Constructor Overview
Constructor is a business simulation set in a competitive real estate environment where aggressive tactics are permitted. Players manage a construction company beginning with a basic team and a single plot, aiming to develop properties and control the local housing market.
Economic progression is tied to tenant social classes. Initial development focuses on low-cost housing for slobs, whose population growth fuels the workforce. Advancing construction technology, like cement yards, requires providing a variety of basic structures first. Tenant satisfaction and social mobility are managed through amenities; for example, providing computers via a gadget factory can educate slobs into more desirable citizens.
Player strategy extends beyond construction into direct interference. While workers can be used for force, specialized units like gangsters, unlocked via certain buildings, are more effective for sabotage or removing specific targets. Players can also deploy disruptive tenant types, such as hippies or ghosts, to damage rival properties, or use thugs and thieves to harass occupants and steal resources. Defensive measures include assigning police patrols to protect key assets from these same tactics.
Long-term management involves balancing multiple systems. Constructing supportive buildings like schools, hospitals, and parks improves community well-being and efficiency. Tenant happiness is also influenced by room upgrades and garden furniture, though neglecting their demands can turn the governing Council hostile. Players must carefully manage resource output to avoid bankruptcy, worker shortages, property decay into vacant ruins, or loss of favor with police and criminal elements.
The challenging aspects of the game are modulated by difficulty settings, which determine available maps and the capabilities of disruptive characters. Selecting higher difficulty levels requires playing against more computer-controlled opponents.
