I tried to play through the tutorial levels, but the displays were so low contrast/low brightness/low visibility that I couldn't even make out the numbers being talked about by the tutorial. It said to "raise the speed to 2", but I couldn't find what it was talking about the screen was so dark and flat/low contrast. My computer's brightness and contrast are just fine, other games are fine. This game goes out of its way to make things difficult for the player. Not "difficult level" as in gameplay, just difficult to read. Uninstalled, deleted.


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Thank you for your feedback Bob

I find this game ecologically objectionable, but I tried the intro anyway just to see what it was like. The graphics were so dark that it was impossible to see what it was supposed to depict. Even if I could have gotten over my objections, not being able to view details would have made it so not fun.

Liked the game but can't turn off the music or the game Help....

I have bought games from Vertigo, they are very good quality, hard, but fun!! Always different, which I think is wonderful.

I would have liked to have seen a bit better tutorial, I loved the graphics. I am a big supporter of keeping our oceans clean, but this is a game and it hurts no one. Thank you everyone and Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays also Happy New Year!!

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Thanks for your feedback. Happy New Year :)

Much better than expected in most ways. 9+/10 for graphics look and feel, and 9+/10 for the sound. This is a very realistic simulator, and nothing like a time-management game with cartoonish graphics.

Interesting how if you try to "cheat" by letting it run in the background, the activity you're doing actually comes to a halt ... until you get back to the game window. Very realistic simulator!

Thumbs up!

MERRY CHRISTMAS to everyone !!!


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Thanks for your feedback

Slightly - okay, maybe a lot more than slightly - put off by the subject matter. Give me gore, zombies, violence in my games - but oil drilling in the ocean? Even this hamster has limits:) So today, I pass...

Hey there WhiteBunny - how ya hoppin'? Merry Christmas to you and your family!

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:) Happy New Year. hope you had a great Christmas

Merry Christmas to you and your family Stephen, and Merry Christmas to everyone who contributes to GGOTD.


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:) Thanks Ken, Happy New Year. hope you had a great Christmas

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I hope everyone had a pleasant and surprising Christmas day. :)

I also hope the coming New Year is the best one yet.

Merry Christmas to the GOTD -Team

Never been a fan of the strategy genre and this game does have some bizarre errors (Oceana, Fillscreen etc.), but it's free and it's Christmas, so I don't know why the voting is mostly negative. If you don't like the genre, it doesn't mean the game is bad, so don't vote like I didn't but if you do vote give a reason.

Merry Christmas to you Stephen and everyone who visits this site to post constructive and non-offensive comments.


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Thank you JoeJ :)

The Oil Blue is a great time-management game that was released in 2010. Since there's no official review today, I thought I'd post a link to one:

http://jayisgames.com/archives/2010/06/the_oil_blue.php


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Thank you the link Chas

Thanks for the unexpected Christmas present! Not sure I quite grasp the mechanics to succeed at this game, but it is interesting, thoughtfully-designed, and well worth the effort to understand. Thanks GameGiveaway and Vertigo Games for a fun new toy! Merry Christmas, everyone. (And thanks idluckyone for the excellent suggestion about adopting - as a foster mom for a local rescue group, I guarantee it is one of the best and most rewarding "investments" you can ever make!).


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Thank you for your feedback lurkercat

At first somewhat taken aback by the, arguably, non-PC aspects of this game (visions of the gulf spill and Exxon Valdez dancing in my head), I found this to be a frantic little button-pusher; quite addictive though a bit too frantic for my tastes. You rush between screens trying to meet your production quota without overstressing your equipment (the side puzzles where you repair the equipment are an interesting game in themselves).

Graphics and sound are quite good. My major complaint is that the game only runs in a window; if you select "full screen" you get the same size window on a black background instead of on the desktop.


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Thank you for your feedback jgf.

hhmm a game about destroying our oceans... not ver xmasy...pass

Rabbit and all visitors of GGOTD I wish you a merry XMas

Thanks for Christmas one. Ok Win 8.1 x64 Pro. Give 5/10 for hard core TM fans. Has Options for screen size, music on/off not annoying, even colorblind option. Creates icon. Looks like tablet oriented too.
Game is basic TM. Ran thru tutorial of gauge drill management. Goal is X barrels per day but to me just a TM between a few screens. Even running drills flat out until broke Strees level (cost a few $) didn't seem to get near output to win a level. Tried a few intro islands and came up way short. Then there's matter of sitting waiting for recharge of the electric counters to again run various drills. Well where's the fun? A slight adult kick to the news feeds about how the Greens actions vs Gov'n are impacting price of oil you play for, but that's no tradeoff for the tedium of dial management/time. There a game somewhere around for such a concept but not here.
Oh used Revo Uninstall and seems to have a load of excess stuff so beware. Don't know if normal MS or game's own uninstall will get all that. Just saying.
Happy Christmas and on into New Year.



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Thank you for your feedback Beergas

Thanks a bunch for thinking of all of us on this Christmas Day and not forgetting about getting us a little gift!
Merry Christmas to you, GGotD team!

Merry Christmas to the GAOTD Team and anyone else that reads this :o)

I downloaded it and tried it for an hour then used Revo Uninstaller as it leaves a load of files in your pc if you use basic uninstall.

I guess WR as right. if they had know there was a giveaway today they would have offered something better than this pointless effort.

Have a good day.

Spike


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Thank you for your feedback Spike. I actually think its quite a good game despite not enjoying most TM games.

What a nice Christmas surprise!! I went on the web to check for emails and there is a game through the week. I almost deleted it as junk because games don't arrive through the week. Merry Christmas to all from Canada.


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Merry Xmas

I have Oil Blue bought on some Humble Bundle. I enjoyed the game very much. It makes me think, plan a little bit, and is not very hard.
I'm casual gamer, in my thirties, and still finding this game amusing.
Graphics is rather simple, as well as music, but the gameplay is gripping.


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Thank you for your feedback Rafal

This is a pretty cool looking managment/time management game with a small element of puzzle in the repair process. Once you have your head around the games mechanics this looks to have all the makings of a good little time eater. Works well on my W7x64 rig. Graphics are good but resolutions are rather limiting.

Thanks GGOTD - and a Happy Christmas to you all.


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Thanks for your feedback. This is one of those games many overlook, thinking its either too complex, or just utter rubbish. already had to delete one post due to its inappropriate language, however, this is actually a very good game; you just need to spend some time getting to know the layout etc.

Is there a "tanker blows up and destroys the Gulf Coast" feature in this game? Still mad over that. I'm going to pass on this one but wish everyone here in GGOTD land a Merry Christmas. Thanks again for everything, Whiterabbit.

http://www.get-xmas.com/trees/multicolorschristmastree.png[/img]

Merry Christmas. GOD bless you all. I wish to thank you all at GOTD.

Merry Christmas! have always read your reviews and found them more than helpful. enjoy your day.

Sorry folks, no review today, I didn't realize there was going to be a giveaway today. We are off out to my in laws for Christmas dinner and won't be back till late tonight.

Merry Christmas everyone.

Please do leave feedback. I'll moderate later this evening.


Here's a quick review of the game posted 16 hours into the giveaway:


Oil Blue:

Introduction:

The Oil Blue is an indie action-sim that has you drilling for oil in the world’s oceans, selling barrels of oil on the market, and exploring new islands once you completed objectives set by your employer, the United Oil of Oceania company. Set in the ocean in the near future, the world’s dependency on oil has grown to an even larger amount. It’s up to you and a crew of men to travel the ocean, find abandoned oil drilling islands, and reclaim them for the United Oil of Oceana company.
Once you land on an island, you have a set amount of days and oil barrels to make during your stay. Fire up those old drilling machines and start making oil underwater, watch the oil barrel market and sell at the highest price, repair machines and do it all within the time you’re given…or the UOO will boot you off the island for a better crew. Sell more barrels to achieve higher ranks and perks, upgrade your machines, and conquer the ocean!

Reference accessed HERE on the 25th dec 2013






The Game:





There's never been another game quite like The Oil Blue. This strategy sim revolves around the oil industry, primarily pumping, barrelling, and selling crude oil. This probably doesn't sound like your cup of tee; it –in fact– sounds like one of the dullest gameplay experiences ever. But it's not. It's lovely, it's unusual, and it's surprisingly enjoyable.

The Oil Blue's plot reads more like something from an industry analyst's report than a work of fiction. Set in the near future, the game tells you that mankind has become even more dependent on oil than before after the "oil price crash of 2024." As a result, United Oil of Oceania is sending teams to abandoned oil islands in order to pump as much extra black gold as can be found, which is where you come in.

Players arrive on an island and are saddled with a task –such as earning a specific amount of money or selling a certain number of oil barrels– within a number of days. At the beginning of the game, you will start with a couple of machines to control oil drilling and pumping. The machines' workings are explained quickly and efficiently, and monitoring the information they present becomes both fast-paced, addictive, and fun.

These machines have a series of gauges that you have to keep constant vigil over in order to keep things running smoothly. These machines will tell you when to start pumping for oil, when you need to repair drills (or derricks, pump jacks, and rigs) via a fast-action minigame, when batteries need to be changed out, etc. If a drill breaks or runs out of power, any oil due to be pumped and barrelled is lost.

Aside from all this, you'll also have to sell oil on the market in order to make the largest possible profit. This is accomplished by making a sale when oil is valued at a high amount per barrel. This is, essentially, a waiting game that one plays with the market, holding out until values reach a high level while making sure you don't run out of storage space. All the islands you own will also net you a tidy profit, though this income is heavily taxed by UOO and doesn't bring in nearly as much money as shrewd market manipulation will.

There's also a slight role-playing game (RPG) element to the game thanks to the fact that players earn experience points to gain ranks and level-up their equipment. Increasing ranks will also unlock in-game bonuses.

One thing that particularly took me by surprise was The Oil Blue's style. The music was surprisingly subtle, and actually felt a bit soothing as I listened. The same could be said about the graphics, which are simultaneously lovely and simple (though never basic or ugly).

Games like The Oil Blue are always a pleasant surprise. We often expect nothing from them and they deliver an experience that is nothing sort of a joy. Vertigo games should be proud of what they've created here, and anyone interested in playing something great should check this out.

Reference accessed

Merry Christmas! GOTD and GOTD Moderator(s) and community users. I wish you all, health and happiness and a better financial situation so you can ...continue not buying software, but to help save/improve life by adopting dogs, cats etc. and even >human< children. God bless you!


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Merry Christmas!