Why did people like Beermogul?

I guess that's a matter of personal perspective, but here is my opinion anyway.

There were essentially two things about Beermogul that made it attractive, and they are pretty tightly linked:- the ability to build an "empire" and,- the fact that you were playing with (and against) other players, not just against "the computer".

They aren't mutually exclusive - having one without the other would dramatically diminish the fun.

The combination of these two elements help to define Beermogul - it's what sets it apart from other "sim" games. I've always wondered why Maxis (Electronic Arts) haven't caught on to this concept and used it to take their business simulation games to the next level - instead they have focussed on the "personal interaction" elements too closely - I'm not really interested in controlling an avatar that walks around in a virtual world virtually talking to people - what a load of crap. Sure they have sold a shitload of software, but they have changed their market - away from the intellectual, stimulating "empire building" commerce simulation market into the realm of the teeny bopper social deficient. They have left behind a big market, and this is where Beermogul aims to exist.