Supply Chain Idle
- September 19, 2018
- Upturn Games
- 11h median play time
Get on SteamSupply Chain Idle is a idle/simulation game where players manage a supply chain empire. Players start with a small factory and must expand production, transportation, and resource management to optimize profits. The game features research trees, automation, and various upgrades to help streamline and grow operations. With its simple gameplay and complex systems, Supply Chain Idle offers a satisfying and challenging experience for idle game enthusiasts.
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Reviews
- Fun and addictive idle game with a unique supply chain management mechanic.
- Free to play with no mandatory microtransactions, allowing for a satisfying experience without spending money.
- Offers a good balance of strategy and optimization, keeping players engaged without excessive clicking.
- Progress can slow down significantly after initial achievements, leading to a tedious grind.
- Frequent issues with save files resetting or losing progress, causing frustration for players.
- Lack of sound and limited graphics options detract from the overall experience.
- gameplay17 mentions
- 35 % positive mentions
- 47 % neutral mentions
- 18 % negative mentions
The gameplay is characterized as a blend of idle and puzzle mechanics, where players build supply chains on a grid and manage resources through strategic placement. While the animations and logistics are enjoyable, some players feel the mechanics lack depth and fail to provide a rewarding infinite loop typical of incremental games. Overall, the game offers a unique twist but could benefit from additional features and updates to enhance the experience.
“The game features actual gameplay elements as you must build supply chains by dragging and dropping various elements onto the game board.”
“This is a very neat twist on the idle game; the mechanics are solid, and it's nice to actually be able to influence how quickly you generate money based on what you spend on and how you lay out your buildings.”
“It's basically an idle game with puzzle elements, and it is fairly enjoyable.”
“This one single mechanic is an insult to idle games; you're supposed to be rewarded for your patience with a unique boost, yet you'll get nothing for the several hours you could spend just wishing for that time loop.”
“I just wish there were slightly more updates or additional gameplay features being updated or added.”
“I just list it as a bad one since incremental games often come with a form of infinite gameplay loop - this doesn't really have it.”
- grinding7 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The reviews indicate that grinding in the game can be tedious and time-consuming, with some players finding it excessively so, leading to frustration and disappointment. While some appreciate the chill nature of the game and its idle mechanics, others warn that the grinding can feel overwhelming and unrewarding, particularly due to the penalties associated with resetting. Overall, the experience of grinding varies significantly among players, appealing mainly to those who enjoy farming and tycoon-style gameplay.
“In all, avoid this idle game like the plague. Save yourself the hours of expectations and the tedious grinding in the hopes of a reward; you'll only be met with nothing.”
“You'll need a second life for grinding.”
“Instead of resetting the game to get minor buffs, you get a major debuff with every reset, which makes the game many times more tedious.”
- graphics6 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are a mixed bag; while some users praise the "insane" visuals, others criticize the artwork and user interface as being unattractive and poorly designed. Despite the basic graphics typical of an idle game, the visuals serve their purpose, though they may not impress everyone. Overall, the game's aesthetic is functional but lacks polish and coherence.
“Insane graphics”
“Very basic idle game made in Unity; despite the graphics and how basic it is, it's actually more complex than something like Cookie Clicker as it has some puzzle aspects to it.”
“Despite its simple graphics and resolution on Mac.”
“Some of the artwork is terrible; how is one supposed to figure out which is white vinegar and which is milk?”
“The UI and graphics are among the ugliest I've seen, but they do their job anyway.”
“Despite its simple graphics and poor resolution on Mac.”
- story4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The game's story is minimal, primarily revolving around themes of capitalism and resource management, with players focusing on building and waiting rather than engaging in a narrative-driven experience. Overall, the lack of a compelling story detracts from the challenge and depth of the gameplay.
“No story, no challenge, just building and waiting.”
“There's not much of a story other than capitalism: sell stuff to make more money so that you can buy better supply chains to make more money.”
- optimization4 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 75 % negative mentions
Players highlight that optimization is a central aspect of the game, requiring constant management of buildings and supply chains to maintain efficiency. The core gameplay loop emphasizes active engagement rather than idle waiting, allowing for extended play sessions while still achieving smooth and steady progress.
“You'll need to constantly reorder your buildings to keep things optimized.”
“Typically, I only have to be tabbed to something else for 5-10 minutes, and as long as my supply chain is optimized, I can typically find something to upgrade or switch up.”
“The core game loop is based on optimization, not idle waiting; I can still actively play for hours even after 20 hours of my current game time.”
- monetization3 mentions
- 67 % positive mentions
- -67 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The monetization model features microtransactions through a premium currency, but players report that these are not essential for progression, as the achievement system provides ample currency. Overall, users feel that significant progress can be made without relying on purchases.
“While there's microtransactions in the form of a 'premium currency', they don't feel required, and the achievement system gives you a good amount of the currency anyway.”
“There is much progression to be had quickly without relying on the microtransactions.”
“The game features microtransactions, but they don't feel necessary as the achievement system provides a generous amount of premium currency.”
“You can progress quickly in the game without having to rely on microtransactions.”
“While there are microtransactions available, they are not essential to enjoy the game.”
- music2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The game lacks its own music, which has been noted as a downside by users; however, players have the option to play their own music while gaming.
“No music, so that's a negative, but you can play your own music.”
- stability1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Users have reported significant stability issues, including frequent crashes and system freezes that result in the loss of all progress, as there are no recoverable save files. This lack of a reliable save system has led to frustration among players who must restart the game from the beginning after such incidents.
“As mentioned in this post from 2019, if your computer freezes, turns off, or anything similar, you automatically lose all your progress and there's no way to recover your previous save because there seems to be no save file anywhere, so you have to start playing all over again.”
