The Oil Blue

The Oil Blue is an oil drilling simulation that is largely played as a time management game. The player is an employee of United Oil of Oceana (UOO) and travels around the world to set up and maintain drilling stations. He lands on abandoned drilling islands and reclaims them for UOO. The company sets out an objective and when it has been completed, the player proceeds to a new island.

The game is largely played by configuring and maintaining the drilling equipment. Gameplay is divided between two main areas: a screen to manage reparations and sell oil, and the interface with the different drilling and processing equipment. The gameplay session is divided into different days. The player can only sell oil when the market is open and employees only work during the day. After each day a tally is made. There are four main types of machinery available: Groundwells, Oil Derricks, Pumpjacks, and Drill Rigs. The first one is used to process the oil and the other three for drilling and collecting. The player is familiarized with them through different tutorials and the latter two only become available after obtaining a certain license.

The different installations are controlled through buttons and there is pressure for the player to keep track of everything. For instance, a Groundwell processes the oil, but the player needs to manage the speed of production and allocate the necessary fuel cells. Throwing all power at it with a maximum speed never results in the best processing and can damage the machine. In the Oil Derrick for instance the player needs to start the drill and check the radar on the right for pockets. Once oil has been located, the drill needs to be slowed down, moved to the correct horizontal position and pump the oil after drilling. All the while pressure needs to be released regularly and the machine can be halted when there is too much stress. When a sufficient amount is drilled, it needs to be transferred to a processing plant. Players manage multiple machines at once and need to keep track of everything, along with warning systems when something goes wrong and a machine needs quick attention. When warnings are ignored, machines become damaged and power down.

After each day the player receives cash for selling oil and royalties from other island. Cash can be spent on upgrades, repairs, and services fees for employees. Machines are upgraded automatically based on various statistics merely by using them, but these upgrades can also be bought. Repairs for machines are resolved through various mini-games. The player also goes through a more general ranking leveling system where various advantages are provided with each new level.