^ "Monopoly Tycoon". IGN. http://pc.ign.com/objects/014/014103.html. Retrieved 2 June 2011. 
3. ^ "The Making of: Monopoly Tycoon". Rock, Paper, Shotgun. http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2009/03/30/the-making-of-monopoly-tycoon/. Retrieved 3 June 2011. 
4. ^ "A Let's Play of Monopoly Tycoon showcasing the bug.". http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KmKDMRKqluM. 

External links

Video games portal

• Monopoly Tycoon at MobyGames
• Monopoly Tycoon at GameSpot
• Monopoly Tycoon Music Composers