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 wide variety of construction vehicles and tasks, providing an immersive experience for players who enjoy simulation games.
- Graphics and sound design are impressive, enhancing the overall gameplay experience.
- The ability to fast travel and skip certain tasks makes the game more accessible and enjoyable, especially for players who prefer a more relaxed pace.
- The game is plagued with bugs and glitches, which can disrupt gameplay and lead to frustrating experiences.
- Controls can be clunky and unintuitive, particularly for vehicles, making it difficult for players to operate machinery smoothly.
- The requirement to complete a lengthy tutorial before accessing multiplayer limits the game's appeal for those looking to play with friends right away.
- graphics460 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 environmental effects, 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 point 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.”
“The graphics are subpar even on max settings (seriously, it looks like I'm playing with children's toys and anti-aliasing doesn't exist).”
- gameplay372 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 potential for engaging multiplayer, the lack of polish and some broken mechanics 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 gameplay is short, choppy, and repetitive and would be therapeutic if the mechanics were not the quality they currently are.”
- story370 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 a construction business through various missions. While some players appreciate the challenge and satisfaction of completing projects, many criticize the repetitive nature of missions and the lack of a compelling narrative, leading to a feeling of monotony. Overall, the story serves more as a backdrop for gameplay rather than a driving force, with many players expressing a preference for a more engaging or varied storyline.
“The missions are challenging yet satisfying, and there's something incredibly rewarding about seeing a project come together, brick by brick.”
“This game manages to blend the chill freedom of simulators with an interesting and purposeful story.”
“The story missions are always special undertakings with unique projects, meanwhile there's enough repeatable houses, parking lots, mini jobs etc. to make sure you can always bankroll yourself if you spend too much too fast.”
“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.”
“Instead of teaching you how to use the machines or how to play the game, it's this terrible jokes, terrible story-telling missions that teach you the basics of using 2-3 machines.”
- grinding214 mentions
- 1 % positive mentions
- 9 % neutral mentions
- 90 % negative mentions
The grinding aspect of the game is frequently described as tedious and repetitive, with many players noting that it can feel excessively grindy, especially during long play sessions. While some find the grinding relaxing and enjoyable, akin to other simulation games like Farming Simulator, others criticize it for lacking engaging mechanics and creativity, suggesting that players who dislike repetitive tasks may want to look elsewhere. Overall, the game appeals to fans of grinding simulators, but it may not meet the expectations of those seeking a more dynamic experience.
“You'll need a second life for grinding.”
“You'll need a second life for grinding.”
“You'll need a second life for grinding.”
“But if you don't like repetitive grinding (sometimes literally) it won't be for you.”
“I really wanted to like this one, but I just find it tedious.”
“The dirt work is tedious and about 50% of all the time you will spend in the game.”
- stability196 mentions
- 4 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 96 % negative mentions
The game is widely criticized for its numerous stability issues, including frequent bugs, glitches, and crashes that significantly hinder gameplay. Players report problems such as vehicles falling through the ground, controls becoming unresponsive, and multiplayer desynchronization, leading to frustration and disappointment. While some users note minor glitches that can be worked around, the overall consensus is that the game feels rushed and unpolished, making it difficult to recommend until substantial fixes are implemented.
“Runs great”
“Well done, bug free & 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.”
- optimization150 mentions
- 19 % positive mentions
- 49 % neutral mentions
- 32 % negative mentions
The game's optimization has received overwhelmingly negative feedback, with many players reporting severe performance issues, including stuttering and frame rate drops, even on high-end systems. While some users have experienced smooth gameplay, the consensus is that the game requires significant optimization improvements to enhance playability and overall experience. Many reviewers express frustration over the developers' focus on DLC rather than addressing these critical performance problems.
“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).”
“Nice game, I like this type of games a lot, didn't encounter any bugs for now, it's well optimized, no frame drops at all, tutorial is well done and easy to learn the basics, looking forward to play the campaign further.”
“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, but the optimization of the game is a disaster; price and quality are two different terms.”
“The optimization though... is terrible.”
- humor30 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 comedic aspects entertaining, particularly the absurdity of vehicles launching into the air, the overall experience can become tedious and frustrating due to the game's clunky design and persistent issues. Ultimately, the humor is best appreciated in a cooperative setting, where the shared laughter can outweigh the game's shortcomings.
“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 of times your truck gets launched into low orbit, it's pretty funny.”
- music24 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 63 % neutral mentions
- 13 % negative mentions
The music in the game is a mixed bag; while some players appreciate the ambient sounds and various styles of music that enhance the gameplay experience, others criticize the intrusive and repetitive intro music that cannot be muted. Additionally, concerns about copyright issues make it difficult for streamers to share their experiences, leading to frustration among those wanting to create content. Overall, the music contributes to the atmosphere but poses challenges for users looking to engage with the game publicly.
“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 sound effects, 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.”
“Intro music plays every minute throughout the game very loud and there is no way to silence it even if you put 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.”
“Music isn't streamer friendly, 2 out of 10.”
- replayability10 mentions
- 60 % positive mentions
- 20 % neutral mentions
- 20 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's replayability is mixed; while some players find it infinitely replayable, others criticize it for being boring and repetitive, which may hinder long-term engagement.
“Infinitely replayable.”
“🔲 infinitely replayable”
“Replayability: while the gameplay can be engaging, the repetitive nature of some tasks might limit long-term replayability for some players.”
“The whole game is boring, with almost zero replay value.”
- monetization6 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The monetization strategy of the game has drawn significant criticism, particularly for locking essential gameplay content behind paid DLCs, which many players view as a cash grab. While some users are willing to overlook these practices if DLCs are limited to cosmetic items, the overall sentiment is that monetization practices detract from the game's value and experience, especially given its unfinished state and numerous technical issues.
“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. 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.”
- emotional6 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players express a deep emotional connection to the game, with excitement turning to frustration and disappointment due to technical issues like freezing and problematic sound effects. The experience can be overwhelming, particularly for those with sensory sensitivities, leading to feelings of distress and sadness. Overall, the emotional responses highlight the impact of gameplay mechanics on player enjoyment and well-being.
- atmosphere2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is characterized by a chaotic blend of humor and absurdity, as players experience wild scenarios that include reckless driving, space travel, and unexpected crashes, all while engaging with quirky characters. This creates a unique and entertaining environment that enhances the overall gameplay experience.
“Bought a pickup, got drunk, drove too fast, hit another car, and made it to space. Re-entered the atmosphere and crashed into water. Heard Willham scream at me over the radio.”