The Game of Life on Steam, Part 2: A Walkthrough
This post is the second one in a series about the Steam release of The Game of Life. Having already covered the basics in the first part, I will now devote this post to a walkthrough of the game. I shall describe the spaces in the order in which they are encountered.
Starting out
You have two options for your first turn. They are as follows:
- Start College: Borrow $100,000 to pay for tuition fees, then spin and move as you would on any other turn.
- Start Career: Take one Career Card (not a College Career Card) and then spin and move as usual.
Each path has its own pros and cons, as described below.
College Path
Although this option forces you to start with $125,000 of debt (including interest) and has a longer path, it provides you with a better chance of getting a higher-paying career. At the end of this path is the College Career Choice space. When you reach this space, you must take two College Career cards (or one if all other College Career cards are taken) and select the one you want. Once you have selected a College Career, spin and move again.
Career Path
This option has a shorter path and allows you to earn money sooner and does not force you to borrow any money at the start; however, it usually doesn't yield as much money in the short term, since the regular Career cards tend to pay you less than the College Career cards do. This path merges with the College Path at the second Pay Day space.
Pay Day
These spaces are the main source of income for all players. You will receive your salary (including Pay Raises) whenever you land on or pass over them. Some of these are Pay Raise spaces, further details of which are shown below.
Pay and Collect Spaces
Landing on a Pay Space will cause you to lose money, with the payment usually being a fixed amount varying from $5,000 to $125,000. However, some Pay Spaces require you to pay a certain amount multiplied by the amount of children you have if landed on, instead of or in addition to a fixed amount. There is even a Pay Space that not only requires you to pay $40,000, but also earns you a Life Tile if landed on.
Collect Spaces have the opposite effect to that of Pay Spaces in that you will collect money if you land on them. Usually, this is a fixed amount ranging from $10,000 to $500,000. However, there is one space which will allow you to collect $5,000 per child from each player if you land on it.
Life Spaces
Whenever you land on a Life Space, you will receive a Life Tile from the draw pile. However, if the draw pile is empty, you must take a Life Tile from another player instead. Moreover, if all other players have retired at Countryside Acres and/or have no Life Tiles of their own, you will not receive a Life Tile at all from landing on these spaces. Please note that some Life Spaces will give you a child or two - further details are explained in the relevant section. Finally, one of the Life Spaces also requires you to pay the bank $40,000 if you land on it.
Take a Share The Wealth Card
Land on this space and you will receive a random Share the Wealth Card.
Get Married
Upon reaching this space, stop immediately, receive one Life Tile, and spin for wedding gifts. The value of the gifts received from each opponent is tied to the number spun as follows:
- 1-4: No gifts from any players
- 5-7: $5,000 from each player
- 8-10: $10,000 from each player
You will also have a person peg (of the opposite gender to the character you have chosen added to your car. Once you have received all your wedding gifts (if any), spin and move again.
Pay Day + $10,000 Pay Raise
Normally, Pay Day spaces require you to collect your salary from the bank (including Pay Raises) whenever you land or pass over them. However, some Pay Day spaces will also provide you with a Pay Raise. As such, when you land on or pass over these spaces, you will also receive a Pay Raise, unless your career has already reached its maximum salary.
Normally, Pay Day spaces require you to collect your salary from the bank (including Pay Raises) whenever you land or pass over them. However, some Pay Day spaces will also provide you with a Pay Raise. As such, when you land on or pass over these spaces, you will also receive a Pay Raise, unless your career has already reached its maximum salary.
Taxes Due
Anyone who lands on these spaces must pay the bank a specific amount of cash as stated on their Career or College Career Card. Please note that you cannot use a Pay Card if you land on these spaces.
Buy a Starter Home
You must stop immediately upon reaching this space, and then choose one of the six Starter Homes on offer (excluding any that have already been bought by other players). If the cost of the Starter Home you chose is greater than the amount of cash you have, you must take out at least one Bank Loan. You can only own one Starter Home or House at a time. Once you have purchased a Starter Home, spin and move again.
Lose Your Job
Anyone who lands on these space must replace their current Career or College Career Card with a regular Career Card (not a College Career Card), and also discard every Pay Raise they have. If no regular Career Cards are available, you will retain your current career, but must still discard all your Pay Raises anyway.
Baby and Twins Spaces
When you land on these spaces, a person peg (or two if you landed on a Twins space) - a pink one for a baby girl, or a blue one for a baby boy - will be added to your car. You will also receive a Life Tile and $5,000 in baby gifts from each player. In addition to this, you will receive $10,000 in gifts from each of your children upon retirement, as explained in the relevant section.
Lawsuit
When you land on a Lawsuit Space, you will be presented by a list of your opponents. Click on an opponent to sue him or her for $100,000. If successful (i.e. the player being sued does not use an Exemption Card), you will receive $100,000 from that player.
Spin to Win
When you land on this space, you must choose whether or not you want to Spin to Win. If you do, you must select a number on the spinner (two numbers with a 2x Spin to Win Card, or four numbers with a 4x Spin to Win Card), choose the amount you want to wager (in $5,000 increments, from $5,000 to $50,000) and then spin the spinner. If the number spun matches any of the numbers you chose, you will receive 10 times the value of your wager from the bank. If it does not, however, you will lose your bet and must pay the bank the amount you had wagered.
Note: In the video game adaptation that is the subject of this guide (and by extension, the original board game), Collect Cards cannot be used against anyone who receives money from Spin to Win, nor can anyone use a Pay Card if they lose money from Spin to Win. (As far as I am aware, the version featured in Family Game Night 3 omits this rule.)
Return to School or Continue on the Path of Life
When you reach this orange space, you may either pay $50,000 to return to school (the left-hand branch), or continue on the Path of Life (the right-hand branch) and not pay anything. Choosing to return to school leads to the Change Career space (see below). Both of these branches merge at a Lawsuit space.
Change Career or Get $20,000 Pay Raise
You have two choices when you reach this orange space. If you choose to change careers, follow the steps for College Career Choice as described above, except that your new College Career Card will replace your existing Career Card, and you must return any pay raises you have previously accumulated. If, on the other hand, you choose to take the $20,000 Pay Raise instead, you will receive two Pay Raises. Please note that if no other College Career Cards are available, you will automatically take the $20,000 Pay Raise option. Once you have made this decision, spin and move again.
Take The Family Path or Continue on the Path of Life
This orange space also leads to two choices. The left-hand branch leads to the Family Path, which not only contains four Baby Spaces, but also the Open Daycare space, which will cause you to collect $5,000 per child from every other player if landed on. The right-hand branch leads to the Path of Life, which contains a Pay Raise space but no Baby Spaces. Both of these branches merge at a Spin to Win space.
Buy a Better Home
When you reach this space, you must stop immediately and decide whether or not to trade in your Starter Home for a new House. If you choose to do so, you must choose which of the available Houses you wish to purchase. As with Starter Homes, If the cost of the House you chose is greater than the amount of cash you have, you must take out at least one Bank Loan. Once you have decided whether or not to buy a better home (and chosen a House to purchase, if you chose to sell your Starter Home), spin and move again.
Tax Refund
When you reach this space, collect the amount of money you would normally pay the bank when landing on a Taxes Due space as stated on your Career Card. Please note that Collect Cards cannot be used against any players who land on this space.
Safe Path or Risky Path
This is the last orange space on the board that leads to a pair of branching paths. The left-hand branch leads to the Risky Path of Life, which contains a few Spin to Win spaces and a Lawsuit space; the right-hand branch leads to the Safe Path of Life, which is shorter but lacks Spin to Win spaces. Both branches merge at a Pay Space.
Pension
This is the last space before retirement. Anyone who lands on it must spin and receive $10,000 multiplied by the number they spun.
Retirement
When you reach this space, stop immediately. Any and all of your outstanding loans will be repaid, and your Starter Home or House will be sold. You will also receive $10,000 in gifts from each of your children. More importantly, you must also decide where to retire. But regardless of where you retire, on every turn afterwards, you must still spin on your turn for Long-Term investments until every other player has also retired.
If you retire at Millionaire Estates, you will receive a Life Tile if fewer than three other players have already retired there; however, your Life Tiles can still be stolen by other players if the draw pile runs out. On the other hand, if you retire at Countryside Acres, you will not receive any Life Tiles; however, your Life Tiles cannot be stolen by other players if the draw pile runs out.
Winning the Game of Life
After all players have retired, each player will have their net worth calculated using the process described above. Then, the value of their Life Tiles will be converted into additional money. When all Life Tiles have been redeemed, the player with the most money is the winner.
The Journal of Life and High Scores
Upon completing a game, you will be able to view a Journal of Life detailing all of the important events that you had experienced, starting with the path you chose at the start of the game, and ending with the total amount of money you had amassed by the end of the game. In a solo game, you will be the only player to be afforded this privilege, regardless of whether you actually won the game or not. However, in a multiplayer game, only the winner will be able to view their Journal of Life, unless any of the other players managed to reach the top 10 High Scores list. Speaking of which, the game's High Scores list records the top 10 scores achieved by human players. This is also where you can view the Journals of Life accompanying the games in which the High Scores were earned.
This concludes my walkthrough of The Game of Life. In the next (and hopefully last) part, I'll show you some tips, tactics and strategies that can improve your chance of winning.
Buy a Starter Home
You must stop immediately upon reaching this space, and then choose one of the six Starter Homes on offer (excluding any that have already been bought by other players). If the cost of the Starter Home you chose is greater than the amount of cash you have, you must take out at least one Bank Loan. You can only own one Starter Home or House at a time. Once you have purchased a Starter Home, spin and move again.
Lose Your Job
Anyone who lands on these space must replace their current Career or College Career Card with a regular Career Card (not a College Career Card), and also discard every Pay Raise they have. If no regular Career Cards are available, you will retain your current career, but must still discard all your Pay Raises anyway.
Baby and Twins Spaces
When you land on these spaces, a person peg (or two if you landed on a Twins space) - a pink one for a baby girl, or a blue one for a baby boy - will be added to your car. You will also receive a Life Tile and $5,000 in baby gifts from each player. In addition to this, you will receive $10,000 in gifts from each of your children upon retirement, as explained in the relevant section.
Lawsuit
When you land on a Lawsuit Space, you will be presented by a list of your opponents. Click on an opponent to sue him or her for $100,000. If successful (i.e. the player being sued does not use an Exemption Card), you will receive $100,000 from that player.
Spin to Win
When you land on this space, you must choose whether or not you want to Spin to Win. If you do, you must select a number on the spinner (two numbers with a 2x Spin to Win Card, or four numbers with a 4x Spin to Win Card), choose the amount you want to wager (in $5,000 increments, from $5,000 to $50,000) and then spin the spinner. If the number spun matches any of the numbers you chose, you will receive 10 times the value of your wager from the bank. If it does not, however, you will lose your bet and must pay the bank the amount you had wagered.
Note: In the video game adaptation that is the subject of this guide (and by extension, the original board game), Collect Cards cannot be used against anyone who receives money from Spin to Win, nor can anyone use a Pay Card if they lose money from Spin to Win. (As far as I am aware, the version featured in Family Game Night 3 omits this rule.)
Return to School or Continue on the Path of Life
When you reach this orange space, you may either pay $50,000 to return to school (the left-hand branch), or continue on the Path of Life (the right-hand branch) and not pay anything. Choosing to return to school leads to the Change Career space (see below). Both of these branches merge at a Lawsuit space.
Change Career or Get $20,000 Pay Raise
You have two choices when you reach this orange space. If you choose to change careers, follow the steps for College Career Choice as described above, except that your new College Career Card will replace your existing Career Card, and you must return any pay raises you have previously accumulated. If, on the other hand, you choose to take the $20,000 Pay Raise instead, you will receive two Pay Raises. Please note that if no other College Career Cards are available, you will automatically take the $20,000 Pay Raise option. Once you have made this decision, spin and move again.
Take The Family Path or Continue on the Path of Life
This orange space also leads to two choices. The left-hand branch leads to the Family Path, which not only contains four Baby Spaces, but also the Open Daycare space, which will cause you to collect $5,000 per child from every other player if landed on. The right-hand branch leads to the Path of Life, which contains a Pay Raise space but no Baby Spaces. Both of these branches merge at a Spin to Win space.
Buy a Better Home
When you reach this space, you must stop immediately and decide whether or not to trade in your Starter Home for a new House. If you choose to do so, you must choose which of the available Houses you wish to purchase. As with Starter Homes, If the cost of the House you chose is greater than the amount of cash you have, you must take out at least one Bank Loan. Once you have decided whether or not to buy a better home (and chosen a House to purchase, if you chose to sell your Starter Home), spin and move again.
Tax Refund
When you reach this space, collect the amount of money you would normally pay the bank when landing on a Taxes Due space as stated on your Career Card. Please note that Collect Cards cannot be used against any players who land on this space.
Safe Path or Risky Path
This is the last orange space on the board that leads to a pair of branching paths. The left-hand branch leads to the Risky Path of Life, which contains a few Spin to Win spaces and a Lawsuit space; the right-hand branch leads to the Safe Path of Life, which is shorter but lacks Spin to Win spaces. Both branches merge at a Pay Space.
Pension
This is the last space before retirement. Anyone who lands on it must spin and receive $10,000 multiplied by the number they spun.
Retirement
When you reach this space, stop immediately. Any and all of your outstanding loans will be repaid, and your Starter Home or House will be sold. You will also receive $10,000 in gifts from each of your children. More importantly, you must also decide where to retire. But regardless of where you retire, on every turn afterwards, you must still spin on your turn for Long-Term investments until every other player has also retired.
If you retire at Millionaire Estates, you will receive a Life Tile if fewer than three other players have already retired there; however, your Life Tiles can still be stolen by other players if the draw pile runs out. On the other hand, if you retire at Countryside Acres, you will not receive any Life Tiles; however, your Life Tiles cannot be stolen by other players if the draw pile runs out.
Winning the Game of Life
After all players have retired, each player will have their net worth calculated using the process described above. Then, the value of their Life Tiles will be converted into additional money. When all Life Tiles have been redeemed, the player with the most money is the winner.
The Journal of Life and High Scores
Upon completing a game, you will be able to view a Journal of Life detailing all of the important events that you had experienced, starting with the path you chose at the start of the game, and ending with the total amount of money you had amassed by the end of the game. In a solo game, you will be the only player to be afforded this privilege, regardless of whether you actually won the game or not. However, in a multiplayer game, only the winner will be able to view their Journal of Life, unless any of the other players managed to reach the top 10 High Scores list. Speaking of which, the game's High Scores list records the top 10 scores achieved by human players. This is also where you can view the Journals of Life accompanying the games in which the High Scores were earned.
This concludes my walkthrough of The Game of Life. In the next (and hopefully last) part, I'll show you some tips, tactics and strategies that can improve your chance of winning.
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