History Main / SpaceManagementGame

* ''{{Caesar}}'', followed by three sequels. ''Caesar III'' is the trope codifier: the next three entries on the list were all directly inspired by it and played very similarly:

* ''PrisonTycoon''

* ''RollerCoasterTycoon''

* ''Stronghold'', while more of a RealTimeStrategy, fits both the Commodity and Lair categories.

* ''TheMovies'' can be described as this... without the customers.

* Beginning with SimCity, these games put you in the shoes of the mayor of a more-or-less realistic, modern city. You'll have to place down residential zones, provide employment in industrial and commercial areas, connect areas with roads and electricity, provide services like water and education, and generally make sure that the city is attractive to new immigrants. Money is the chief commodity, so it's important to stay in the black. The laid-back nature of city-building is usually supported by [[WideOpenSandbox open-ended gameplay]], although "scenario"-type missions are also sometimes included. There may or may not be any visible denizens at all - Mayor Games tend to treat them as a statistic rather than as individuals.

* ''SimCity'' and its sequels.

* ''SimTower'' is either somewhere between this and Service Game.

* ''Stronghold'', while more of a RealTimeStrategy, fits both the Service and Lair categories.

** Lair: It turns into a very difficult combat game whenever part of the space station is occupied by one or more other companies attempting to do build their own facilities. Massive doors separating the station's torus design can be hacked open, initiating combat between the workers of one facility against it neighbour; essentially hostile takeovers.[[index]]

* ''Game/EvilGenius''

* Beginning with SimCity, these games put you in the shoes of the mayor of a more-or-less realistic, modern city. You'll have to place down residential zones, provide employment in industrial and commercial areas, connect areas with roads and electricity, provide services like water and education, and generally make sure that the city is attractive to new immigrants. Money is the chief commodity, so it's important to stay in the black. The laid-back nature of city-building is usually supported by [[WideOpenSandbox open-ended gameplay]], although "scenario"-type missions are also sometimes included.

* ''Game/ThemePark''

** Lair: It turns into a very difficult combat game whenever part of the space station is occupied by one or more other companies attempting to do build their own facilities. Massive doors separating the station's torus design can be hacked open, initiating combat between the workers of one facility against it neighbour; essentially hostile takeovers.[[index]]

* ''DwarfFortress'' requires attention to all except, for now, Service.

* ''StarTopia'' is a SpaceManagementGame InSpace.

** Service: Currently most (all?) Fortresses are communist; booze and food are the only essential services, provided free by the state, so long as there are raws available. Earlier implementation of capitalist economies have been aborted; though a revamp may make Service relevant again, it'll likely remain an option most players [[ScrappyMechanic won't choose]].[[index]]

* ''DwarfFortress'' requires attention to all except, for now, Service.[[/index]]
** Mayor: Carve or construct space to zone for residence or production, allocate traffic values for pathing between them, assign subsets of population to defined districts for work and living.

* ''DwarfFortress'' requires attention to all except, for now, Service.

** Service: Currently most (all?) Fortresses are communist; booze and food are the only essential services, provided free by the state, so long as there are raws available. Earlier implementation of capitalist economies have been aborted; though a revamp may make Service relevant again, it'll likely remain an option most players [[ScrappyMechanic won't choose]].

** Commodity: Acquire and process raw materials for weapons, armor, trade goods, housing fixtures and, most importantly, booze. The 'Merchant Arc' currently in development will expand the role of commodities and economic power over the wider world.

* ''DwarfFortress'' behaves more like this than a Commodity Game, even though it shares traits with both.

* ''TheMovies'' can be described as this... without the customers.

No, this isn't about Business Simulators played in the cold dark vastness of the stars (though it can be sometimes). The idea behind a SpaceManagementGame is for the player to figure out how to make the most out of as little space as possible.

* ''TheMovies'' can be described as this... without the customers.

!! Other:

* ''SystemShock'' 2 has a mini-space management game in its inventory system. It's laid out as a grid, and items take up different areas in the grid. Finding room for the environment suit, the guns you need, ammo, etc. can require a lot of juggling.
[[/index]]

* ''{{Caesar}}'' and three sequels, the last of which abandoned the use of a grid-like environment [[RuleOfCool in favor of 3D]]... and failed horribly as a result.