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
- able to select between 20 years of travel
- when something happens, the game halts and he/she 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 paied 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 going too and their ages.
Starting towns
The player can choose where to start at a town. By default, the town is Independence, MO (availible in all years), St. Joseph, MO (availible by 1842), Council Bluffs (availible by 1846, called Kanesville until 1854), and Nauvoo, IL (availible 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, execpt 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 1.2x bonus. and a teacher, has only $500 but has a 5x bonus.
On the trail
Landmarks
I don't have much explanation on landmarks, because they change every year.
Random events
Here is an incomplete list of the random events in the game.
- Injury
- Disesae
- buffalo stampede
- Wildfire
- Strangers
- Abandoned wagons
- Bad weather
- Theft
- Quicksand
- Blocked Path
- Death
- Hill/Mountains
- Desert
- Wagon Dust
- Starvation
- Thirst
- Wagon accidents
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 he/she is California-bound, and makes it, the player 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, because health drops too low.
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.
