Hello, I have been thinking about making a Jalopy AAR for some time now. I was in part inspired by VICE's "Around the Balkans in 20+ Days". Basically, this is me playing Jalopy, a game set in the Eastern Bloc right after the fall of the Berlin wall and before the reunification of Germany. You drive through the German Democratic Republic, Czech and Slovak Federative Republic, Hungarian People's Republic, Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and finally, the People's Republic of Bulgaria in an old Trabant. (Or Laika, as it is known in the game) You have to keep it maintenanced, change tires, refuel and the likes. You find boxes along the way which you can sell at the gas stations. I have already made some progress on this save, but that was to ensure I make it all the way to Bulgaria. Please excuse the current video settings, I have everything turned to the max, but I think it has something to do with the resolution. (I know that sounds silly, but believe me, it really isn't as straight forward in this game. I have the resolution set according to my monitor, 1600x900)
Chapter 1 : East Germany.
I might not have mentioned, I sleep in the garage. I can't complain much, save for the smell of gasoline and oil. (Of which you have to pre-mix)
Sad to say, they temporarily removed uncle from the gameplay as he was the source of many bugs.
Well, I am off! See you, uncle! I shall be sure to follow in your footste- uhh, tire tracks...
This is what hundreds of years of the proletariat creating does! Isn't it beautiful? I also came across a T-34 with the text "Liberate us once again!"
Uhh, so right outside of Dresden I heard a loud bang coming from the engine. I have no idea what I did, I had a rich oil mix... Better go with optimal next time. I fixed the engine using my only repair kit. I also changed my tires for the spares I had with me.
I kindly offered my tires for sale to the cashier, but she refused them out of hand. Never even took a proper look at them! So I did the only right thing by sticking it to the man.
How is a common genosse supposed to afford this?! I would get the bull bar, but I would not like to jeopardise the entire journey.
Textiles banned in the CSFR? Sounds like a chance for undecent folk to make an extra mark! I would never get involved in that.
I awoke early the next morning and headed straight for the border. I said ahoj to a guard who looked very friendly, and then I met a border guard who I was sure that I had met before, but I couldn't quite make sure where...
That concludes the first chapter and our journey through the very Democratic Republic of Germany.
Stay tuned, CSFR is coming up next! Feel free to leave any feedback. (Except for the graphics, I'm working on that and will be sure to have it done by the next chapter)
I like this, I think there aren't enough communist roadtrip AARs or games. You could play Euro Truck Simulator and pretend it's 1989, but this is better.
I managed to fix the graphics issue. Setting the resolution to a higher one than my monitor's one offered a greater deal of video settings and higher ones, at that.
Chapter 2 : Czech and Slovak Federal Republic.
So I went for the scenic route. Bad idea. The road was muddy and not even paved properly and had lots of holes, not to mention the oil... I found two boxes just around the corner of eachother, the first containing wine and the second cigarettes. The terrain caused much of my vehicle to be covered in dirt, of which I cleaned off at the station later. I came across a abandoned train station that contained two boxes, sausages and coffee. My gas ran out whilst trying to get out of a hole in a bridge, I had to push the car near half the way until I found a gas station. After I fixed my car, the weather cleared up and I saw civilisation on the horison! I gathered all my found products and sold them at the store, the cashier told me that she'd run out of money if she bought more of my medicine, good thing I needed to stock up on supplies myself. Later I checked out the auto-shop, where I found a decal that I could simply not resist. It's not like they pay me or anything... I checked into the hotel for tomorrow's journey. Just before going to bed, I noticed some hungry workers ran out of pálinka. Clearly a result of inverse-munchies.
This concludes the Czechoslovakian Czech and Slovak chapter. Stay tuned, Hungary is coming up next!
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