Are simulations also strategy games?

[LCJr.]

Wanted to get some opinions on this. Now by sims I don't mean THE Sims but simulations.

For example.

Transportation simulator.
http://www.simutrans.com/

FreeRails2
http://freerails2.sourceforge.net/

Danger from the Deep submarine simulator.
http://dangerdeep.sourceforge.net/

 

[JarlFrank]

Depends. If you're asking this for TCancer newsposting, I guess such things as the transportation manager you linked to would fit better to Tycoon Codex, but since that thing is dead since a long time...
It depends on your point of view. There certainly is strategy involved, but it's a different kind of strategy that requires economic thinking instead of military thinking like most strategy games. Things like Sim City, where you build up a whole city and make decisions about your citizens, about what building gets places where... I'd consider that a form of strategy game. But a game where you just manage a company, I'd put that one under "economic simulation" or something which has less in common with strategy games.

 

[mondblut]

I'd say: there are economic simulators, there are wargames; and the strategy games are a combination of the two.

So, if there is no warfare, a strategy it is not. Nor it is if there is no economy, only military simulation. Just my opinion.

 

[Ismaul]

RPGs are a form of simulation: a certain character put in a certain situation gives particular reactions. Even those porn games where you work to get some girls, or to arouse them, are simulations.

And in each game, there is a certain strategy involved: you think about what you're gonna do, the steps you will take in advance - be it 'let's pull out the dildo next' or 'I'll boost my athletics skill so I can make better use of cover'.

So I guess your question doesn't make sense. Are you comparing the labels 'sim' and 'strategy' in games, or the actual concepts? Because all strategy-labeled games contain simulation, and all simulation-labeled games contain strategy. Yet simulation =! strategy, and the gameplay of those labeled games differ on many aspects.

 

[Trash]

I really don't see the point in your question. Why would you want to put everything in nicely defined boxes? A game can be any combination of gameplay and genre elements that developer imagination, time, money and available hardware supports. Sure, there are some broad overarching genres (rts, sim, rpg) but this is reaching.

 

[LCJr.]

I really don't see the point in your answering a question you don't see the point in. So I guess we're even.

Yes Jarl I was looking for something different(as not involving homicide on a mass scale) but still had some strategy to it. Saint even let the domain go on Tycoon Codex didn't he?

 

[JarlFrank]

No idea what exactly Saint did or did not do with the domain, but in my opinion you could post some news on stuff like Sim City and other city-builders in the TC news. After all, many strategy games include city-building as a main element of their gameplay, and city-builder games are just that without the combat.