^ (from my Picasa album) - Aerobiz Supersonic (SNES version).
FUN FACT: In Japan, it is known as "Air Management II: Koku O wo Mezase (or ?????????II ???????)"
--- Aerobiz Supersonic at a Glance ---
Your job in Aerobiz Supersonic is to take your airline from a basic airline to a world-class airline service. You are the CEO of your own airline going up against three other airline companies. You set up flights to go across international regions as well as into other international markets. Along the way, you will face various obstacles that dare threaten or impact your airline's success. Some of them include the following: war, natural disasters, tourism booms, and more. Certain cities may also try to cut deals with you to help enhance your relations with another city. You also need to purchase planes to handle many more flights around the world and within your home international region. You have to have meetings to discuss how the company is doing and what changes you will need to do to enhance your company.The game is turn-based as there is a three-month cycle allowing you to make changes for up to one quarter of the year. When you're done in each cycle, go ahead into the next quarter. Certain other factors play a role in the ultimate fate of your company within each quarter.
--- Elements of Aerobiz Supersonic ---
Elements of Aerobiz Supersonic will be discussed here. Please use this section to learn more about the intricate aspects of this game.Slots.
Slots are the life blood of your ability to do anything with any city. These are essentially credits you can use to do almost anything to enhance your airline as well as what you can do with an airline. You will need to negotiate for slots with certain cities that don't have any slots available. Without slots, you will be unable to really generate any business with any city. The process for slot negotiations can last anywhere from six months to a full year. You will also need slots to purchase businesses, open routes to cities, build regional hubs, and more.Airplanes.
Actually-licensed airline companies are represented in this game across multiple companies. Some of these companies include Boeing, McDonnell Douglas, Airbus, Tupolev, and many more. It even includes older companies like Vickers. You even take note of some past designs in aircraft.Scenarios.
You face four scenarios spanning four different eras of flight. Please note that this game was made in 1994, so these events are as recent as the date this game was published. You have twenty years to go from humble beginnings to a world-class airline while also battling various other factors. Here is a look at the scenarios you face:* The Dawn of the Jet Age (1955 - 1975)
Prop-engine planes are replaced with jet planes for better air travel.
* Air Travel Takes Off (1970 - 1990)
Planes become faster and larger. More and more people are starting to fly planes to many places around the world.
* Airlines Cover the Globe (1985 - 2005)
There are more and more planes being used around the world as the flight range of planes is enhanced. Two serious components play a huge role in this scenario- the Persian Gulf War and oil prices.
* Supersonic Travel (2000 - 2020)
A conceptual scenario in which the ONLY way to fly is with supersonic planes!
After selecting a scenario, you then go ahead and select the difficulty level. Levels range from Glider (Level 1) to Supersonic (Level 5). Up to four players can play, or you can set up a demo. The next step is to choose the region for your home base. After selecting a region, you must find a major city (marked by the green dots) to base your operations in. Certain cities and environments will yield certain problems and certain budgets. Once you set up your operations in a city, three other airline companies will randomly be generated to challenge your company. You can then customize the colors for each airline and the names for each of them. Once everything is all set, you're ready to build and manage that top-tier airline!
Another interesting note about each scenario is that everything is really historically correct. For example, you have the two Germanys (East Germany and West Germany) and various other countries under rule from other nations. Like when you visit Kingston, Jamaica or Hong Kong; you will see British flags. Even the airplanes are unique to each time period. You begin to see the real evolution of air travel through each scenario, and the planes show it.
Tips and Advice.
Having played Aerobiz Supersonic before, I can share with you a few tips. So here are a few suggestions from me:* Have meetings EVERY quarter. These meetings are important to help steer your airline in the right direction. I recommend you host the meeting rather than have the meeting done automatically. This is especially if you need just simple advice on how everything is performing.
* You have four agents whom you can use to carry out negotiations. You need to use these agents to assist in just about every conceivable aspect- slot negotiations (most important), acquiring businesses, building regional hubs, taking part in advertising campaigns, and more. Consider for how long each negotiation session last so you can properly plan ahead. You can call back one of your agents if you really need to open more opportunities. For example, if you don't have any remaining agents and want to build a regional hub in Tokyo or Singapore, you can cancel one of your agents' negotiations to work to build a regional hub (which takes one quarter to complete). Certain negotiable actions, such as negotiations that take up to a full year or advertising campaigns, will basically leave you with three agents until next year. Use your agents wisely and make sound negotiations.
* If a city is strapped for slots, one measure to help ease up the number of slots is to allow less flights to each city.
* You will have to consider purchasing businesses to improve the quality of flights while also providing some extra profit. You will know when you will need to purchase a business. There are a total of 15 different businesses- three cultural facilities, three different hotels, four amusement businesses, four Service Businesses, and a Travel Agency. Do not negotiate for these ventures unless your company recommends you look into these business offers. Run an Ad Campaign to enhance the appeal of these businesses and attract more commuters. Sometimes, these business ventures will be non-profitable. So really, purchase businesses wisely.
* When you set up international routes, be sure to establish regional hubs. A regional hub will allow you to set up more flights in a given region. Flights can originate from these regional hubs to allow you to access more cities in the given region. Or, you may use these regional hubs to link to other regional hubs to enhance your number of flights worldwide. To set up a Regional Hub, you must first have a flight linked to a major city (noted by a green dot on the map). You must then negotiate with the city to build a Regional Hub by hiring one of your agents. Once you pay the startup costs for the Regional Hub, it will take three months for construction of the regional hub to be complete. It may be wise to negotiate for slots in cities within that region to help expand your regional flights in other international regions. That is especially if you are trying to expand your service across the given region.
* If one route just isn't working at all, just close it. Why waste extra money trying everything in the book to make it work?
* When choosing to fly flights into certain cities, pay attention to the Relationship (viewed as "Rtlns") icon. If the icon is red, that means you have trouble trying to become better acquainted with that city's airport. If the icon is orange or red, it will be tougher to negotiate for offers or anything. One way to improve relations is to approve of certain offers made by certain people. For example, if the airport in Singapore recently expanded for more slots or if they are trying to enhance service at the airport, a representative for that airport will request money to help finance a project. If you approve of it, you will improve your relations with that city. You don't have to accept these [usually expensive] offers, but it can help you to build better bonds with cities worldwide in Aerobiz Supersonic.
* Okay, read this one closely as I'll try to explain as best as I can. Here's a nifty tip to keep in mind- you don't need to have your international flights originate from your home base! Sometimes in meetings, some people may suggest you set up flights from other cities in other regions... to other cities in other regions. If my home operation (for example) is based in New York City, and if I have regional hubs set up in London and Tokyo, and if I have flights going from NYC to London and NYC to Tokyo... I could set up an international flight to go from London to Tokyo. As long as you have at least two regional hubs in at least two different regions, you can link to other cities' regional hubs and set up flights. However, you can ONLY do this between other major cities and only between other regional hubs. In other words... you cannot set up such a route to go from a major city (like Paris) to any minor city in the game (like Shanghai).
* (mostly pertains to the SNES version) Press the "X" button to learn more about each available city in the game. This can be important to see what businesses are available. You can also query how much it would cost to set up a route between two places. For example, if you wanted to find out what a flight between Cairo and Lagos would cost and how far away two cities are, you simply press "A" on Cairo in the query, then go to Lagos to see how much a flight would cost between the two cities. This is very helpful in helping you plan ahead in setting up a future route while also seeing if you have a plane available to make the flight happen.
* When shopping for planes, keep in mind finding planes to suit your needs. Do not go for a long-haul major plane unless you really need one. For example, do not consider getting the Boeing B747-400 if you haven't set up a flight between Los Angeles and Sydney. Each plane you look at will feature a nice description about the features of each plane. Ordering anywhere between one to three (and maybe four) planes is always safe to not spend more than you have to. When you choose a plane, the representative will let you know up to how many (a limit of ten) you can buy. Planes will be delivered to your airline in the following quarter.
* Some airplane makers sometimes offer planes for sale during a certain quarter. DO NOT make a mistake that I made- buying in bulk (so to speak). You can still order anywhere from one to three planes, just that they'll cost less for that given quarter from that company.
* Sometimes, a representative from a certain city wants to speak with you in helping them manage their airport or their area. They will request money to help fund certain operations and projects. You don't have to accept their offers, but they will help in getting you establish a better relation with that city. It can help you to do better in acquiring slots or anything like that.
* You will know what places to concentrate on when tourism is booming in a certain location. If you haven't negotiated for slots in that city, do so to give your airline a boost.
Major Cities.
ADDED: April 6, 2011I am offering this section as an added resource in thank to all of my readers of this post.
To start an airline, you must start in a major city. If you see a location with an exclamation point (!), it is a city featured in the original Aerobiz game. These are also cities you can start Regional Hubs in to extend your airline into certain regions. Remember- you can NOT a regional hub or have your international flights be held in minor cities. Here are all the major cities in Aerobiz Supersonic for which you can open an airline in:
--- North America ---
* New York City, New York, USA!
* Washington, District of Columbia, USA
* Atlanta, Georgia, USA
* Chicago, Illinois, USA
* Dallas, Texas, USA
* Los Angeles, California, USA!
* Vancouver, British Columbia, USA!
--- South America ---
* Mexico City, Mexico!
* Havana, Cuba
* Sao Paulo, Brazil
--- Europe ---
* London, England, United Kingdom!
* Paris, France!
* Amsterdam, Denmark
* Frankfurt, Germany
* Berlin, Germany
* Rome, Italy!
* Moscow, Russia!
--- Africa ---
* Cairo, Egypt!
* Tunis, Tunisia
--- Middle East ---
* Baghdad, Iraq
* Tehran, Iran!
* New Delhi, India
--- Southeast Asia ---
* Bangkok, Thailand
* Singapore, Singapore!
* Hong Kong, Special Administrative Region, China
* Manila, Philippines
* Beijing, China!
* Seoul, South Korea
* Tokyo, Japan!
--- Oceania ---
* Sydney, New South Wales, Australia!
* Perth, Western Australia, Australia
* Auckland, New Zealand
Plan your airline accordingly by picking any of these cities to open up in. As a recommendation, it's probably best not to start an airline in this game in the Middle East in any city except in New Delhi.
Business Offers and Ad Campaigns.
Purchase businesses to help improve your flights as well as provide better overall service to your commuters. Each city can have a maximum of six businesses you can purchase. There are a total of 15 different businesses- three cultural facilities, three different hotels, four amusement businesses, four Service Businesses, and a Travel Agency. You can use these businesses to help attract more passengers or provide better service towards your airport.In addition, Ad Campaigns help improve the chances of better promoting businesses you bought. However much money you spend in each campaign determines its success. You cannot run Ad Campaigns for Hotels and Travel Agencies. Here is a look at what each business provides:
--- Cultural Facilities ---
Cultural Facilities allow your airline to attract new passengers. You can start sponsoring cultural events to attract more passengers to your airline upon purchasing any Cultural Facility. When you purchase a Cultural Facility, it's best to think about starting a Culture and Arts campaign to better promote them and your airline.
* Arts Pavilion
* Museum
* Concert Hall
--- Hotels ---
Give your commuters better service going to and from the airport by purchasing hotels.
* City Hotel
* Resort Hotel
* Grand Hotel
--- Amusement ---
Amusement facilities allow your passengers a chance to relax and have fun. To make them more efficient, run an Ad Campaign highlighting on sports and leisure activities.
* Pleasure Boat
* Amusement Park
* Golf Course
* Ski Resort
--- Service Businesses ---
These facilities provide better access to the airport and to your commuters. Run a Travel Ad Campaign to help promote your services to others.
* Shuttle Service
* Ferry
* Commuter Airline
* Catering Service
--- Travel Business ---
Without a Travel Agency, it can be tough trying to get more commuters to board your flights. This is an all-around improvement for cities that have travel agencies.
* Travel Agency
Overall Review...
Aerobiz Supersonic is one of few games that really makes you think. It is great fun to set up an airline while also managing it. It is a game where you actually use your head and think about every decision you make. My ONLY problems with this game- things can be very slow-paced and sometimes too strict and boring. Otherwise, there is no reason why you shouldn't give this game a chance.If you want to purchase this game through Amazon, check these out (please read "An Important Amazon Note" for notes on all Amazon items):
1.) Aerobiz Supersonic for the Super Nintendo.
2.) Aerobiz Supersonic for the Sega Genesis.
If you don't have either console, then you can visit Old School Gaming Consoles on John's Shop Space to shop for the aforementioned consoles and more.
Thank you for reading!
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