Constructor

 

Constructor
Developer(s)	System 3
Publisher(s)	Acclaim
Release date(s)	1997
Genre(s)	Real-time strategy/Simulation
Mode(s)	Single player, Multiplayer over IPX, Network
Rating(s)	ESRB: Everyone ELSPA: >3
Platform(s)	PC, PS1
Media	1 CD

Constructor is a 1997 video game released originally for DOS Personal Computers, and later ported to the PlayStation and Windows-native DirectX 3. It was developed by System 3 and published by Acclaim.

In the game, packed with humouristic undertones, the player controls a construction company in a map split between several estates, and must deal with other teams to win the game.

A sequel, (known as Mob Rule in the US) was released in 1999, but failed to achieve the same success of the first game.

Characters

Workers

Workers are the basis of the construction teams, and can be converted into any other job at the headquarters, but usually at loss (six workers are required to create a gangster, for instance). They are the only ones capable of constructing/upgrading buildings, manufacturing both goods and building materials and attacking enemy characters. However, they need to rest and recover at the HQ or (preferably) an Hospital if working for an extended period of time or getting involved in a fight, as a lower life bar also slows down their movement and working speed. They can be either bred by level 1 tenants, (expensively) bought from the council, or converted from two spare tenants. The workers are very fat and lazy too.

Foreman

The foreman is the second most important unit. Workers will not work, and just stand motionless until a foreman is assigned, Foremen are also the only character able to take over enemy buildings or destroy one owned by the player.

Repairmen

The repairmen ensure the buildings are kept in a safe condition. If no repairman is assigned to a block and no toolboxes were distributed among the houses, the houses will degrade over time (depending on the quality of the house and the kind of tenant) and eventually explode, or require expensive repairs.

Gangsters

Only available after a Pizza Parlour is built, their only function is to attack enemy characters. Initially only equipped with a knife, as he gets involved in more brawls, he can be equipped with increasingly powerful weapons, topping after 16 kills with a ray gun. Using gangsters, however, requires favours to the mafia, paid by level 3 tenants.

Policeman

Policemen are used to stop undesirables and gangsters attacking other units or houses in the surroundings of the estate they were assigned to. They require a police station and cadets, which are supplied by level 2 tenants.

Delivery men

Delivery men can't be controlled directly, and work for the gadget factory. They place all items, from trees to metro stops, and also house items if they aren't placed from the house menu.

Undesirables

Undesirables inhabit special buildings, and can perform several tasks that disrupt the enemies blocks, but don't pay rent. Some of the tasks are only accessible in medium or high difficulty level.

Hippie - Inhabits the commune:

• Picket - The hippie can either picket an enemy house, which causes stress to the tenant, or an enemy factory, halting all work there.
• Street Party - Starts a street party which causes all nearby characters to stop working and join in.
• Squat - The hippie will move into an empty enemy house, preventing the opponent from earning any rent or children from it and annoying the neighbours.
• Distract Squatter - The hippie can ask an enemy squatter out into the garden for a chat. Once there the enemy squatter can be killed by the players workers or gangsters.
  
  

Thief - Lives at the pawn shop:

• Steal Item - Steals gadgets from houses
• Steal Money - Steals money from the enemy HQ
• Steal Resources - Steals units from an enemy resource site
• Steal Weapon - Steals a weapon from a gangster.
  
  

Mr. Fixit - Lives at his self-titled repair store and is the most able to destroy enemy buildings.

• Rig Electrics - Fiddles with the electrical wiring in an enemy house, stressing the tenant and de-activating all electrical gadgets.
• Rig Plumbing - Fiddles with the plumbing in an enemy house, flooding it and eventually the entire estate. This greatly increases the rate at which the houses' state of repair declines and makes the property unsaleable.
• Remove Oven - Removes the oven from an enemy house. The resulting gas leak causes the affected house to explode shortly after he is clear.
  
  

Thugs - Hooligans by nature, inhabiting a run down apartment block, the thugs are experts on stressing tenants.

• Terrorise - The thugs will hang around outside an enemy house shouting abuse at the tenant and hurling bins at them. Causes extreme stress and some collatoral damage.
• House Party - Break into an enemy house and start a party that will rip each room apart one by one
• Cruise - Wander round an estate terrorising all residents and throwing items.
• Pick a Fight - Pick a fight with opponent thugs, the two gangs will fight until one is dead.
  
  

Psycho - Equipped with a leather mask and a chainsaw, the psycho lives at the biker bar.

• Rampage - Drives all workers away from an enemy construction site, halting the construction.
• Attack Fence - Destroys an enemy fence, causing stress to the tenant and increases the damage caused to the property by projectiles.
• Destroy Property - Destroys an entire property.
  
  

Ghost - Lives at a haunted house.

• Possess - Will possess an enemy unit, causing him to wander around aimlessly for a while and not work.
• Cloak - Render one player unit invisible.
• Haunt - Haunt a house, driving the tenants away screaming.
• Zombies - Call forth an army of zombies in an estate, stressing the tenants and forcing the police to go crazy attempting to arrest them all.
  
  

Clown - Living at the "House of fun" arcade.

• Exorcise - The clown can either exorcise a haunted house (by giving a balloon to the ghost who floats away).
  
• Hypnotise - Hypnotise an enemy unit into trying the Fun House ride which, unfortunately, malfunctions and kills the rider.
• Distract Guard Dog - Distracts an enemy guard dog with a rubber bone, allowing the players units to enter the premises unheeded.
• Play with Matches - Drops a stick of dynamite on an enemy property, causing damage to the building.
  

Tenants

Tenants are the financial basis of the game. They pay rents, provide workers, more tenants, police cadets, favours to the mafia and "ultimate" buildings. The player starts with a limited number of level 1 tenants, which have to be used to create more workers and new level one tenants. The only way to improve the children to the next level of tenants is installing a computer or building a school. While tenants refuse to inhabit a house under their level, they won't pay much more for one above.

Buildings

Buildings are separated into four groups: resource, tenancy, utilities and undesirables. Each one of them takes different quantities of different materials (wood, cement, bricks and steel), and require at least one building team. While they have a fixed size, the size of the garden is decided by the player, who has to keep in mind the requirements of the tenants (lower income tenants will only require trees, while the inhabitants of more expensive houses want more garden features).

A building can be placed on any estate that has been bought from the council, but placing them in estates owned by other players costs double. To purchase an estate, it has to be free, and the player must have at least one building on every estate and a 90% land usage rate.

Resource

Resource buildings produce the materials required to produce new buildings. After being complete, they require a working team to continue producing material. While it's only possible to build one of each, they can be upgraded, which not only increases the capacity from 25 to 50 units, but allow more fences and goods at the gadget factory.

• Wood Yard (upgrades to Wood Factory)
• Cement Yard (upgrades to Cement Factory)
• Brick Yard (upgrades to Brick Factory)
• Steel Yard (upgrades to Steel Factory)

Tenancy

Housing is the most common of buildings, and provide the main income of a player. There are five levels, plus one composed by special houses. Each of the first four level require a new material (level one houses only require wood, level two houses wood and cement, and so on). After being completed they can be upgraded in several ways, including fences, garden objects, room upgrades and installing gadgets. Fences reduce the stress of tenants and provide a better defense capacity against attempts of taking over, garden features often reduce stress or are (more frequently) required by the tenants themselves, upgrading rooms increase birth rate, life expectancy, stress and maintenance, and finally goods from the gadget factory such as double glazing windows reduce the noise inside of houses placed near resource buildings, alarms make thiefs attempts of robbing the building hard, etc. To advance to the next level, the player has to build at least one of the three different designs. Advancing in the later levels also requires the player to fulfil a mission, such as creating a park or top-flight houses.

Utility

These buildings provide additional functions, but no extra income. While they are not as important as the first two types of buildings, some utilities are required to successfully advance in the game.

• Gadget factory - allows the construction of garden and house goods
• Police Station - allow police patrols that arrest undesirables or gangsters caught fighting
• Mob HQ - allow gangsters to created and used, and work as a second option for a loan, although with much larger interest rate
• Prison - undesirables and gangsters caught by patrols stay detained more time
• Park - reduce stress of tenants
• School - allows all houses to produce next level tenants, even if they don't own a computer
• Hospital - all units inside building recover faster after being injured or overworked.

Undesirable houses

Undesirable houses are where undesirables live. They aren't visited by repairment, so they either need to be manually repaired, or built on enemy territory and left to blow up (this also reduces the chance of being captured by the police en route to a mission, but also makes them harder to defend against a take over)

• Commune (Hippy)
• Pawn Shop (Thief)
• Mr. Fixit
• Apartment block (Thugs)
• Biker bar (Psycho)
• Haunted house (Ghost)
• Arcade (Clown)

External links

• Constructor at GameFAQs

Donate to Wikimedia