Moon Tycoon is a city-building computer game released in 2001 by Anarchy Enterprises and Unique Entertainment. It is based on the creation of a lunar colony or city. Anarchy Enterprises described it as the "first 3-D Sim game ever", and noted that it has similarities to SimCity (which at the time was 2-dimensional).
Gameplay[ | ]
Moon Tycoon has three campaigns to play through, each with its own story-line and placed around the year 2021.
Campaign 1: Earth is in a global energy crisis, and the only thing that can stop it is a precious ore called Helium 3 that can only be found on the moon.
Campaign 2: The energy crisis is over, but competition begins to heat up as corporations battle for lunar domination.
Campaign 3: Mankind makes yet another leap as it begins the next stage of space exploration: the colonization of the asteroid belt beyond Mars.
Each campaign has ten levels to play through each with varied levels of difficulty. All three campaigns make up a larger story, so they can only be played in order and starting with the first. There is also a sandbox mode; where you can set the starting money, terrain type, ore quantity and average building life; it also lets you select the moon or asteroid.
The game is played on the Play Area, on which completed and under-construction structures are displayed. Players also use this screen to begin construction of buildings and alter the terrain. The play area is raised up from the surrounding view and can also have a grid.
To the right of the Play Area is the Building Menus, Colony Management, Disasters, and Options.
The building menu display the various types of structures available for construction. These buildings are divided into different categories: Housing and Medical, Tourism, Research, Rewards (earned by different objectives), utilities, and Industry.
Structures[ | ]
- Control Center - The first building you build and a pre-request of all buildings. You can build only one and it provides the basic amounts of resources to start off the colony.
Power Plant[ | ]
There are different types of Power Plants that can be built throughout the location the player chooses. Only Alien Power has a pre-request
- Solar Power Plant - The first power plant that the player can build. They are effective on producing electricity although not much and they take up a lot of space as the player needs to build a dozens of them which can be only enough for a few structures.
- Nuclear Power Plant - The most efficient power plant that the player can build although it will take the player a lot of time to research one. It produces electricity by gathering resources on the ground or using ones the player manage to collect. The power plant can produce a lot of electricity which is enough to support dozens and dozens of buildings although the power plant will take a large area of space and is bad for colony morale.
- Plasma Power Plant - The 3rd power plant that the player can use. Although safer and then less damaging to colony morale it is still vital that the nuclear safety expense is set high. It produces more power than previous power plants and only takes up two spaces.
- Alien Power - The last power plant this produces major quantities of power without any damaging effects to morale. To build it requires an alien artifact to appear, this happens without any input from the player.
Life Support[ | ]
These are structures that are used in order to support life of the growing colony of the player.
Oxygen[ | ]
- Oxygen Tank - The oxygen tank is used to release oxygen throughout the whole structure although the more structures built, the more oxygen tanks needed.
- Oxygen Extractor - A more updated version of the original oxygen tank it requires less space and produces more. Like all updated utilities they are useful for a more advanced colony.
- Biosphere - The most advanced oxygen building this not only takes up less space, but also has a positive effect on morale.
Water[ | ]
- Water Plant - The most basic form of water production the have a bad effect on morale; however it's a good idea to keep basic utilit like the Water Plant in case of a black out. They are also quick to build.
- Water Recycling - With a bad effect on morale (although less per square than the Water Plant) and not much additional water production this is not the best option except for replacing older water structures. They are however good for the developing colony.
- Water Converter - The most advanced water production facility. This also has a bad effect on morale and doesn't have the high production rates of other advanced utilities (such as the biosphere).
Safety[ | ]
- Maintenance Center - Basically improves colony morale and building life, it is important that the maintenance expense is on for any effect to occur.
- Warning System - This building both increases colony morale and protects against disasters, the more you have the less disasters occur.
Medical[ | ]
These structures are simply to improve colony morale and don't have a direct effect on game play.
- Sick Bay - A very simple one square building which is perfect for a new colony.
- Hospital - The updated version of the Sick Bay this is required for some production buildings. It has a greater effect on morale than the Sick Bay and is a must for a more developed colony.
Housing[ | ]
Housing is needed to support human life and so you need to constantly build new housing to expand your population. Remember that population is one of the ways to get reward buildings.
- Inflatable Shelter - The first type of accommodation this building has a short service life and a down effect on morale. Cheap, but only useful in the first 2 years of colony life.
- Housing Complex - This building is still basic but has no effect on morale.
- Space Apartments - The next level up this building is smaller and has a positive effect on morale. It also costs relatively little.
- Luna Condos - This Building not only gives positive morale, but also provides research points without the expenses.
- Luxury Suites - A very advanced accommodation facility the Luxury Suites have a very positive effect on morale. The silvery dome lights up the surrounding area.
- Megadome City - Requiring an oxygen Biosphere this building not only provides population but also oxygen. They have a large effect on Morale and Attraction. These have the largest service life and produce the highest population.
Disasters[ | ]
Disasters can happen on their own or be triggered by the player; the disasters mode allows for more difficulty. Even if disasters mode is switched off they may occur in the campaigns as part of the story line.
- Solar Flare - knocks out Communication buildings.
- Moon Quake - deals massive damage to the colony
- Meteor Shower - deal split damage over a large area.
- Oxygen Tank Explosion - destroys oxygen producing facilities.
- Mining Facility Explosion - destroys Mines.
- Power Line Error - destroys connecting tubes.
- Ecology Disaster - doesn't have a noticeable effect.
- Asteroid Crash - a huge asteroid slams to the game area, opening a crater and destroying everything beneath.
- Water Plant Disaster - destroys water producing facilities.
- Decompression
- Terrorist Attack - random building is blown up.
- Power Failure - destroys power plants.
- Subspace Pirates - steal the stored trade goods.
- Ion Storm - knocks out power plants
- Energy Shock wave - Knocks energy production buildings
- Gas Pocket
With the exception of Subspace Pirates and Terrorist attack, all non-marked disasters may or may not hit buildings depending on luck