seems like it runs on an older game engine so not a "polished" game but for its time its really fun and realistic mining experience.

It's a simulator so its spose to be grindy i guess, i do enjoy grind when its rewarding but i have 27 hours and only have tier 2 mining equipment. It's soul crushing seeing that after about 2/3hours of digging/shovels/panning you only have around 8k. But to upgrade or advance you need around 100k or more if you count fuel and rent aswell, this also isn't counting the parts that break down and need replaced so more money or the whole thief stuff, you just filled your tank up with fuel? Too bad timmy just nicked half off it. Maybe i should play it on easy? But you cant change the settings in game, you need to start over. So another 27 hours to get back to where i left off? Why? Why cant i switch between easy, normal etc? There is a $1 mode, but where is the fun in that? there is no challenge if everything can bought at the start, can't you just balance the money a bit more so its less painful to just buy a bloody trailer?

Most of these things can be turned off i think, like the theft of fuel or parts. So you are telling me to turn things off that YOU put into the game to enjoy it more??? Why bother putting it then? To make it more realistic? Yes theft is a part of life, so why every day then? real theft happens once every so often not 4 days a week every week.

Also why does some machines just disappear? like vanish completely? You just spent 90k on a sweet excavator? Too bad its just been thanos snapped, good luck finding it.
Or why does the game run so poorly? Like max 15ish frames on the lowest setting? I have a good pc so that isn't the issue here, it's the game.

I want to like this game, there is fun at the core of it, but the devs or whoever have just messed it up so bad its just laughable to try and enjoy it.

This game needs work. As a fan of the series "Gold Rush", this game has got a few of things completely wrong. Way more controls for the excavator than an excavator actually has. After collecting the gold from the sluths and taking it to the separation units, instead of putting it through the water table, it wanted the gold put back into the sluths.

Sadly, I have a feeling the developers made their money and are moving on. shame really.