Freight Tycoon is a "business simulator" with crisp, smooth graphics and an interesting music soundtrack. Upon initial loading the sound works, but for some reason subsequent game loads do not have sound. A quick fix is simply load the game with the "-s" option to force the program to skip autodetection. This is easily done by going into the launch icon (right click on it and choose properties, and adding -s after the "C:\Program Files\Freight Tycoon\tycoon.exe". Put the -s outside the quotes, and the game will pop up a window before loading. Choose "Direct Sound" as the sound device instead of Auto-detect, and then hit run. Every other time you play the game, the pop up box will appear on launch, but you just have to hit "run" and not do anything else.
Besides the sound problem which is easily fixed, the game runs smoothly. The manual is interesting but not really necessary if you play the tutorial. The interface is intuitive and pretty much everything is done with drag and drop. You start with a head office and usually with a garage for your vehicles. You usually have a starter inventory of trucks. Trucks are divided into types: Van vs. truck, and by cargo type. The advantage of a van is it is cheaper to buy and run than a truck, however it usually carries less cargo and can only carry one type of cargo. To carry a different type you need to buy another van. Trucks on the other hand haul trailers. Therefore you can buy several trailers and have only one tractor. When you need to switch cargo types because there is a better income opportunity, you simply switch trailers for that cargo type. Truck trailers also carry bigger loads and new trailers come available over time that increase the cargo capacity even more.
This segregation by cargo type (say for instance timber versus liquids) also requires your drivers to have the correct license for the cargo they will be carrying. Drivers gain experience over time, so sometimes it is worthwhile to invest in buying a new and different cargo license for an experienced driver than simply hiring another less experienced driver with the necessary license.
Income is earned obviously by filling contracts to haul freight. Clicking on any industry will show available contracts which can be examined to determine how much freight must be hauled, what the pay is, and any bonuses or penalties. Contracts are all time sensitive. Completing contracts on time increases your standing with that industry, and failing to complete them will not only cost you money but it will reduce your standing sharply. Needless to say, the better your standing, the more lucrative the contracts you will be offered.
While there is some micromanagement involved, because trucks have different speeds, trucks break down, and traffic/poor roads can slow down your vehicles, the drag and drop interface makes it very simple to deal with.
Over-all the game is fun and relatively stable (I have gotten it to crash once by trying to swap trailers on a truck outside of the garage). There are many scenarios, and also "campaign" modes. It is well worth the price especially if it is on sale.
