SETTING UP YOUR GAME
Once in the game main menu, you can highlight menu options by using the Up / Down directions on the direction pad. To access an option, highlight it and press the ''Select'' key. There are 4 options on this screen:
Play! - Highlight this option and press ''Select'' to start your game
Options - Highlight this option and press ''Select'' to choose your game options (Sound On/Off, Temperature F/C)
Help - Highlight this option and press ''Select'' to access the Help Section
About - Highlight this option and press ''Select'' to view Copyright and development information
PLAY Lemonade Tycoon®!
The following keys will be used throughout the game to navigate through the menus:
Directional Pad:
Scroll through the various screens
Left Softkey: Back / Menu
Right Softkey: Select / Navigate
CLR key: Brings you to the main menu
Once you've mastered these keys and are comfortable with the navigation, get ready for hours of fun!
The following explains how to get the most fun out of your game:
From the main menu, press Play! You have the choice to start a game in Career Mode or Challenge Mode. The Career Mode is an open-ended game where the goal is to build your Lemonade Empire over a few years. In the Challenge Mode, you have 30 days to show your value as a businessperson.
Your goal is to make as much earnings as possible in that time.
You can also choose to load a previously saved game from this screen.
Once you've made your choices, you'll be brought to this screen:
Game menu
Weather and temperature:
On the right side you'll have the weather forecast. Keep a close eye on weather and temperature. This will help you estimate how many potential customers you should meet and decide on an appropriate recipe and price. Keep in mind that what you see every morning is just a forecast, and may differ from the weather and temperature you'll actually experience during the day.
Get supplies for your day's work:
(Select Supplies from the Game menu.)
Buy everything you need to last for a day, at least. You don't want to run out of stock in the middle of a promising day. Depending on the stand you are using, there is a limit on the amount of supplies you can stock. Also, note that all supplies besides cups are perishable; ice is good for one day only, lemons for a few days, and a couple of weeks for sugar. Try not to keep too much in stock or you'll lose money.
Find the best recipe:
(Select Recipe from the Game menu.)
By using the directional pad, try different combinations of ingredients and see what works best. Remember to keep a good balance between lemon and sugar: you don't want your lemonade to be too sweet or too sour. It's good to add ice cubes when the temperature is higher: it keeps the lemonade cool, plus it allows you to serve more cups per pitcher. Beware that when you are adding ice you need to keep the balance with the other ingredients.
Price Screen:
(Select Price from the Game menu.)
This screen will enable you to set your pricing. Every time you change your pricing you'll see how much profit you'll make. Take all parameters into account and set an appropriate price for the day. People are less likely to buy on cold and rainy days and more likely when it's hot and sunny. Adjust your price accordingly. Watch out for customer types: kids don't have a lot of money to spend, but businessmen, on the other hand won't be too wary about the price when they're thirsty.
Also, whenever you need a visibility boost, invest a few dollars in advertising. Advertising can really be helpful when starting in a new location, when your popularity is low.
Upgrades:
(Select Upgrades from the Game menu.)
You'll start in the suburbs, a free location (Location Tab). Learn the ins and outs of the business, and then switch to a more crowded area. When you start making some good money, check out the various upgrades you can buy for your stand. They'll help you keep your process efficient as you serve more and more customers.
When renting more expensive locations, in the Upgrades screen, make sure you have the proper equipment (Equipment tab) or you might not be able to keep up with the increasing number of customers and you might lose money. Note that popularity and satisfaction ratings are different for every location. Customer type concentrations will also vary in the different parts of town, so the recipe for success might differ from one place to another.
Stats:
(Select Stats from the Game menu.)
Your cumulated company performance is summarized in the balance sheet (viewable in each game-day summary or in the Stats section). Your Assets and Equity are detailed, highlighting your current Cash, Inventories, Equipment (at the acquired price), Capital and most important your Total Earnings.
Satisfaction:
(Shown in the Game menu.)
Satisfaction is the percentage of people who have tried your lemonade and liked it. Satisfaction is determined by your ability to tweak your recipe. The number of people coming to your stand is strongly influenced by this.
Popularity:
(Shown in the Game menu.)
Popularity can be defined as the percentage of people on the map that are aware of your existence. Popularity will always increase with time. You start low but people will eventually be satisfied (if you make the right choices!) of your business.
Play!:
(Select Play! from the Game menu.)
Once you've made all your choices (location, equipment, pricing, advertising, recipe, supplies), you're ready to go and make so money. Select Start! and see your customers buy your lemonade. You can fast forward or skip the game animation by selecting the right soft key (fast forward) or left soft key (skip).
Hopefully you made some money! Your performance will be shown at the end of each day in the Result Screen. This screen allows you to monitor your business performance at the end of every day. The percentage of customer satisfaction is an indicator of how pleased your customers were with your recipe. The missed sales indicate how many clients went away because of the price or serving time.
