Hello,
First of all, I truly want to express my heartfelt thanks and deepest gratitude to the courageous developers at 3Division for creating this gaming masterpiece, which can claim to be the ultimate in its genre. On its own, it proves that when you have passion and ambition, it’s possible to create something that offers so much more than most of what’s available on the market and that stands out wonderfully thanks to its original and well-thought-out theme, its design, and its incredibly comprehensive and satisfying mechanics—even for the most demanding players like myself.
So, when it comes to the art and gameplay. There’s no denying it—it’s all about attention to detail. Everything is absolutely well-crafted and integrated; almost nothing is missing. It’s a stroke of genius, as well as a testament to hard work, for which we can only feel deep admiration. Especially since this is a small studio trying to do everything on its own—it’s remarkable!
Now, let’s talk about the technical aspects. Graphically, it’s true that the visuals aren’t the most advanced, but once I was in the game, I didn’t find them that outdated; I was even pleasantly surprised, since there are quite a few well-crafted elements—such as the textures (especially on the vehicles)—as well as sufficient animations. As a result, the overall experience remains solid and cohesive.
Now, as for the soundtrack, the music is superbly composed, as it truly captures and complements the theme of Soviet socialism through its military choir-style sounds and retro 1980s electronic music. As for the ambient sounds, they’re pretty good, though it would be nice if they were a bit more dynamic and varied, especially regarding vehicles and, above all, the various production buildings when you approach them.
Finally, as for the game’s mechanics, I find them to be meticulously designed, since it’s worth noting that, given the modest graphics engine, the developers have still managed to pull off some feats that even larger studios struggle to implement properly. I’m thinking in particular of the AI governing vehicle behavior; here, it can assess the different speeds of each vehicle on the road and thus perform intelligent passing maneuvers when necessary. Still on the topic of vehicles, the game even simulates engine RPMs based on the selected gear. One last example for good measure: currently, most games in this genre feature a building wear-and-tear mechanic, but this one doesn’t stop there, it also incorporates a wear-and-tear factor for the machinery inside those buildings. I admit I was very impressed, and I wanted to highlight just these three elements to show you everything that awaits you if you decide to embark on this fabulous adventure that is Workers & Resources: Soviet Republic.
The game offers many items to manufacture; however, it is missing a few that are clearly obvious—whether through new production lines or by being too generic regarding existing ones, such as in the chemical industry, which does not include the production of medications as a separate product, which creates an inconsistency with healthcare facilities such as hospitals and clinics that miraculously treat citizens without any medication—a scenario that is hardly relevant or logical for a game aimed at realism.
As a result, I’ve given this some careful thought and would like to politely offer my suggestions for making this incredible game even better. Here they are:
1. Add more crucial resources that are currently missing, such as: copper, titanium, gold, sand, vegetable oils, rubber, and fish. These additional resources would not only help correct these inconsistencies but also further diversify the production chains I’ll list below.
2. Add the glass industry, which will require sand and will produce window glass and optical glass for both domestic use and export.
- The furniture manufacturing industry, which will require wooden planks and will produce furniture for citizens as well as for export.
- Paper, which will be produced from wood and will be needed for purposes such as mail delivery, administration, party headquarters, etc.
- The manufacture of electrical cables, electric motors, and pipes, which can be used in construction as well as in automotive production facilities, etc., and for export. These cables and pipes will need to be manufactured using resources such as copper, aluminum, and rubber.
- The manufacture of internal combustion engines, which will enable the production of various types of piston engines (small, medium, and large), turbo engines, as well as transmissions; all these components will contribute to the manufacture of various vehicles and may also be exported. This manufacturing facility will require the following resources to operate: steel, aluminum, and mechanical components.
- The manufacturing of advanced electronic components: This facility will require resources such as electronic components and aluminum to manufacture microcontrollers, sensors, industrial robots, and satellites; these components can be exported.
- The manufacturing of household appliances: these items will be produced using resources such as steel, copper, and electrical and electronic components, and may be used by citizens as well as exported.
3. There should be the possibility that some production buildings can produce two or three types of goods simultaneously; for example, an internal combustion engine factory (40% large piston engines, 20% turbo engines, and 40% small piston engines).
4. The technology tree should include the addition of mail technology, which then leads to telephony. This would unlock the following buildings: the National Telephone Exchange, which would connect several smaller exchanges, each with a specific coverage area; these smaller exchanges must be connected via dedicated cables. All of this will serve to meet a need among citizens. Inside the “National Switchboard” building, there will be a menu offering various actions related to this technology, such as issuing directives to a specific area of effect. Here are a few examples:
- Productivity: Temporarily speed up or slow down production, with a risk of accidents if the duration is too long.
- Transportation: Temporarily speed up or slow down vehicles within a specific area of effect.
- Energy: Request a reduction in electricity consumption by a predetermined percentage; this may affect the happiness of the citizens concerned if it lasts too long.
- Social: Request a 10% increase in research speed within the area of effect where a university is located, for a limited time.
- Foreign Trade: Request price negotiations for a specific commodity over a predetermined period, or place a one-time order for imports or exports.
- Organizing international events such as state visits, and the opportunity to undertake scientific projects like space exploration or the construction of a supercomputer, which will enable the creation of services such as launching satellites and performing mathematical calculations at the request of a neighboring country.
5. Add a bit more variety in animations, as well as effects for production buildings—for example: gantry cranes at the shipyard lifting sections of ships during construction—and, if possible, add a button at the top of the interface for a selected production building that would allow players to see the animated elements inside, such as a steel mill, etc. That would be absolutely awesome!
6. Add a bit more variety to the sound effects for production buildings when the camera zooms in.
7. Add one or two animations of birds in flight to make the environment more lively.
In closing, I would like to thank you very warmly for taking the time to read this, and I highly recommend this unique and truly wonderful gem that I will never forget.
