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Moonshine Inc. - make your own booze!

2K View2022-12-03

I expected an economic simulation with a bit of stupid fun, maybe like Cartel Tycoon. I expected a bit of Al Capone with some shootouts and bribes for the police.

I learned how to make my own whiskey.

The story starts with you trying to make a living with an illegal bar in San Francisco during the prohibition, but your bar gets busted and you have to leave (fast). So you set up a small operation at home, in a peaceful forest in the distant mountains. Your alcoholic uncle helps you to set up the old equipment from your grandpa. Seems your grandpa was also a moonshiner.

The gameplay consists of brewing. In detail. First you acquire the necessary ingredients, like sugar. Did you know there are 5 basic types of sugar? Then you can begin with step one of the brewing process - the fermentation. Place your primitive fermentation tank somewhere in your base and the process to transform sugar into alcohol can begin. Recruit your first workers to help you with your new business. There is a 3D part where you can move around your base, zoom and rotate the view. You place your new equipment in this mode, but most of the game plays in 2D.

Setting up the fermentation process is not as easy as I thought. You need to regulate the fermentation temperature. You need to decide on the exact quantities of the ingredients you use. You need to decide on how long the process should take and when to stop it. You have to add mash and water, but don't add too much sugar or it will kill the yeast. If everything is ready to ferment - you have to wait. Fortunately not in real-time, you can speed up the time up to 8x.

The second step is the distillation process. You subtract fluids until only the final product is left. You control the flame rate, as soon as you have an adequate heating source for your distillation pot. There are four types of alcohol you can produce - moonshine, brandy, whiskey or vodka. There are three qualities - from cheap to fine to premium. The game comes with tons of unlockable recipes, at the beginning you can only brew cheap moonshine. Each of your products can taste sour, salty, acrid, bitter or sweet. When you are finished, you can fortify or dilute the product, for example by adding a little bit of water. Then you have to set a price. Cheap whiskey should be sold cheap and at places where the customers expect cheap whiskey. Then it is time to name your product, before you finally bottle it.

The final part is to deliver your bottles to thirsty clients. You choose your driver, the lorry (they differ in capacity, speed, durability), select the cargo and then a destination from the map. Then you can just watch your car as it drives to the destination and delivers the goods, and your earnings will begin to flow, as long as people buy your stuff. Each hotspot has different preferences. You unlock new maps as the story progresses.

You can recruit workers with special traits. I wouldn't hire an alcoholic, neither as driver nor for work in the brewery. They gain experience while working. When you manage to raise the quality of your products, you gain Mastery Points. They allow you to unlock technology from the technology tree, which then leads to the ability to use new equipment. You have a workshop where you can maintain (clean, repair) your equipment. Or you can craft new equipment, as soon as you can afford it and know how to craft it.

There are missions which advance the main story, and there are secondary missions like a pastor that needs tequilla. Actually, a lot of tequilla. Obviously moonshinin' is not legal. As soon as the police raids your base, the game is over. They might find you if you deliver your booze always to the same place or if you take a large loan, there is a police alert level on top of the screen. You need to balance the speed of production, the quantity and the quality of the liquor. Manage your costs, your workforce, get the best equipment, maintain it, and, above all, discover new recipes and produce premium quality liquor. If you get it right, you might make a fortune.

Summary

Hardcore economy/brewing simulation where you oversee the detailled production and delivery process of your illegal alcoholic products.

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