Overview
Rancho Grande is the ultimate 'old west' experience. Placed in charge of a huge cattle ranch in the American Midwest, Grande offers a unique and compelling perspective of history. Taking control of a family of cattle ranchers, players guide them through the trials and tribulations involving a cattle ranch in the 19th century.
Core Mechanics
Grande is played from a combination of perspectives. The first, a Real Time Strategy element, allows players to manage, alter, and upgrade their ranch. Starting from a modest farmhouse with a few animals, the eponymous Grande can become as big as the player's dreams. The player has to manage the resources they have initially to quickly grow their ranch to be self sufficient, as the characters they manually control can also be used to gather resources. The other half of the game takes place from the 3rd person perspective, as players take direct control of any of the individuals on their ranch. Everyone from the lowly farm hand to the affluent owner can be used to perform tasks on the ranch. Players will encounter all kinds of unusual events, including rustler attacks and cattle strike.
Environment
As it takes place in the American Midwest, Rancho Grande takes place on the grand plains, with players farming huge amounts of bison and cows. As the ranch expands, the variety of terrains also expands. Hills and mountains may appear in the distance as players expand further, creating both benefits and challenges for the ranchers. Hills offer vantage points to make keeping track of cattle easier, and will also offer reassurance against bandits and rustlers. A fully dynamic day/night cycle allows for changing conditions and situations on the ranch. Changing seasons become a huge factor in the choices and concessions a player makes, with the cold and the rain significantly impacting the ranch itself.Rancho Grande takes place in a similar time period to Call of Juarez, another wild west-themed game.
