Lucasart's Afterlife
A devoted fan revisits Lucasarts' cult-classic 1996 simulation game, 'Afterlife,' offering a deep dive into its obscure mechanics and complex strategies. This retrospective unearths tactics for managing Heaven and Hell's divine economies, road networks, and population growth. It resonates with HN's appreciation for technical breakdowns and nostalgic explorations of niche software.
The Lowdown
This post is a heartfelt journey back to Lucasarts' 1996 simulation game, 'Afterlife,' a unique blend of SimCity and divine management. The author expresses disbelief at revisiting a 27-year-old title, highlighting its enduring, albeit niche, appeal. Despite its age, 'Afterlife' remains a complex challenge, with the author noting the surprising scarcity of contemporary resources or communities dedicated to it.
- The author shares their experience with specific game mechanics and challenges, including the need to manage 'Bad Things' (often by disabling them for soul rate reduction) and the necessity of money cheats due to inherent negative cash flow.
- Road systems are peculiar: Hell requires inefficient, snaky roads for optimal soul collection, while Heaven thrives on efficient, square layouts. A potential population-related bug with Hell roads is also mentioned.
- The game features a 'Vibes' system, where zones and infrastructure emit positive or negative influences, and 'Adjacency Bonuses' that reward diversity in Heaven and uniformity in Hell.
- Players encounter 'Size Surprises' with buildings, like gates, that unpredictably upgrade to larger dimensions, and 'Population Surprises' where 1x1 buildings accrue more souls over time.
- Detailed zoning strategies are explored for both realms: Heaven benefits from 3x3 'doubles' for diversity, while Hell's 3x3 development requires careful isolation of areas to maintain homogeneity.
- A 'Locking Strategy' is advised for valuable 2x2 buildings to prevent devolution, though 3x3 buildings do not seem to require this.
The author concludes by emphasizing their ongoing quest to master the game, sharing lessons learned from multiple playthroughs, and underscoring the deep strategic thinking required to optimize soul collection in this forgotten classic.