Dopewars for the BlackBerry

Dopewars is here for the BlackBerry! This version will work on modern Java enabled BlackBerry models. Requires a colour BlackBerry running version handheld software version 4.0 or higher.

Overview

Dopewars is a turn-based strategy computer game in which the player assumes the role of a drug dealer engaged in arbitrage. The object of the game is to deal the most drugs to pay off the "loan shark" (who charges interest) by the end of the game and make a profit.

Dopewars is based on Drugwars, originally a DOS program created by John E. Dell in 1984.

Premise

The premise of the game is that the player is a drug dealer living in New York City. The player travels around the various parts such as Manhattan, The Bronx, and Brooklyn. The player also buys and sells various drugs such as Cocaine, Heroin, Acid, Weed, Speed, and Ludes. Traveling from one part of the city to another takes one day. The point of the game is to make the most amount of money in the given time of 30 days.

The player begins with $2,000, 100 spaces in his/her trenchcoat, and no weapons. A player must deal with loan sharks who are useful because they provide the much needed initial capital investment, but charge a high interest rate and must be paid back quickly or the player loses the game. During the course of the game, the player can buy a gun or extra pocket space by randomly being offered those things during travel. In each part of the city, the player checks the prices, buys and sells drugs, and then travels to another part of the city.

Other components include the police who are embodied in the character of Officer Hardass. During the game, Hardass will randomly confront the player. The player has four choices: to get arrested, to run, to fight, or to keep dealing. Any choice risks injury to the player and after 10 shots the player dies and thus loses the game. In order to fight the police, the player must have a gun. If the player can kill Hardass and his deputies, a cash award will be earned. Random occurrences also occur during the game such as muggings, drug sales, increased drug prices, and the finding of drugs.

Strategies

The basic strategy of Drugwars is to buy a drug in one location at one price, and then travel to another location to sell it for a higher price.

At the beginning of the game, the player does not have much money and must deal with the cheapest drugs such as ludes and speed because that is all the player can afford. As the game progresses however, the player can buy the more expensive drugs with a high profit margin such as cocaine and heroin. A skilled player must know the standard price of all drugs and must realize when a drug is cheap and when it is expensive.

However, in order to make the most amount of money, the player must take advantage of great fluctuations in the market. These fluctuations occur in every drug. The cheap drugs such as ludes, speed, weed, and acid usually can be found at greatly discounted prices at one location, and therefore create a great profit margin. This occasionally happens also to coke. These price drops occur by chance and the player must be lucky enough to find one.

To beat the game, the player must take advantage of the increased price of the most expensive drugs, cocaine and heroin. Occasionally, the cops perform a coke bust or heroin addicts are desperate for heroin. This can drive up the price of these drugs up to ten times their normal value. If a player is lucky enough to stumble into several of these and make a huge profit, then he/she can beat the game.

Requirements

BlackBerry handheld software version 4.0 or higher

Installation

Load this game using the Application Loader wizard of Desktop Manager.