Complicated but satisfying.

May 30, 2008 12:41 PM

Friday Flash Fun: Caravaneer is a game where you are a caravan leader in a post-apocalyptic world where towns and cities have formed around oases in the desert.

You are one of the free marketeers that supply these towns with goods they need and buy the goods they produce. Your uncle has just died, leaving you a donkey, a rifle and some bullets, and $1000. Supply and demand are your friends and robbers are your enemy. This is a fairly complicated but ultimately fun game.

posted by schyler523 (10 comments total)

I agree with the mostly whiney comments at JIG on this one. The slow as hell combat mechanics alone made me happy when I randomly died from a bug. Breaking out a spreadsheet to calculate everything is possible, but not exactly fun.
posted by a robot made out of meat at 12:50 PM on May 30, 2008

My god, the writing! English is clearly not his first language. Go with Monster's Den instead!
posted by absalom at 12:55 PM on May 30, 2008

I'm playing Monsters den as well, but it's getting really boring...like a really slow and predictable Diablo...

This is probably the flash game withe the most depth i've ever found...

The author is Russian, which explains the language barrier.
posted by schyler523 at 12:59 PM on May 30, 2008

Sounds like a Mad Max/Fallout version of The Oregon Trail, will give it a shot in a minute..
posted by pyrex at 1:10 PM on May 30, 2008

Do you get to die of dysentry?

I'm still hoping for a Cormac Mccarthy s "The Road" video-game tie-in.
posted by Artw at 1:11 PM on May 30, 2008

It's amazing that this game would have been revolutionary during early 90s. I am impressed with the ability to create rather deep games with the simplicity of flash.
posted by CWitt at 1:37 PM on May 30, 2008

The basic gameplay is good, but the combat is... slow. While it takes a leaf from the Fallout combat system, somehow it seems much more tedious.

Also, while it might seem like a superficial objection, the poor English is only tolerable up to a point, after which it rankles.

What I'm saying is, it could use a bit more polish.
posted by WalterMitty at 4:06 PM on May 30, 2008

No no, Polish would be even worse!
posted by DU at 4:39 PM on May 30, 2008 [3 favorites has favorites]

Combat can be speeded up a bit in the options. At least the walking around bits.

I wish there was a two stage desert speed. Really fast when I'm the only one on the screen and slower when there is something else there.
posted by Mitheral at 9:59 PM on May 31, 2008

If you go to Diep Gat, one of the oil towns, you can hire "Jorge Arbusto". He's got an Intelligence of zero (and oddly, an Accuracy of 6), and mediocre other attributes.

Normally I equip my troops with the best "Military Body Armor" (60 armor points), and the best weaponry. I think Jorge will have to get by with less. Maybe a small knife.

Oh, one important point: if you skip the story-like talk with the Poca Cosa Sheriff, because you've already gone through that in an earlier game, you won't be able to trigger the next part of the story until you go back and do through the chat with him.
posted by orthogonality at 4:48 PM on June 4, 2008