E3 - Anything interesting?

[Kropotkin]

The true definition of a RTS is that it's a bad clone of DuneII (the only good RTS, ever).

[bipolarbear]

WHat makes all other games a clone? The fact that they follow the same basic formula? Isn't that what defines a genre?

[Kropotkin]

Well yes, that I use the word clone is just to imply that they are evil.

[DrSpike]

Dune 2 deserves respect for being very original, but in absolute terms that doesn't make clones that followed necessarily inferior - in fact many weren't.

[Kropotkin]

*Kropotkin puts his hands over his ears and starts singing to himself*

[DrSpike]

That's a great way to win arguments.

[lord of the mark]

Originally posted by DrSpike
Well there is a lot of flexibility in the terminology but I tend more towards the useage that Simulation games are those that simulate something reasonably accurately.

but then its a general qualifier, not a genre title. After all lets say, Panzer General, isnt as accurate a sim as say Combat Mission. Caesar 3 isnt as accurate as the Simcity series aspires to be (I assume SC4 is more accurate thatn SC2000 was) there are flight games (crimson skies?) far less accurate than say an MS flight sim. So does that mean CM, SC4 and MS Flight sim belong in a seperate genre all their own, and apart from the others mentioned? I dont think so.

Simulation (as a gaming genre) is typically used to refer to software that simulates (with greater or lesser accuracy) a real world technology or institution, with the emphasis on giving the player the chance to "play" with that technology or institution, rather than pursue particular goals or play "against" the AI or in MP. The paradigm are the flight sims and the various Maxis games.

Now when you simulate a city, you edge towards Strat games. Especially when, as with the Impressions City builders, you move away from a clear distinction between public and private sectors (which SC has) and you place at least some emphasis on training soldiers. Caesar3 in some ways resembles a "typical" RTS.

Im not sure about the Sim vs tycoon distinction, as i havent played the paradigm examples of the latter. My impression is that a tycoon game is focused on the private sector, and uses that to make a more "competitive" game rather than a Maxis style toy.

[DrSpike]

Originally posted by lord of the mark

but then its a general qualifier, not a genre title.

Quite, but that's fine. In reality many many games are hard to pigeonhole. Genre terminology shouldn't be taken too far - it is a guide, and a good one, but still only a guide.

[bipolarbear]

to DrSpike

[lord of the mark]

I continue to believe that genre names influence not only the layout of stores and websites (making it much easier to find certain kinds of games than others) but affect the way we think about and discuss games. And that the absence of a consensus term that incorporates the whole range of what i (above) called sims tends to take momentum away from that category.

[bipolarbear]

Thinking about it now, there are different ways you can do genres. You cna do it by gameplay style(FPS, RTS, Sim) or you could do it also by setting(Sci-Fi,Fantasy,Present, Western).

[lord of the mark]

Originally posted by bipolarbear
Thinking about it now, there are different ways you can do genres. You cna do it by gameplay style(FPS, RTS, Sim) or you could do it also by setting(Sci-Fi,Fantasy,Present, Western).

search this forum for favorite games by setting, and you'll see we discussed that