Info about Big Ambitions:

Official game description:
Your bank balance is tiny, but your ambitions are big.  
With a little help from your uncle, you get an apartment and your first job. But then it's up to you to achieve success and take over New York City any way you like.  
Slowly build multiple small businesses, grow them into huge corporations, or carve your own unique path – the possibilities are limitless in this vast business sandbox. You've never played anything like this!  
Go from a small apartment and public transport to luxury suites, fast cars and designer furniture. Put your money into investment funds and real estate. Succeed, fail, rebuild. But remember to take care of yourself, sleep and stay happy on your rise to the top.  
Do you have what it takes to build your own empire?  
Go from nothing to the most prominent tycoon in New York. Start a business, work smart, make it thrive and enjoy your life. How do you want to be successful? How far can you push it? How long can you make it last?  
Start your own gift shop, supermarket, coffee shop, law firm, clothing store, liquor store, florist, and more. You decide what success is - whether it’s a single shop, a chain of fast-food restaurants, a huge corporation, or making millions developing websites.  
Take out a loan, rent a building, design the logo, renovate the store, get stock, manage your money, hire staff, and build your infrastructure. Soon, you may have to start importing products from the harbour and distributing them through a network of warehouses.  
A bigger business means managers. Hire HR Managers, Logistics Managers, and Purchasing Agents. They all need desks and computers, so you’ll need a fancy headquarters.  
Need a delivery truck? Travel to a dealer and buy one. Need food? Go to a supermarket, but make sure you have a refrigerator at home. Big Ambitions is a life sim where your character has to physically interact with the world to survive and succeed.  
Enter any building in New York and buy it. Go from a small apartment to a dream penthouse in midtown, a luxurious townhouse in Hell’s Kitchen, or a series of skyscrapers. Fill each with furniture that suits your style and standing. Invest your hard-earned cash in real estate to grow your empire. Take over the city piece by piece.  
Spend your wealth however you wish. Buy a big SUV, a speedy sports car, or the new luxurious Mersaidi S500. Maybe risk it all at the casinos or put your money into investment funds and reap the rewards.  
As you progress, you always need to ensure you get enough sleep and stay healthy and happy. Enjoy the journey, for as you grow older, you’ll discover that money can’t buy you time... or can it?  
Big Ambitions takes what you love about the viral sensation ‘Startup Company’ to even greater heights.

Release date: Mar 10, 2023

Categories: Business Simulation, Life Simulation, Management Simulation, Economic Simulation, Customization, Character Progression, Real Estate Management, Sandbox

Feature scans:
- MTX: score 10; verdict: Fair Monetization; summary: The game is highly praised for its fair monetization approach, with no microtransactions or pay-to-win mechanics. Users express a strong willingness to support the game through DLC purchases, indicating satisfaction with the base game and trust in the developers. There is a positive sentiment towards expanding the game content through DLCs, with users finding value in such expansions.
- Wiki: score 75; verdict: High Dependency on External Data for Inventory and Crafting Management; summary: The primary user complaints revolve around the game's heavy reliance on spreadsheet management for inventory and crafting, which detracts from the gameplay experience. Many users feel that the game becomes more about managing spreadsheets than enjoying the simulation aspects. Additionally, there are mentions of the game feeling repetitive and unbalanced between life simulation and spreadsheet management.
- Steam Deck: score 50; verdict: Tinkering Required; summary: The game has several notable issues that impact the user experience. Controller support and camera perspective are frequently mentioned as areas needing improvement. Performance issues, including high CPU usage and poor optimization, are significant concerns. Despite being listed as unsupported, some users report that the game works fine on Steam Deck, although there is a clear demand for better compatibility.

- Hardware Profile: No data
Feature extractions:
- Community Price: No data
- Playtime Metrics: No data
- Time-to-fun: No data
- Player Archetypes: No data


Below are summaries of things people say about the game per category.
Each point is assigned a weight that represents how often it is mentioned across all reviews.
What players like:
- Enjoyable and immersive gameplay (weight 0.94): The game is frequently described as enjoyable and immersive, blending elements of business simulation and life simulation. Players appreciate the variety of businesses to manage and the realistic mechanics.
- Worth the price and value (weight 0.61): Many players feel the game is worth its price due to the depth of content, engaging gameplay, and the lack of micro-transactions. The game offers a satisfying grind and a good story.
- Active and responsive developers (weight 0.27): The development team is praised for their regular updates, responsiveness to community feedback, and clear roadmap. Players appreciate the frequent improvements and new content.
- High level of customization (weight 0.23): The game offers extensive customization options for shops, offices, and production chains. Players enjoy the strategic business mechanics and the ability to automate tasks.
- Realistic business and economic systems (weight 0.17): The game features realistic business and economic systems, including supply chain optimization and dynamic market conditions. Players enjoy the freedom and variety in business expansion.
- Incredible depth and variety (weight 0.17): The game is noted for its incredible depth and variety in activities and business types. Players find it easy to lose track of time due to the engaging and addictive gameplay.
- High potential and polished experience (weight 0.15): The game is seen as having high potential and is surprisingly polished for an early access title. Players appreciate the interesting game dynamics and the positive outlook on future updates.
- Unique and well-thought-out mechanics (weight 0.09): The game is praised for its unique and well-thought-out mechanics, offering a good challenge and engaging gameplay. Players appreciate the detailed graphics and the meaningful gameplay.
- Character progression and open-world gameplay (weight 0.09): Players enjoy the character progression and skill development, as well as the open-world gameplay. The game offers intuitive mechanics and a huge, alive world to explore.
- Flexible and respectful of player's time (weight 0.08): The game respects the player's time and intelligence, offering an open-ended sandbox experience. Players appreciate the flexibility in following the story and the gradual complexity.
- Entertaining and fun atmosphere (weight 0.08): The game is described as entertaining and fun, with engaging difficulties and a good atmosphere. Players enjoy the complexity and the freedom in the game.
- Dynamic market conditions (weight 0.04): The game features dynamic market conditions and interesting market mechanics. Players appreciate the market movement feature and the fun market mechanics.
- Accessible help system (weight 0.04): The game offers an easy and accessible help system, with native language support and an experimental version available. Players note minor bugs but appreciate the overall accessibility.
- Detailed tutorial and creative freedom (weight 0.04): The game offers a detailed tutorial and creative freedom, with multiple business options and clear care of the team with each detail. Players appreciate the detailed purchasing options and the creative freedom.

Common complaints:
- Repetitive and grindy gameplay (weight 0.97): Players find the game to be monotonous and repetitive, especially in the late stages. Tasks such as running around with carts, restocking stores, and managing logistics become tedious over time.
- Technical issues and bugs (weight 0.89): The game is riddled with bugs, crashes, and technical issues that hinder the overall experience. These include game crashes, slow loading times, and various minor bugs that affect gameplay.
- Translation and tutorial issues (weight 0.85): The game suffers from incomplete translations and confusing tutorials, making it difficult for non-English speakers to understand and enjoy the game. The help system is poorly communicated, and some elements are not fully realized.
- Poor employee management (weight 0.13): The employee management system is poorly designed, with little player control over employee illnesses and constraints. The interface is complicated and lacks realistic management functions.
- High costs and economic issues (weight 0.12): The game has balancing issues with high costs for food production, building, and vehicle repairs. Profit margins are tight, and some businesses are not economically viable.
- Unwanted mechanics and controls (weight 0.09): Players find certain mechanics, such as driving and Sims-like features, to be unnecessary and frustrating. The driving mechanics are particularly criticized for being quirky and not enjoyable.
- Lack of late-game content (weight 0.07): The late-game lacks variety and engaging content, making it feel quiet and monotonous. Players crave more activities and challenges to keep the game interesting.
- Camera and UI issues (weight 0.07): The camera controls are inconvenient and can cause motion sickness. The UI lacks options to hide elements for screenshots, and the locked view is not preferred by players.
- Limited business depth and interactions (weight 0.06): Businesses in the game lack depth and difficulty, always guaranteeing profits. There are limited interactions with business rivals and a lack of dynamic competition.
- Balancing and variety issues (weight 0.05): There are balancing issues with certain businesses and a lack of variety in activities. Some businesses are too easy, while others are not economically viable.
- Fast travel and time management (weight 0.05): The game lacks a proper fast travel system, and loading times for fast travel are long. Players also cannot fast-forward time in many scenes, making time management cumbersome.
- Limited personal life activities (weight 0.05): There is a lack of personal life activities and interactions, making the game feel empty in terms of personal relationships and family dynamics.

Gameplay feedback:
- Comprehensive business management (weight 0.76): The game offers a wide range of business management mechanics, including employee management, financial management, market and demand systems, and strategic decision-making. Players can manage various types of businesses, from gift shops to factories, and engage in activities like importing products, setting prices, and improving facilities.
- Detailed logistics and automation (weight 0.69): The game features extensive logistics systems, including warehouse management, supply chains, and automation mechanics. Players can automate various aspects of their businesses, such as restocking stores and managing deliveries, to streamline operations and improve efficiency.
- Daily life and social activities (weight 0.11): The game includes mechanics for daily life activities, such as eating, sleeping, and socializing. Players can also engage in various social activities and interactions, adding depth to the gameplay experience.
- Character and interior customization (weight 0.1): Players can customize their characters and businesses with various options for furniture placement, interior design, and blueprint layouts. The game also offers detailed customization for vehicles and other assets, enhancing the overall immersion and personalization.
- Character creation and progression (weight 0.07): The game allows players to create their characters and start from humble beginnings, such as being homeless or having a small amount of money. Players can progress to become wealthy and successful business owners, with a strong sense of progression and achievement.
- Variety of jobs and tasks (weight 0.06): Players can take on different jobs and tasks, such as working as a cashier, delivery person, or lawyer. The game offers a variety of work types and activities, providing diverse gameplay experiences.
- Realism and replayability (weight 0.05): The game is praised for its realism and high replayability, offering a challenging and engaging experience. Players can explore an urban sandbox environment and create new stories with each playthrough.
- Personal and rewarding gameplay (weight 0.05): The game offers a personal and rewarding gameplay experience, with various mechanics that recognize player actions and provide satisfying depth and complexity. Players can enjoy hands-on gameplay in the early stages and progress to more complex tasks.
- Learning curve and grind (weight 0.05): The game has a learning curve that is easy to learn but hard to master, with an average grind level. Players can use the F1 menu and in-game features to help with the learning curve and improve their gameplay experience.
- Driving and navigation mechanics (weight 0.05): The game includes driving and navigation mechanics, such as taxi calling, using turn signals, and market movement features. Players can also encounter minor bugs related to these mechanics.
- Real estate and property management (weight 0.04): Players can buy property to lease out, build structures, and rent out spaces. The late game involves real estate and pricing power, allowing players to manage and expand their property portfolio.
- Competition and interaction (weight 0.04): The game includes competition with AI players and dynamic rivals for competition. Players can interact with other players and engage in competitive gameplay mechanics.
- Engaging progression system (weight 0.04): The game features an engaging progression system that punishes rushed growth and includes a hierarchy of employees. Players can progress through the game and manage their employees to achieve success.
- Building and career mechanics (weight 0.04): The game includes building renting mechanics, office-type business mechanics, and career-building and property-buying mechanics. Players can manage and expand their businesses and careers.
- Early access and delegation (weight 0.03): The game is in early access and includes mechanics for delegating rights and managing employees. Players can experience the game's development and provide feedback to improve the gameplay.
- End game content (weight 0.03): The end game needs more engaging content, with a lack of missions and goals after a certain point. Players can provide feedback to improve the end game experience and add more content.

Performance notes:
- Performance and Stability Issues (weight 0.27): The game suffers from frequent crashes, freezing, and performance dips, particularly during loading screens and in high-demand scenarios. Players report constant crashing, frame drops, and optimization problems, with some experiencing hardware failures.
- Loading and Startup Problems (weight 0.25): Many players encounter issues with the game not responding during loading, freezing at the startup screen, or failing to start altogether. These problems are often accompanied by long loading times and occasional crashes.

Recommendations:
- Add more business types and features (weight 0.56): Players suggest adding more business types, especially in the service sector, and expanding features with deeper customization and richer NPC interactions. This includes adding more personal life activities and additional expenses and investment details.
- Highly recommended for business sim fans (weight 0.46): The game is frequently recommended for fans of business simulation and management games. Reviewers highlight its depth, addictive gameplay, and suitability for those who enjoy detailed business simulations and strategy games.
- Add multiplayer and co-op modes (weight 0.41): There is a desire for adding online multiplayer and co-op modes to share progress and interact with friends. This feature is seen as a way to enhance the game's replayability and social aspects.
- Worth the price, especially on sale (weight 0.37): Many reviewers feel the game is worth its price, especially when purchased on sale. It is seen as a good investment for fans of the genre.
- Improve automation and interface (weight 0.16): Reviewers recommend adding more automation features and enhancing the interface for smoother gameplay. This includes allowing the setting of production limits and improving memory management for long-term play.
- Potential for future updates (weight 0.13): The game is seen as having great potential for future expansions and updates. Reviewers believe that ongoing updates could make it one of the best business simulations.
- Add more personal life activities (weight 0.09): Players suggest adding more personal life activities and interactions to make the game more immersive and engaging.
- Improve ergonomic options (weight 0.05): Reviewers recommend improving ergonomic options and enhancing the interface for a better user experience.
- Enhance business war system (weight 0.04): Players suggest making the business war system more phased and interactive, with rewards for phased victories. This would add more depth and strategy to the gameplay.
- Add mini-games and activities (weight 0.02): Suggestions include adding mini-games for downtime moments and more activities while businesses run automatically to keep players engaged.
- Reduce frequency of food and sleep needs (weight 0.01): Some players suggest reducing the frequency of food and sleep needs to make the game less repetitive and more enjoyable.
- Follow tutorials for new players (weight 0.01): New players are advised to follow tutorials, such as the gift shop tutorial, to get a better understanding of the game mechanics.

Other player notes:
- Early Access with promise (weight 0.12): The game is currently in Early Access but shows significant promise for future updates and content. Players appreciate the active development and reasonable price point.
- Translation issues in Chinese (weight 0.03): There are notable issues with the Chinese translation, including problems with machine translation and inconsistent product translations.
- Polarized playtime among players (weight 0.02): There is a significant variation in playtime among players, indicating differing levels of engagement and interest.
- Comparison with other games (weight 0.01): The game is often compared to other simulation games, which can influence player expectations and experiences.
- Capitalism theme warning (weight 0.01): Some reviews warn about the game's capitalism theme, which might not appeal to all players.

Emotions:
- Frustration (weight 0.23): Players are frustrated by a variety of issues including translation problems, tedious grinding, and game crashes. Specific pain points such as negotiating salaries, driving mechanics, and economic imbalances in food production also contribute to this frustration. Additionally, performance issues, lack of guidance, and repetitive tasks further exacerbate the problem.
- Enjoyment (weight 0.15): Players enjoy the game for its depth, variety of businesses, and customization options. The realistic routines, immersive gameplay, and detailed business management mechanics provide a satisfying experience. The game's complexity and freedom are also highlighted as enjoyable aspects.
- Excitement (weight 0.11): Players are excited about the game's depth, strategic business mechanics, and the potential for future updates. The thrill of building an empire from scratch and the game's limitless potential contribute to this excitement. The anticipation for new features and improvements also adds to the overall excitement.
- Satisfaction (weight 0.11): Players find satisfaction in the game's depth, realistic business processes, and the sense of accomplishment from success. The ability to automate tasks, manage businesses, and see profits grow contributes to a deeply satisfying experience. The game's overall quality and the freedom it offers in business management are also sources of satisfaction.
- Disappointment (weight 0.05): Players express disappointment due to recent updates that ruined enjoyable aspects of the game and the lack of late-game content. Unwanted mechanics, poor optimization, and the removal of controller support also contribute to this feeling. The lack of rewards and additional content after completing business wars further adds to the disappointment.
- Positive (weight 0.04): Players have a positive outlook on the game, finding it addictive, fun, and well-thought-out. The sensation of building an empire and the clear care of the development team with each update contribute to this positivity. The game's depth and the helpful tutorial are also highlighted as positive aspects.
- Joy (weight 0.03): Players experience joy from the unique and entertaining gameplay, as well as the enjoyable competition with AI players. The game's addictive nature and the positive overall experience contribute to this joy. The fun and engaging gameplay mechanics are also sources of joy.
- Hopeful (weight 0.03): Players are hopeful for future improvements and updates, seeing potential in the game. The expectation of new content and features, such as co-op/multiplayer mode, contributes to this hope. Regular updates and the potential for game expansion also add to the hopeful outlook.
- Negative (weight 0.03): Players have negative feelings due to camera controls being inconvenient, frame drops, and performance issues. The game's unclear mechanics and crashes also contribute to this negativity. Tedious tasks and the lack of clarity in item stocking further exacerbate the problem.
- Hope (weight 0.03): Players hope for more late-game content, additional business types, and adjustable day duration. The high potential of the game and the expectation that developers will fix issues contribute to this hope. The excitement about the roadmap and future updates also adds to the hopeful outlook.
- Boredom (weight 0.02): Players experience boredom due to the lack of character activities and the game becoming repetitive. The monotonous late-game experience and the lack of content after completing the final quest contribute to this boredom. The repetitive tasks and the lack of meaningful progression further exacerbate the problem.
- Frustrated (weight 0.02): Players are frustrated with spending more time troubleshooting than playing, difficult driving mechanics, and updates negatively impacting gameplay. Game crashes and infinite loops in gameplay also contribute to this frustration. The inconvenience of camera issues and the overall impact on the gaming experience further add to the frustration.
- Enthusiasm (weight 0.01): Players are enthusiastic about the game's depth, updates, and the enjoyment of building an empire. The positive feedback on the game's depth and the developer's ambition contribute to this enthusiasm. The variety and depth of the game also add to the enthusiastic outlook.
- Surprise (weight 0.01): Players are surprised by the game's completeness and depth, finding it surprisingly in-depth. The game's depth and the lack of hype it has received contribute to this surprise. The overall quality and detail of the game also add to the surprising experience.
- Anticipation (weight 0.01): Players anticipate future updates and improvements, craving for more content. The potential for improvements in information and metrics contributes to this anticipation. The looking forward to future updates and the expectation of new content also add to the anticipatory outlook.
- Hopefulness (weight 0.01): Players are hopeful for additional features and improvements to make the game more challenging and detailed. The potential seen in the game and the hope for future improvements contribute to this hopeful outlook. The expectation of future developments and enhancements also add to the hopeful perspective.
- Nostalgia (weight 0.01): Players feel nostalgia as the game reminds them of childhood games and scratches an itch that hasn't been reached since Sims 2. The familiarity and the reminiscent aspects of the game contribute to this nostalgic feeling. The connection to past gaming experiences also adds to the nostalgic outlook.
- Addiction (weight 0.01): Players are addicted to the game due to its engrossing gameplay and the inability to stop playing. The game's addictive nature and the compelling gameplay mechanics contribute to this addiction. The overall engaging experience and the depth of the game also add to the addictive outlook.
- Concern (weight 0.01): Players are concerned about getting tired over time and the performance issues in the game. The fear of the game becoming monotonous and the hope for optimization contribute to this concern. The potential for the game to lose its appeal and the performance problems also add to the concerned outlook.}