How much do you anticipate indie games with the simulation genre?

[RedRainStudio]

How many of you like indie games with the simulation genre? And how will you like the game? What should be included in the game? Grab your cup of coffee/tea and let's discuss!

[Justin11]

Indie game developers are doing something marvelous with their arts of creativity. For the fact that, they didn't get the resources like the so-called big video game companies, they still managed to do something appealing for users to enjoy. That's one food thing I love about the devs, and their games. With time, they'll develop further as more people embrace their game. 

[RedRainStudio]

Cool! Youve got that point.

[Empire]

I play way more simulator games than indie games. Outside of a few very good ones like Banished, Stardew Valley, and a very small handful of others I still find simulator games to be better by a very wide margin in most genres.

[Shagger]

To me, all video games (Or at least all good video games) have to have what I call the "empowerment factor". They have to make you feel like more than what you are.

 

I hate simulator games because there's really only two kinds:

 

1. The actual simulator focused of being as close to the reality of the experience being simulated as possible. I exempt sports games from this because that's the player role playing in an empowering fantasy (So they have the "empowerment factor".), but the other serve to let you try out something that's mundane and actually quite boring. Even when it's something that sounds cool on paper like flying a plane these games tend to expose how boring these things actually are to do as a job in the real world, so actually ruining the fantasy itself and I cant see the the point. You can have games like Ace Combat because, again, that's putting you in the roleplay of something empowering and cool and deliberately don't simulate being a fighter pilot 100% accurately o make it more fun. Microsoft Flight Simulator, that's a different story. Don't get me wrong, it's a very impressive game in it's own way with the derails, how accurately it emulates how planes really fly not to mention it's graphics, but there's no style or excitement for me.
2. The "mock" simulator. I get it, they're a joke, and can be fun to play, but for me once the joke has warn off (After and hour at the absolute most) they have little to no substance. At least Untitled Goose Game set's you goals be as annoying a little ass-hole as possible, that actually is empowering by letting you be the prick that, and let's be honest, we'd all kind of like to be if we could get away with it, but I can't be a Goat falling of cliffs and bashing into things with god awful physics for hour after hour. Stupidity isn't funny, it just isn't.

 

Now, I know a lot of people like these kinds of games and if that's you, then good for you, but I just don't get them at all. Maybe I'm crazy, but I would rather be a badass in some amazing fantasy world than be farmer, mowing the lawn or cleaning stuff.

[Kane99]

What new things can you really do in the simulator genre? We got pretty much everything there is. We just got Powerwash sim, and a lawn mowing sim. I liked powerwash sim though, it was relaxing lol. 

Aside from that, I think we're going to keep getting them, because it seems people enjoy them. I only enjoy the ones that are easy to follow and don't require me to pretty much simulate a real job as real as possible. 

[Akun]

It's a mixed bag when it comes to indie creators for me, a hit-or-miss situation. On one hand, you get games like Stardew Valley; on the other, you get Filmmaker Tycoon, a buggy and unpolished mess. I'm not blaming them because it's understandable that they have a limited budget... but I'm not a fan of most indie games, including Stardew Valley. I just like my games to have better graphics and more polished gameplay that only AAA games could offer.

Between a smaller simulation game like Twice Circled's Megaquarium or Two Point Studios' Two Point games, I'll pick the latter everytime because it's bigger and offers more content. Between the cartoonish dinosaurs of Parkasaurus or the more realistic dinosaurs come to life in the problematic Jurassic World: Evolution 2, I'll still pick JWE2 any day. That's just the reality of my taste.

I did enjoy Megaquarium though for what it's worth. It was a decent time-killer, and much like most simulation games, the routine gameplay of these games help with my anxiety pretty well because I have something to focus on and a routine to manage. I don't like sim games like Planet Coaster because their sandbox nature means I need to force myself to be creative, whereas a more goal-oriented game like Megaquarium means I don't need to think too much and could just do instead of think, if that make sense. Just build up the aquarium in a practical manner for the fish to thrive. The illusion of accomplishment from these sim games helps me feel fulfilled in a way.

Then there's the "dating sim" games. Just no. The only indie dating sim I enjoyed subverted dating sims (Doki Doki Literature Club, or School Days for the non-indie side). I find dating sims to be boring and kinda unfulfilling.

[Ajibusu]

On 10/7/2022 at 12:36 PM, Justin11 said:

Indie game developers are doing something marvelous with their arts of creativity. For the fact that, they didn't get the resources like the so-called big video game companies, they still managed to do something appealing for users to enjoy. That's one food thing I love about the devs, and their games. With time, they'll develop further as more people embrace their game. 

I am looking forward to when they can develop and do better than they are doing right now. This is something that we need to take a look when it come to Indie games. The graphics are still far away from expectations and improving on that will make many of us like those games more.

[killamch89]

In general, I don't like simulation games all that much just because they remind you of the time you could be spending doing the same thing in real life and actually benefitting from it. Then, there's the games that claim to be simulators but have all kinds of wacky mechanics which make the game feel like anything but a true simulator. One thing I'd like is for Indie companies make simulators a bit more fun - most are so boring that you quickly get turned off from the game.

[Justin11]

On 10/17/2022 at 5:58 AM, Ajibusu said:

I am looking forward to when they can develop and do better than they are doing right now. This is something that we need to take a look when it come to Indie games. The graphics are still far away from expectations and improving on that will make many of us like those games more.

I believe their is room for improvement within the indie game industry, it's just matter of time. With the reduced resources they got when compared to the well-known gaming companies, you'll know they've done something great.