populous game sourced
Populous
The first god game, in which the player raises and lowers land so followers can build and multiply, then spends the mana they generate on disasters against a rival deity's people.
parts
5 mechanics, as Populous does themcore · 2
God powers
Mana from the follower population unlocks progressively stronger interventions: knights, earthquakes, swamps, volcanoes, and floods.
Terraforming
Raising and lowering land is the basic power; its main use is creating flat ground on which followers can build larger settlements.
supporting · 3
Habitat suitability
Landscape type changes how followers develop.
Scenario objectives
500 worlds, each won by defeating the enemy's followers.
Unit commands
A papal magnet and behavior modes send followers to settle, gather, or fight.
core loop
raise and lower land to make flat ground -> followers settle and build houses -> houses breed followers and raise mana -> spend mana on knights, earthquakes, swamps, volcanoes, and floods -> overwhelm the rival deity's followers
design notes
Populous established the god game by making terrain the player's main tool and population the player's currency: flat land lets followers build larger houses, houses produce followers, and followers produce mana for powers, so shaping the land is also running the economy. The landscape type of each world (desert, lava, snow and ice) changes how followers develop. Population growth from housing has no mechanic id yet (proposal filed). The game ships 500 worlds, each won by outgrowing and destroying the opposing population.