6waves Lolapps and developer Game Insight (Mystery Manor, Big Business) have launched Airport Cityon Facebook. This city-building game integrates airport management and officially launched on September 1.
True to its title, Airport City is a city-building game that has an emphasis on air travel. Players must not only build and manage a growing city, but an airport and its associated air travel services as well. Placing home and businesses generates passengers and money, respectively. The coins produced are used to purchase buildings in the city and airport. These include homes, businesses, and utilities on the city side and everything from hangars to terminals on the airport side. Player actions also generate experience points. As players level up, more buildings and items become available to purchase.
While the city management side of the game is fairly straightforward, the airport management introduces mechanics similar to what we’ve seen in games like Aviator and Perfect Getaway. Players build hangars, buy aircraft to place in them, then send these plans on trips in order to make money. This is a multi-step process that involves selecting a destination, fueling the planes, loading passengers onto them and sending them off. Depending on the journey they've embarked on, it'll take a certain amount of time for them to return. This can be sped up using additional barrels of fuel. Players can also choose to let visiting aircraft land at their airports. This costs fuel, but rewards players with additional money and experience. It also allows players to uncover special items that go into collections. Power-up items can be purchased to boost the amount of money planes bring in and similar advantages.
The game offers the usual selection of social features. Players can visit their friends' cities once per day in order to collect free money and fuel. It's also possible for players to send free gifts to friends once per day. Sharing accomplishments via viral channels is also supported, as are achievements.
Bucks are the game's premium currency and can be used to purchase specific items, as well as auto-complete the tasks players are presented with. Bucks, as well as additional coins, the game's soft currency, can be purchased using Facebook Credits.
Game Insight has made a number of improvements to Airport City since the game's launch in early September. These include a messaging system, along with enhancements for gifting. The developer recently dropped the cost of land expansions in the game permanently, based on player feedback.
You can follow Airport City's progress using AppData, our traffic tracking service for social games and developers.
Source: Inside Social Games
Monday, October 3, 2011