Wow, haven't heard of this one for a while. Released back in 2016, Turmoil is a game about drilling for oil like it's 1899 and it has a new expansion available. In case you missed it, our contributor BTRE reviewed the original game and the first DLC back in 2018.
More about it: "Turmoil offers players a visually charming, tongue-in-cheek take on the simulation genre inspired by the 19th century oil rush in North America. Get a taste of the rush and rivalry of the time as you earn your way to become a successful oil entrepreneur. As you make money digging up and selling oil, the town will grow along with you."
A popular game still to this day with it regularly seeing hundreds of players, and this new DLC has given it a huge boost with a concurrent peak player count of 3,702 people in the last 24 hours which is closing in on its all-time record. The game also has a Very Positive rating on Steam from over 10,000 user reviews.
Check out the new DLC trailer:
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Direct Link
Direct Link
Creative Director Jos Bouman said: "Creating this new DLC was not planned, but interesting ideas just popped into our heads. A few experiments validated the juiciness and fast forward two years later: Deeper Underground is here!"
What to expect from Deeper Underground:
- An all-new town with new buildings, a new mayor, and balloon trips to special deep-drilling grounds!
- Besides oil, you can now also find water underground - which comes in handy when you want to drill faster and cheaper! But it's also essential for the production of the highly valuable petrol!
- Petrol marks the start of a new era. You can’t just dig it up and sell it right away, you first have to produce it in refineries. It’s a challenging but rewarding undertaking, and we trust there will be no complaints about the revenues it generates!
- A brand new expedition: Every few in-game years, regular drilling levels are alternated with special research missions. Here, it's all about trying to drill as deep as possible with limited resources. Can you drill deeper than your opponents?
- Two new playable characters to choose from: meet Thorpe and Mabel! Both willing and able!
- To get your drilling operation up and running as quickly as possible, meet Yvonne, Sanjay, and Dynamite Dale who will introduce you to their new wares! And of course your old friends Edward, Raynor, Fred, and William will stop by with their train to provide you with all the drilling equipment you need.
- Philip is also back, and he's got a new game for you: Dice Dice Dice. If you can outsmart him, you're sure to make a few extra bucks on the side.
- Just like previous campaigns, it's all about who has the most town shares in the end. Deeper Underground uses the same bidding system as in the multiplayer campaign, but shares can also be earned in the deep-drilling missions.
- And last but not least: we've added an explosive item to the game, dynamite! While hard rock can be nice when it comes out of speakers, it's a big problem when you stumble upon it underground. Normal drills are not strong enough, so make sure to visit Dynamite Dale in the Saloon!
Turmoil has Native Linux support and is rated Steam Deck Playable.
You can buy Turmoil from:
GOG (no new DLC yet, version possibly outdated)
Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
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6 comments
You know, 20, maybe even 10 years ago I might have gotten into this. But these days I just wouldn't have the heart--not that I think nobody should be making such games, but for me personally, even pretending to be an oil producer would just make me itch.
3 Likes, Who?
Philadelphus Sep 13
In some ways this is about as close to the perfect game for me as I think is possible: it's basically managing a whole bunch of linked differential equations (with all the various fluid throughputs and processes), but in real-time and with very few actual numbers, so there's no way you could actually calculate things numerically and it's all about doing fast-paced intuitive calculus to make judgement calls on when and where to do things in order to maximize your score (net income) at the end of each level. The first DLC was a nice surprise when it came along (as was the free addition of an asynchronous multiplayer mode), and with how much fun I got out of it I'm looking forward to this one quite a bit. 
One fly in the ointment is that I did have to switch to Proton Experimental to get the game to run after the update, something I've never had to bother with before. It seems to work, at least (I haven't had time actually play yet).
One fly in the ointment is that I did have to switch to Proton Experimental to get the game to run after the update, something I've never had to bother with before. It seems to work, at least (I haven't had time actually play yet).
1 Likes, Who?
slaapliedje Sep 13
Ha, I played Turmoil on my Atari 800xl, used to love that game. This looks different... https://www.mobygames.com/game/19862/turmoil/
0 Likes
Quoting: Purple Library GuyYou know, 20, maybe even 10 years ago I might have gotten into this. But these days I just wouldn't have the heart--not that I think nobody should be making such games, but for me personally, even pretending to be an oil producer would just make me itch.Terra Nil might be more to your liking.
Just don't stop me from playing this one, or, There Will Be Blood.
3 Likes, Who?
soulsource Sep 16
Quoting: Purple Library GuyYou know, 20, maybe even 10 years ago I might have gotten into this. But these days I just wouldn't have the heart--not that I think nobody should be making such games, but for me personally, even pretending to be an oil producer would just make me itch.I feel the same. I already had a bit of a guilty conscience playing it back when it was released...
Once I had actually started playing, I found myself enjoying the gameplay a lot though. I just needed to remind myself from time to time that it's just a game, and that drilling for virtual oil won't pollute the real air any more than playing any other game.
So I think I will buy the DLC once they release it on GoG.
1 Likes, Who?
Philadelphus Sep 16
Much like how the previous The Heat Is On DLC changed the game by adding magma underground and letting you use it to grow gas pockets or convert oil pockets into gas pockets, Deeper Underground changes the game again by removing gas and adding water pockets that can be found. With some upgrades, drilling from a water pocket makes the process faster and cheaper, but its main purpose is combining with oil to refine into petrol in the new refinery that your oil storage tanks can be upgraded to. Left and Right Inc can be switched between buying oil and buying petrol; so far I've always seen there be more oil than water on a level so you'll still need to be selling oil, but you want to be making as much petrol as possible since it sells for a lot more (and has its own sinusoidal price fluctuations). One other change is that you no longer need an upgrade to drill through rock – you can do it from the start – but it now costs extra money while you're drilling through it.
Then, every so many levels, you get to try drilling as deep as you can on a fixed budget, which requires careful use of water-assisted drilling and figuring out the most efficient route around rocks with the limited information moles provide (scans being generally too expensive to use much in this mode). There's no time limit on these levels (they go until you run out of money or reach a pre-determined depth limit), which makes them a first for the game and a bit of a slower-paced challenge for when you need a breather after balancing all the various systems in the normal levels.
Overall I'm quite enjoying it, and I like that all three campaigns are playable (base game + 2 DLC), and that each is its own thing with unique strategies required to beat it.
Then, every so many levels, you get to try drilling as deep as you can on a fixed budget, which requires careful use of water-assisted drilling and figuring out the most efficient route around rocks with the limited information moles provide (scans being generally too expensive to use much in this mode). There's no time limit on these levels (they go until you run out of money or reach a pre-determined depth limit), which makes them a first for the game and a bit of a slower-paced challenge for when you need a breather after balancing all the various systems in the normal levels.
Overall I'm quite enjoying it, and I like that all three campaigns are playable (base game + 2 DLC), and that each is its own thing with unique strategies required to beat it.
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