The last time Will Wright proposed a vast social experiment masquerading as a game, Electronic Arts nearly laughed him out of the room. Who in their right mind would buy a game that simulated human relationships? Tens of millions of dollars later, The Sims has become a worldwide phenomenon, and EA has given Wright carte blanche at Maxis Studios.
So as Wright continues to mark-off months developing his latest creation, Spore, EA is begrudgingly giving him time to make the “game” that he envisions. And if you thought the vision behind The Sims was vast, wait until you get your hands on Spore.
Spore, at its very basic level, simulates evolution, but it does so in a way that puts any pre-existing “god game” to shame. Players begin by creating their own creature, then spending points to determine its leg type, arm type, foot and toe type, even the very location of its joints (which affects how it moves). Heck, players even determine the shape and depth of the creature’s mouth, which has an effect on the sound and range of its mating call. As in any role-playing game, things like color, spots and minor body details are also up for customization, which means it’s darn near impossible for any two players to create exactly the same creature.
Having created a character and approved of it in the “test mode,” players then enter a Creative Mode in which the creature walks around a savannah to socialize with other computer-created beings. In this mode, players have their creation interact with a variety of other creatures, even members of their own herd. In addition to letting players test overall social reactions (a la The Sims), this also facilitates the act of mating and, subsequently, evolution.
If players find their creature “friendly” with another, they can try to mate with it to see what the evolved creature might look like. Presuming the mating is successful (it happens with swanky smooth jazz playing in the background), players then enter yet another creature-creation screen to determine the traits of the offspring. Then, in a matter of minutes, players emerge as the just-designed offspring, giving them a chance to interact with future generations of other creatures and meet (and mate with) even more.
Once the creature and its herd are sufficiently evolved, it’s time to enter the Civilization Mode and create a fully functional city. Although the minutia of managing the city is automated, the socialization and “big picture” evolutionary tasks are handled by the player. As evolution progresses in the city and the rest of the world, players can evolve into a space-going species. It’s at this point, when players first create a UFO and venture into the heavens, that Spore gets really deep. And you thought the creature-creation was something special….
Once the creatures have evolved into space travelers, players will find an in-game world comprised of 2 million — yes, 2 million — different planets that are completely open to exploration. These planets run the gamut in terms of creatures and environments, from ice- and fire-based worlds to jungle-covered planetoids. Naturally, this means players have even more socializing to do and, in classic alien fashion, have the capability to abduct beings from each of these planets for the purposes of cross-pollination and additional evolutionary experiments.
Not surprisingly, some cultures won’t be thrilled with your celestial kidnapping, so although some planets may worship your arrival with fireworks and glee, be prepared to hightail it out of there when other cultures welcome you with anti-aircraft fire and scorn. And please, whatever you do, don’t drop an abducted creature in mid-air. That doesn’t serve any purpose beyond pissing off the locals.
As you explore the game’s 2 million planets, you’ll uncover alien artifacts that give you new technology and allow you to further evolve your appearance and capabilities. You can also learn from other creatures and, if you manage your relationships well, establish strategic inter-galactic partnerships.
With Spore, Will Wright is taking the social experimentation from The Sims and punting it into the stratosphere, both literally and figuratively. The creature-creation and single-planet evolution would have been sufficient for most gamers, not to mention most developers. But Wright isn’t like “most developers.” On the contrary, he’s infusing gamers with millions of creature-creation options, then giving them a playground of 2 million planets on which to advance their evolutionary and social experiments even further. To say Spore is “big” or “ambitious” or “quite an undertaking” is like saying The Sims “might just be a good little game.” EA made that understatement once, and they’ve learned not to make it again. The only question now is whether Wright can get his evolution simulator into gamers hands before we, ourselves, have evolved beyond computer entertainment.
— Jonas Allen
