"Planet Cracking"

[Emiscary]

(I'd like to take a moment to point out that the above term was probably the best thing the Dead Space franchise contributed to gaming. Anyway...)

Remember the space exploration phase of Spore? Remember how the only fun thing to do in it was blow the fuck out of planets?

Well I got to thinking that *truly* epic scale destruction (with sufficiently impressive visuals) is something games don't put in the spotlight that often.

Yes, I'm aware that wee-hee-capow explosive fun is kind of par for the course for modern games- but the *really* big scale stuff? IE: Sundering continents, leveling cities, blowing up planets- all of that stuff is usually doled out in very small doses and withheld until near the end of a game (or limited to cutscenes).

So my proposition to the game devs of the world is this: build a game that focuses on destruction and doom on a downright mythic scale.

Story-wise a game about fucking up tectonic plates would need a pretty amoral protagonist. Likely either a humanoid with access to near limitless technological resources & no morals (IE: Warhammer 40k, EVE Online), or a Lovecraftian Elder God/Old One type entity.

Either way, the thought of lording over lonely planets contemplating exactly how you're going to burn them to ashes gives me goosebumps.

 

[dyre]

That actually sounds pretty cool. I'd definitely try a game with something like that.

It would have to convey the epic proportions of your destruction though. I mean, when you blow up a planet, you should really feel, "I just destroyed billions of people/aliens, and ended great civilizations with centuries of history."

 

[Zhukov]

In other words, "Let's make the explosions even bigger!"

I admit, the idea of cracking planets and slinging entire solar systems around has a certain appeal. Especially if it were done from a human-scale perspective (that is to say, not as a 'god game').

However, I really wouldn't be inclined to put that on the list of Things Games Need More Of.

 

[Emiscary]

That actually sounds pretty cool. I'd definitely try a game with something like that.

It would have to convey the epic proportions of your destruction though. I mean, when you blow up a planet, you should really feel, "I just destroyed billions of people/aliens, and ended great civilizations with centuries of history."

Exactly.

I had the notion that if you *were* some kind of Eldritch Abomination, that the act of destroying a planet utterly would be followed by a colossal torrent of screaming souls swarming into your mouth.

"It was as if a million voices cried out... and were silenced."

(It's been years since I saw the movie so shut up if the quote's been fudged )

 

[skywolfblue]

Intergalactic Ball-Billiards!

I agree it would be interesting to see. I don't know how well it would translate into a game mechanic without becoming really repetitive. By the time you've destroyed your 50th world a lot of that sense of scale and tragedy is gone.

EVE is excellently suited for the "fleets destroying worlds". I kinda wonder why they have not done so, perhaps permanently losing a planet forever never to be able to rebuild is a little too drastic for a persistent MMO. Whole sectors devoid of planets because some mega-corp decided to go on an exterminatus tour.

 

[White Lightning]

That would be sweet if done right.

 

[worldruler8]

Heh, I actually had an idea similar to that for a game idea (one I'm actually trying to attempt). Imagine the game was set in a randomized solar system, and the planets had a "grid" system. Each point (with a set amount) would have certain data such as albedo, change of elevation, etc. to account for weather changes. Adding things such as sunlight, cloud cover, and chemistry, you could effectively change the weather if you had the resources. However, you could also use this as a weapon. Fire a gun that makes cloud cover, which would freeze a planet. Or nuke the living hell out of it. The planet's would react in a "life goes on, but not organic life..." sense. But yeah, destroying planets would be an interesting idea, albeit if done right

 

[ResonanceSD]

In other words, "Let's make the explosions even bigger!"

I admit, the idea of cracking planets and slinging entire solar systems around has a certain appeal. Especially if it were done from a human-scale perspective (that is to say, not as a 'god game').

However, I really wouldn't be inclined to put that on the list of Things Games Need More Of.

Things Games Need More Of:

Decent Storylines AND Graphics in The Same Game.

Better Gameplay

Less idiotic DRM which relies on external factors (HI DIABLO 3)

More dakka.

In that order.

 

[Owyn_Merrilin]

Some of the bigger 4X games let you build an off-brand Death Star. Galactic Civilizations II comes to mind. It's a sign of how uncommon planetary destruction as a game mechanic is that the one genre I can think of that uses it is the one genre where it's pretty insignificant considering the scale. It's like razing a single city; a tragedy, but not world ending.

 

[Starik20X6]

I'd like to see the aftermath of such destruction i.e. exactly how fucked a planet would be after you blow up a couple of its moons. Their tides get wrecked and millions are killed from the subsequent meteor shower... Hell, if you destroyed one half of a binary system would the leftover planet just go spinning off into space?

 

[bobstone]

I'd like to see the aftermath of such destruction i.e. exactly how fucked a planet would be after you blow up a couple of its moons. Their tides get wrecked and millions are killed from the subsequent meteor shower... Hell, if you destroyed one half of a binary system would the leftover planet just go spinning off into space?

not graphical but check out universe sandbox on steam, allows you to really mess up solar systems by doing just what you described and much more, like what happens if Jupiter collapsed in to a sun, the moon disapears ect...

 

[ultrachicken]

I agree it would be interesting to see. I don't know how well it would translate into a game mechanic without becoming really repetitive. By the time you've destroyed your 50th world a lot of that sense of scale and tragedy is gone.

Maybe that could be capitalized on: synchronizing the player's emotions to the character's development.

Or, failing that, the game could show the details of the destruction, maybe even allowing you to traverse the wreckage.

I like the idea of a game with such large scale destruction as a gameplay mechanic, but I don't think bigger explosions are really what the industry is in need of.

 

[Tanis]

It'd be kind of cool if the START of the game was you blowing up whole planets, with some randomization, and the rest of the game was some kind of 'RTS+4x+Risk' sort of game play where you blew them up even more and/or put them back together.

 

[loa]

Yeah I miss the days of games like popolous too :<
We need a new popolous! Black & White just didn't cut it.

 

[CrazyBlaze]

Well there is a reason why big world destroying events are rare in games. It loses it excitement the more it happens. Its why the build up is important and that usually is the whole point of a game or story. To reach the point of world ending desrtuction. But I rarely say no to a good explosion done right.

 

[Chunga the Great]

Sins of a Solar Empire might work. You capture planets by literally declaring a 40k Exterminatus on them and bombing them from orbit. And you win by wiping out entire races.

 

[Racecarlock]

Well, I'm not going to lie, that does sound fucking awesome. I think it would be really cool, though, if we could eventually build up our power enough to make a black hole powerful enough to suck away the fabric of existence, so we would have essentially destroyed all of existence. That would be awesome.

 

[Esotera]

So basically, 2012 the movie? I'd play the hell out of that game, or something similar. It has the potential to be really fun without shooting something in the face every 10 seconds, which is my preferred method of gameplay.