There've been a lot of pieces written about this, especially about Covert Action,[1][2][3][4] the game that Meier most explicitly called out for being a bunch o

There've been a lot of pieces written about this, especially about Covert Action,[1][2][3][4] the game that Meier most explicitly called out for being a bunch of minigames that lacked coherence. Specifically, if the minigames were too engrossing and the overarching layer too complex, you'd go into one of them with an objective that you've forgotten by the time you gotten out of it.[5] And it's not a new argument, either. XCOM, also published by Microprose as a later contemporary, was very close to the medley model that Meier felt that he struggled with, but its various modes and mechanical levels (base-building, interceptors, budget/time/people management, research and manufacturing, tactical combat) all worked so well that it became the DNA for decades of a franchise.[6] There's still a point to be made about maintaining an overarching focus, but it's a much muddier, know-it-when-you-see-it (or not-for-everybody) quality to it that makes it hard to turn into an actual rule. 1: https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/covert-action-review https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/covert-action-review 2: https://mssv.net/2010/09/19/covert-action-and-pirates/ https://mssv.net/2010/09/19/covert-action-and-pirates/ 3: https://scientificgamer.com/in-praise-of-covert-action/ https://scientificgamer.com/in-praise-of-covert-action/ 4: https://www.filfre.net/2017/03/whats-the-matter-with-covert-action/ https://www.filfre.net/2017/03/whats-the-matter-with-covert-... 5: https://www.gamedeveloper.com/game-platforms/analysis-sid-meier-s-key-design-lessons https://www.gamedeveloper.com/game-platforms/analysis-sid-me... 6: Instead of writing a long comment, I'll link to the last long comment I wrote about it here: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36297056 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36297056