Chilly reception for Devolver’s marijuana tycoon game shows games industry’s backwards stance on drugs

[aSqueakyLime]

Are your basing your opinions about the game on what? Reviews or have you played it yourself? If you have played it, may I ask for how long? What makes you think no effort was put into the game.

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I have looked at videos of it, played other tycoon games 90% similar to it, and read the thoughts of others in this thread and elsewhere. I don't want to spend any money on it sorry to say.

I think a game with a similar premise but dealing with other drugs than weed would be more interesting. Could allow itself to have more gameplay variables, too.

 

[AcademicSaucer]

"Weedlord"

 

[Budi]

I have looked at videos of it, played other tycoon games 90% similar to it, and read the thoughts of others who have played it in this thread and elsewhere. I don't want to spend any money on it sorry to say.

I think a game with a similar premise but dealing with other drugs than weed would be more interesting. Could allow itself to have more gameplay variables, too.

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I see. I played it for 7 hours yesterday and 2 more hours today. And I would agree with the common criticism about the dialogue choices in the game, that while the idea for it is really great, it quickly turns into a chore rather than meaningful and interesting interaction. There should be much more unique dialogue for the characters and it shouldn't be able to be "gamed" so easily. Now it's just turns into spamming through the dialogue to raise your relationships, rinse and repeat (so bit like Persona but without the gifts). And many of the characters lose a lot of their personality when so many others have the exact same interests (some characters are unique though). I really haven't had those technical problems people have been reporting, hasn't crashed once and only got few momentary freezes. I think there's fair amount of depth and things to unlock while progressing, maybe the progression is tuned to be bit too slow/difficult. But it's also directly tied to how good you are at the game (finish objectives) rather than time or research points etc, so the results are varied. Compared to something like Game Dev Tycoon that I've played a lot, there's definitely more effort put into the presentation, story and depth of the game mechanics. While the actual cultivating of the plants can be delegated to your employees pretty early, it's actually rather satisfying to do, the sound effects and animations are on point. And if you've chosen a specific perk, watering and training your plants by yourself gives a bonus to their quality and growth. Having real life strains is a nice touch. With my current experience I'd rate it maybe (strong) 6, but I'm interested to see how the game of politics can be influenced when I get further in the scenario. I've also yet to unlock the medical licence. Excited to see what new things I have yet to discover, starting business in a new town already opened up new challenge requests to fulfill. So I'm expecting the game to get even better with the new possibilities. Also just used the smuggling feature for the first time, it also has some depth to it. You have to choose the vehicle, which all have their own risk percentages, prices but also limits how much they can deliver at one time, so it's bit of a balancing act. And also your couriers skill matters and how well they can handle pressure when stopped by law enforcement.

What are some business/management sims you would recommend?

 

[PMS341]

on the other hand, "heheh, weed" is not exactly a wide appeal for a game.

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Cannabis growing is huge in the US now, especially after the Farm Bill passing allowing for hemp cultivation in most states. I think a market for this exists.

 

[Hailinel]

because the stuff is worth a lot of money and some people want to have it without doing the work. i think you live in danger of getting your stuff stolen, don´t wanna know how much these firms are pumping into security for the plantations.

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The legalization of weed has actually led to reduced crime because it's destroyed the black market for marijuana in those states.

 

[aSqueakyLime]

I see. I played it for 7 hours yesterday and 2 more hours today. And I would agree with the common criticism about the dialogue choices in the game, that while the idea for it is really great, it quickly turns into a chore rather than meaningful and interesting interaction. There should be much more unique dialogue for the characters and it shouldn't be able to be "gamed" so easily. Now it's just turns into spamming through the dialogue to raise your relationships, rinse and repeat. And many of the characters lose a lot of their personality when so many others have the exact same interests (some characters are unique though). I really haven't had those technical problems people have been reporting, hasn't crashed once and only got few momentary freezes. I think there's fair amount of depth and things to unlock while progressing, maybe the progression is tuned to be bit too slow/difficult. But it's also directly tied to how good you are at the game (finish objectives) rather than time or research points etc, so the results are varied. Compared to something like Game Dev Tycoon that I've played a lot, there's definitely more effort put into the presentation and depth. While the actual cultivating of the plants can be delegated to your employees pretty early, it's actually rather satisfying to do, the sound effects and animations are on point. Having real life strains is a nice touch. With my current experience I'd rate it maybe (strong) 6, but I'm interested to see how the game of politics can be influenced when I get further in the scenario. I've also yet to unlock the medical licence. Excited to see what new things I have yet to discover, starting business in a new town already opened up new challenge requests to fulfill. So I'm expecting the game to get even better with the new possibilities. Also just used the smuggling feature for the first time, it also has some depth to it. You have to choose the vehicle, which all have their own risk percentages, prices but also limits how much they can deliver at one time, so it's bit of a balancing act. And also your couriers skill matters and how well they can handle pressure when stopped by law enforcement.

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I wish it was more freely focused on that whole politics/business model. I dunno how far into the game you are percentage wise but I've read it's pretty restrictive on what you can actually work towards, only being 2(?) scenarios. I've liked some of the simpler tycoon games in the past but the gameplay doesn't do anything for me anymore. The strain stuff looks cool but I just imagine how much more complex/interesting it could get with other drugs. As I said loads before just focusing on weed feels like it's missing what could have been a better game. I'm glad you enjoyed your time with it overall but yeah not for me.

 

[Budi]

I wish it was more freely focused on that whole politics/business model. I dunno how far into the game you are percentage wise but I've read it's pretty restrictive on what you can actually work towards, only being 2(?) scenarios. I've liked some of the simpler tycoon games in the past but the gameplay doesn't do anything for me anymore. The strain stuff looks cool but I just imagine how much more complex/interesting it could get with other drugs. As I said loads before just focusing on weed feels like it's missing what could have been a better game. I'm glad you enjoyed your time with it overall but yeah not for me.

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I edited in bit late, but I was curious what kind of business/management sims you like? And any recommendations? I'm quite fond of the genre and they're perfect podcast games. I need to catch up on EZA content so I'm up for suggestions =P

 

[MrCunningham]

When I was in highschool, I remember playing a little game called Drugwars. Which was installed on the Windows 95 PC's in one of the computer labs. It was a game where you play the role of a drug dealer, buying and selling heroin, cocaine, acid, weed, LSD, speed amongst others. The teacher in class didn't care, lots of kids in my class were playing this. According to my teacher at the time; "At least it was educational" since it dealt with managing money and balancing profits and running a business. I went to high school in British Columbia, Canada, BTW. Maybe that had something to do with it? I dunno?

Are people really up in arms over a game featuring marijuana? Which is legal in many parts of the world, including Canada and some places in the United Stares.

 

[aSqueakyLime]

I edited in bit late, but I was curious what kind of business/management sims you like? And any recommendations? I'm quite fond of the genre and they're perfect podcast games. I need to catch up on EZA content so I'm up for suggestions =P

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Honestly any of the earlier tycoon games like zoo and rollercoaster and their sequels. Also am a fan of the less static ones which people usually forget are management sims a lot of the time like harvest moon/rune factory (these would prob be a tad harder to listen to a podcast during tho). There's also tropico which is really hit or miss depending on the entry (love 4, hate 5).

Stuff like game dev tycoon unfortunately just look super boring to me, as have a lot of the more modern tycoons.

 

[PogiJones]

The fact that we're still so afraid of a topic like weed instead of the murder simulators you can market any time, anywhere, it's shocking.

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It surprises me this misunderstanding still exists. It's not about what's worse; it's about what people think is more likely to influence real life.

Parents tend to not believe video game murder makes their kid interested in real murder. Parents do tend to believe that a weed-growing simulator may make their kid more interested in real weed.

You can argue that it doesn't translate to real life; that would be an argument worth having. You could also argue it shouldn't matter if they get interested in weed because what's the harm, but many disagree with you, and that's not the point anyway. No one believes real weed is worse than real murder. People need to stop using that faulty crutch of an argument.

 

[spman2099]

I have a hard time taking anyone seriously who gets up in arms over marijuana. I actively roll my eyes when people who drink proselytize about the evils of marijuana. It is hard for me to see it as anything other than ignorance. That being said, my entire generation was confronted by daily propaganda on weed, so I guess I shouldn't be TOO surprised.

Still, this is going to be something our grandchildren mock us for. Fifteen years from now children will gasp when they hear how we would incarcerate people over marijuana possession.

It is sad that the stigma is still holding on as strongly as it is.

 

[Budi]

Honestly any of the earlier tycoon games like zoo and rollercoaster and their sequels. Also am a fan of the less static ones which people usually forget are management sims a lot of the time like harvest moon/rune factory (these would prob be a tad harder to listen to a podcast during tho). There's also tropico which is really hit or miss depending on the entry (love 4, hate 5).

Stuff like game dev tycoon unfortunately just look super boring to me, as have a lot of the more modern tycoons.

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Yeah I love Tropico, played all of those except the second one since apparently it ain't that special and I don't like the direction it took. I've gave Harvest Moon (SNES) few tries but it never really clicked, still I always feel like I should play it. The same happened with Stardew Valley :< Thanks for the suggestions though.

 

[Ploid 6.0]

Like someone else said on a stream, they should patch the name to call it Opioid Craft and it will be A-OK. So messed up.

 

[Budi]

PC Gamer reviewed it, they gave it 75 (Ian Birnbaum)
https://www.pcgamer.com/weedcraft-inc-review/

Weedcraft promises to "treat weed in an insightful manner," and for the most part I think it nails the politics. The breadth of characters is an accurate portrayal of who smokes weed in America: college students, parents, musicians, artists, professionals, politicians, tourists, patients. My first employee was a grumpy, elderly black woman and my best dealer was a round-faced white man who dressed like a lawyer. Special orders came in from widows suffering from back pain and from pledge leaders at a local sorority stocking up for a party.

I delivered weed to a pro-drug war politician whose son was fighting off withdrawal. I had long conversations about the inherent corruption of a system that celebrates alcohol, condemns marijuana, and turns a blind eye to pharmaceutical companies addicting and killing a generation of pain patients.

All of this is part of a complex background of interlocking legalities. As I expanded to new cities away from the starter city in Michigan, I had an opportunity to sell weed in jurisdictions where it is legal for recreational use. As I grew in wealth and influence, I started helping to craft legislation and propose bills that would legalize or decriminalize marijuana, suddenly seizing the chance to bring my underground business above-board.

Playing with this combination of legal and illegal makes Weedcraft unique in the business-sim genre, as far as I know. Expanding to Boulder, Colorado, I could run a completely legal business. Or I could legally grow in Boulder and then smuggle weed to other cities and sell it illegally. Or I could get a medical grower's license and sell legally to patients and illegally to weekend party-goers. Each jurisdiction comes with its own costs and opportunities, and Weedcraft does a pretty good job of balancing all of these individual pieces.
Weed in America is a complex blend of weird jurisdictions, Reefer Madness–fueled paranoia, and unjust, racially-targeted legal consequences. Even when it doesn't work very well, I'm impressed that Weedcraft attempted to build a tycoon game with enough depth and nuance to explore some of those things.

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[Love Machine]

To be fair, it's a dumb concept. I could see why it appeals to few.

It's not like we have alcohol tycoon games on the market. Or do we?

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I probably wouldn't bat an eyelid if "Pub Simulator 2020" was released. I enjoy a drink and think pub culture and management would make for a cool indie title. Alcohol is obviously far less of a taboo than legalised drugs.

The concept of "Weedcraft Inc." on the other hand doesn't interest me in the slightest. You can see from the key art and such that they aimed for the gritty side of it. The tone of the game is likely what turned off so many. While I do acknowledge the "glamorised murder simulator" argument, I don't think you should fall back on it. Look what happened with "Hatred". You have to be careful with how you handle the tone of your game, and what it's trying to portray.

I have trouble feeling sympathetic towards DD if I'm being brutally honest. I respect them for trying (who else would), but they can't have expected it to be an easy battle.

 

[Mr. Genuine]

lol what a giant clusterfuck of a thread.

Some of the posters on here come across like some straight edge 16 year olds.

 

[test_account]

Does anyone know if they had problems getting it age rated at ESRB and PEGI by the way? I talked a bit about it earlier, and just assumed that it was an issue, but looking more into it, i cant seem to find information about it.

EDIT: And today is 4/20 by the way, hehe :P

No they are about murder, prostitution, and grand larceny in addition to drug selling. Are you arguing that the inclusion of more crimes for the player to engage in makes them somehow more acceptable? That doesn't make a lot of logical sense.

I think you'd have a hard time making a convincing argument for this game glorifying weed in a way that's significantly different than the way games like Mafia or GTA glorify a vast array of crimes including drug dealing. That's why it's hypocritical, but Devovler doesn't have the clout of 2K or Rockstar so they get shut out.

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I'm quoting this again since i've been thinking about this some more, feeling that i just had to elaborate a bit. And i didnt mean to be rude earlier when i said the things about if the arguement made logical sense. If the developers had added those things to the tycoon aspect of Weedcraft (like having murders and prostituion as part of the tycoon aspect, trying to manage it in the best way possible and put those things in a light that looks like they're pushing it as something more positive), things would definitely make it harder for the game in terms of advertisement and acceptance, no doubt, so i wasnt trying to argue saying that the violence is a much better thing etc., just to point that out. My point was just that i think the intention/focus of the content in a game matters, and how it is presented, despite having content that are about the same subject. Thats the main thing i wanted to say :)

Its also true that violence in games is more accepted compared to things like drugs and sex. Its not like there arent game with drugs and sex though, but its usually not as detailed as some violence is. And there are violent games thats been stopped due to its content and its focus/presentation (like Hatred for example). Personally, i really dislike game like Hatred due to its content and presentation/focus (killing innocent people), but i'm fine with game like e.g Call of Duty (although i hated the scene in Modern Warfare 2 where you could kill innocent people at the airport. I found it compeltely unnecessary for that scene to be playable, even if it was optional), or even Mortal Kombat (even though some of the fatalities/moves are pretty damn crazy), despite all three games falls under the broad description of being violent games, just to show how things can be viewed differently. Same with GTA, where its possible to kill innocent people, but thats not the goal or focus in the game, so it doesnt give out the same vibes as e.g Hatred. I dont have much problem with these weed tycoon simulators either though, so i personally dont really mind them actually. There could definitely be games with a lot worse content than growing weed in a legal way :) I'm just mentioing an example where presentation and content can matter why people have different views about games.

Maybe things will change in regards of being accepted or not when it comes to games that focus much on weed. We'll see. Maybe some of this is repetition of what i said earlier, sorry, but i just felt that i had to elaborate on the first part about that it wasnt my arguement :)

EDIT: And there could definitely be games with a lot worse content than growing weed in a legal way of course, just to add that :) (i also added this sentence to my point above here).

 

[S I C K O]

Weed is good.

I hate weed culture. Also this just reminds me of those euro forklift Sims. Doesn't seem fun to play.