''Software Star'' is a 1985 game released by
Kevin Toms
Kevin Toms (born 22, April 1957 in Paignton) is a British video game designer who founded Addictive Games and created the original ''Football Manager'', a simulation game released in the early 1980s. It included a portrait of his bearded face on ...
for the
Amstrad CPC,
Commodore 64
The Commodore 64, also known as the C64, is an 8-bit home computer introduced in January 1982 by Commodore International (first shown at the Consumer Electronics Show, January 7–10, 1982, in Las Vegas). It has been listed in the Guinness ...
and
ZX Spectrum
The ZX Spectrum () is an 8-bit computing, 8-bit home computer that was developed by Sinclair Research. It was released in the United Kingdom on 23 April 1982, and became Britain's best-selling microcomputer.
Referred to during development as t ...
.
Gameplay
This is essentially a text-based management game. The player's task is to manage a software house, create new games, manage publicity and make a profit of £10000. Meanwhile, the player must achieve the status of "Software Star" for ten successive months.
Having a large portfolio of games has its advantages by increasing the player's monthly sales. However, money must be spent on promoting aging titles. Each game has its own quality rating, where the quality increases with the amount of time spent on development. Managing the productivity of the player's staff is also key to the game. The player can view a snapshot of productivity over the last six months and decide to discipline, offer incentives, or take no action. There are four sales regions where the player's products are sold. These regions are ordered from one to four, depending on how much importance they are given based on consulting the sales from the previous month. Public relations is adjusted by choosing Honesty or
Hype
Hype (derived from hyperbole) is promotion, especially promotion consisting of exaggerated claims.
Hype or The Hype may also refer to:
Film and television
* ''Hype'' (TV series), an American comedy television series
* ''The Hype'' (TV seri ...
. Each decision has an effect on the company's image. Finally, the player will have to evaluate the potential market depending on the time of year and decide how many advertising pages to buy. Markets are larger around
Christmas
Christmas is an annual festival commemorating Nativity of Jesus, the birth of Jesus, Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people Observance of Christmas by country, around t ...
and
New Year
New Year is the time or day currently at which a new calendar year begins and the calendar's year count increments by one. Many cultures celebrate the event in some manner. In the Gregorian calendar, the most widely used calendar system to ...
. It is then time to look at the sales figures as the player's game enters the Top 20. The player is then given a sales break-even figure and each game climbs the chart if it sells well to the Number One spot.
At the end of the month, the player views a monthly statement showing progress and Stardom rating ranging from Nobody to Software Star. At the end of the year, the directors will check the player's progress. They will fire the player, raise the bar, or give the player another chance.
See also
*''
Millionaire''
Reception
''Zzap!64'' thought the game was a disappointing follow-up to ''Football Manager'', with too little to do for the player and less feeling of control. It received a rating of 43%.
References
External links
*{{WoS game, id=0004621
''Software Star''at
GameFAQs
GameFAQs is a website that hosts FAQs and walkthroughs for video games. It was created in November 1995 by Jeff Veasey and was bought by CNET Networks in May 2003. It is currently owned by Fandom, Inc. since October 2022. The site has a databa ...
1985 video games
Addictive Games games
Amstrad CPC games
Business simulation games
Commodore 64 games
Europe-exclusive video games
Single-player video games
Video games developed in the United Kingdom
ZX Spectrum games