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Transport Tycoon Celebrates 20th Anniversar​y With a New Competition.

Posted by Jessica Fisher on November 6th, 2014
+ Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad
Our rating: starstarstarstarblankstar :: ROUND :: Read Review »

Transport Tycoon, by 31x Limited, is celebrating its 20th anniversary! In honor of the event, they have released a limited time level which gives players five new scenarios to compete through. The top performing players will get the grand prizes and 30 randomly selected players, who completed the level, will get the runners-up prize.

The new scenarios in the competition include three designed for expert players. You will be in charge of a filing company and must raise it up like a phoenix from the ashes. The other two solo player scenarios asks players to meet performance goals in the “No Trains, No Planes” scenario and tame the strange terrain of ‘Hungry Blockworld’ to feed its inhabitants in the other.

The 20th Anniversary scenario runs through November 30th so hurry up and prove your Transport Entrepreneurial skills.

You can pick up Transport Tycoon for $6.99 on the App Store.

Chris Sawyer, Creator of Transport Tycoon: Why this 1994 Game is Premium in a 2014 World of Free-to-Play

Posted by Carter Dotson on May 9th, 2014
+ Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad
Our rating: starstarstarstarblankstar :: ROUND :: Read Review »

Image via Pocket Tactics
Transport Tycoon, the mobile version of Chris Sawyer’s classic simulation game where players help manage an empire of planes, trains, and automobiles, recently received a big update with new levels, scenarios, music, and general improvements. With that in mind, Chris Sawyer took some time out to answer some questions about the game, and give his thoughts on gaming now.

148Apps: What was the impetus behind bringing the Transport Tycoon back now in 2014?
Chris Sawyer (CS): The latest mobile and tablet platforms were perfect for the game with their power, high resolution screens, and touch screen interface. It just made sense to bring the game to these platforms.

148Apps: Did mobile change the way that you approached the gameplay of Transport Tycoon?
CS: We set out to keep the complex and detailed gameplay as unchanged as possible because that's what's at the core of Transport Tycoon, and the technology in modern mobiles and tablets allowed us to do that. We improved the user experience with the touch screen interface and enhanced display of the game world as well as other in-game information.

148Apps: What is the one aspect of the 1994 game market that you think 2014 needs?
CS: A reliable way for players to find the good games amongst the not-so-good. In 1994, the information about new games was quite limited, but also very thorough. By reading magazines, you could find out which games might appeal and which were worth spending money on. Nowadays, there are so many games being sold (or given away) and marketed in so many ways, it's very difficult for the good games to shine based on merit rather than clever advertising or social media manipulation.

148Apps: Conversely, what would the 1994 market be improved by something in 2014?
CS: Back in 1994, there was only one way to publish games, which was selling boxed products through a publisher and distributor. Now there are dozens of ways of publishing games and most of them mean a more streamlined and cheaper distribution channel.

148Apps: Free-to-play is obviously a huge deal now, but Transport Tycoon has launched at a premium price. Why was this chosen?
CS:Transport Tycoon always was and still is a premium game. It is a game with considerable detail and depth of gameplay, and making it free-to-play with in-app purchases would have ruined the depth of the game. We wanted players to be able to become immersed in the gameplay and not be faced by frustrating restrictions or demands for payment while playing.

148Apps: Has the premium price worked out for the game?
CS: It is working out for the game, but it's proving a challenge as we're perhaps the first to try publishing such a detailed strategy game as a fully-paid app. We have also published a free Lite version with limited gameplay, which helps a lot too. The Lite version allows players to get a feel for the game before moving towards purchasing the full version. We've also found that keeping the game well-supported is important. The development team is continuing to fine tune and enhance the game with regular updates and support for players.

148Apps: iOS versus Android, what do you see as the biggest difference between the overall worlds of games on each platform?
CS: The main difference is the distribution model on each. iOS is considerably more controlled and streamlined and Android is less controlled, but each has their own benefits.

Thanks to Chris Sawyer for his time.

Transport Tycoon Receives Easter Update: Tweaks Soundtrack and Adds More Features

Posted by Tre Lawrence on April 4th, 2014
+ Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad
Our rating: starstarstarstarblankstar :: ROUND :: Read Review »

31x Limited's management simulation game Transport Tycoon has just received an Easter update.

First up, the soundtrack has been remastered by the game's original composer, John Broomhall; the new music can be selected in the game options. Also, there are new levels with five new scenarios, revamped tutorials, new achievements (some of which are hidden), and bug fixes.

We had an opportunity to look at the game in the fall of last year, and liked it. Transport Tycoon is available on the App Store for $6.99.

Transport Tycoon Receives a Transport Full of New Features and Fixes in the Latest Update

Posted by Andrew Stevens on October 31st, 2013
+ Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad
Our rating: starstarstarstarblankstar :: ROUND :: Read Review »

Transport Tycoon got some enhancements in its latest update where players can now customize names for each station and vehicle in their game. Also, as a freebie for the fans, users have access to the original and remixed versions of the classic Transport Tycoon theme for use as their phone's ringtone. The update also lets users change the autosave feature in the settings so that it can work as a timer instead.

Make sure to check it out! Oh, and check out the new Halloween-themed loading screen!

Transport Tycoon Review

+ Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad
By Rob Rich on October 8th, 2013
Our rating: starstarstarstarblankstar :: ROUND
The classic PC sim makes its way to iOS, complete with rewarding gameplay and a convoluted interface.
Read The Full Review »

This Week at 148Apps: September 30-October 4, 2013

Posted by Chris Kirby on October 6th, 2013

Expert App Reviewers


So little time and so very many apps. What's a poor iPhone lover to do? Fortunately, 148Apps is here to give you the rundown on the latest and greatest releases. And we even have a tremendous back catalog of reviews; just check out Reviews Archive for every single review we've ever written.

Shadowrun Returns

What was old is new again. Thanks to popularization of crowd-funding services like Kickstarter, many forlorn, neglected, and abused franchises of yesteryear are receiving a new lease on life. One such series seeing a massive resurgence is the strategy RPG and table-top classic, Shadowrun, which finally found its way to iOS in the form of the newly released Shadowrun Returns. Can it somehow live up to the nostalgia laced, sky-high expectations of fans, or will it suffer the same fate as the attempted Xbox 360 reboot? Looking back through the annals of history, the last time that a proper Shadowrun RPG was released, Sega was trying to hock the Sega CD. Thankfully, time has been kind to the genre, and the developer, Harebrained Schemes, has went to great lengths to assure that the title’s mechanics meet up with the expectations of a modern audience. The action itself plays out from a third-person, isometric view, akin to what would be found in most modern tactical RPGs, and is coupled with an extremely organic screen tapping control scheme. --Blake Grundman


Incredipede

Incredipede by Sarah and Colin Northway, is almost two different games built into one title. The first is the main adventure, one where players control Quozzle, a spunky little cyclops gal going through those awkward years where one doesn’t know how many limbs and muscles one has at any given time. There’s not just that, but there’s also the need to collect fruit to save the fellow members of one’s species who have been kidnapped. So the player, serving as the control agent for Quozzle’s muscles, tries to both get Quozzle to the end and to collect the fruit in the levels, which are used to unlock future levels. --Carter Dotson


Pixel This!

I suppose a sign that a game is really good is when I lose all track of time; just constantly diving back in, ignoring all other responsibilities, just playing the game again and again until there’s no more game to play. That’s Pixel This! by Mark Brown , a game he created because “Most of the Picross apps on iOS kind of suck, so I made a better one.” Well, he succeeded. --Carter Dotson


Projector Up!

As a freelance writer and small business owner, keeping tabs on all of my finances and projects can become quite daunting. Plugging numbers into excel, cross referencing projects and figuring out my profits are just a few tasks that can get overwhelming. Now that there’s an app for pretty much everything, I was intrigued by what Projector Up! had to offer myself and other freelancers. The app’s main purpose is management of accounting. It focuses only on small studios and freelancers and isn’t intended for big businesses. Aside from its simple and clean interface, Projector Up! boasts many features like goal tracking, financial planning and visual tracking. --Angela LaFollette


Gappy's Mystery Letters

Gappy’s Mystery Letters is a charming and effective interactive letters app starring Gappy, the cartoony character from Spinlight Studios’ earlier app Gappy’s First Words. Here, Gappy will be thinking of a letter and asking children to trace with a finger a moving star which engages children to draw a letter that they will then match up with a series of letters to choose from. I believe that the sense of mystery, complete with fun and suspenseful music, will keep children engaged longer than simply tracing over a template which can oftentimes be scribbled over instead of specifically worked with, as this app taps into a child’s sense of wonder as they form these letters. Another nice moment is revealing the gift Gappy receives that corresponds with the letter in question, such as wagon for “W” – nicely stylized as an image later to be used as a coloring page – a nice touch as this cute moment will not register the way it would if Gappy were being given a whole lot of “stuff” like more tangible toys. I would, however, like to be able to control the speed that one needs in order to follow the star as I could see a child new to tracing or printing having difficulty at first – a minor concern really as this is a great app for those new to learning their letters but who are looking for something a little different. Also included is a blank drawing page as well as 52 coloring pages based on the alphabet that can be unlocked by slowly solving the mystery games found within this app. --Amy Solomon


Other 148Apps Network Sites

If you are looking for the best reviews of Android apps, just head right over to AndroidRundown. Here are just some of the reviews served up this week:

AndroidRundown

Blood Battalion

Sometimes it is fun just to watch games. Anyone who’s played the Sims knows that watching the drama unfold can be as fun as creating the drama. These types of players will likely love Blood Battalion, a strategic RPG which is light on the gameplay and heavy on the spectacle. Players begin the game by selecting a hero. It’s possible to pick from such heroes as a healer girl who’s fairly useless in a fight, but has the vital ability to keep other troops alive, to a swordsman who has immense power but not much else. --Allan Curtis


LavaCat

Fast Cats and lava. Welcome to LavaCat from PocketCake. The basic premise is what one expects in a side-scrolling adventure: moving from the left of the screen to the right, the main objective is to get as far as possible without getting fried by any of the heat-related dangers that lined the playing area. In the interest of fair disclosure, it should be noted that the playing area is molten lava travelway with falling spikes and steam geysers that can do lethal damage to a poor little puddy cat. The controls are minimalist. One bank has a direction button set that controls “forward” and “backward” movement. There is also a jump button. An hourglass button rounds out the core controls. The cat remains stationary on the bottom surface unless a button is being held; not a lot of momentum is retained when movement in either direction is not engaged. --Tre Lawrence


Total Conquest

Ever wanted to build a charming Roman village from the ground up, build a thriving economy and then shatter the peace by recruiting a huge army to crush friends and rivals, then look no further than Total Conquest, a new game from Gameloft where aspiring generals can do just that. In Total Conquest the player starts off with a Town Hall and not much else. From there villas are constructed to generate gold and farms are planted to generate food. Each building can be upgraded multiple times. Temples can be raised to gain blessings from the gods, bestowing faster or stronger attacks and players can also build a bunker like Militia building which garrisons troops in case of attack. --Allan Curtis

And finally, this week This week, Pocket Gamer reviewed The Cave and Transport Tycoon, crowned the best iOS and Android games of September, looked at the most exciting mobile games for this month, and went hands-on with The Room 2, Monument Valley, and Framed. Take a look, in PG's weekly wrap-up.

Transport Tycoon Has Players Managing Their Own Transport Company

Posted by Andrew Stevens on October 3rd, 2013
+ Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad
Our rating: starstarstarstarblankstar :: ROUND :: Read Review »

Transport Tycoon gives players involved in their very own simulation management game on iOS. The game offers plenty of depth with over 49 scenarios for players to experience as they take control of a transport company. They must compete against rival companies to earn as much profit as possible by transporting passengers and other items by road, sea, air, and rail.

Now go start making some money by transporting those goods and getting those people to where they belong!

Transport Tycoon Coming to iOS on October 3

Posted by Rob Rich on September 20th, 2013

Origin8 and 31X Ltd are bringing the classic PC empire builder, Transport Tycoon, to iOS in just a couple of weeks on October 3. This mobile port has been designed and directed by the game's original creator, Chris Sawyer.

The original was quite a big deal when it first came out in 1994, and fans will no doubt want to get their hands on this once it comes out so they can manage their transportation empire whenever they'd like. No word has been given on a price point yet, but we'll know first thing next month!