Line #1 VideoGame/Populous


1	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/populous.png]]
2	->''"''Populous'' is, in many ways, ''[=SimCity=]'' with just a bulldozer."''
3	-->--'''[[http://www.philipsandifer.com/2015/05/will-you-even-tell-her-if-you-decide-to.html Dr. El Sandifer]]'''
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5	''Populous'' is a [[SimulationGame God Sim]]; scratch that, Populous is ''[[UrExample the]]'' God Sim. Designed in 1989 by Creator/BullfrogProductions (developers who also brought us ''VideoGame/ThemePark'', ''VideoGame/ThemeHospital'' and ''VideoGame/DungeonKeeper'') under the leadership of a young Creator/PeterMolyneux (who later brought us ''VideoGame/BlackAndWhite'' and ''VideoGame/{{Fable}}''). It saw the player taking the role of a deity that helped a primitive tribe of people grow strong enough to fight a powerful enemy to defeat rival gods.
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8	!!!There are currently four main games, plus a few expansions :
9	* ''Populous'' (1989)
10	** ''Populous: The Promised Lands'' (1989)
11	** ''Populous: The Final Frontier'' (1989)
12	* ''Populous II: Trials of the Olympian Gods'' (1991)
13	** ''Populous II: The Challenge Games'' (1992)
14	* ''Videogame/PopulousTheBeginning'' (1998)
15	** ''Populous: The Beginning - Undiscovered Worlds'' (1999)
16	* ''Populous DS'' (2007)
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18	Bullfrog was taken over by EA in 2007, in the era where EA had made a reputation for the Borg-like assimilation of studios they bought out, so it's highly unlikely another sequel will be made.
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21	!!This game series contains examples of the following tropes :
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23	* AGodIsYou: The TropeMaker
24	* BonusStage: Complete the third game and you can take part in an over the top straight out battle called Armageddon.
25	* CheatCode: There's normally 500 levels, with the level names working as a password system. Entering "killuspal" (kill us, pal) as the password warps you to level 999, which is basically suicidal.
26	* ClapYourHandsIfYouBelieve: Provided one of your followers is left on the map you'll still survive. Just don't expect to survive for long.
27	* ElementalRockPaperScissors: Populous DS gives the player a selection of five different gods, each with their own element, set of unique miracles, and stats for worshipers, and added power vs. another element.
28	** [[DishingOutDirt Earth]]: JackOfAllStats. Advantageous vs. Air; the rocks miracles tend to produce get in the way of scattering worshipers (as well as buildings) and swamps are a walker's worst nightmare.
29	** [[BlowYouAway Air]]: High stamina. Advantageous vs. Water; wind disrupts rain-fall, one of water's basic miracles. Miracles also tend to hit large areas and scatter worshipers, allowing you "throw" your worshipers where you want them to go, or throw enemy worshipers right to their deaths.
30	** [[MakingASplash Water]]: Balanced. Advantageous vs. Fire; rain puts out flames of any sort. Miracles also tend to [[HeelFaceBrainwashing convert]] enemy worshipers into your own.
31	** [[PlayingWithFire Fire]]: Supreme strength. Advantageous vs. Harvest; Harvest's flowers and mushrooms pretty much super-charge Fire's most basic miracle: the Pillar of Fire. And Fire's extreme attack-power means it'll squash Harvest worshipers despite their growth.
32	** [[GreenThumb Harvest]]: High reproduction. Advantageous vs. Earth; Harvest's flowers can quickly clear out rocks from Earth's miracles and its incredible growth-speed means that its low fighting-strength is rarely an issue.
33	* EthnicGod: Each tribe has a commanding and beneficent god, one of which [[AGodIsYou is the player]].
34	* GRatedSex: Two people walk into a house, and three people come out.
35	* HideYourChildren: They pop out of huts fully grown.
36	* LifeMeter: ''Populous'' has two life meters, intended to be equivalent of the "tens" and "ones" places. If a walker gets enough health, the left bar will be changed to yellow, expressing another magnitude to the meter.
37	* IsometricProjection
38	* ManaMeter: Referred as "Manna" in-manual. The Manna meter is shown above the map, with the arrow showing the highest deity power that may be invoked. You can rapidly make as many disasters as long as you have manna.
39	* OldTimeyCinemaCountdown: ''II'' shows the opening cinematic in an ancient movie theater of sorts. Fittingly, there's a monochrome countdown from 5 to 2.
40	* SandboxMode: The computer versions of Populous allow creating one's own map, including rule setup and placement of units.
41	* SpiritualSuccessor: ''VideoGame/{{Godus}}''. Molyneux isn't coy about it, either.
42	** ''[[http://reprisaluniverse.com/site/ Reprisal]]'' is an admitted {{homage}} to this game.
43	* TerrainSculpting: One of the {{TropeMaker}}s for VideoGames.
44	* VersionExclusiveContent: The Super NES port of ''Populous'' received a whole host of new land types to play on, including a computer-themed one whose settlers would build structures [[ConsoleCameo resembling Nintendo consoles]]. The DS version increased the number of consoles that can appear.

Context VideoGame / Populous