God Games - Games - Facepunch Forum

I'm a real fan of god games, and I decided to make a thread about it. [release] [b]God Games, what are they?[/b] A god game is an artificial life game that casts the player in the position of controlling the game on a large scale, as an entity with divine/supernatural powers, as a great leader, or with no specified character (as in Spore), and places them in charge of a game setting containing autonomous characters to guard and influence. God games are a subgenre of artificial life game, where players use supernatural powers to influence (I mostly kill) a population of simulated worshipers. God games allow players to take on the role of a god with limited powers, similar to the gods from the mythology of ancient Greece. The player's power comes from simulated worshippers, who are usually simple or tribal in nature. It is common for most people in god games to look alike. Early god games only featured models for full-grown men and women, while Black and White introduced children. Players must economize quantities of power or mana, which are derived from the size and prosperity of their population of worshipers. The player consumes this power by using godly powers to help their worshippers, such as blessing their crops or flattening hills to make better farmland. This results in a positive feedback loop, where more power allows the player to help their population grow which helps them gain more power. However, more powerful abilities typically require more power, and these usually take the form of natural disasters that can damage rival populations rather than improve life for the player's worshipers. Games typically utilize an aerial top-down perspective, similar to a real-time strategy game. [/release] [release] [b]Some god games out there.[/b] 1989: [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Populous]Populous[/url] [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NTGneDh-SMY[/media] In this game, first developed for the Amiga, Atari ST and PC, the player adopts the role of a deity and assumes the responsibility to shepherd people by direction, manipulation, and divine intervention. The player has the ability to shape the landscape and grow their civilization with the overall aim of having it conquer an enemy force, which is led by an opposing deity. This was, I think, the first god game out there. 1996: [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Afterlife_%28video_game%29]Afterlife[/url] [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aqd8o_RzRbk&feature=related[/media] The primary goal of the game is to provide divine and infernal services for the inhabitants of the afterlife. This afterlife caters to one particular planet, known simply as the Planet. The creatures living on the Planet are called EMBOs, or Ethically Mature Biological Organisms. When an EMBO dies, its SOUL, or Stuff Of Unending Life, travels to the afterlife where it will attempt to find an appropriate "fate structure". Fate structures are places where SOULs are rewarded or punished, as appropriate, for the virtues or sins that they practiced while they were alive. The seven sins and their corresponding virtues are based on the seven deadly sins, and are as follows. 1999: [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Populous:_The_Beginning]Populous: The Beginning[/url] [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SDocy0IH2Fk[/media] The Beginning took a radical departure and placed the player in the role of a shaman, who directly leads her tribe against opponents. Throughout the twenty-five missions of the campaign, the player leads their tribe across a solar system, dominating enemy tribes and tapping new sources of magic, with the ultimate goal of the shaman attaining godhood herself. Populous: The Beginning was the first entry in the series to use true 3D computer graphics; Bullfrog waited four years after Populous II so that the graphics technology could catch up to their vision for a new and different game in the series. The developers considered the addition of terrain deformation and manipulation, combined with "smart" villagers who automatically attended to tasks, to add an entirely new dimension to the series. The game's original title was Populous: The Third Coming before being changed before the beta release. [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doshin_the_Giant]Doshin the Giant[/url] [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QbYJJQ4enng[/media] The player has the choice of what the outcome will be. By absorbing the love or hate of the islanders Doshin grows in size. Doshin is the Love Giant, a yellow, featureless giant with a happy face and a few strands of hair. He is a benevolent, helpful being who, with his good actions, earns love from his people, and increases in size (only for that day, by the next day, he is back to normal size). Doshin can transform, at will, into his evil alter ego Jashin, the Hate Giant, and has wings on its back and clawed feet. Jashin is known to be a destructive force to the natives, the exact opposite to Doshin's nature. With his bad actions, people show him their dislike, and he increases in size. The only thing the two giants have in common is that both have an outie belly button. [b] This game freaks me out, kinda. [/b] unknown release date: [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Populous_II:_Trials_of_the_Olympian_Gods]Populous II: Trials of the Olympian Gods[/url] [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CrzmIuE34Zo[/media] Populous II is a direct sequel to Bullfrog's earlier game Populous and is one of the company's most notable games. Like its predecessor, Populous II is a god game, where the player takes the role of a god, guiding his people in battle against the followers of an enemy god. Whereas Populous only generally alluded to undefined deities, Populous II is specifically set under the backdrop of Greek mythology. The player is a demigod, one of Zeus's countless children with mortal women, and has to battle one Greek deity at a time until finally facing his father. Zeus has promised to let the player into the Pantheon on Olympus if he can survive all the battles. Populous II is considerably more versatile and has a great deal more "divine intervention" effects than the original game. 2001: [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_%26_White_%28video_game%29]Black and White 1[/url] [i]Couldn't find a trailer.[/i] The player begins the game as a newly created god, born from the prayers of a family. After saving the family's drowning son, the grateful family leads the player to their village. There, the player chooses a Creature. The plot advances as the player completes main "Gold Story Scrolls" and side "Silver Reward Scrolls" quests. The player discovers a massive Creature, who tells of a god known as Nemesis, his former master, who desires to destroy all other gods and reign supreme as the one true god. Nemesis becomes the principal antagonist in the game. The player is told of the Creed - an energy source with the ability to destroy gods. Nemesis then destroys his former Creature and attacks the player's village. A mysterious vortex opens that the player enters to escape Nemesis. This was probably one of the best god games out there, atleast, that's my oppinion. 2005: [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_%26_White_2]Black and White 2[/url] [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CVMTgOYwrdg[/media] Alot of stuff from Black and White 1, but BaW 2 features elements of RTS gameplay, with the addition of controllable warfare and fighting units. Black & White 2 also features a more conventional HUD system than BaW 1. Rather than the experimental HUDless gameplay seen in the original game, Black & White 2 features HUD notifications that inform players of their creature's state of mind, the effects of their actions on their creature, the status of villages, etc. 2011 (Not yet released): [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/From_Dust]From Dust[/url] From Dust is a game where you mostly affect the environment, such as water, earth, lava, flowing water and moving soil result in the emergence of rivers, etc. An essential aspect of From Dust is the environment simulation, which underlies the player's interactions with the world. Developers intended that the world appear as a 'living thing', a dynamic and spontaneous entity, irrespective of the player's actions upon it. I am looking forward to this game very much, I can't wait. P.S: [url=http://www.facepunch.com/threads/1049724-From-Dust]There is already a thread for from dust, so go there to talk about that.[/url] [/release] Post your discussion about god games here, and if I missed any games, please tell me.

If you're including sequels, then try adding the sequels to Populous to the OP: Populous II and Populous: The Beginning.

Will do, just a second.

Also, there's Doshin the Giant for the gamecube which is a bit of a God Game. And Afterlife is kinda a god game/city planning game also. You're like the city planner over both heaven and hell, and you have to create both and manage them to reward the good people who make it to heaven and punish the bad ones who make it to hell.

I added both Doshin the Giant (god what is that game creepy), and Afterlife.

B&W2 was such a disappointment. Mostly because it was insanely linear and felt like one long tutorial.

I liked B&W1 better. Though I hated the part where those 3 guys were singing on the boat. My ears melted

Black and White 2 disappointed me, but I'd love to see a third game done correctly.

You forgot the very first one. Little Computer People and place them in release order.

[QUOTE=Aerkhan;31569495]You forgot the very first one. Little Computer People and place them in release order.[/QUOTE] Isn't that more like The Sims than a god game?

[QUOTE=Frisk;31569548]Isn't that more like The Sims than a god game?[/QUOTE] Bit of both. It's usually classified as "First God Game Evar".

Added Little Computer People

[QUOTE=Staneh;31569278]I liked B&W1 better. Though I hated the part where those 3 guys were singing on the boat. My ears melted[/QUOTE] Black and White is the only game in which you can make a giant cow devour a paedophile. Fact.

Wait what where is it

I want Black & White 3

I loved BW2 but I wished there was MP.

Black & White 1 was one of my favorite games and always will be. There's so much fun in tossing rocks and fireballs at villages, or getting your giant cow to walk around and shit giant lumps of crap on top of people. From Dust looks incredibly fun for completely different reasons, so I can't wait for that either.

Black and White 1 Was best. I don't want black and White 3. After Lionhead went Fable-crazy Im afraid to see what they would pump out. Did you know Peter Molyneux planned around 5 ish B&W games? That crazy fuck... Never getting any work done.

El Presidente is my god, so Tropico series

I've recently been playing through B&W recently. But as soon as Lethys takes your creature the game takes a big turn for the worst... I adore B&W but why the fuck did they have to make such a terrible land as land 3. I've never gotten past it. So this morning I installed B&W2 because I've never played it and so far I'm really enjoying the RTS aspects.

[QUOTE=Staneh;31569278]I liked B&W1 better. Though I hated the part where those 3 guys were singing on the boat. My ears melted[/QUOTE] But but I loved that song

You might add Dungeon keeper. It ain't a literally "god" game, but I think it fits the bill of the genre.

[QUOTE=Staneh;31569278]I liked B&W1 better. Though I hated the part where those 3 guys were singing on the boat. My ears melted[/QUOTE] It had something to do with helping them build a boat right?

Yes, [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q0x4Kw_y4fg[/media] WHYYYY

Doshin the giant omg why didn't you come out in america :*(

You forgot Dungeon Keeper, the best game I've played tbh.

[QUOTE=Staneh;31570339]Yes, [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q0x4Kw_y4fg[/media] WHYYYY[/QUOTE] "Oh my god, you've killed Keneth!" That's what you greedy motherfuckers get. How about you get off your fat asses, stop writing shitty songs, and get to work like everybody else.

Oh come on, that song was great!

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOH we got this notion that we'd quite like to sail the ocean [editline]6th August 2011[/editline] TUNE

[QUOTE=Staneh;31570339]Yes, [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q0x4Kw_y4fg[/media] WHYYYY[/QUOTE] oooh we have some diff'rent feelings but that's not to cause commotion so I guess that we can move on and do something else You're not keen of this song So i've been sittin' here a thinkin' Cos I want you to enjoy a different song eidle eidle eee eidle eidle eee I simple wan't you to enjoy this other song (I know the lyrics are crap and make no sense but it is hard to make it fit within the tune) [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QdKuNtV9WbM[/media]