Workers & Resources: Soviet Republic
Workers & Resources: Soviet Republic is a city building and logistics management simulation game developed by 3Division and published by Hooded Horse.
It was first released in early access on March 15th, 2019 and then later received a full release on June 20th, 2024. It is available only on PC via both the Steam and GOG.com storefronts.
The game takes place in an unspecified Soviet republic during the Cold War era. The setting spans from the 1960s to the 1990s. With the Early Start expansion installed, the game can even begin as early as 1920.
The player builds and manages their own republic. The main difference from other city-building games is its focus on a moneyless planned economy and the ability to achieve full economic self-sustainability. Currency is only used for interacting with the outside world, while the republic's domestic industry may essentially sustain it entirely for free.
Gameplay
Building system
Buildings are the central element making up a republic in the game. Buildings can produce, consume or process resources, house citizens or tourists, or provide other benefits to the player's republic.
The game supports both the instant placement as well as the manual construction of buildings. Construction requires supplying workers and resources to the site, whereas instantaneous placement consumes only currency.
Resources production
Resources are various kinds of goods; their production, transport and supply is a central challenge of the game.
Citizens require certain resources to survive, thrive and ultimately provide a workforce. Construction sites and buildings such as factories consume some resources and typically workers' labor to produce other resources.
Resources can originate either from nations beyond the borders, imported in exchange for currency, or domestically from production buildings typically using workers' work effort.
Resources can also be exported beyond the borders to exchange for currency; this is the only way to earn currency apart from loans and tourism.
Resources therefore often need to be transported: the player can use trucks, trains, ships, planes, helicopters, cable cars and other vehicles to do so.
Citizens
Citizens are the inhabitants of the player's republic and – with the exception of foreign workers from beyond the borders – the only source for labor in the game.
Labor is required for nearly all production and construction processes in the game. While foreign workers can provide labor as well, they are very expensive and limited in number. Sustaining a domestic citizenship therefore is essential to a republic.
Citizens live in residential buildings. They are affected by various statistics: most importantly their happiness, health and loyalty. Unhappy, unhealthy or disloyal citizens work inefficiently and at worst may even die or flee the republic.
To keep up with its citizens, the republic must fulfill their needs and demands by providing them certain resources such as food, staffed service buildings such as shops and hospitals as well as employment.
Sustaining cities for citizens to live in is an involved challenge and, alongside the republic's industry and its resource logistics, one of the two main challenges of the game.
Economy
The economy of Workers & Resources: Soviet Republic is a centrally planned command economy where the player has full control of the means of production. It consists of the republic's resources and currencies.
The player is tasked with managing production, consumption, import, export, transport and distribution of resources.
In contrast to most other city building and management games, neither citizens nor buildings require money. Instead, everything can be accomplished solely with resources and labor.
There are two currencies in the game – rubles and dollars – for trading with the West and the East respectively. The only methods of acquiring currency are via exporting resources, via tourism, or loans. The only purpose of currency is import and, if Realistic Mode is disabled, instant construction.
Global market prices are affected both by world events and the player's actions. Importing a considerable amount of a good creates scarcity causing its price to rise; exporting a significant amount of a resource causes its global value to decrease. As decades pass, currency inflation and rising prices increase the difficulty of relying on foreign trade instead of economic self-sufficiency.
Setting
The game is set in the mid-to-late 20th century during the Cold War era in an unstated region of the world.[1]
The game takes place in an unspecified socialist country in a player-chosen region bordering both Western and Eastern foreign powers.[2]
This neutral position allows the player to trade with both powers without restrictions. The player takes over an unspecified role of leader in said country tasked with building up and managing their republic.
This reflects the real-life history of countries like Yugoslavia, whose situation afforded them the ability to economically and politically interact with and depend on both the NATO and the USSR.
Despite the name Soviet Republic, there are no soviets (democratic workers' councils) in the game and there is no simulation of internal politics.
Development history
Early Access
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Full Release
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The game's full 1.0 version officially released on June 20th, 2024.
Expansions
The game received four expansions to date:
- June 20th, 2024: Biomes
- November 28th, 2024: Help for Ukraine
- December 13th, 2024: World Maps
- May 22nd, 2025: Early Start
Production
Development and Publishing
The project is being developed by 3Division, led by Peter Adamčík and published by Hooded Horse.
Music
The soundtrack of Workers & Resources: Soviet Republic contains 13 different songs composed by Rotem Hecht to fit the aesthetic and setting of the game.
The game's soundtrack can be purchased separately.
Reception
Release issues
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While the game was received positively, the lack of in-depth tutorials and documentation was criticized at the time.
Since then, a series of tutorials and multiple campaigns have been added to the game.
DMCA strike
In February 2023, the game was targeted by a takedown notice issued under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA).
A player alleged that in 2020 they had created a more challenging game mode called 'Cosmonaut mode' as a Steam guide. They claimed that the developers of Workers & Resources: Soviet Republic copied his idea and incorporated it into the game without giving him credit or compensation. This is a reference to the Realistic Mode difficulty setting.
The player and 3Division previously had not come to an agreement about the extent of credit and compensation, prompting the player to submit the DMCA claim.
Through a series of DMCA claims the player ended up getting the game's official website taken down, reported official YouTube videos by 3Division and eventually got the game itself removed from Steam. They also contacted several YouTubers covering the Cosmonaut challenge to take down videos for not linking back to their guide.
3Division reacted upon this by stating:
The takedown notice caused a stir in the game's community, with many players expressing concern about the potential implications of the DMCA on game development and creativity. Some have criticized the player for using the DMCA as a weapon to protect his ideas, arguing that the developer's handling of the situation goes against the spirit of innovation and collaboration.
After negotiations between 3Division and the player they settled by adding his name to the game's credits.
The game returned to Steam on March 4th of 2023, accompanied by a [1] from the game's development team.
Gallery
Videos
External links
- Workers & Resources: Soviet Republic on Steam
- Biomes DLC on Steam
- Help for Ukraine DLC on Steam
- World Maps DLC on Steam
- Early Start DLC on Steam
- Soundtrack on Steam
References
- ↑ It is possible to play a game beyond the 20th century. However, beyond the late 1980s no new game content will unlock, likely due to the real-life end of the Cold War and the collapse of the Eastern Bloc.
- ↑ "This game’s theme is inspired in Soviet past and the Republic we created in game is situated in between NATO and Soviet Union, just as Czechoslovakia or some other middle European country were in the past. You as a player is free to trade with both sides and you can be independent if you manage so."
3Division
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