You mean like some kind of emergent physical system? ;)

For context: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=zIAWzG-wOKY&t=4m11s (~1999, probably)

That one mechanic emerged and became popular is not the same as a game whose core conceit depends on emergence occurring within each game.

I would argue they're extremely similar across successful emergent games.

The core feature of a playable, entertaining emergent game is a set of flexible gameplay rules, able to bend and tolerate the unexpected without breaking.

In the case of Tribes, there weren't any gameplay rules predicated on movement speed or height. Consequently, skiing only enriched gameplay. I would argue that EVE Online features the same style of emergent-tolerant rules.

In contrast would be something like Braid, where the available actions and rules, while seeming free, are in fact extremely rigid and intolerant of the unexpected.

Failed emergent games typically fail by innovating in their gameplay, but attempting to apply inflexible or overly-specific rules on top of that.

Yep. I’m in your side. My comment was mostly to add context because it looked like folks were downvoting you because googling makes people mad.

Or because the comment was low effort.

I make low effort comments all the time (and I’m trying to improve). We need to work together. Ultimately I think we are all on the same side. An encouraging comment can help a low efforter see the light.

Pedantic nitpicking is a greater threat to HN than low effort comments.

Talking at, and not with each other is worse than both :)

My experience has been there's a small Venn sliver of people who are both diligent enough to continue an extended thread and sociopathic(?) enough to completely ignore what the other person is saying.

That said, HN probably beats the average on finding those folks too. ;)

Tbh, I expect most of the downvotes are from people who weren't gaming in the late 90s.

I think a huge element of it is that comment boards like this are hugely impersonal compared to forums back in the day. There's very little room for socialization, so we don't socialize on these platforms, we proselytize, and sometimes it looks like socializing :)