Utopia [Model 5149]

45 Years old Mattel Intellivision cart. Mattel Electronics [Mattel, Inc.]

Utopia © 1981 Mattel Electronics.

If you've ever muttered, "I'd certainly do better if I ruled that country," then this game is for you. UTOPIA puts you in charge of your own island state. You control the treasury, agriculture, industry, housing, education, hospitals and military. You allocate funds to create revenue and improve life on your island. If your decisions are
wise and the people are happy, you rack up points. If not, rebels begin to infiltrate your paradise. Chances are, you'll find that running a country is every bit as complicated as it seems.

OBJECT OF THE GAME
1 Player: To score the most points possible in the number of rounds selected (your term of office). Points reflect the overall well-being of the people and are gained by earning and spending revenue to improve living condition on the island you select.
2 Player: To outscore your opponent by improving living conditions on your island either by cooperating with your opponent or by causing rebellion and loss of revenue on your opponent's island.

1 or 2 Player Game: Both games are played by the same rules. In a 1-player game, choose one island to control and ignore the other.

TECHNICAL

Model 5149

TRIVIA

Working title: Island

In college, Don Daglow had been a fan of mainframe computer simulation games, so it was only natural that he would try a simulation game for the Intellivision. His result, Utopia, was hailed by reviewers for its originality: it wasn't another arcade rip-off, and it wasn't just a video version of an existing game or sport. It was even educational without being boring.

TIPS AND TRICKS

* Start with a greater number of shorter rounds (30 - 45 seconds), since earnings and points are added each round.

* Buy a fishing boat in the first round, and hang on to it. It's the only income source that you can really control.

* Get housing established early in the game, then go for a factory. Remember that factories cause a slow-down in population.

* Hospitals dramatically increase productivity, but they also boost population. Since the point value of each individual improvement DECREASES as population increase, save hospital construction for late in the game.

* Do your planting early in the round. Crops planted late may disappear as soon as the round ends.

* Don't overplant. Crops are an unreliable source of income, since they depend on rain. They also require replanting.

* Don't drop anchor for long in the upper left section of screen. All hurricanes originate here.

* Prepare for the possibility of aggression. Build your town in a circle with a space left in the center for a fort, so it can protect the entire town if necessary.

* Don't be afraid to take aggressive action yourself, if your score falls behind your opponent's. But build your fort first.

* As a cooperative tactic, BOTH players can invest in PT boats early in the game, then position the PT boats where they will block the arrival of pirates. Pirates usually appear first in the corners.

STAFF

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Design, program: Don Daglow
Graphics: Kai Tran, Don Daglow
Sound: Russ Lieblich

SOURCES

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ROM dump (MAME).