Introduction

Once upon a time, Koei made RPGs, Strategy Games, and Simulations. This is one of them.

Aerobiz Supersonic is a business sim released for the SNES and Genesis in 93/94, in which up to four players compete to build the best globe-spanning airline that money can buy. Despite the bizarre mismatch of a sim/strategy game on a 16 bit console, the game is actually fairly well made. The mechanics have some depth without being opaque. The player is given easy access to important information needed to make decisions, and figure out what makes for good and bad play. The AI is capable of working with those rules and, at the game's higher difficulties, can compete with human players without relying on behind-the-scenes cheating. The whole interface has been designed to be reasonably navigated with a d-pad and 6 buttons, so the absence of mouse control isn't too badly missed. And to top it all off, the soundtrack is composed of the most hypnotically relaxing muzak to ever crawl out of an elevator.

I'll be showing the game off by taking us through each of its four scenarios. I will not fly alone.

GOON-AIR IPO

Through the magic of capitalism (or bureaucratic despotism) you, the stakeholders, will be making the calls that will lead our company to fortune or ruin. Stake out our territory, manage our fleet, outperform and undercut our enemies, or risk millions on buying hotels in Kazakhstan.

Each update will span four turns of play, or one year of game time, after which you'll be brought up to date and given fresh opportunities to run everything into or off of the ground. Planes are well known to do both.

Explaining Mechanics