so does anybody know any anti narrative games recently?

[MeetyourUnmaker]

I have a fascination toward games like daggerfall, minecraft, and dwarf fortress because all three of these games provide open worlds in which the player is just a small cog of the whole experience. In a lot of games the narrative or the gameplay is focused only around the player but in the three I talked about, you are given a set of rules and are allowed to do whatevery you want in the limits of those rules. So anybody know any antigames like these?

Edited May 13, 2019 by MeetyourUnmaker

[Kira]

Outward might be right up your alley.

[Linguica]

4 hours ago, MeetyourUnmaker said:

antigames

 

This seems like an odd term for games that are focused exclusively on being games to the exclusion of linear narrative.

[kristus]

Fallout 76, or so people tell me.

[Bauul]

9 hours ago, MeetyourUnmaker said:

you are given a set of rules and are allowed to do whatevery you want in the limits of those rules. 

 

Isn't that the core of any game? Some games frame a narrative to give you motivation, but at heart a game is about attempting to manipulate a system to a specific state utilizing the rules permitted by that system.

 

Plenty of games do that without an in-game narrative, even if they do have premises. Doom is a classic example. A great many older arcade classics are like that. Today, most management sims are like that (e.g. Cities: Skylines, Two-Point Hospital or Factorio). Many rogue-likes too barely have any narrative, like Spelunky. 

 

In fact a great many games don't rely on a narrative, and have the more pure gameplay experience you outline. 

[Kira]

His definition is pretty bad but for some reason I get what he is looking for. Maybe because I relate to the small cog in an open world part.

 

Besides Outward, I think Kenshi would fit the bill as well. And Mount & Blade too. On paper the second one could be the perfect game for you, but its release date remains elusive to this day.

[MeetyourUnmaker]

2 hours ago, Bauul said:

 

Isn't that the core of any game? Some games frame a narrative to give you motivation, but at heart a game is about attempting to manipulate a system to a specific state utilizing the rules permitted by that system.

 

Plenty of games do that without an in-game narrative, even if they do have premises. Doom is a classic example. A great many older arcade classics are like that. Today, most management sims are like that (e.g. Cities: Skylines, Two-Point Hospital or Factorio). Many rogue-likes too barely have any narrative, like Spelunky. 

 

In fact a great many games don't rely on a narrative, and have the more pure gameplay experience you outline. 

 

The core gameplay of doom has you going through linear designed levels designed for the player rather than a nigh infinite openworld where everything is really just there.

[Noiser]

Doom is not an open sandbox, but it's not 100% linear as well. Some maps delivers a good amount of exploration, multiple paths, optional areas or even some degree of openness (think of cities or E3M6-inspired maps).

[GuyMcBrofist]

Elite: Dangerous, No Man's Sky, and Space Engineers come to mind.

[Chezza]

Hey OP.

 

1. Mount & Blade Warband. You really are a cog. Lords and kingdoms are going into diplomacy, wars, management etc regardless of your involvement. Meanwhile you are busy trying to hire some local serfs to help fight a small group of bandits or escort traders to a town (which affects the economy).

 

To have an influence into politics, maybe become a Lord or dare I say King requires looots of work. More elements and mechanics seamlessly get added to the game if you progress in society.

 

 

2. Stalker. It's doesn't quite fit the bill as it only slightly runs on its own but the illusion of a self running world is great. The latest version Call to Prypiat does have more artificial life. I.e. you see a pack of wild dogs drag an unfortunate a.i. corpse to their lair for the others to eat or a pack of guys attacking a small camp of bandits in order to rest there for the night and drink vodka.

 

3. Mix things up a bit. Try a grand strategy like Medieval 2 Total War or a 4X empire game. In total war you can choose to be a small country while the big guys are conducting massive wars, sending spys, assassins and diplomats and paying only some attention to you for being somewhat insignificant.

Edited May 14, 2019 by Chezza

[Bauul]

16 hours ago, MeetyourUnmaker said:

 

The core gameplay of doom has you going through linear designed levels designed for the player rather than a nigh infinite openworld where everything is really just there.

 

I was just pointing out that this part of your opening post:

 

On 5/13/2019 at 3:01 AM, MeetyourUnmaker said:

games provide open worlds in which the player is just a small cog of the whole experience

 

Wasn't mutually exclusive with this part:

 

On 5/13/2019 at 3:01 AM, MeetyourUnmaker said:

you are given a set of rules and are allowed to do whatevery you want in the limits of those rules. 

 

My point was simply this latter part applies to all sorts of games, Doom included. 

 

What you're looking for are known as sandbox games, and there's plenty of great ones. Factorio is the current indie darling of the management genre as far as I'm aware.

[Cruduxy Pegg]

Rim World : Pretty much dwarf fortress in space story wise. gameplay is different enough that it is worth seeing as its own entity.

 

Sins of a Solar Empire : Provides some backstory but aside from that the maps you play are "self contained" stories you designed.

 

Crusader Kings : Might not be up your alley.

 

Don't Starve and Terraria : You can do random stuff all you want just like minecraft, although you might die and lose your world in don't starve (There is a multiplayer version called Don't Starve Together or you can always mod the single player one if you hate permadeath)

 

Age of Wonders (Shadow Magic, 3 and most likely the upcoming Planet Fall): Most of the time people play randomly generated map with different locations and enemy leaders\races combinations. Pretty much what you want -and has a campaign that provides some background history of the world that pretty much don't matter in the grand scheme of the games.

 

MOST SIMULATION GAMES : The sims. every city builder ever. You can do whatever you want. Create a utopia or a nightmare on earth. Sims let's you do whatever you want, the story is pretty much how your family members lived, which is completely tailored by you (Especially in the sims 3).

[GuyMcBrofist]

33 minutes ago, Pegg said:

MOST SIMULATION GAMES : The sims.

 

Oh yeah! Sim Ant and Sim Tower were two favorites back in the day, those are worth a look. I might have to pull those out now...

[ketmar]

Battlecruiser 3000AD/Universal Combat series. if you can get through the manual, of course.

[MrFlibble]

At least two game genres should qualify: open world RPGs and all the various space mercenary/trader sims. I gather "sandbox" is a good keyword for a search. I'm not very knowledgeable about the latter but there's a developer called Star Wraith 3D Games that has been focused on these space mercenary games for quite a while (but I haven't checked out the more recent instalments). You do contracts for interested parties (mining, combat, escort etc.), upgrade your ship with the money earned, etc. etc.

 

I think there are some of these space games that have top-down view instead of the 3D cockpit view typical of the space combat sims. MobyGames has a game group for this kind of gameplay (both 3D and top-down).

 

As for RPGs I heard that Age of Decadence is the kind of game where you have a living world and the player character isn't the central point of the plot; various factions you can join (or unwittingly antagonise) but not sure if the level of freedom is the same as with Daggerfall.

[Dark Pulse]

Pong.

[Mr. Freeze]

Tetris. 

[MrGlide]

Sandbox games I assume you mean. I think pure narrative games that are called walking simulators are more in line with the antigame tag personally. Kenshi sounds like a game you would like. as for survival sandbox there are a ton of them, ark being one you can play solo. If you're seeking out new content I advise looking up games with the sandbox tag on steam.