Global Tycoon® uses proprietary software to create its virtual world. To be comprehensive and realistic, the model relies on several hundred thousand variables to describe the industry, the competitors, and exogenous factors. To compete effectively in this complex world, you, the participant, must fully understand the scope decisions that are available, their impact on the virtual world, and alternative tactics, if available.
Preparing for Global Tycoon will take you at least a few hours, and probably more. Here are some tips to make your preparation as time-efficient as possible.
Start with This Manual
Begin your preparation with this manual. It contains the answer to just about every question ever asked about Global Tycoon®.
The first time through, consecutively browse all of the topic pages, up to the software section, without clicking on links (if you can!) to get a thorough understanding in the shortest time possible. Then re-read the topics you find most interesting, or most relevant, and follow the links for more details. Use the browse buttons to make sure you don't miss anything.
Begin your preparation with the Introduction. (Time to prepare: about 30 min.)
Learn the Software
Explore the software and become proficient at using it before the competition begins. Start by browsing the software operating manual. If you haven't already, download and install the software, and launch Global Tycoon.
Start with the menus. Decisions, contracts, reports, and graphs are all under the File menu. Read some of the company reports (Ctrl-R, then select report). Then change over to another company (Tools|Change Company…, then enter the company number) to read its detailed reports. Notice any differences? (about 30 minutes)
Now you are ready to make some company decisions. Open all decision windows for one of the companies (Ctrl-D, then Ctrl-A to select all decisions, then Enter to open). Close each window (Ctrl-W) as you make decisions, saving the decisions to your hard drive. Hit <F1> for help with the selected decision.
When all decision windows are closed, process your decisions with Tools|Run Quarter, or <F9>. The computer will make decisions for any companies that you do not. Notice that the quarter changes from 13 to 14 in the upper right corner. Read the new Quarter 13 company reports (Ctrl-R, remember?). If you want to print historical reports, change the quarter number in the Report Selector. You can export company reports as tab-separated or comma-separated files, and read them into spreadsheets (check the Print to File box).
You may practice up through Quarter 16, but then you’ll have to start over (Tools|Change Quarter…, reset to 13), maybe the next time with another company. Reinstall the demo to refresh the data, if you wish. (1 to 2 hours, minimum)
Individual Preparation
To prepare for making decisions in The Competition, first focus your preparation on your own role responsibilities. For a deeper and multivariate perspective, explore:
Mostly, spend time studying the individual topic pages of those decisions you will be making, especially the sample decision sections to learn what information is available to make your decision and on what reports or regional data it is located. (1 to ?? hours)
Once you have mastered your role responsibilities, hopefully well before The Competition begins, then it's time to contribute to your team's ultimate success. Good luck!