Just out of pure coincidence I came across the "Coal Mining Simulator" on Steam.
I like the industrial aspect of mining, the idea sounds nice AND there is a free demo available!
Needless to say, I needed to take a look...
What Is "Coal Mining Simulator"?
Start with almost nothing and get to the top - develop your mine, sell coal, buy new machines and avoid dangers in this sandbox simulator. Take control of numerous mining machines. Destroy, mine, drill, transport and blow things up.
At this point, at least during the free demo I had no chance to blow things up. Not sure if I missed it somehow or if it is not part of the demo or whatsoever.
I also did not see any options to build rails like in the demo video (I like trains and I can not lie)
Quite a bummer, but ok, maybe the rest of the game is fun.
Spoiler: It is not...
Lets Dig Into The Rock
You start your journey directly in the depth of the mine. A missed opportunity in my opinion. Some of you may remember the legendary train ride into "Black Mesa" in Half Life.
Why not let me get down with the elevator into the dark?
Anyways, first mission is to check out my tablet which is located in a simple container.
The menu is rather basic. Nothing fancy but it suits the general look and feel.
Selecting missionsm, browsing the shop, trading and hiring workers are the major options here.
Probably the most expensice tools on the entire planet. I hope I never lose my screwdriver.
Buy. Sell. Hodl?!
Trading ressources is basically just selling them. Okay, what else would you expect to do with it anyways.
Why I should sell it to private enterprises instead of exporting it abroad which is much more lucrative is beyond my unterstanding.
Lesson learned: A "Readheader" is this big machine with this rotating spike thingy
As my first mission demands I took my way to the nearest "Roadheader" to start minig.
Yellow arrows mark basically every little step you have to make. Obviously to prevent you from getting lost. On this like... 50m²
Operating machines is straight forward.
At this point I need to mention that graphics are... outdated at least.
I know I know, good graphics does not make a good game. Vica versa, a good game does not need good graphics.
But to be honest, this game is neither good nor good looking 😕
Especially in a "Simulator" I expect realistic controlls and functionality
A great example how a simulated cockpit should look like. Train Sim World 2
Hovever, I pushed some unlabeled buttons because the yellow arrow said so and thus the machine started to do its job.
At this point I realized what else was missing. There was this endless loop of some sort of elevator music but the unbearable noice of a mining machine was just not there or at least far too silent.
And the rock does not seem to be dusty at all...
Next throw the rocks into the truck.
Again only arcade like "move truck from A to B" gameplay.
Moved the truck under the "rock ejector". Its almost instantly full.
Even though the model of the truck does not look too bad the movement is not even close to a simulation. The hinge is not moving. Engine sound almost absent. Just not enough attention to detail.
So I threw the rocks (which turned out to be hard coal) on the conveyor belt and the small pile disappeared in the dark.
Repeat the process until you get to the other side of the rock. HOW ABOUT NO?
Conclusion
I may be a bit harsh here, but damn...
There is so much wasted potential within a quite unused setting.
Not enough details to call itself a "Simulator" ... unless you call GTA5 a racing simulator.
First impression of the game "world" is okay but it lacks many details as well.
Where is the dust I would expect in a coal mine?
Where is the noise of heavy machines?
Where is the god damn dirt?
The "Coal Mining Simulator" Demo is available for free On Steam
If you try it out yourself, please share your thoughts with me.
Maybe I missed some aspect or killer feature of the game making it much more enjoyable than I think it is, but I doubt it :D