Aerobiz
Encyclopedia
is a business simulation video game for the Super Nintendo
and Mega Drive/Genesis game consoles, released in 1992 by Koei.
of a budding international airline
, the player has a limited amount of time to expand their business to become the industry leader against three other airlines (either AI
-controlled or human opponents). The player has an amount of control over how their airline develops, such as the name, investments, what routes to fly, plane purchases, and other various aspects, while at the mercy of world events such as politics (for instance, if the player runs his or her airline out of Moscow, he or she can initially only buy Soviet planes and will have a harder time negotiating with Western nations) and natural disasters. The player can also get the company involved in peripheral businesses such as hotel
s and shuttle services.
The sequel Aerobiz Supersonic
was released in August 1994 for the SNES and Mega Drive/Genesis. The player is presented with a wider variety of options in nearly everything, but the game play is much the same. Another sequel known as Air Management '96 was released only in Japan for the Sega Saturn
and PlayStation
.
, London
, and Tokyo
, start the player with many airplanes and a large amount of money; others, such as Lima
, Nairobi
, and Honolulu, start the player with only a couple of airplanes and a small amount of money. The players then select a difficulty level, which affects the amount of passengers, world events (and the reactions of the passengers to those world events), and the win conditions.
The gameplay is superficially straightforward: players negotiate for access slots at each airport, buy airplanes, then open routes and start business.
The routes command allows the player to open new routes (up to 30), change existing routes, or close unprofitable/redundant routes.
The negotiation command allows the player to assign representatives to bid for access slots into each airport or give back unneeded slots.
The trade command allows the player to buy and sell airplanes.
The budget command allows the player to set the maintenance, service, and advertising budgets.
The marketing command allows the player to run special ad campaigns in order to boost traffic.
The investment command allows the player to set up airport hubs to create new routes, build hotels to attract passengers, and buy and sell stock in charter companies.
The board meeting command gives the player some hints on possible moves to make in order to increase business.
Information on the cities, distances between two cities and any air routes flying between them, and data on the player's company is also available.
After each player has made their desired moves, the game shows any world events that affect the players (for instance, a labor strike will delay shipments of aircraft from that company, while the Olympic Games will boost traffic worldwide, particularly to the host city). The game then shows the results of direct competition between airlines flying the same routes, then the quarterly results of sales, expenses, profits, and passengers flown. After the January-March quarter of every year, it also shows annual results.
The game is won by the first player to achieve the win conditions: link all 22 cities and carry a certain number of passengers (between 2.5 million and 4.5 million, based on difficulty level), all while remaining profitable. If a player goes for four quarters with a negative balance, the company is declared bankrupt and offered reorganization. If the game goes for 32 years (128 turns) without any player meeting the win conditions, the game is called a loss.
Super Nintendo Entertainment System
The Super Nintendo Entertainment System is a 16-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America, Europe, Australasia , and South America between 1990 and 1993. In Japan and Southeast Asia, the system is called the , or SFC for short...
and Mega Drive/Genesis game consoles, released in 1992 by Koei.
Summary
As CEOChief executive officer
A chief executive officer , managing director , Executive Director for non-profit organizations, or chief executive is the highest-ranking corporate officer or administrator in charge of total management of an organization...
of a budding international airline
Airline
An airline provides air transport services for traveling passengers and freight. Airlines lease or own their aircraft with which to supply these services and may form partnerships or alliances with other airlines for mutual benefit...
, the player has a limited amount of time to expand their business to become the industry leader against three other airlines (either AI
Artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence is the intelligence of machines and the branch of computer science that aims to create it. AI textbooks define the field as "the study and design of intelligent agents" where an intelligent agent is a system that perceives its environment and takes actions that maximize its...
-controlled or human opponents). The player has an amount of control over how their airline develops, such as the name, investments, what routes to fly, plane purchases, and other various aspects, while at the mercy of world events such as politics (for instance, if the player runs his or her airline out of Moscow, he or she can initially only buy Soviet planes and will have a harder time negotiating with Western nations) and natural disasters. The player can also get the company involved in peripheral businesses such as hotel
Hotel
A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. The provision of basic accommodation, in times past, consisting only of a room with a bed, a cupboard, a small table and a washstand has largely been replaced by rooms with modern facilities, including en-suite bathrooms...
s and shuttle services.
The sequel Aerobiz Supersonic
Aerobiz Supersonic
Aerobiz Supersonic, known as in Japan, is a business simulation video game released by Koei in August 1994, available on the Super Nintendo and the Mega Drive/Genesis. It is a sequel to Koei's previous airline simulation game, Aerobiz.-Gameplay:...
was released in August 1994 for the SNES and Mega Drive/Genesis. The player is presented with a wider variety of options in nearly everything, but the game play is much the same. Another sequel known as Air Management '96 was released only in Japan for the Sega Saturn
Sega Saturn
The is a 32-bit fifth-generation video game console that was first released by Sega on November 22, 1994 in Japan, May 11, 1995 in North America, and July 8, 1995 in Europe...
and PlayStation
PlayStation
The is a 32-bit fifth-generation video game console first released by Sony Computer Entertainment in Japan on December 3, .The PlayStation was the first of the PlayStation series of consoles and handheld game devices. The PlayStation 2 was the console's successor in 2000...
.
Gameplay
Aerobiz features two timeframes to play the game through: 1963 to 1995, and 1983 to 2015. After selecting the timeframe, the players then choose a city for their airline's headquarters. This allows a certain amount of handicapping: some cities, such as New YorkNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, and Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
, start the player with many airplanes and a large amount of money; others, such as Lima
Lima
Lima is the capital and the largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón, Rímac and Lurín rivers, in the central part of the country, on a desert coast overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Together with the seaport of Callao, it forms a contiguous urban area known as the Lima...
, Nairobi
Nairobi
Nairobi is the capital and largest city of Kenya. The city and its surrounding area also forms the Nairobi County. The name "Nairobi" comes from the Maasai phrase Enkare Nyirobi, which translates to "the place of cool waters". However, it is popularly known as the "Green City in the Sun" and is...
, and Honolulu, start the player with only a couple of airplanes and a small amount of money. The players then select a difficulty level, which affects the amount of passengers, world events (and the reactions of the passengers to those world events), and the win conditions.
The gameplay is superficially straightforward: players negotiate for access slots at each airport, buy airplanes, then open routes and start business.
The routes command allows the player to open new routes (up to 30), change existing routes, or close unprofitable/redundant routes.
The negotiation command allows the player to assign representatives to bid for access slots into each airport or give back unneeded slots.
The trade command allows the player to buy and sell airplanes.
The budget command allows the player to set the maintenance, service, and advertising budgets.
The marketing command allows the player to run special ad campaigns in order to boost traffic.
The investment command allows the player to set up airport hubs to create new routes, build hotels to attract passengers, and buy and sell stock in charter companies.
The board meeting command gives the player some hints on possible moves to make in order to increase business.
Information on the cities, distances between two cities and any air routes flying between them, and data on the player's company is also available.
After each player has made their desired moves, the game shows any world events that affect the players (for instance, a labor strike will delay shipments of aircraft from that company, while the Olympic Games will boost traffic worldwide, particularly to the host city). The game then shows the results of direct competition between airlines flying the same routes, then the quarterly results of sales, expenses, profits, and passengers flown. After the January-March quarter of every year, it also shows annual results.
The game is won by the first player to achieve the win conditions: link all 22 cities and carry a certain number of passengers (between 2.5 million and 4.5 million, based on difficulty level), all while remaining profitable. If a player goes for four quarters with a negative balance, the company is declared bankrupt and offered reorganization. If the game goes for 32 years (128 turns) without any player meeting the win conditions, the game is called a loss.