Airline Tycoon
Encyclopedia
Airline Tycoon is a business simulation game by Thomas Holz and Robert Kleinert, in which the player must successfully manage an airline. The original was developed by Spellbound
, and published by Infogrames
, however, the succeeding versions were published by a variety of publishers. The original Airline Tycoon was created for Windows
, however, the later Deluxe version was also ported
to Linux
, Mac OS X
and ZETA. In this game, like all Tycoon computer games, the objective is to become a tycoon, and in this case, an “Airline Tycoon.” This is achieved through the balance of income and expenditures.
The player must also manage their personnel, plan flights, form relationships with the air hostess, buy fuel, attend meetings in the airport manager's office and, if there is the time, slip into Rick's café for a quick cup of coffee. The player can also perform sabotages on the other players. The graphics are bright and decidedly tongue in cheek: the tycoon Igor Tuppolevsky has a set of Russian dolls on his desk—and an open tin of caviar, while Tina Cortez has a picture of a matador and a bull's head.
With a network, up to four people can play at once and the game status can be saved (as it can in single-player mode) for longer games.
. It was not released in any English-speaking country; however, there was an official English demo
.
The first Airline Tycoon title to be released in United States
and the United Kingdom
was Airline Tycoon First Class. It was published in 2001 by Monte Cristo
; however, the publisher decided to remove First Class subtitle from the game box and manuals, though it remained in-game. Features added in First Class include ten brand new missions, multiplayer
mode with up to 4 players, new MIDI
music, cargo
transportation and more.
In 2002, Airline Tycoon Evolution, second Airline Tycoon rerelease was published by Monte Cristo
. The game introduced ten new missions, possibility of buying self-designed aircraft (and possibility of sharing these planes via Internet
), possibility of hiring aircraft security agents, five new sabotage
s and more.
In 2003, Spellbound
released third Airline Tycoon addition, named Airline Tycoon Deluxe. It included all of previous versions, the only new part of the game was twenty new airports and possibility of accepting cargo from remote estates. Originally it was released in limited edition
of 5000 items. It was available only in Germany
, though it was not translated into other languages. However, Linux, Mac OS X and ZETA versions released in Autumn 2005 and Winter 2006 by RuneSoft are available in English
, German
and French
.
and scheduled to be released in late 2011. It was scheduled to be released in the United States On October 2, 2011 by Amazon.com
, however, Kalypso Media
has scheduled their North American release for October 14, 2011. The Game as of date has been released and includes a demo version which the original lacked.
Spellbound Entertainment
Spellbound is a German developer of computer games based in Kehl, Germany. The company was founded in 1994 by Armin Gessert. The company is best known for the Desperados Series....
, and published by Infogrames
Infogrames
Infogrames Entertainment SA was an international French holding company headquartered in Paris, France. It was the owner of Atari, Inc., headquartered in New York City, U.S. and Atari Europe. It was founded in 1983 by Bruno Bonnell and Christophe Sapet using the proceeds from an introductory...
, however, the succeeding versions were published by a variety of publishers. The original Airline Tycoon was created for Windows
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
, however, the later Deluxe version was also ported
Porting
In computer science, porting is the process of adapting software so that an executable program can be created for a computing environment that is different from the one for which it was originally designed...
to Linux
Linux
Linux is a Unix-like computer operating system assembled under the model of free and open source software development and distribution. The defining component of any Linux system is the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released October 5, 1991 by Linus Torvalds...
, Mac OS X
Mac OS X
Mac OS X is a series of Unix-based operating systems and graphical user interfaces developed, marketed, and sold by Apple Inc. Since 2002, has been included with all new Macintosh computer systems...
and ZETA. In this game, like all Tycoon computer games, the objective is to become a tycoon, and in this case, an “Airline Tycoon.” This is achieved through the balance of income and expenditures.
Gameplay
A simulation computer game where the player acts as manager of an airline, competing against three other tycoons. The names of the four tycoons are: Tina Cortez (Sunshine Airways), Siggi Sorglos (Falcon Lines), Igor Tuppolevsky (Phoenix Travel) and Mario Zucchero (Honey Airlines). The player must keep their aircraft in good shape and equip them at such a level as to keep the customers satisfied, buy new planes (from the expensive Airplane Agency or from Mr Schlauberger at the museum who sells old planes at a much lower cost) and take out bank loans if required.The player must also manage their personnel, plan flights, form relationships with the air hostess, buy fuel, attend meetings in the airport manager's office and, if there is the time, slip into Rick's café for a quick cup of coffee. The player can also perform sabotages on the other players. The graphics are bright and decidedly tongue in cheek: the tycoon Igor Tuppolevsky has a set of Russian dolls on his desk—and an open tin of caviar, while Tina Cortez has a picture of a matador and a bull's head.
With a network, up to four people can play at once and the game status can be saved (as it can in single-player mode) for longer games.
Releases
- Airline Tycoon, 1998
- Airline Tycoon First Class, 2001
- Airline Tycoon Evolution, 2002
- Airline Tycoon Deluxe, 2003, 2011 (Mac App StoreMac App StoreThe Mac App Store is a digital distribution platform for Mac OS X applications developed by Apple Inc.. The platform was announced on October 20, 2010 at Apple's "Back to the Mac" event. Apple began accepting app submissions from registered developers on November 3, 2010 in preparation for its launch...
) - now currently compatible with OS X 10.7 - Airline Tycoon 2, 2011
Overview
The original game was released in August 1998 in GermanyGermany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. It was not released in any English-speaking country; however, there was an official English demo
Game demo
A game demo is a freely distributed demonstration or preview of an upcoming or recently released video game. Demos are typically released by the game's publisher to help consumers get a feel of the game before deciding whether to buy the full version....
.
The first Airline Tycoon title to be released in United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
was Airline Tycoon First Class. It was published in 2001 by Monte Cristo
Monte Cristo (company)
Monte Cristo was a French computer game developer and publisher, based in Paris. It was established in 1995 by former Credit Suisse First Boston vice-president Jean-Marc de Fety and former Mars & Co strategy senior consultant Jean-Cristophe Marquis. The company was led by Jean-Christophe Marquis...
; however, the publisher decided to remove First Class subtitle from the game box and manuals, though it remained in-game. Features added in First Class include ten brand new missions, multiplayer
Multiplayer game
A multiplayer video game is one which more than one person can play in the same game environment at the same time. Unlike most other games, computer and video games are often single-player activities that put the player against preprogrammed challenges and/or AI-controlled opponents, which often...
mode with up to 4 players, new MIDI
Musical Instrument Digital Interface
MIDI is an industry-standard protocol, first defined in 1982 by Gordon Hall, that enables electronic musical instruments , computers and other electronic equipment to communicate and synchronize with each other...
music, cargo
Cargo
Cargo is goods or produce transported, generally for commercial gain, by ship, aircraft, train, van or truck. In modern times, containers are used in most intermodal long-haul cargo transport.-Marine:...
transportation and more.
In 2002, Airline Tycoon Evolution, second Airline Tycoon rerelease was published by Monte Cristo
Monte Cristo (company)
Monte Cristo was a French computer game developer and publisher, based in Paris. It was established in 1995 by former Credit Suisse First Boston vice-president Jean-Marc de Fety and former Mars & Co strategy senior consultant Jean-Cristophe Marquis. The company was led by Jean-Christophe Marquis...
. The game introduced ten new missions, possibility of buying self-designed aircraft (and possibility of sharing these planes via Internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
), possibility of hiring aircraft security agents, five new sabotage
Sabotage
Sabotage is a deliberate action aimed at weakening another entity through subversion, obstruction, disruption, or destruction. In a workplace setting, sabotage is the conscious withdrawal of efficiency generally directed at causing some change in workplace conditions. One who engages in sabotage is...
s and more.
In 2003, Spellbound
Spellbound Entertainment
Spellbound is a German developer of computer games based in Kehl, Germany. The company was founded in 1994 by Armin Gessert. The company is best known for the Desperados Series....
released third Airline Tycoon addition, named Airline Tycoon Deluxe. It included all of previous versions, the only new part of the game was twenty new airports and possibility of accepting cargo from remote estates. Originally it was released in limited edition
Special edition
The terms special edition, limited edition and variants such as deluxe edition, collector's edition and others, are used as a marketing incentive for various kinds of products, originally published products related to the arts, such as books, prints or recorded music and films, but now including...
of 5000 items. It was available only in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, though it was not translated into other languages. However, Linux, Mac OS X and ZETA versions released in Autumn 2005 and Winter 2006 by RuneSoft are available in English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
, German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
and French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
.
Airline Tycoon 2
On May 24, 2006 Spellbound announced it would be releasing a full sequel to Airline Tycoon, Airline Tycoon II due to be released in Germany sometime in the second half of 2007. The release date was, however, not met. Spellbound stated they could not find a publisher for the game and announced no new release date. On October 22, 2009 Airline Tycoon II was announced by Kalypso MediaKalypso Media
Kalypso Media is a German video game developer and publisher. Founded in summer 2006 by industry veterans Simon Hellwig and Stefan Marcinek, the company has published and/or developed a number of successful titles such as Sins of a Solar Empire, Ceville, Dungeons, Patrician IV, Tropico 3 and...
and scheduled to be released in late 2011. It was scheduled to be released in the United States On October 2, 2011 by Amazon.com
Amazon.com
Amazon.com, Inc. is a multinational electronic commerce company headquartered in Seattle, Washington, United States. It is the world's largest online retailer. Amazon has separate websites for the following countries: United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Japan, and...
, however, Kalypso Media
Kalypso Media
Kalypso Media is a German video game developer and publisher. Founded in summer 2006 by industry veterans Simon Hellwig and Stefan Marcinek, the company has published and/or developed a number of successful titles such as Sins of a Solar Empire, Ceville, Dungeons, Patrician IV, Tropico 3 and...
has scheduled their North American release for October 14, 2011. The Game as of date has been released and includes a demo version which the original lacked.