Is SPORE the Next Really Big Thing? An Intelligent Simulation Game Darwin Would Have Loved to Play

We're totally psyched about SPORE, the long-awaited video game released this week. SPORE is a simulation game created by Will Wright (The SIMs) and EA that allows players to control various life forms from the cellular to the galactic level. It's an epic journey that takes you from the origin and evolution of life through the development of civilization and technology and eventually all the way into the deepest reaches of outer space. 

The core of "Spore" is its creature editor, which Wright says gives players the ability to build creatures in minutes that in the past would have taken professional game designers a couple of days.

Spore will start you out in the Tidal Pool Phase as a tiny single celled organism in the sea and will then progress as you fight for survival and evolve becoming a sea creature and eventually crawling onto land; There are many ways to accomplish this as the game lets you achieve your goals socially, by force or by culture; your choice of omnivore, carnivore or herbivore is just one example. After crawling onto the land in the next, Creature Phase, you must hunt with your creature and develop ties with others of your kind while interacting with other creatures of varying species. When you progress to the tribal phase, instead of controlling an individual creature, you are now caring for an entire tribe. Give them tools and guide their interactions as you upgrade their state of existence. The Civilization Phase gives you the goal of conquering your planet through peace and diplomacy or through war. Once you have conquered your planet you progress to the Space Phase where your flying saucer is your main tool that you use to fly around the galaxy, completing missions, attacking other great civilizations, move on to other worlds in your solar system, make contact, colonize, or terraform, then venture further to find other solar systems. A 'mission' structure provides new goals in your quest for galactic dominance.

At the South by Southwest Festival in Austin, Wright explained that for him and his Spore colleagues, the game is akin to a very elaborate Montessori toy. He said that because of the scientific theories it is based it is in fact an elaborate philosophy tool. "You walk away thinking about the meaning of life," he said. "How did we get here?"

Wright also showed how artificial societies in Spore can be quickly turned into representations of human behavior. For example, by dropping a monolith into a populated area, he created a religious icon, and local creatures quickly began worshipping the monolith.

Wright used the rest of the demo to showcase Spore's cool features, included the ability to change climates, such as quickly raising the temperature of an area on a planet so seas recede or even disappear altogether. Essentially, he argued, Spore can give players a toy version of evolution. As a designer, Wright built his reputation around "software toys" — games that cannot be won or lost. 

After the Spore demo, Wright talked about how computers can expand our imaginations and become powerful tools for self-expression. He also talked about how every once in awhile, the world goes through major paradigm shifts. That's happening more frequently than in the past, in part because of political issues, in part environmental issues. See the Robin Williams video below for a "live" demo!

Posted by Casey Kazan.

SPORE Video Demo

Comments

[Yordan Yanakiev]

Yep - for sure it's a bigest funny game that i've ever played ...

It combine "Mass Effect" with "Age of Empires" and "Popolus - The beginning" and Old fascion arcade game ...

Really mess of play, but so funny - that i loose 11 hours forgetting about space and time - i've evolved from single cell to a space conqueror ...

I advice every game fan to have it ... especially good for kinds !
Enjoy it - it's for sure the next big thing in gam industry as AI !

There is only one small problem - the evolution proceed too fast ...
if i replay it - it will takes me no more than 3 hours to evolve to Space conqueror.

well - space conquers time will take much more playtime , but low levels of evolution is just too fast ...

[captaind]

Your English sucks...

[terry]

wow cool stuff!

[Alkhemist]

Where's the Robin Williams video??

[IHateEA]

"Yep - for sure it's a bigest funny game that i've ever played ..."

This game was the biggest dissapointment for me.. EVER.

"It combine "Mass Effect" with "Age of Empires" and "Popolus - The beginning" and Old fascion arcade game ..."

/end whine.. Wow this was great therapy.

Actually, considering how old popolous is, if you remove the creature editor from spore. Pop takes a piss on spore. Mass effect ? How so? Please do explain.

Age of empires? Yeah sure, with 4 buildings to build (in select spots, you cant choose where to place them, they have certain places they MUST be placed -.-.. Way to make a city). 3 units .. A tank, a aircraft and a boat... Age of empires takes a piss on spore.

"Really mess of play, but so funny - that i loose 11 hours forgetting about space and time - i've evolved from single cell to a space conqueror ..."

You obviously are froob gamer delux. Took me about no time at all to reach space stage. Unfortunatly, because the creature phase seemed promising. Unfortunatly everything is to darn simple and easy. Sure you can create alot of good looking creatures.. But this game has a RIGHT way of doing things.. You could make a shitty creature with rank 1 limbs or you could use the higher ranks.

Further on you will experience that once you get 15 planet colonies like me youre game is becoming a nightmare.. You will experience constant attacks / eco catastrophies / attacking enemies... You would think space was a bit let developed and less populated... In spore you will meet creatures EVERYWHERE... High tech races with battlefleets.. You on the other hand can only controle one shitty ship and your empire of course dosent have it's own fleet... You can however get 4 allies (or more) and get these ships to follow you around.. But this dosent change the fact that you have to buzz between all your fucking colonies all the fucking time.. because they are like retarded kids .. and youre the babysitter.

"I advice every game fan to have it ... especially good for kinds !
Enjoy it - it's for sure the next big thing in gam industry as AI !"

I do agree with you here.. If youre a kid with close to no requirements to game depth what so ever.. This is a great game.. Kids will love it.. Kids and artistic fucktards who like pretty acid colored creatures who are cute and shit flowers.

The AI in this game.. .. -.-.. The trailers in 2006-2007 seemed so promising... But we ended up with a linear programed retard AI who does 1 out of three(or two) things in every fracking scenario (depending on what phase youre in).

Creature phase -
1# They are naturally borned pissed and will attack or hiss at you on sight.
2# They are retarded fluffy creatures that want to snuggle. Super friendly crack heads.
(Which is pretty funny if you have a creature who is a carnivore... They cant smell danger for shit and the world dosent evolve at all.. Meaning you will have no problem finding flowercreatures begging you to eat them.. No challenge what so ever!(¤&!/)

"There is only one small problem - the evolution proceed too fast ...
if i replay it - it will takes me no more than 3 hours to evolve to Space conqueror."

wow, agreed :O.. Short game.. I wonder why i bought 5 minigames :S... -.- especially since i have games that beat the minigames.. So why do I whine? I bought the piece of shit and the vendor wont take it back because of registry key and securoom shit... Worst waste of cash in the fucking time of history.. I have NEVER EVER in my life beeen so dissapointed over a purchase.. I will admitt this game entertained me for the first hours.. Let me illustrate - you eat a delicious hamburger, digest it, shit it out and instead of having the burger bar make you a new delicious one.. The showel your shit up and force you to eat it. Thats how the replay value of spore feels.

"well - space conquers time will take much more playtime , but low levels of evolution is just too fast ..."

Depending of strategy naturally.. I now play at normal, getting spice / tools / cash is no problem. I am hilariously rich .. But I cant really enjoy the game.. I was promised a sandbox, where is it? Theres nothing more to do, same repetitive fuck system over and over.. and whenever I try to have some fun terraforming i get spammed by attack messages.. My retard colonies need help.. and ofc because my game is retarded all attacks seem to occur follow the same timer... Meaning I get about 5 attacks on me every tick. -.- ....

BAaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah i want my money back. Grrr how I hate EA, ROT IN HELL YOU PIECE OF SHIT COMPANY.

[Muzolf]

It was pretty much a fun game, it started out with a polished version of pac-man free in the water, then went over to umm... the monster from the lagoon? The customisation in the creature phase was nice, its clears the makers spent most time with it. While you actually had only a two ways aproach in it, the tools given and how your cusomisation effected it was making it worth my time.

The tribal phase was a fun bit too, while the effect of how you set them up went downhill, since what creatures you made still effected it ( For instance my avians would still fly, and my cat like.... um, Kzinti like... so anywhay my felines would still sneak around. ) it could forgive that.

Then it first hit me in the cilivilastion phase. The simple layout of cities actually did not bother me, i expected more but whatever, it was still neat to see the buildings i made, even if it didnt really affect anything. However the game mehanics are ridiculous. Religion approach was basicly military in a sucky way, economic was ok, but i whonder why a political faction would just hand over cities, and military... well, let it put that way, we have seen it, we have seen better. Say, if our vehicle customisation had any real effect besides moving around percentage of speed, health and attack value, but noo. This part of the game felt rushed, luckily it was quickly over.

The space phase started out interesting enough, i was promised something like master of orion, so i was a bit surpired to move around in one ship. In the initial part when i was exploring, terraforming and making the first colony, it was fun. DESPITE the fact that the customisation had absoluty 0 effect now. Space, the final frontier, these are the voyages of the starship Muzolfs-Hammer, to seek out new life, new civilisations and have them for dinner, to boldy go where no Kzin has... you get it. It was fun for about half our, when the attacks started. First, pirates plundering my homeworld. Ok lets kill those bastards. A few minutes later when im off to sell Spice ( No idea why this the only reliable source of money is. ) again, and again. From where the hell are these coming? And of corse the first diplomatic messages. I find tree races. Befriend one ( Would rather eat them, but i need a market for spice. ) other two start demanding money, since i have barely enough to keep going i say no. They declare war. No prob i think, they are faar away and my frend who is my ally is in the way for them. Do they care? Of corse not, my few pathetic colonies are now trashed evry two minutes. This is where i stopped.