Spore, Will it be an addictive sandbox game? Options

[Neela]

I am currently been following the game in development called Spore.

It looks to be my type of game actually and its really turning out well I think. Though it is a long way off still from release, I thought I would share a few recent links for it. I find this game fascinating..

Heres a short video of the creature editor

I also found this flash game which is going to be similar to the very first stage of the SPORE game. This is already so darn addictive just seeing how large I can grow my little creature..

Play the game here

[The Wolf]

I love the concept of Spore, but I just hope they won't screw up the end side of it.

I mean, in a video of Spore I watched, the space time was simply presented as flying around the universe and play god.

Now, when presented like that, it does sound fun, but what's the challenge? As I saw it, once got your UFO, you could just fly around and destroy or create worlds just like that. I couldn't see any diplomacy between the worlds apart from destroying them.

Or maybe I just got it all wrong. Please prove me wrong.

[Intestinal Chaos]

I love the concept of Spore, but I just hope they won't screw up the end side of it.

I mean, in a video of Spore I watched, the space time was simply presented as flying around the universe and play god.

Now, when presented like that, it does sound fun, but what's the challenge? As I saw it, once got your UFO, you could just fly around and destroy or create worlds just like that. I couldn't see any diplomacy between the worlds apart from destroying them.

Or maybe I just got it all wrong. Please prove me wrong.

Well, if you want to interact with intergalatic politics then do so. The game isn't going to force you into it. As I've read currency is gained through your installations thoughout the galaxy, so you probably will have settle a planet or two (or three or four). The game won't be done until 2007 mind you (the middle of it at that) so there's still a lot to be done. First off you can only destroy a planet by spending an incedulous amount of points to do so (think buying 4 or 5 pianos on the sims 2 WITHOUT cheats) and same thing with the genisis tool. The video you're refering to is outdated and the new one hints a little bit more towards the intergalactic politics you mentioned earlier (though admitedly it is combat related).
They didn't give a big show of the civ stage, but apparently you can also take cities through diplomacy and cultural integration. I imagine that they're still working out the fine details and smoothing out the kinks on the intergalactic version. Just remember that everything isn't free and you will probably have to amass large amounts of points to get some of the upgrades (or even to use certain ones). I imagine spending points to terraform and build up your upgrades as well as colony management might eat up some of your time and impose you with some amount of limits. I'll say again that this game is still in development, so they'll probably impliment a better intergalactic political system.



Here's a direct quote that should help you.

.2 Missions
With the UFO you can do many things, which are sometimes given to you as missions. You can choose to explore many different planets. Terreforming as you go and adding cities, which contribute to your overall money. Sometimes, even on barren planets you can find alien artefacts (new technologies), which can be upgrades for your UFO (such as a better terreforming tool or a stronger weapon). Sometimes you get exploratory missions or treasure hunts, which may (we are unsure) ask you to explore a certain planet or find a certain item.

You may choose to visit other planets and befriend alien races, building up alliances with other creatures. There are advantages of having alliances with creatures. You can trade with them (Such as creatures and possibly technology). Also, you can join forces to fight against other alien races.

If you find primitive creatures, you can drop a monolith on their planet and return in a few hours in hope that they are now intelligent and worship you. Sometimes you can impress intelligent creatures with your superior technology (like fireworks for example) and then they begin to worship you. We are unsure of the benefits of having worshipping creatures other than them being on your side. But it may be possible that you receive some kind of income from other creatures.

This post has been edited by Intestinal Chaos: Aug 26 2006, 08:18 PM