4X

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This article is about the strategy game genre. For other uses, see 4X (disambiguation).

4X refers to a genre of strategy game, usually a computer game, with four primary goals: eXplore, eXpand, eXploit and eXterminate. A 4x game can be turn-based or real-time. The best known example of this genre is Sid Meier's Civilization series.

Contents

[edit] Terminology

4X stands for the goals of :

  1. eXplore
  2. eXpand
  3. eXploit
  4. eXterminate

Explore means the player starts out with limited knowledge of the playing area, and must move into new areas to reveal the map. The map could be blacked out, or some features may be visible with limited information (for example, the stars in Master of Orion).

Expand means the player adds more territory under their control. This is usually done by creating new settlements or improving the influence of existing settlements.

Exploit means the player uses resources under his control, such as wood, gold, or food, and improves the efficiency of that usage.

Exterminate means attacking and eliminating rival players, pushing back their territorial expansion and hindering their ability to exploit resources within that territory. Beyond the cost to the rival, there is often an additional tangible benefit to the attacker, usually in the form of acquired territory, resources, loot, and advantageous strategic position.

[edit] Gameplay conventions

[edit] Victory

The normal victory condition is to exterminate all rival players. Where this would take too long, or where there can be prolonged stalemates, many 4X games offer alternative victory conditions. The game might end after a time limit, or when one player gets an insurmountable lead.

Sometimes a 4x game will offer victory conditions as a distinct alternative to extermination, instead giving victory to the player who best exploits their resources and territory. Resources can feed a victory-worthy achievement, like winning the space race in Civilization, or researching a powerful technology in Galactic Civilizations.

[edit] Technology tree

In addition to allowing players to increase military and economic strength, many 4X games allow technological improvement, usually in the form of a technology tree, in which early technologies are prerequisites for more advanced ones, and players have to traverse many branches before they can reach the most powerful abilities at the end.

[edit] Setting

The most common settings are Earth or an Earth-like planet (as in Civilization), a fantasy realm (as in Master of Magic) or a galactic empire (numerous examples listed below).

[edit] Characters

Typically, the player takes on the guise of one of many tribes or leaders, battling other rival tribes or leaders. Each tribe/leader usually has a distinct personality, especially when they are controlled by an AI player. Often, these personalities are tied to actual bonuses experienced by the player, such as stronger soldiers for a war-like tribe/leader, or more effective research for a logical tribe/leader.

4X games suggest that an empire's destiny is grounded in the values of its people, or at least the values of its leadership. "The state" becomes the main actor in shaping historical outcomes, and the state is only concerned with its state interests. This resembles the realist school of international relations, which contrasts with other schools that emphasize common goals between states, or the goals of non-state movements.

[edit] Defining features

The conventions presented above are actually common to many other games. This is especially a problem that each of the 4 X's can be found in other strategy games that are not typically considered 4x games. For example, one of the first RTS games, Dune II, allows the player to explore and expand across a map, exploiting resources and exterminating opponents along the way. Many players feel that the definition of a 4X game has less to do with the presence of the 4 X's and more to do with their implementation.

[edit] Complexity and scale

4X games tend to last longer than other strategy games, possibly taking days for a single player game (in case of complicated victory conditions) while multiplayer matches are sometimes known to span weeks. This is part of the intended design.

For example, major 4X games like Civilization and Master of Orion have a much larger technology tree than other, "classical" strategy games. There are 86 nodes (technologies) on the technology tree in Civilization IV, while Warcraft III distributes its upgrades across 12 leaves (buildings). Moreover, the requirements for Warcraft 3 are simple enough to allow the player to reach the end of the tree in five steps. On the other hand, the Civilization 4 technology tree requires nearly 60 steps to reach the end.

Many 4X games are assembled as numerous layers of gameplay, tied together to form a complex system[1]. In this sense, each layer of gameplay becomes intricate enough to resemble a minigame of its own. For example, many 4X games have a separate screen for each settlement. Some even have a special screen display for every particular battle (such as Master of Magic, or Galactic Civilizations).

[edit] Non-player obstacles

In most strategy games, the only obstacle between the player and victory are the opponents. Gameplay dynamics are simplified to allow players to focus on "what matters," which is usually the military aspect of the game. In 4X games, however, there are internal obstacles as well.

  • Exploration might be limited by impassable terrain, or limited ranges of units, with several turning points in the game where the limits are softened. (Such as developing better FTL drives or ocean-faring ships).
  • Expansion might be limited by maintenance costs and economic troubles that are more complex than a simple population limit, such as logistic concerns or pollution. Players are usually forced to consolidate and strengthen their current holdings, or discover new technologies that make their economy powerful enough to support further expansion.
  • Exploitation might be limited by invisible or inaccessible resources, or limits on total population like disease, unhappiness, or civil unrest. The player often lacks the tools to overcome these limitations at the start of the game, requiring more advanced industrial or cultural developments.
  • Extermination might be limited by war fatigue or morale, forcing players to make tradeoffs between finishing their war and keeping their people happy and productive.

[edit] The fifth X: eXperience

In 2002, with the pending release of Master of Orion 3, there were claims that this would be the first "5X game". Alan Emrich announced that the fifth X would be eXperience:

Normally, these games give the player total knowledge, total control, and unlimited ability to do everything at all times within the limits of their resources. The '5th X' says that there's more to it than that. If you're leading a race that is supposed to be militaristic, and you conduct affairs in a pacifistic manner, you should suffer with unrest, revolt, or even revolution. If you're sitting at the top of your civilization, you should be reading reports sent up from underlings, not managing every single spy or battle yourself.

– [2]

If experience refers to human limits on total control over your empire, then many 4X games have at least a small experience component. For example, many 4X games require players to deal with civil unrest. The Civilization series has included features like war weariness, or the senate, representing a lack of total control over your empire. This stands in contrast to many RTSes, where orders are always strictly obeyed.

It is questionable whether Master of Orion 3 is the first true 5X game. But this definition of experience helps to distinguish many 4X games from other strategy games.

[edit] Diplomacy and peace

While some strategy games offer shared victory and team play, "diplomacy" usually revolves around teaming up to destroy opposing players. But 4X games often allow multilateral, complex diplomatic relations like detailed peace and trade treaties between competitors who may not even be on the same team.

Some 4X games do not even require a player to exterminate opponents to win. It might be possible to win the game through non-violent victory conditions by waging only defensive wars, or sometimes, with no wars at all. In other (non-4X) strategy games, the players have usually no choice but to destroy each other.

[edit] History

[edit] Early years

The lineage of 4x games can be traced back to board games, which had an influence on early DOS games like Reach for the Stars in the eighties. These games were turn-based, and had some of the basic elements of 4X games.

Most fans regard Sid Meier's Civilization in 1990 as the first true 4X game, with the level of detail that has become a staple of the genre. The original Master of Orion from 1993 is also an early landmark in the genre. Both had more developed technology trees and diplomatic AI.

[edit] The Golden Age

The success of both Civilization and Master of Orion sparked a golden age for the genre by the mid to late 1990s. Each company produced their own spinoffs in 1994, with Colonization as a spinoff of Civilization, and Master of Magic as a spinoff of Master of Orion. Sequels to each followed in 1996 which took advantage of the rapidly growing processing power of PCs. With the growing popularity of the genre, other 4X games such as Ascendancy emerged.

StarCraft in 1998 signalled a huge success for real-time strategy games, with many lauding the benefits of both multiplayer and the faster paced military action. Critics argued that the more complex turn-based gameplay was no longer what players wanted. This was coupled with a rushed release of Civilization III, and what many regard as an ambitious failure for Master of Orion 3.

[edit] Today

Garnering a significant buzz from a release only 3 years earlier, Stardock released Galactic Civilizations 2 in early 2006. This is coupled with the release of Civilization IV at the end of 2005, garnering numerous awards from game critics. Many fans of 4X games believe (or at least hope) this signals a renewed interest in the genre.

Also, games like Imperium Galactica had been quietly combining 4X elements with loved elements of RTS. This splicing of genres has arguably inspired "RT4X" gameplay, with Ironclad Games developing Sins of a Solar Empire with a similar concept.

[edit] Examples of 4X games

Popular 4X games in a science fiction setting include:

Popular 4X games in a fantasy setting include:

Popular 4X games in a historical setting include:

[edit] Spore and 3E

Will Wright's biological sim Spore features a "3E" gameplay, its motto being Emerge, Evolve, Explore. It could be argued that it could be a "4E" game with the inclusion of Exterminate, as conquest is a possible part of the game.

[edit] References

[edit] See also

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