Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Time Extend on Black and White

Posted by Zonk on from the heady-days-when-gods-had-pets dept.

Edge Online is featuring another edition of its Time Extend article series, this time looking back at Peter Molyneux's Black and White. From the article: "It's this contradiction which is at the heart of all god games. Although promising ultimate power, the design challenge is always focused on how to limit that power: it wouldn't have made Black & White a better game if you'd been able to toss off a mouse gesture that casts 'I Win'. And so your potency is metered, dependent on the prayers of your followers. Your influence is circumscribed, penned in by a smoky ring of red. In an odd ecological twist, you're even dependent on natural resources: strip the land of trees and the seas of fish and your godhood can soon be brought up short."

10 comments

  1. Just in time for by SnoopJeDi · · Score: 5, Funny

    Martin Luther King Jr. Day

  2. Not a game. by rylin · · Score: 2, Funny

    it wouldn't have made Black & White a better game if you'd been able to toss off a mouse gesture that casts 'I Win'.

    It's not a game - it's a simulation.
    You don't see "God" waving his hand, giving me first post - do you?

    1. Re:Not a game. by FidelCatsro · · Score: 2, Funny

      I saw him Waving something at a first post once , but it involved a raised middle finger and a lightning bolt .

      --
      The only things certain in war are Propaganda and Death. You can never be sure which is which though
  3. Erm... by david.given · · Score: 3, Interesting
    The referenced link 404s, the search box on the root page bombs madly, and if you try to access http://www.edge-online.co.uk/archives/, you get:

    spykids ownz you

    I suspect someone at Edge is having a really bad day. Oh dear...

  4. Black and white by Saiyine · · Score: 0, Troll


    Most. Overrated. Game. Ever.

    Not kidding.

    --
    Hosting 20G hd, 1Tb bw! ssh $7.95
  5. God can not be omnipotent by Chemisor · · Score: 1

    Here's an article detailing some other very good reasons why God can not be omnipotent, in the game or in real life:
    http://atheism.about.com/od/whatisgod/a/omnipotenc e.htm

    1. Re:God can not be omnipotent by ashground · · Score: 1
      That was one of the most amusing things I've read in a while. Thanks!

      "Thus, God cannot make 2 + 2 equal 5, God cannot both simultaneously exist and not exist, and God cannot lie and tell the truth at the same time."

      Makes me wonder if Austin Cline ever took a philosophy class. Sure doesn't sound like it.

  6. Stupid Followers by spikesahead · · Score: 1

    I always wished that my followers would do something for themselves besides eat, breed, and die. I never made it through the game becuase I got tired of building houses for my people.

    --
    bend like the reed
    1. Re:Stupid Followers by robnauta · · Score: 1

      The original B&W was a great concept, but suffered from bugs, a lack of direction and some balance issues. Although the game promised you can play it as a good deity or a nasty tyrant, becoming evil wrecks the building process, drains your resources, forcing you into early retirement. It's something you do for fun, and then you don't save.
      Games like civilization and age of empires provide more control, even though in those games you are supposed to be the king/leader/president. But in both games you watch your population from above, build structures and monitor the grain/wood supply. At least the strategy games don't have you waving your hands all over the place like a rapper, and luckily there's no tall fool walking on the map that shits all over the land.