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That one mechanic emerged and became popular is not the same as a game whose core conceit depends on emergence occurring within each game.
by Bjartr 6y ago
That one mechanic emerged and became popular is not the same as a game whose core conceit depends on emergence occurring within each game.
- ethbr0 6y agoI would argue they're extremely similar across successful emergent games. The core feature of a playable, entertaining emergent game is a set of flexible gameplay rules, able to bend and tolerate the unexpected without breaking. In the case of Tribes, there weren't any gameplay rules predicated on movement speed or height. Consequently, skiing only enriched gameplay. I would argue that EVE Online features the same style of emergent-tolerant rules. In contrast would be something like Braid, where the available actions and rules, while seeming free, are in fact extremely rigid and intolerant of the unexpected. Failed emergent games typically fail by innovating in their gameplay, but attempting to apply inflexible or overly-specific rules on top of that.