Developmental

This article has one or more unfinished sections. Please help fill in any section marked with [TODO].

The Developmental genre (formerly called the Kingdoms genre) is one of the three genres that exist within Executor RP games. Categorized by a playstyle that emphasizes worldbuilding and construction, it is the first genre to exist in the DiamondFire-Warlords community, precipitating the rise of the other two genres as well as the development of the concept of Executor RPs across DiamondFire.

Definition

A game is considered to be under the Developmental genre if it meets the criterion of an Executor RP as well as the following:

• The player starts with minimal resources.
• The player's main objective involves expanding their group (whether this be a country, faction, or other entity) by increasing their resources and/or developing their region.

Games within this genre usually have:

• A fog of war aspect (Leaving most of the map unexplored until the player sends a unit to explore the land)
• A resource count system (A way to see how much of a particular resource the player has, as well as how many resources it takes to create a certain structure or unit)
• A research system (A way for the player to technologically advance in the game)

The result is usually a game where a player leads a group of individuals to construct a new settlement in an uncharted land. For example, a group of settlers landing on an unexplored continent, with just enough resources to create a basic settlement. Throughout the course of the game, these settlers will construct a city and perhaps settle even more cities as their population increases. More sophisticated developmental games will take this a step further, giving the player the option to technologically progress through the game, as well as to develop the settlers' culture and ultimately create a complex society from scratch. Many developmental games will also have alternative goals such as conquering the other player-held civilizations, and ultimately the end goal of a game within the developmental genre is dependent on the game.

Etymology

The Developmental genre sees a heavy focus on development that is not seen to the same degree in the other two genres, giving it its name. The name was formally introduced in November 2019 by clumsycapy after some colloquial use in the context of DiamondFire-Warlords historiography. The alternate name for the genre, the Kingdoms genre, derives its name from the Kingdoms series by SenorConejo, a series of games that popularized the genre and continues to be the primary example of a Developmental game. This term is outdated and has been largely replaced by the current name.

Subgenres

[TODO]

History

[TODO]

Examples

[TODO]