[dsula]

While going through my boxes of old software I came across simearth, a 20 year old computer game. I gave it another spin. It was interesting as it simulates the complete earth including development of civilization. The civilization part is of particular interest. You can allocate energy to various fields, like food production, or medicine. The result of energy input in those fields is always a rapid growing population with later crash due to plague, global warming and food shortage.

The game gives you a "quality of life" indicator. It was interesting to see that the only time I achieved better than "bearable" was with maintaining a very small population.

Although the game doesn't model peak-oil, it has a finite amount of fossil and nuclear fuel. Once those are used up your population comes crashing down.

In light of the resource problems we're in I wish I paid more attention to this game some 20 years ago.

[Narz]

I played it a bit. My favorite "God-game" was Civilization (Civ II was fun too). I wish I had the thousands & thousands of hours I spent on those games in the prime of my life back though!

[rangerone314]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Narz', 'I') played it a bit. My favorite "God-game" was Civilization (Civ II was fun too). I wish I had the thousands & thousands of hours I spent on those games in the prime of my life back though!

[highlander]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('rangerone314', 'I')'m now playing Civ 4...

[Narz]

Anyone ever try Civilization : the boardgame?

[rangerone314]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('highlander', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('rangerone314', 'I')'m now playing Civ 4...

[Sixstrings]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('dsula', 'W')hile going through my boxes of old software I came across simearth, a 20 year old computer game. I gave it another spin. It was interesting as it simulates the complete earth including development of civilization. The civilization part is of particular interest. You can allocate energy to various fields, like food production, or medicine. The result of energy input in those fields is always a rapid growing population with later crash due to plague, global warming and food shortage.

The game gives you a "quality of life" indicator. It was interesting to see that the only time I achieved better than "bearable" was with maintaining a very small population.

Although the game doesn't model peak-oil, it has a finite amount of fossil and nuclear fuel. Once those are used up your population comes crashing down.

In light of the resource problems we're in I wish I paid more attention to this game some 20 years ago.

[Narz]

I haven't tried Total War but have been told I'd like it.

I plan to transfer my love of computer strategy games to board games. Any "doomstead" without a large collection of board games is not one I'd want to be a part of. I goto a board game meetup every other Wednesday at a games store where the owner playtests different games on us each time. Last week it was a game called Bootleggers, where the objective was to sell moonshine to various speakeasies while sabotaging your opponents efforts at the same (or profiting off them by coercing them to sell at your bar). I even like "party" games like Apples to Apples. Pack & Stack is one of the easiest games I've ever learned but I imagine it is great for teaching spatial awareness to kids (as well as some basic math). The main problem with boardgames (over online games) is probably similar to the problem with having a problem with "real life" people about peakoil, it's harder to get a patient, receptive audience.

Board games necessarily lack the massive complexity of computer games but the social interaction more than makes up for it. And complexity for complexities sake is overrated. Chess is a very simple game ruleswise, compared to say, Civilization, but that doesn't make it less rich.

[rangerone314]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Narz', 'I') haven't tried Total War but have been told I'd like it.

I plan to transfer my love of computer strategy games to board games. Any "doomstead" without a large collection of board games is not one I'd want to be a part of. I goto a board game meetup every other Wednesday at a games store where the owner playtests different games on us each time. Last week it was a game called Bootleggers, where the objective was to sell moonshine to various speakeasies while sabotaging your opponents efforts at the same (or profiting off them by coercing them to sell at your bar). I even like "party" games like Apples to Apples. Pack & Stack is one of the easiest games I've ever learned but I imagine it is great for teaching spatial awareness to kids (as well as some basic math). The main problem with boardgames (over online games) is probably similar to the problem with having a problem with "real life" people about peakoil, it's harder to get a patient, receptive audience.

Board games necessarily lack the massive complexity of computer games but the social interaction more than makes up for it. And complexity for complexities sake is overrated. Chess is a very simple game ruleswise, compared to say, Civilization, but that doesn't make it less rich.

[Narz]

Playing Risk with only two players just isn't that fun. Most board games are best with 3-6 people (except chess, backgammon, checkers, etc.). More players also generally makes for a more balanced game since the best player won't always win (he can get ganged up on). Cool your wife is down for gaming though.

[Plantagenet]

Sim Earth allowed you to control earth's climate. You could adjust solar intensity and CO2, if I remember right.

A great game for kids to learn about climate.

[Sixstrings]

By the way, Sim Earth is based on James Lovelock's gaia theory. He was even part of the game's design team, and wrote the forward to the manual.

Man, I wish they'd do a remake.. but alas, anything designed for kids now is dumbed down to 2nd grade level (like Spore). There really aren't any science inspired mass-market games anymore.

[Troyboy1208]

I too play R:TW six strings. I have several long stories on the official EB forums under Chirurgeon If your bored check it out

[Kristen]

Not too mention the best game of all Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri and it's expansion pack Alien Crossfire!