The Oil Blue: Gameplay Journal #2
In the last gameplay journal we took a look at the methods of drilling for oil via the Groundwell and Oil Derrick machines. Now let’s take a look at the other two machines you’ll be manning in the Oil Blue: the Pumpjack and Drill Rig.
The Pumpjack
The Pumpjack is easily the most symbolic machine of the oil industry, easily recognizable and numbering by the hundreds in any given oil-filled land. It’s a sturdy little machine with little fuss, and can give quite a bit of oil to the person who puts in the effort.
Once the pumpjack is started, you have only seconds to mark off the oil pockets listed on the monitor using the buttons on the left and right side of the screen. These markers will help the pumpjack as it drills right through the dirt in just seconds. Mark the wrong items (such as a pocket of air) and the pumpjack will suffer a little bit of stress instead. The machine, unlike most of the others, doesn’t operate on pressure. And while the process of marking and drilling for oil takes less than ten seconds, the break needed in-between drilling can last up to thirty seconds before it’s ready to pump oil again. Use that time to check out your other drills and machines.
The Drill Rig
One of the last technological advances in oil drilling before the market for civilian drills collapsed, Drill Rigs were state of the art machines that could drill faster, better, and do just about everything better than other machines could.
Utilizing a dual touch screen interface that was more commonly found in older handheld game devices back in the 2000s, the Drill Rig could go anywhere you wanted it to drill. No longer were people forced to work on a vertical plane; the entire earth was yours to drill in. Simply plot a course for the drill to follow and it will do just that. Of course, make sure the drill doesn’t go outside of it’s workable boundary, otherwise pressure will build immensely and stress fractures will soon follow. While it’s a very rare machine to find out in the field, it’s one that can keep a person profitable for the months to come.
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So you might have noticed that each machine has an XP (experience points) meter on the panel. Later on this week in the blog I’ll tell you what that’s all about, as well as show how to repair broken equipment out on the field by using your least valuable/expendable employees. Till then!
Your posts really make your game sound so big.
Yeah, it’s scared me at how big this game has gotten when it was originally a lot smaller. Thankfully it’s all coming together this week and I can finally start talking more about it since it’s concrete facts.
Really looking foward to buying this game! I never knew Oil could sound so fun! =P
[…] In the last gameplay journal we took a look at the Drill Rig and Pumpjack. Now that you know your equipment, it’s time to learn how to take proper care of it. A well tuned machine pays for itself tenfold, after all. Repairs […]
This is really interesting Chubigan…..Great Job….I am really happy that you did actual research and put facts in to your game…This will make the game not only enjoyable but would also expand player’s knowledge…..