The Cable Guy

How do I switch to third-person mode?

Press Tab. Press B to return.

Are the towns real?

Yes. Every map is built from real OpenStreetMap data and real elevation. The towns themselves are fictionalized versions of the real places

Do I need to know anything about cable to play?

No. The tutorial, “Your first job at Tri-County Cable,” has eight lessons with your mentor, Jon Goodyear, and assumes no prior knowledge. Each lesson is split into small steps, and a Show me button points the camera at what the step is about. After the tutorial you quit Tri-County and start your own company next door.

Is there competition?

Yes. Tri-County Cable runs its own network in town as a rival. At company level 8 you can start buying up local cable companies.

Should I put cable on poles or bury it?

Aerial cable is cheaper and quicker to build. Buried cable needs a drill rig, but it stands up to storms better, which is the whole point of Storm Coast.

Where does it install, and where are my saves?

  1. The game installs per user, with no admin prompt, to %LOCALAPPDATA%\Programs\The Cable Guy.
  2. Saves and settings are in %LOCALAPPDATA%\TheCableGuy\Saved.
  3. Setup installs the Visual C++ runtime if you don’t already have it.

What is included in Early Access?

  1. Five real American towns built from real map and elevation data: Douglas, WY; Cape Coral, FL; Edgar Springs, MO; Ilwaco, WA; and Mackinac Island, MI.
  2. Six ways to play: the Tutorial, Beginner, Greenfield, Storm Coast, Takeover, and a Sandbox with no goals and no bankruptcy.
  3. An eight-lesson tutorial that teaches cable from scratch. No prior knowledge needed.
  4. A full network-building sim. Lay coax, hybrid and fiber cable on poles or underground. Light nodes and amplifiers from your headends, sign up subscribers, and compete with a rival cable company.
  5. Ten company levels that unlock bucket trucks, research, hired crews, more offices, buying out local cable companies, and finally satellite launches.
  6. Hands-on work when you’d rather do it yourself: climb the poles, splice fiber in a dome closure, steer a directional drill underground, set up amplifiers and make repairs.
  7. Every update during Early Access

What is the current state of the product?

The Cable Guy is fully playable from start to finish. The game is under active development, with updates arriving often as small patches. Expect some rough edges while we keep adding to it.

Will I have access to the product during the entire Early Access phase?

Yes. Buying during Early Access gives you the game for the whole Early Access period and the full release when it launches, at no extra cost. Every update in between is included.