Jones in the Fast Lane
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| Jones in the Fast Lane | |
|---|---|
 Screenshot from video game |
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| Developer(s) | Sierra |
| Publisher(s) | Sierra |
| Platform(s) | MS-DOS personal computer |
| Release date(s) |
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| Genre(s) | Life simulation game |
| Mode(s) | Single-player, multiplayer |
| Rating(s) | n/a (not rated) |
| Media/distribution | floppy disk, CD-ROM |
| System requirements
DOS version 3 or above; AT/286 processor or above |
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Jones in the Fast Lane is a life simulation game developed and published by Sierra Entertainment in 1990. The objective of the game is to attain certain amounts of money, happiness, status, and education.[1] The exact amounts needed are defined by the player(s) when the game begins. The game's name and goals are a play on the concept of keeping up with the Joneses.
As of 2006, the game was unofficially ported to Adobe Flash.
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[edit] Development
The game's working title was Keeping Up with Jones.[2]
Jones in the Fast Lane was entirely developed as a set of storyboards before artwork or coding commenced. The "board game" interface was aimed at ensuring the rules were intuitive and accessible to younger or inexperienced players.
The 256-color VGA graphics were impressive for the time, with most computer games still produced in 16-color EGA. Produced in 1990,[1] it was also one of the first games to run in Windows 3.0 which was released in May 1990.
[edit] Gameplay
The game world is represented by a board game-like ring of buildings in squares, resembling a cross between Monopoly and Careers. The game can be played by up to four players, who take turns "living" their respective weeks. If only one player is present, he or she may play against the titular "Jones".
Each player is represented by a coloured marble on the board. Players are free to move around in either direction, only limited by the time remaining per turn. Time is used up by moving to a new location and by performing actions like working, attending class, or resting. Each turn represents a week of the character's life, during which the player decides what the character does.
On weekends, each character experiences an "Oh What a Weekend" event, which uses up some money (usually less than $200). These events are usually based on a purchase that the player made during his or her previous week, such as attending a show if the player purchased theater or concert tickets. The event can also be random, described to the player with traditional Sierra humor, e.g. "You went to Las Vegas in a $20,000 car and came back in a $200,000 Greyhound bus."
Most buildings feature a live action clerk or store person who greets the player with a variety of humorous phrases, complete with lip syncing. Every voiced line in the game can be heard by putting the game disc in a CD player and playing the second track.
[edit] Credits
The following people are credited for the making of Jones in the Fast Lane
- Artist: Andy Hoyos
- Artist: Jim Larsen
- Composer and Sound Effects: Ken Allen
- Creative Director: Bill Davis
- Executive Producer: Ken Williams
- Lead Programmer: Warren Schwader
- Producer: Guruka Singh Khalsa
The game is based on an original design by
- Meredith Whaley
- Christopher Whaley
- Kelly Walker
- Robert Whaley
Actors featured in the game are as follows
- Bob Ballew
- Mark Crowe
- George Esparza
- Robert E. Heitman
- Liz Jacob
- Eric Kasner
- Josh Mandel
- Harry McLaughlin
- Tara Ryan
- Jennifer Shontz
- William D. Skirvin
- Sharon Smith
- Polly Starkey
- Bill Stoneham
- Willis Wong
[edit] Public reception
Despite its intuitive design and use of color, the game was not a sales success. Contemporary reviews described the game as a "humorous romp through modern life"[3] and praised the graphics and clever wordplay, but noted it was essentially a computerised board game.[4]
[edit] References
- ^ a b Przasnyski, Mateusz (September/October 1991). "Jones in the Fast Lane" (in Polish). Top Secret (7): p. 14.
- ^ Wilson, Johnny L. (June 1990). "Keeping Up With Jones". Computer Gaming World (72): p. 16.
- ^ deCoster, Jeane; Crook, David (1991-02-16). "Keeping Up With `Jones' From Realistic Point of View". Los Angeles Times: pp. 13. http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/latimes/access/61064237.xml?dids=61064237:61064237&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Feb+16%2C+1991&author=JEANE+deCOSTER%3B+DAVID+CROOK&pub=Los+Angeles+Times+(pre-1997+Fulltext)&desc=Keeping+Up+With+%60Jones%27+From+Realistic+Point+of+View&pqatl=google. Retrieved 2009-03-18.
- ^ Huffman, Eddie (June 1991). "Jones in the Fast Lane". Compute!: Issue 130 (Compute! Publications Inc.). viewed at "Classic Computer Magazine Archive". 2003. http://www.atarimagazines.com/compute/issue130/128_Jones_in_the_Fast_La.php. Retrieved 2009-03-17.
[edit] External links
- Jones in the Fast Lane Flash Port
- Jones in the Fast Lane - Moby Games
- Jones in the Fast Lane - Game Strategies
- Tycoon Jones - a tribute to Jones In The Fast Lane'
- Joe Vs The Joneses - iPhone Game Based on Same Premise
- Fastlane - iPhone/iPad Game Based on Jones in The Fast Lane
- "Life Quest - Modern/expanded version "
