After Playway and its simulation of Jesus, here is Aerosoft and a simulation of ski resort manager. The game wants to take up the torch of Ski Region Simulator. No need to tell you that we are in a niche market… Amateurs?
[EDIT of December 12: the launch patch is available, and all the worries of youth are gone. Good news for gamers! Enjoy!]
A few days ago, I learned of the imminent release of a somewhat peculiar game. Used to the big family of simulation, the German publishing firm deviates a little from the traditional bus or aviation games, by offering us a truly unusual title: Winter Resort Simulator. Here is a first impression while waiting for the final version this December 12th.
Ski game point behind this name. Developed by HR Innoways, for whom it is the first game, it targets a very specific niche, since it puts you in the shoes of a ski resort manager. In WRS, the player must follow, step by step, all the actions to start the cabins of the station cable cars. Visual inspection, cable tension, start-up, speed, everything goes, and probably a little too much. The simulation is pushed to the maximum and the player can / must activate all the switches. Without a good tutorial, the game would be unplayable, but luckily we are still guiding our actions.
Outside the cable car, the player will also have to manage the accesses and the tracks using his snowmobile and a groomer. It is also necessary to ensure that the skiers always have a few centimeters of powder to be able to practice. The snow cannon will be your ultimate weapon to achieve your ends.
The game sins with its technical problems
Be careful, I will come back to this part because the publisher tells me that there will be an update on December 12 to improve performance. Indeed, it was impossible for me to exceed 30 fps despite changes in the graphics settings, and this despite a fairly powerful configuration. Winter Resort Simulator is powered by Unity. We know that the engine is capable of both the best and the worst depending on the developers (Pure Farming 18 runs on Unity for example). Here the developers obviously sought to obtain complex lighting effects. You can see it on the characters, their skin doesn't really have shade. Speaking of skiers… how to put it… we are in the minimum union. The arms are not animated, the approach is military. The chalets look like “Welcome to Zombiland”. Fortunately, that's not the heart of the game.
Like all simulation games, the details are where they need to be. Here, it is on the cabins and cable systems that we are served. But the general modeling leaves much to be desired. As for the sound environment, your ears will not be spoiled more than your eyes. The sound effects are bland, even nonexistent. The effects are on / off. Either there is noise or there is not. As you approach a chalet, an endless and unpleasant hubbub takes over the other ambient sounds.
In conclusion, certainly fast after 2 hours of play, this simulation is really to be reserved for a niche, passionate about winter sports, and which seeks to go behind the scenes in the management of a ski resort. Winter Resort Simulator is not difficult, but leaves aside the fun aspect that can be found in other simulations like Ski Region Simulator, released in 2012.
The opinion of Guillaume, snow groomer driver and Ski Region Simulator player
“There are still improvements possible, especially for the ski lifts. For example, we are told that they are out of service when in fact they are functioning and transporting customers. The maneuverability of the groomer could be improved, in particular on the control of the blade.
The ski lifts are relatively easy to use and easy to cycle and cycle. The game does not bug on my config and runs with details in Ultra (with a 1060 and a core i7). There are several game modes (career, tutorial, sandbox,…). I am happy to find the management of the triggering of avalanches because it is part of the tasks to be performed in the resort. The weather is pretty basic. Finally the missing multiplayer mode is undoubtedly the big black point of the game. "