Play the strategy game of money, power and wealth.
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I try to actively avoid observing video games exclusively through my ideological lens for a variety of reasons. I like Freedom Fighters, and that game's brain is fucking stupid. But I really can't talk about this game without bringing up the labor theory of value, and this simulation's fundamental failure. For such an in depth and frankly well made business simulator, the game's stark lack of focus on labor is understandable but leaves the game feeling incomplete.
Profit comes from what the capitalist is able to extract from surplus labor. Their ability to extract more profit (and by that extension, the ability to squeeze labor further) is determined by environmental and political circumstances, as well as the workforce's ability (or lack thereof) to claw back the fruits of their labor. These are not factors that this DOS game probably could have or had any interest in dealing with outside of a few minor factors, which is disappointing because the rest of the game rules (for what it is). The presentation is a corporate mid-90's look, if you insert the face icons of this game into anything else like Bauldr's Gate, it would be hilarious. Lots of balding men. The need to develop supply lines (from raw materials to distribution to the storefront) and keep on top of price trends is really fun once you get past the unreasonable learning curve. There's even a fairly competent stock simulation. The UI, for the time, does a good enough job to where I never felt like I had to fight against the game to do what I wanted. The scenarios provide a reasonable challenge, and the AI is much more competent than a lot of its 4x contemporaries like Master of Orion II or Ascendancy. There's even a solid voiced tutorial, although the game is still on the Dwarf Fortress end of accessibility.
I still haven't played the sequel, and I hope that it placed more of a focus on the labor aspect of running a conglomerate. Capitalism Plus, within its limitations, is still an interesting simulation that does what it sets out to to well.
Profit comes from what the capitalist is able to extract from surplus labor. Their ability to extract more profit (and by that extension, the ability to squeeze labor further) is determined by environmental and political circumstances, as well as the workforce's ability (or lack thereof) to claw back the fruits of their labor. These are not factors that this DOS game probably could have or had any interest in dealing with outside of a few minor factors, which is disappointing because the rest of the game rules (for what it is). The presentation is a corporate mid-90's look, if you insert the face icons of this game into anything else like Bauldr's Gate, it would be hilarious. Lots of balding men. The need to develop supply lines (from raw materials to distribution to the storefront) and keep on top of price trends is really fun once you get past the unreasonable learning curve. There's even a fairly competent stock simulation. The UI, for the time, does a good enough job to where I never felt like I had to fight against the game to do what I wanted. The scenarios provide a reasonable challenge, and the AI is much more competent than a lot of its 4x contemporaries like Master of Orion II or Ascendancy. There's even a solid voiced tutorial, although the game is still on the Dwarf Fortress end of accessibility.
I still haven't played the sequel, and I hope that it placed more of a focus on the labor aspect of running a conglomerate. Capitalism Plus, within its limitations, is still an interesting simulation that does what it sets out to to well.