Populous: The Beginning
Encyclopedia
Populous: The Beginning is a strategy
and god-style
video game. It is the third entry in the Populous
video game series, developed by Bullfrog Productions
in 1998. The PC version of the game was released November 30, 1998 and a PlayStation version was later developed and released on April 2, 1999. Unlike earlier games in the series, which cast the player in the role of a god influencing loyal followers, The Beginning took a radical departure and placed the player in the role of a shaman
, who directly leads her tribe against opponents. Throughout the twenty-five missions of the campaign, the player leads their tribe across a solar system
, dominating enemy tribes and tapping new sources of magic
, with the ultimate goal of the shaman attaining godhood herself.
Populous: The Beginning was the first entry in the series to use true 3D computer graphics
; Bullfrog waited four years after Populous II so that the graphics technology could catch up to their vision for a new and different game in the series. The developers considered the addition of terrain deformation and manipulation, combined with "smart" villagers who automatically attended to tasks, to add an entirely new dimension to the series. The game's original title was Populous: The Third Coming before being changed before the beta release.
Populous: The Beginning plays very differently from earlier titles and received mixed reviews. Reviewers positively noted the excellent graphics, while complaints were directed at the artificial intelligence and the indecision in game design between being a real time strategy title and a god game
. GamePro
s Peter Olafson wrote that Populous: The Beginning was not a bad game, in fact a good one; "but it's a different game—one without a quintessential quality that defined Populous."
Populous: The Beginning places the player in control of a female shaman and the tribe which follows her. Unlike the previous games in the series, The Beginning allows the player to directly control the action of followers, by ordering them to build structures or attack enemies. In the campaign, the player must fight the opposing Dakini, Chumara and Matak tribes for dominion over the solar system
. Enemy tribes also have shamans, and on later levels all inhabit the same world. While the objective is almost always to eliminate all of the members of the other tribes, there are often specific ways this can be achieved. Sometimes the player must use magic spells
gained from worship at special monuments such as stone heads or "Vaults of Knowledge"; in other cases, the player only needs to overwhelm the enemies with superior numbers. The game has no formal resource management
; new units are created automatically at houses, and training new warriors costs nothing except mana
. Only wood from trees is required to build new structures.
The game is played from a 3D third person perspective with the camera at a variable height and capable of rotating 360°, enabling the player to quickly move across the planet's terrain, which is actually a real projective plane
rather than a usual sphere; on maps where there is no fog of war
, players can see what opponents are doing at any time. Extensive support for 3D acceleration enables the player to view the game in 16-bit or 32-bit colour. The landscape and real-time structure building and follower movement are also shown.
The player commands different types of followers, each of which has advantages and disadvantages in combat. The most basic unit is the Brave, which builds huts, towers, and military buildings. Braves are trained to become other units: tough melee Warriors; weak, long-range, Firewarriors; Priests, who convert enemy units and prevent enemy priests from converting friendly troops; and Spies, who perform espionage functions. Shamans are physically weaker than warriors, but can cast powerful spells and can be resurrected if killed. Some spells will disappear after use. Other spells can slowly be replenished for continued use; the rate of spell regeneration depends upon the player's number of followers. Examples of spells include "Landbridge", which raises the sea floor to create bridges across the sea; "Swarm", which sends a horde of insects to sow confusion in enemy ranks; and "Tornado", which creates a cyclone to destroy buildings. There are twenty-six spells in total, which are slowly learned throughout the campaign.
Populous: The Beginning is multiplayer compatible, either by head-to-head direct modem
connection, LAN
, IPX
, or using matchmakers over TCP/IP
. Modders
added matchmaking clients, which can be downloaded from fan sites. Populous: The Beginning allows for a maximum game size of four players playing against each other.
of twenty-five unnamed planets. There is no indication as to whether the game takes place in the future or past, as the universe within the game is seemingly unconnected with reality. While many of the planets are predominantly grassland
s dotted with trees, other worlds feature wildly different terrains, such as a volcanic world and a planet almost entirely covered by water. These worlds are inhabited by four human tribes, represented by their color: the green "Matak", the yellow "Chumara", and the red "Dakini". The fourth blue tribe, controlled by the player, is never officially mentioned by name. Each of the tribes is generally hostile to one another, though alliances exist on some worlds. The reasoning for the hostilities is never explained other than the starting cutscene stating that the other (non-player) tribes "would destroy us". While all the tribes are ruled by a single female shaman, no other females are seen in the game, except in cutscene
s; all the followers recruited in the game are male. In addition to the organized tribes are 'wildmen', neutral characters who cluster in groups around trees and water. Though they cannot attack or be attacked, players can use the Shaman's Convert spell to bring wildmen under her tribe's control.
. The player begins on the planet furthest from the sun, and attacks each planet in sequence. Along the way, the Shaman can learn new skills and magic to defeat her (usually) much more powerful enemies. Victory requires the player to either destroy the opposition, or on occasion perform special actions. The player loses if his or her Shaman is killed and there are no remaining followers to resurrect her, if the Shaman is killed and there is no circle of resurrection, or the player runs out of time on timed levels. Upon beating back the other tribes, the Shaman ascends to godhood
, and further helps her people conquer the Matak, Chumara and Dakini in one final conflict.
. The game was published more than four years after Populous II with developers stating the delay was due to waiting for the hardware specifications to come along enough that they would allow them to do something very different and new. Producer Stuart Whyte said of the work, "We're really proud of what we've done in software because it does look really nice."
The Populous series inspired the term "god game
", with players assuming the role of an omniscient being who lead his people to new territories or into battle. Alan Wright, the game's project leader, stressed both the departure Populous: The Beginning took from previous titles in the series, as well as distinguishing itself from similar games like Command and Conquer. The elements of smart villagers and terrain-reforming, he said, "adds a whole level of gameplay not found in those titles." Bullfrog representative Brian Allen asserted that these departures distinguished Populous: The Beginning from other real-time strategy games on the market at the time. In some aspects, the developers were forced to remove features due to technical constraints; for example, the "Plague" spell from previous Populous titles was dropped because in practice the spell was too frustrating.
Originally, the game was known as Populous: The Third Coming, but the name was changed by the time the game was shown in a fully playable beta form in late 1998. The game was the first in the series to be made without Populous creator Peter Molyneux
, who had left Bullfrog to create Lionhead Studios
. The music was composed by Mark Knight, who had joined Bullfrog's team in 1997.
stated, "previous Bullfrog games have always placed gameplay above graphical finesse, but that's no longer the case." GameSpot
' s reviewer Ron Dulin appreciated how The Beginning was a daring revamp of the series, instead of a safe, slightly modified sequel (like the earlier Populous II
). Computer and Video Games rated The Beginning as a "better play" than the original.
Complaints about the game centered on the difficulty of controlling followers, the simplicity of gameplay, and the tension between game styles. The game's AI
allowed followers to automatically construct buildings, but this led to problems directing them in the midst of a hectic battle. IGN
noted that with the player's followers automatically going about daily life, the replay value was lowered even with the multiplayer options. Others agreed that the automation rendered gameplay too simple, with no upgrades or serious resource management, a sentiment PC Gamer
expressed when they wrote that the missions "become mind-numbingly repetitive".
Populous: The Beginning played very differently from earlier titles. Edge concluded that while the more rigid play format of The Beginning was new to the series, it had the effect of making the end result "less show-stopping". The game was caught between the god game
and RTS
genres, and did not excel at either. PCGamer subsequently decided the game failed to live up to the previous games in the series. More charitably, GamePro
s Peter Olafson wrote: "Populous: The Beginning is not a bad game, in fact a good one; but it's a different game—one without a quintessential quality that defined Populous."
Strategy video game
Strategy video games is a video game genre that emphasizes skillful thinking and planning to achieve victory. They emphasize strategic, tactical, and sometimes logistical challenges. Many games also offer economic challenges and exploration...
and god-style
God game
A god game is an artificial life game that casts the player in the position of controlling the game on a large scale, as an entity with divine/supernatural powers, as a great leader, or with no specified character , and places them in charge of a game setting containing autonomous characters to...
video game. It is the third entry in the Populous
Populous (series)
The Populous series is a series of video games developed by Bullfrog Productions and published by Electronic Arts. The first game in the series – Populous was released in 1989...
video game series, developed by Bullfrog Productions
Bullfrog Productions
Bullfrog Productions was a UK computer game developer that was founded in 1987 by Les Edgar and Peter Molyneux. The company achieved recognition in 1989 for their third release, Populous....
in 1998. The PC version of the game was released November 30, 1998 and a PlayStation version was later developed and released on April 2, 1999. Unlike earlier games in the series, which cast the player in the role of a god influencing loyal followers, The Beginning took a radical departure and placed the player in the role of a shaman
Shamanism
Shamanism is an anthropological term referencing a range of beliefs and practices regarding communication with the spiritual world. To quote Eliade: "A first definition of this complex phenomenon, and perhaps the least hazardous, will be: shamanism = technique of ecstasy." Shamanism encompasses the...
, who directly leads her tribe against opponents. Throughout the twenty-five missions of the campaign, the player leads their tribe across a solar system
Solar System
The Solar System consists of the Sun and the astronomical objects gravitationally bound in orbit around it, all of which formed from the collapse of a giant molecular cloud approximately 4.6 billion years ago. The vast majority of the system's mass is in the Sun...
, dominating enemy tribes and tapping new sources of magic
Magic (fantasy)
Magic in fiction is the endowing of fictional characters or objects with magical powers.Such magic often serves as a plot device, the source of magical artifacts and their quests...
, with the ultimate goal of the shaman attaining godhood herself.
Populous: The Beginning was the first entry in the series to use true 3D computer graphics
3D computer graphics
3D computer graphics are graphics that use a three-dimensional representation of geometric data that is stored in the computer for the purposes of performing calculations and rendering 2D images...
; Bullfrog waited four years after Populous II so that the graphics technology could catch up to their vision for a new and different game in the series. The developers considered the addition of terrain deformation and manipulation, combined with "smart" villagers who automatically attended to tasks, to add an entirely new dimension to the series. The game's original title was Populous: The Third Coming before being changed before the beta release.
Populous: The Beginning plays very differently from earlier titles and received mixed reviews. Reviewers positively noted the excellent graphics, while complaints were directed at the artificial intelligence and the indecision in game design between being a real time strategy title and a god game
God game
A god game is an artificial life game that casts the player in the position of controlling the game on a large scale, as an entity with divine/supernatural powers, as a great leader, or with no specified character , and places them in charge of a game setting containing autonomous characters to...
. GamePro
GamePro
GamePro Media was a United States gaming media company publishing online and print content on the video game industry, video game hardware, and video game software developed for a video game console , a computer, and/or a mobile device . GamePro Media properties include GamePro magazine and...
s Peter Olafson wrote that Populous: The Beginning was not a bad game, in fact a good one; "but it's a different game—one without a quintessential quality that defined Populous."
Gameplay
Solar System
The Solar System consists of the Sun and the astronomical objects gravitationally bound in orbit around it, all of which formed from the collapse of a giant molecular cloud approximately 4.6 billion years ago. The vast majority of the system's mass is in the Sun...
. Enemy tribes also have shamans, and on later levels all inhabit the same world. While the objective is almost always to eliminate all of the members of the other tribes, there are often specific ways this can be achieved. Sometimes the player must use magic spells
Magic (gaming)
Some role-playing games or game systems can include a set of rules that are used to portray magic in the paranormal sense. These rules simulate the effects that magic would have within the game context, according to how the game designer intended the magic to be portrayed...
gained from worship at special monuments such as stone heads or "Vaults of Knowledge"; in other cases, the player only needs to overwhelm the enemies with superior numbers. The game has no formal resource management
Resource management
In organizational studies, resource management is the efficient and effective deployment of an organization's resources when they are needed. Such resources may include financial resources, inventory, human skills, production resources, or information technology...
; new units are created automatically at houses, and training new warriors costs nothing except mana
Mana
Mana is an indigenous Pacific islander concept of an impersonal force or quality that resides in people, animals, and inanimate objects. The word is a cognate in many Oceanic languages, including Melanesian, Polynesian, and Micronesian....
. Only wood from trees is required to build new structures.
The game is played from a 3D third person perspective with the camera at a variable height and capable of rotating 360°, enabling the player to quickly move across the planet's terrain, which is actually a real projective plane
Real projective plane
In mathematics, the real projective plane is an example of a compact non-orientable two-dimensional manifold, that is, a one-sided surface. It cannot be embedded in our usual three-dimensional space without intersecting itself...
rather than a usual sphere; on maps where there is no fog of war
Fog of war
The fog of war is a term used to describe the uncertainty in situation awareness experienced by participants in military operations. The term seeks to capture the uncertainty regarding own capability, adversary capability, and adversary intent during an engagement, operation, or campaign...
, players can see what opponents are doing at any time. Extensive support for 3D acceleration enables the player to view the game in 16-bit or 32-bit colour. The landscape and real-time structure building and follower movement are also shown.
Populous: The Beginning is multiplayer compatible, either by head-to-head direct modem
Modem
A modem is a device that modulates an analog carrier signal to encode digital information, and also demodulates such a carrier signal to decode the transmitted information. The goal is to produce a signal that can be transmitted easily and decoded to reproduce the original digital data...
connection, LAN
Local area network
A local area network is a computer network that interconnects computers in a limited area such as a home, school, computer laboratory, or office building...
, IPX
IPX
Internetwork Packet Exchange is the OSI-model Network layer protocol in the IPX/SPX protocol stack.The IPX/SPXM protocol stack is supported by Novell's NetWare network operating system. Because of Netware's popularity through the late 1980s into the mid 1990s, IPX became a popular internetworking...
, or using matchmakers over TCP/IP
Internet protocol suite
The Internet protocol suite is the set of communications protocols used for the Internet and other similar networks. It is commonly known as TCP/IP from its most important protocols: Transmission Control Protocol and Internet Protocol , which were the first networking protocols defined in this...
. Modders
Modding
Modding is a slang expression that is derived from the verb "modify". Modding refers to the act of modifying a piece of hardware or software or anything else for that matter, to perform a function not originally conceived or intended by the designer...
added matchmaking clients, which can be downloaded from fan sites. Populous: The Beginning allows for a maximum game size of four players playing against each other.
Setting
Populous: The Beginning does not take place on Earth. Rather, the game takes place in a planetary systemPlanetary system
A planetary system consists of the various non-stellar objects orbiting a star such as planets, dwarf planets , asteroids, meteoroids, comets, and cosmic dust...
of twenty-five unnamed planets. There is no indication as to whether the game takes place in the future or past, as the universe within the game is seemingly unconnected with reality. While many of the planets are predominantly grassland
Grassland
Grasslands are areas where the vegetation is dominated by grasses and other herbaceous plants . However, sedge and rush families can also be found. Grasslands occur naturally on all continents except Antarctica...
s dotted with trees, other worlds feature wildly different terrains, such as a volcanic world and a planet almost entirely covered by water. These worlds are inhabited by four human tribes, represented by their color: the green "Matak", the yellow "Chumara", and the red "Dakini". The fourth blue tribe, controlled by the player, is never officially mentioned by name. Each of the tribes is generally hostile to one another, though alliances exist on some worlds. The reasoning for the hostilities is never explained other than the starting cutscene stating that the other (non-player) tribes "would destroy us". While all the tribes are ruled by a single female shaman, no other females are seen in the game, except in cutscene
Cutscene
A cutscene is a sequence in a video game over which the player has no or only limited control, breaking up the gameplay and used to advance the plot, strengthen the main character's development, introduces enemy characters, and provide background information, atmosphere, dialogue, and clues...
s; all the followers recruited in the game are male. In addition to the organized tribes are 'wildmen', neutral characters who cluster in groups around trees and water. Though they cannot attack or be attacked, players can use the Shaman's Convert spell to bring wildmen under her tribe's control.
Plot
Populous: The Beginning takes place before the first two games in the series. The player controls the Blue tribe, pitted against the three enemy tribes which control most of the solar system. The player's destiny as Shaman is to become a deity; only by defeating all the enemies in the system can the player's shaman become omnipotentOmnipotence
Omnipotence is unlimited power. Monotheistic religions generally attribute omnipotence to only the deity of whichever faith is being addressed...
. The player begins on the planet furthest from the sun, and attacks each planet in sequence. Along the way, the Shaman can learn new skills and magic to defeat her (usually) much more powerful enemies. Victory requires the player to either destroy the opposition, or on occasion perform special actions. The player loses if his or her Shaman is killed and there are no remaining followers to resurrect her, if the Shaman is killed and there is no circle of resurrection, or the player runs out of time on timed levels. Upon beating back the other tribes, the Shaman ascends to godhood
Divinity
Divinity and divine are broadly applied but loosely defined terms, used variously within different faiths and belief systems — and even by different individuals within a given faith — to refer to some transcendent or transcendental power or deity, or its attributes or manifestations in...
, and further helps her people conquer the Matak, Chumara and Dakini in one final conflict.
Development
Populous: The Beginning was the first in the series developed with entirely 3D graphics3D computer graphics
3D computer graphics are graphics that use a three-dimensional representation of geometric data that is stored in the computer for the purposes of performing calculations and rendering 2D images...
. The game was published more than four years after Populous II with developers stating the delay was due to waiting for the hardware specifications to come along enough that they would allow them to do something very different and new. Producer Stuart Whyte said of the work, "We're really proud of what we've done in software because it does look really nice."
The Populous series inspired the term "god game
God game
A god game is an artificial life game that casts the player in the position of controlling the game on a large scale, as an entity with divine/supernatural powers, as a great leader, or with no specified character , and places them in charge of a game setting containing autonomous characters to...
", with players assuming the role of an omniscient being who lead his people to new territories or into battle. Alan Wright, the game's project leader, stressed both the departure Populous: The Beginning took from previous titles in the series, as well as distinguishing itself from similar games like Command and Conquer. The elements of smart villagers and terrain-reforming, he said, "adds a whole level of gameplay not found in those titles." Bullfrog representative Brian Allen asserted that these departures distinguished Populous: The Beginning from other real-time strategy games on the market at the time. In some aspects, the developers were forced to remove features due to technical constraints; for example, the "Plague" spell from previous Populous titles was dropped because in practice the spell was too frustrating.
Originally, the game was known as Populous: The Third Coming, but the name was changed by the time the game was shown in a fully playable beta form in late 1998. The game was the first in the series to be made without Populous creator Peter Molyneux
Peter Molyneux
Peter Douglas Molyneux OBE is an English computer game designer and game programmer. He created the God games Dungeon Keeper, Populous, and Black & White, among others, as well as business simulation games such as Theme Park and more recently, the RPG series Fable.Despite the success of his games,...
, who had left Bullfrog to create Lionhead Studios
Lionhead Studios
Lionhead Studios is a British computer game development company led by industry veteran Peter Molyneux, and acquired by Microsoft Game Studios in April 2006. Lionhead started as a breakaway from the developer Bullfrog, which was also founded by Molyneux. Lionhead's first game was Black & White, a...
. The music was composed by Mark Knight, who had joined Bullfrog's team in 1997.
Expansion
Intended to supplement the multiplayer aspect of Populous: The Beginning, Bullfrog released an expansion, Populous: The Beginning — Undiscovered Worlds, in 1999. The expansion was only made available in the UK and US. The add-on offered twelve new single-player and twelve multiplayer levels, with a continuation of the storyline begun in the previous game, where the player takes on the role of a new shaman who must restore peace to the solar system.Reception
Populous: The Beginning received generally favorable reviews on release with some strong criticisms to follow. Reviewers were especially smitten with the immersive 3D graphics. EdgeEdge (magazine)
Edge is a multi-format computer and video game magazine published by Future Publishing in the United Kingdom. It is known for its industry contacts, editorial stance, distinctive anonymous third-person writing style, yearly awards and longevity....
stated, "previous Bullfrog games have always placed gameplay above graphical finesse, but that's no longer the case." GameSpot
GameSpot
GameSpot is a video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information. The site was launched in May 1, 1996 by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. It was purchased by ZDNet, a brand which was later purchased by CNET Networks. CBS Interactive, which...
Populous II
Populous II: Trials of the Olympian Gods is a computer game in the Populous series for the Amiga, Atari ST and DOS-based computers, developed by Bullfrog Productions....
). Computer and Video Games rated The Beginning as a "better play" than the original.
Complaints about the game centered on the difficulty of controlling followers, the simplicity of gameplay, and the tension between game styles. The game's AI
Artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence is the intelligence of machines and the branch of computer science that aims to create it. AI textbooks define the field as "the study and design of intelligent agents" where an intelligent agent is a system that perceives its environment and takes actions that maximize its...
allowed followers to automatically construct buildings, but this led to problems directing them in the midst of a hectic battle. IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
noted that with the player's followers automatically going about daily life, the replay value was lowered even with the multiplayer options. Others agreed that the automation rendered gameplay too simple, with no upgrades or serious resource management, a sentiment PC Gamer
PC Gamer
PC Gamer is a magazine founded in Britain in 1993 devoted to PC gaming and published monthly by Future Publishing. The magazine has several regional editions, with the UK and US editions becoming the best selling PC games magazines in their respective countries...
expressed when they wrote that the missions "become mind-numbingly repetitive".
Populous: The Beginning played very differently from earlier titles. Edge concluded that while the more rigid play format of The Beginning was new to the series, it had the effect of making the end result "less show-stopping". The game was caught between the god game
God game
A god game is an artificial life game that casts the player in the position of controlling the game on a large scale, as an entity with divine/supernatural powers, as a great leader, or with no specified character , and places them in charge of a game setting containing autonomous characters to...
and RTS
Real-time strategy
Real-time strategy is a sub-genre of strategy video game which does not progress incrementally in turns. Brett Sperry is credited with coining the term to market Dune II....
genres, and did not excel at either. PCGamer subsequently decided the game failed to live up to the previous games in the series. More charitably, GamePro
GamePro
GamePro Media was a United States gaming media company publishing online and print content on the video game industry, video game hardware, and video game software developed for a video game console , a computer, and/or a mobile device . GamePro Media properties include GamePro magazine and...
s Peter Olafson wrote: "Populous: The Beginning is not a bad game, in fact a good one; but it's a different game—one without a quintessential quality that defined Populous."