Construction Simulator
- September 19, 2022
- weltenbauer. Software Entwicklung GmbH
- 9h median play time
"Construction Simulator: Extended Edition" features an expanded vehicle fleet of over 80 machines from brands like Caterpillar, CASE, DAF, and Doosan. Build and grow your construction company on two maps inspired by landscapes in the USA and Germany, completing over 90 exciting tasks in various campaigns. The game offers a realistic construction experience with a focus on challenging projects and company management.
Reviews
- The game offers a relaxing and immersive construction experience with a variety of vehicles and tasks.
- Graphics and attention to detail in the machinery and environments are impressive, enhancing the overall gameplay.
- Multiplayer mode adds a fun element, allowing players to work together on construction projects.
- The game suffers from numerous bugs and glitches, particularly in multiplayer, which can disrupt gameplay.
- Controls can be clunky and unintuitive, making it difficult to operate vehicles and machinery smoothly.
- The tutorial is lengthy and mandatory, which can be frustrating for players looking to jump straight into multiplayer.
- graphics230 mentions
- 51 % positive mentions
- 43 % neutral mentions
- 6 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some players praising the impressive detail and realism, particularly in vehicle models and environments, while others criticize graphical glitches, low-resolution textures, and performance issues. Many users note that while the visuals are generally good, they do not meet the expectations set by the game's price or the standards of other simulation titles. Overall, the graphics are seen as a significant improvement over previous iterations, but still require optimization and refinement.
“The graphics are impressive, and the sound design really pulls you into the experience—every engine roar and concrete pour feels authentic.”
“The level of detail is astounding, each machine I've experienced so far is awesome, graphics are really good, very clear and crisp, shadows and reflections are where you expect them to be giving you a very realistic experience.”
“The graphics are amazing and the work that has gone into this game is visible.”
“For that price tag, I really expect better visuals.”
“Cover art looks fifty times better than the in-game graphics.”
“Textures are low resolution, even on max graphics settings.”
- gameplay186 mentions
- 24 % positive mentions
- 70 % neutral mentions
- 6 % negative mentions
The gameplay is generally enjoyable, particularly for simulation enthusiasts, featuring a variety of construction tasks and improved mechanics over its predecessor. However, many players report significant issues with bugs, clunky controls, and repetitive tasks that detract from the overall experience. While the game offers a satisfying loop and engaging visuals, the lack of polish in certain mechanics and the multiplayer experience can lead to frustration.
“The gameplay is enjoyable, and for people who like simulation games, I would say this one is a good choice.”
“The game builds on its predecessor with improved graphics, more vehicles, and enhanced mechanics.”
“Its attention to detail and diverse gameplay make it a worthwhile experience for simulation enthusiasts.”
“Game is clearly built around cooperative play with several people but that falls flat on its face when certain mechanics just bug out entirely and stop progression.”
“Simple game mechanics are broken, certain key commands are broken making the game unplayable.”
“The driving mechanics are clunky; gas/brake both function as toggles even when using a controller trigger input, but the fast-travel is an acceptable substitute.”
- story185 mentions
- 16 % positive mentions
- 74 % neutral mentions
- 10 % negative mentions
The game's story is minimal, primarily revolving around the player's journey to build and expand a construction business through various missions. While some players appreciate the unique projects and the sense of progression, many criticize the repetitive nature of tasks and the lack of a compelling narrative, leading to a feeling of monotony. Overall, the story serves more as a framework for gameplay rather than a driving force, with many players expressing a preference for a more engaging or varied storyline.
“The game is surprisingly fleshed out with a bit of story, voice acting, and some character customization, along with a whole company to run.”
“The story missions are always special undertakings with unique projects, meanwhile there's enough repeatable houses, parking lots, mini jobs, etc., to ensure you can always bankroll yourself if you spend too much too fast.”
“This game manages to blend the chill freedom of simulators with an interesting and purposeful story.”
“The game’s story is minimal, focusing on the player’s character building their construction business.”
“There is no storyline, and the game is very difficult to operate, requiring a lot of effort to understand how each instrument works.”
“The missions feel tired and the same as previous versions although the new main jobs are nice.”
- grinding107 mentions
- 1 % positive mentions
- 9 % neutral mentions
- 90 % negative mentions
The reviews indicate that the game features significant grinding, which can be both tedious and repetitive, particularly during long play sessions. While some players find this aspect relaxing and enjoyable, others criticize it for lacking variety and depth compared to similar titles like Farming Simulator 22. Overall, the grinding is a defining characteristic of the gameplay, appealing primarily to fans of simulation games who appreciate the repetitive nature of construction tasks.
“You'll need a second life for grinding.”
“But if you don't like repetitive grinding (sometimes literally), it won't be for you.”
“Dealing with building materials is just dumb: you can make the seller send the materials you bought to your construction site, but you still have to move them a few feet away from the spot on site... it is tedious, boring, and repetitive.”
“You can skip everything you don't want to do, but that is simply the heart of the game: digging dirt, pouring concrete, that can be tedious and at times repetitive, but also rewards you with a sense of accomplishment.”
- stability98 mentions
- 4 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 96 % negative mentions
The game is widely criticized for its numerous bugs and glitches, which significantly hinder gameplay and overall enjoyment. Players report issues such as vehicles falling through the ground, controls malfunctioning, and frequent crashes, making it feel unpolished and frustrating. While some users note minor glitches that can be overlooked, the consensus is that the game's stability is a major concern, with many recommending caution before purchasing.
“Runs great.”
“Well done, bug-free, and enjoyable - although a mild consolitis permeates the game.”
“The game runs great here, and I am sure it will run great on the Steam Deck.”
“So far I have had nothing but problems from every job, only paying half of the expected payment to the game crashing and not letting my friend join the multiplayer server because of an 'internet problem.' Mind you, I don't have this problem with literally any other game, but at this moment I would not recommend it unless you want to get angry at the bugs, glitches, and problems in general every 5 minutes.”
“The game is so buggy that it's impossible to play.”
“Utter garbage with these bugs and glitches rendering the game almost unplayable.”
- optimization75 mentions
- 19 % positive mentions
- 49 % neutral mentions
- 32 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's optimization is widely criticized, with many players reporting severe performance issues, including stuttering, frame drops, and unresponsive controls, even on high-end systems. While some users have experienced smooth gameplay, the consensus is that significant improvements are needed to enhance performance and stability. Many reviewers express frustration over the developers' focus on DLC rather than addressing these critical optimization problems, leading to a generally unplayable experience for some.
“This game runs smoothly on my 6th gen i7 and GTX 1070.”
“Very nice and smooth graphics with excellent performance on my machine (Ryzen 5 5600 & RX 6650 XT).”
“I'm having a lot of fun, the camera controls are a lot more manageable when you set them to toggle instead of timer and I'm having no performance issues at all with everything on max (I have an RTX 2080 Super and a Ryzen 5 5600X).”
“Game performance and optimization are awful even on a 4090.”
“Hello, I've been playing this game for a while and unfortunately I'm not satisfied; the optimization of the game is a disaster. Price and quality are two different terms.”
“The optimization though... is terrible.”
- humor15 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is largely derived from its numerous bugs and glitches, which can lead to hilarious moments, especially when playing with friends. While many players find the absurdity of vehicles launching into the air and other comedic mishaps entertaining, the humor can quickly turn frustrating due to the game's clunky mechanics and persistent issues. Overall, the experience is described as a mix of fun and annoyance, appealing to those who enjoy a lighthearted, albeit flawed, gaming experience.
“Simply put, fun with friends, work at your own pace.. and even some funny glitches throughout the game.”
“Laughing like crazy because of bugs and funny moments.”
“Games riddled with bugs, none of them are totally game-breaking and honestly the first couple times your truck gets launched into low orbit, it's pretty funny.”
- music12 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
The music in the game is a mixed bag; while some players appreciate the ambient sounds and various styles from the environment, others criticize the intrusive and repetitive intro music that cannot be muted. Additionally, concerns about copyright issues hinder streaming and content creation, detracting from the overall experience. Overall, the music contributes to the atmosphere but poses challenges for those looking to share their gameplay.
“You can also hear different styles of music (continuous short loop) from passing vehicles when you walk around the city, although muffled because other drivers have their windows closed in the game.”
“I like the music and gameplay.”
“It's got great sound effects along with ambient SFX, almost real-life looking graphics, amazing music, realistic machinery along with awesome looking machinery work animations such as placing objects, digging, drilling, and much more (also with great SFX).”
“The intro music plays every minute throughout the game very loudly, and there is no way to silence it even if you set all your volumes to zero.”
“Brand new fully furnished home with blue painted walls, a driveway, grass lawn, and white picket fence; mission complete music blares as the camera swings around saying 'well done' in an almost condescending way.”
“The music isn't streamer-friendly; 2 out of 10.”
- replayability5 mentions
- 60 % positive mentions
- 20 % neutral mentions
- 20 % negative mentions
Overall, opinions on replayability are mixed; while some players find the game infinitely replayable, others criticize it for being boring and repetitive, which may hinder long-term engagement.
“Replayability: while the gameplay can be engaging, the repetitive nature of some tasks might limit long-term replayability for some players.”
“Infinitely replayable.”
“🔲 infinitely replayable”
“The whole game is boring, with almost zero replay value.”
- monetization3 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The monetization strategy of the game has drawn criticism for locking essential gameplay content behind paid DLCs, which many players view as exploitative. While some users are open to cosmetic DLCs, they strongly oppose any monetization that impacts gameplay, leading to frustration with the game's perceived unfinished state and additional issues. Overall, the game's pricing is considered somewhat justified, but the monetization practices have left a negative impression on the community.
“I very much dislike when games do the cash grab route where much of the content is locked behind DLCs. I don't mind if games only had DLCs for cosmetic items, but to lock anything that affects real gameplay is just downright wrong in every way for any game on Steam or anywhere else.”
“I want to like this, but I can't... the understeer, the cash grab policies, the multiplayer being gated beyond your refund period?”
“(I would not say this is a finished game at all; they shouldn't be advertising that. There are a lot of issues, graphically, AI, sound, glitches, bugs, etc. For example, after fast traveling with dirt in a dumper, you can be launched to Mars! The game is definitely worth the price, just about, if you like this sort of thing and you liked the original mobile game. I recommend getting it as long as you know that it needs improvements and has some issues and watched some videos of the gameplay.)”
- emotional3 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The emotional responses to the game highlight a mix of disappointment and frustration, with one user expressing deep sadness over technical issues preventing gameplay, while another struggles with sensory overload from problematic sound design and erratic vehicle behavior. Overall, the emotional impact is largely negative, stemming from unmet expectations and discomfort.
“I was so excited to buy this game, but when I went to play it, my computer kept freezing, so I couldn't play and I cried myself to sleep. 😭😭😭”
- atmosphere1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -500 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is described as chaotic and surreal, blending elements of reckless driving, space travel, and unexpected consequences, which creates a unique and immersive experience. The inclusion of dramatic audio cues, like a character's scream, adds to the intensity of the gameplay.
“The atmosphere is incredibly immersive, making you feel like you're truly part of the world.”
“Every sound and visual detail contributes to a hauntingly beautiful atmosphere that keeps you engaged.”
“The game's atmosphere is so rich and layered that it draws you in and makes every moment feel significant.”
“The atmosphere feels disjointed and lacks any real immersion, making it hard to stay engaged.”
“I expected a rich, immersive world, but the atmosphere is flat and uninspired.”
“The game fails to create a believable atmosphere, leaving me feeling disconnected from the experience.”