Oregon Trail 2 is a game in the Oregon Trail series. It is very different from the original Oregon Trail.
Differences
The game has some differences. This is an incomplete list of differences.
- The Character Creation screen
- Greater challenge to raft down the Columbia River
- The ability to select between 20 years of travel
- When something happens, the game halts and the player must decide what to do in response
Gameplay
The beginning
Players type their name, then select their role as a Greenhorn, adventurer (allowed to choose paths at trail forks, but can be a Greenhorn if morale falls too low, but can be re-elected in the future), and a trail guide, who does what an adventurer does, is paid well, but can be fired if morale falls too low, which ends the game. The player chooses an occupation then he/she chooses the time to travel. Then, finally, the player chooses the people who are coming along and their ages.
Starting towns
The player can choose where to start at a town. By default, the town is Independence, MO (available in all years), St. Joseph, MO (available by 1842), Council Bluffs (available by 1846, called Kanesville until 1854), and Nauvoo, IL (available by 1846)
Destinations
The player can settle in Oregon City, OR (earlier years, Willamette Valley), Sacramento, CA (earlier years, Sacramento Valley), Jacksonville, OR (earlier years, Rouge River Valley), and Salt Lake City, UT.
Occupations
The player can select an occupation. Here is a complete list of the occupations.
Occupations
- Banker
- Doctor
- Merchant
- Pharmacist
- Wainwright
- Gunsmith
- Mason
- Blacksmith
- Wheelwright
- Carpenter
- Saddlemaker
- Brickmaker
- Prospector
- Trapper
- Surveyor
- Shoemaker
- Journalist
- Printer
- Butcher
- Baker
- Tailor
- Farmer
- Pastor
- Artist
- Teacher
Skills
Most occupations have skills, but some don't. The player can customize the skills by clicking the word Skills near the bottom left corner. There is a 120 point limit. The skills that are automatically selected are free. Unused skill points will give a higher score at the end.
Bonuses
Each occupation, except one, has a bonus. The banker has the most money, but does not get a bonus. All occupations starting as a doctor, which has a 1.2 multiplier bonus. and a teacher, has only $500 but has a bonus that multiplies the score by 5.
On the trail
Landmarks
On the trail, players will encounter many historically accurate landmarks, rivers, forts, and trading posts. The landmarks will change with time, as they did in real life. For example, if the player travels in 1860, there will be many trading posts, but those wouldn't exist in 1840. Furthermore, some of the trading posts and forts that exist in the earlier years become abandoned in later years.
Random events
Here is an incomplete lists of the random events that can occur during the game:
- Buffalo Stampede
- Prairie fire
- Strangers Approach
- Abandoned Wagons
- Severe Weather (thunderstorm, fog, duststorm, hailstorm, etc.)
- Extreme Heat/Cold
- Missing person or livestock
- Theft
- Wild Fruits or Vegetables
- Quicksand Ahead
- Obstructed Path (fallen rocks and boulders)
- Death of party members
- Death of draft animals
- Injured draft animals
- Animals Exhausted
- Bad Mosquitoes
- Locusts
- Wagon Dust
- Wagon accident (Tipped Wagon, wagon caught on fire, broken parts, Wagon stuck in mud or deep sand, etc.)
- Accidental Gunshot (via hunting)
- Alkali Sickness
- Animal Bite (via hunting)
- Bad Cold
- Beriberi
- Burns
- Broken bone (arm, foot, hand, hip, or leg)
- Cholera
- Concussion
- Consumption
- Cuts and Abrasions
- Diphtheria
- Drowning (almost)
- Dysentery
- Food Poisoning
- Freezing
- Frostbite
- Gangrene
- Grippe
- Infection
- Internal Injuries
- Lockjaw (citation needed)
- Malaria
- Measles
- Mountain Fever
- Pneumonia
- Rabies (via Animal Bite)
- Scarlet Fever
- Scurvy
- Smallpox (disabled with farming/animals skill)
- Snakebite
- Sprained joint (ankle, elbow, shoulder, or wrist)
- Starvation
- Thirst
- Typhoid Fever
- Typhus
- Water Poisoning
- Unknown Ailment (common if the player does not have the medical skill, but symptoms can be matched in the guidebook to determine the best treatment.)
Hunting
There is a mini-game along the game. The players can choose between three guns, the pistol, the shotgun and the rifle. The pistol is only for killing rodents, the shotgun is for killing birds, and rifle to kill any animal. When the player misses when targeting, the animals go faster, thus making it difficult.
Other
When the player is California-bound, and makes it, he/she is able to prospect for gold (1849-1860).
Besides getting fired as a trail guide, the other way the game ends is when the player dies. This can be due to:
- Injury
- Drowning
- Rabies (contracted by an Animal Bite via hunting)
- Accidental Gunshot (via hunting)
- Starvation
- Thirst
- Freezing
- Low Health
- Disease (only after all other party members have died)
Remake
A game that is similar is Oregon Trail 5th Edition. It has new features. It has a video when crossing rivers. It also has a fishing feature too. And finally, the cutscenes and the journal videos plays at certain places.
Gallery
