ĐiệnWorlds
A downloadable game for Windows
ĐiệnWorlds is a freeware management/sim/strategy game in which you place wires and other components to power houses and businesses, to (in turn) make money from them and (hopefully) make a profit. At its core, ĐiệnWorlds follows the rules of the cellular automaton Wireworld (created by Brian Silverman in 1987). For flavor and for gameplay purposes, other rules and overarching mechanics have been added.
The game has a general "goal" of making money and avoiding high debt, but other than this, it invites the player to discover strategies, arrangements, and setups that work best in their situation. As the developer, I don't even know what kinds of strategies (if any) are "optimal" - but I think that an important element of what makes these types of games fun is this kind of exploration. The underlying Wireworld-like simulation is fun to interact with as well - I'd like to think the game has a certain mathematical "depth" to it. In general, testers have found both the game's micro- and macro- mechanics to be addicting and engaging.
IMPORTANT: This game has no tutorial. I would highly recommend reading the ĐiệnWorldsInstructions PDF, found in the main download .zip (or viewable at the link below) to learn how to play (at the very least, consult the "In-Game Controls" and "Starting your first game" sections).
Soundtrack: The soundtrack album Electric Flora (by myself and F.T. Wyn) can be found at the following places:
Other notes: ĐiệnWorlds is now mostly finished. Of course, bugfixes will warrant additional patches, and there may be future versions of the game if I think of additional features to add
Download
Install instructions
For those with slower connections (or who might want a more lightweight download), I've uploaded a version without any music (which cuts the filesize from 96 MB to about 1.5 MB). For this version, click the second download link (with "_nomusic" in the .zip filename).
Regardless of which version you download, make sure you unzip, and take a look at the manual before playing. Thanks for playing!
Comments
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I discovered this game through the bandcamp page and though I haven't played it yet (i'm in deep procrastination mode) this looks like a game I would enjoy :)
I reallt enjoyed having a go at this game, I could only make it a few months though.
A linux version someday?
Yes, I'd like to. I've attempted in the past, but don't have a linux computer to regularly test on. I don't think it would be hard.
Is it possible to make a profit at all in this game? I've yet to find any configuration that offsets the fees.
What year was it? Also, did you try to connect all the houses (even across long distances)? Sometimes, it's a good idea to leave far-away houses alone for awhile.
EDIT: I've given it a lot of thought, and have done some more testing. I do think the load maintenance fees in 1.0.3 were too punishing. I decreased the load maintenance fees in a new version (1.0.4). My advice above still stands, though.
I'm a new player, and I'm experiencing the same thing in 1.04. I start the game, connect up two or three houses, and then steadily sink into debt. I've tried sticking to only the closest houses, and going for all the houses in a medium range, nothing works.
Do you perhaps have a screenshot?