Today, games like American Truck Simulator command huge fanbases, and the simulation genre includes detailed recreations of farming, public transit, and other routine aspects of modern life. But replaying it now, it’s fascinating how Crosscountry Canada seemed to anticipate the trucking simulation titles of the last decade. And the subject matter, driving a truck across the country, never really appealed to me - it just seemed so mundane. It was never my go-to game in the computer labs at school, not when more visually striking titles like Where in the World is Carmen Sandiago? were available. I don’t know that I ever actually finished a game of Crosscountry Canada. I mean, I did check to see how the game would react to different words, but after that I was on my way across Canada, checking my map, stopping for breakfast in Toronto, and taking ill-advised naps on the highway in the middle of the night. As an adult, I am now beyond such things. They’re text adventure titles where the player has to manually enter commands, like “turn on truck,” “sleep,” and “eat food.” Of course, as kids we messed around with all kinds of cusses in games like this. I imagine they sold Crosscountry USA to schools in neighboring Washington state, but I certainly never heard anyone mention it when I lived there.Īll of these games follow more or less the same basic structure. This is especially odd considering the games were developed by Vancouver, British Columbia-based Didatech Software (later Ingenuity Works) in the 80s and 90s. Surprisingly, Crosscountry Canada was the second in a series of titles, most of which - including the first release - take place in the US. (How a hitchhiker steals a trucker’s cargo on foot in the middle of nowhere is a question that Crosscountry Canada left to our imagination.) Geography, I guess? The only lasting lesson I remember gleaning was about picking up hitchhikers, which was universally a bad idea in the game - they’d always end up robbing you. I don’t remember much about the experience of playing it, or what it was supposed to teach you. Nonetheless, it was a real game that cast the player as a trucker making their way back and forth across the country, picking up and delivering goods. The closest thing we had was a game called Crosscountry Canada, which admittedly sounds like something made up to make fun of Canadians on 30 Rock. I had no idea what it was, because in Canada - or in Ontario, at least - nobody I knew had played it. Use T OFF WIPERS to turn off.When I first moved to the US in the late 2000s, I’d occasionally hear people talking about an old game they played in school called Oregon Trail. Causes accidents and the cops may come after you. If you want to be a speed demon and make the truck go faster. Use when you get into an accident or run out of gas. What you should do when you get into any vehicle. If you see a hitchhiker on the side of the road and want to pick him up, then stop the truck (press enter) and type this. Shows the date, all commodities you picked up, your final destination, and the next commodity you need (if applicable) ![]() Lets you know if your trucker needs to eat or sleep Gets the commodity if you are in a city that has it. Shows how many days you’ve been on the road Moves the truck in the same direction it was going. If you stop by Saskatoon, SK, say hi to my folks. You’ll also need the extensive list of text-based commands to get by. Thanks to the Internet Archive, the MS-DOS classic can be played in-browser, and we’ve got it below for you to try out. An exercise in resource management, Cross Country Canada also is a great way to get to learn about Canada’s geography. If you’re unfamiliar, Cross Country Canada places you in the shoes of a trucker responsible for hauling loads all across the Great White North. I’d like to introduce it to you right now. I’m no stranger to the likes of Number Munchers and The Oregon Trail, but my favourite educational game of all time is Cross Country Canada. I went to elementary school back in Canada at a time when the Apple II ruled.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |