Gameplay
The player starts off with a factory and a number of distributors. The player is always set against three competitors, which can be either human or computer. The game tends to follow common steps in a project lifecycle which involves the planning of a product, development of a product, testing of a product and its release to the public. The player is expected to follow this process whenever they wish to develop a new automobile.
Each turn is one month, and the game lasts approximately 100 years. At the start of each month, the player is presented with a money ledger showing the prior month's business. At this time newspapers also announce if cars are doing well or if there are special world events. World events that vastly effect gameplay are: World War I, The Great Depression, World War II, and the energy crisis of the 1970s. Most of these events negatively affect demand for all cars, with the exception of the energy crisis which targets low-mileage vehicles.
If at any time the player is bankrupt for long enough, the game ends with a scene of the player's avatar jumping out of a window.
The different aspects of the business are covered by different buildings at the factory (which is actually a pictorial representation of the main menu). Clicking on one of these buildings will bring up the following departments:
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