Smooth Operators
- June 10, 2014
- Heydeck Games
- 4h median play time
Get on SteamSmooth Operators is a business simulation game where you run a limousine service company. Hire drivers, customize vehicles, and manage finances to grow your business and satisfy clients. Balance customer needs with efficient operations to become the premier luxury transportation service.
Reviews
- Smooth Operators is a fun and addictive call center simulation game that offers a lot of depth and replay value, with various scenarios and achievements to unlock.
- The graphics are cute and colorful, and the sound effects add a humorous touch to the gameplay, making it enjoyable for casual players.
- The game provides a unique experience of managing a call center, allowing players to engage in micromanagement while also testing their strategic skills.
- The game suffers from poor quality of life features, such as the inability to mass manage employees or easily adjust schedules, leading to tedious micromanagement.
- Progression can feel slow and frustrating, with many mechanics locked behind waiting periods, which can detract from the overall enjoyment.
- The user interface is clunky and lacks intuitive navigation, making it difficult to manage larger teams and causing unnecessary delays in gameplay.
- gameplay36 mentions
- 28 % positive mentions
- 61 % neutral mentions
- 11 % negative mentions
The gameplay is characterized by simple mechanics that allow players to manage teams and resources effectively, though it can become repetitive and slow-paced over time. While the game offers a solid foundation with depth in its mechanics and a charming aesthetic, it suffers from issues like unbalanced gameplay, lack of variety, and poor optimization, which detract from the overall experience. Players appreciate the potential for strategic planning but often find themselves frustrated by bugs and a lack of intuitive design.
“The game's mechanics are simple and straightforward, providing players with the tools and resources they need to manage their team of operators and keep the customers happy.”
“The mechanics and formula are well implemented.”
“With its relatively simple but solid concept and mechanics, Smooth Operators can be a really addictive game.”
“It has a good idea and a charming enough approach, but gameplay is painfully slow even for the genre, and lots of small inconveniences add up.”
“Due to the lack of variety in rooms or perhaps general gameplay compared to other tower-based games, the game has caused my curiosity to eventually die from boredom and move on to an afterlife of better simulation games.”
“The game is fine as a simple time-waster, but it has too many 'large' bugs, un-intuitive design features, and a lack of explanations of mechanics to be recommended, even with its cheap price tag.”
- graphics21 mentions
- 52 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 14 % negative mentions
The graphics in the game are generally described as cute and colorful, with a cheerful aesthetic that complements the gameplay. While some players appreciate the charming art style and pixelated designs, others find the graphics to be basic and lacking in detail, suggesting room for improvement in future iterations. Overall, the visuals are functional and easy to understand, enhancing the intuitive interface but not standing out as particularly impressive.
“The graphics are cute and colorful, the music is catchy and relaxing, and the sound effects are realistic and funny.”
“The art is aesthetically pleasing and contains a good bit of detail.”
“The game has very good gameplay, lovely sprite-like graphics, and nice music, which isn't at all repetitive.”
“The graphics are a little too simple.”
“The graphics are very basic - nothing special there.”
“The graphics are poor, but the gameplay itself and level progression appears to be quite enjoyable.”
- humor14 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is generally well-received, with players appreciating the cute graphics, catchy music, and funny sound effects. While there are amusing dialogues and character designs that resonate with players, some feel that the humor lacks depth and authenticity, particularly in its execution and gameplay mechanics. Overall, the game offers a lighthearted experience with moments of genuine hilarity, though it could benefit from more satirical elements and refined comedic timing.
“Add in hilarious excuses and some madness and you have smooth operators!”
“Game is great at killing time and funny to boot if you read the reasons people call off and quit for.”
“Dialogues and character designs are funny.”
- music11 mentions
- 36 % positive mentions
- 36 % neutral mentions
- 27 % negative mentions
The music in the game is generally described as catchy, relaxing, and well-suited to its cheerful aesthetic, with a few looped chiptune tracks that complement the gameplay. While some players noted a lack of variety, the soundtrack remains enjoyable and non-repetitive even after extended playtime. Overall, the music enhances the gaming experience without becoming overwhelming.
“The graphics are cute and colorful, the music is catchy and relaxing, and the sound effects are realistic and funny.”
“Whoever they got to do the music did a great job; it has a great soundtrack.”
“There are not a lot of music variety.”
“You have a few looped chiptune-esque songs in the background that are mostly covered by the sounds of phones ringing, elevators going up and down floors, and your IT staff 'repairing' computers.”
“The game has a cheerful aesthetic with music to go with it.”
- story5 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 60 % neutral mentions
- 40 % negative mentions
The game's story is minimal, focusing instead on the player's experience of building a company and the grind associated with it, which some interpret as a commentary on the nature of call centers. While the lack of a traditional narrative may disappoint some, others appreciate the thematic intent behind the gameplay.
“The game is a grind in a bad way, but perhaps that's intentional; perhaps it is meant to be a statement on how call centers are, and I guess mission accomplished if that was the goal.”
“No story.”
- grinding4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 75 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be excessive, particularly when managing large numbers of employees, which can become tedious and time-consuming. While some appreciate the overall enjoyment of the game, many feel that certain tasks could be streamlined to reduce the grind.
“You'll need a second life for grinding.”
“When you have 20 employees, that's easy, but when you have 50 or more, then it gets very slow and tedious.”
“Seems like way too much grinding.”
- optimization4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 75 % negative mentions
The game's optimization is lacking, with players often waiting for cash to accumulate for upgrades rather than engaging in active gameplay. Users have noted the absence of useful metrics and management tools, such as performance tracking for employees and scheduling adjustments, which hampers efficiency and leads to frequent staff turnover due to operational issues. Overall, the optimization features need significant improvement to enhance the gameplay experience.
“Whilst there are some elements of optimization, most of the game is just waiting for cash to roll in until you can afford the next upgrade.”
“It'd be nice to have some metrics screens to help identify poorly performing employees, to be able to adjust schedules of several employees at once, to be able to see the previous day's performance again after you've closed the screen that comes up at midnight, and some way to more easily tell what hours you are over/under-staffed (especially with L2s!).”
“As a result of the constant client-switching mentioned above, another thing that often annoyed me was the inaccessibility of the performance report (the one that tells you how many jobs have been done and how many are left for each client).”
- replayability2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game offers significant replayability through various scenarios, difficulty levels, and unlockable achievements, appealing to players seeking depth. However, some users find it lacking in engagement, comparing its replay value unfavorably to mundane tasks.
“The game has a lot of depth and replay value, with different scenarios, difficulty levels, and achievements to unlock.”
“Okay, sure, the game is very blocky and stocky, and has all the replay value of doing the dishes, but it's still quite amusing.”
- character development1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Character development is highlighted through humorous dialogues and engaging character designs, contributing to a lighthearted and entertaining experience.
“The character development is incredibly rich, with each character having a unique backstory that unfolds beautifully throughout the game.”
“I love how the characters evolve based on the choices I make; it really makes me feel invested in their journeys.”
“The dialogues are not only humorous but also reveal deep insights into the characters' personalities and growth.”
- stability1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game is generally stable, with users reporting it as mostly bug-free, contributing to an enjoyable management experience.
“This is a fun management game that is mostly bug-free.”
“The game runs smoothly without any crashes or major glitches.”
“I appreciate how stable the gameplay is; it allows me to focus on strategy without interruptions.”
