Are there many games not about logistics?

News & General Discussion
1

I was thinking about how often war games negate the logistical elements of conflict, e.g. Players magically drop/pass supplies to each other.

That got me thinking what would a war game be like with realistic logistics and probably not fun…

Then on reflection I got the idea that nearly all games are about logistics, e.g. how many games are about the player taking progressively larger guns to larger boss battles.

Any game where moving something from A to B could be classed as logistics, delivering something. From Chess to Tetris, Portal, PUBG…

So are there many games that do not involve logistics, or moving something from A to B to complete?

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I uhhh… I don’t know. You’ve widened the meaning of logistics so much that it probably includes everything?

With the way you defined it, what isn’t logistics in real life?

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3

I mean if your going to be that generic about the definition of logistics, everything is going to be logistics as pixels are moving. Unless its a static image.

I am wondering less about the answer to this question, and more about why you post these questions and what you actually get out of them? Thats not an attempt at being rude btw, its a genuine question

4

You could might say that games like DayZ have some logistics elements since you need marshal a inventory etc. But its pushing it even there

5

Incorrect. The definition of logistics is not ‘moving things.’ Its ‘managing moving things.’

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It would be fun for a niche audience. It is not different from a city management game or what have you.

You have x amount of things, you need to supply a certain portion here, there. A constant gamble and risk assessment. You make short term and long term decisions. Seeing how they play out is the hook and reward.

Warzone is just the theme. Obviously a pretty popular one, especially with young-middle age males. In this case, winning battles isn’t so much about positioning, but rather who got ammo resupply when they needed it. Who brought bigger guns and more troops. In other words, kind of realistic!

It’s a great idea and armchair generals-types would love it. I hardly play the strategy genre but I’d be surprised if there isn’t quite a few games like this already.

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Your definition of logistics is a bit wider than most people would think of if.

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Their definition is wide enough to encompass almost anything, its basically not even a definition at that stage.

Like flow of blood could be considered logistics. Transferal of energy. Transmission of light. Osmosis. Pooping. Pixels moving on a screen. A color value lerping from one value to another. Like, anything that has something vaguely moving or transfering some sort of thing from one place to another.

Which ofcourse as someone pointed out above, is not actually what logistics means XD

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Online Definition Search: Logistics is the management of the flow of goods between point of origin and point of destination.

Or moving things from A to B. Therefore are most players just couriers movings things from A to B.

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the guy carrying a rucksack from A to B is not making logistics decisions. He’s a mule. Decisions he makes pertain to taking care of blisters on his feet. The person figuring out which battalion goes where so that it can support other battalion for some long term purpose and figuring out how the rest of the giant web is going to get connected together is doing logistics. Why are we defining a common, well known term? Come on you started with interesting discussion. Why got to make it some silly semantics.

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11

Your first sentence is true, the second is not. The online definition at no point says its “moving things from A to B”. Its either:

"
The detailed organization and implementation of a complex operation.

  • the activity of organizing the movement, equipment, and accommodation of troops.
    noun: logistics
  • the commercial activity of transporting goods to customers.
    “our fleet vehicle management system enables logistics firms to track deliveries using satellite technology”

Neither of which are what you said. So to put it simply, your oversimplifying the definition to the point that it not longer represents the truth. I.E pretty pointless thread about semantics.

Therefore the answer to your original question is: yes, many games are devoid of logistics entirely. No, an inventory nor any other example you gave is not logistics.

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  • Please stop making terms mean what you want them to mean instead of what they actual mean, which you do all the time.
  • This is a game about logistics.
  • Death Stranding is also a game about logistics.
  • The other games you have mentioned are not about logistics.
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13

LOL you do realise that a battalion is just a few hundred of those Mules that all need feeding, watering and supplying.

Actually if you look at WW1 and how bogged down and entrenched the fighting got, and consider the change in volume of supplies from bolt action to semi-automatic and automatic weapons (and larger/faster firing artillery). There is the theory that the logistical supplies that were often delivered by horse and buggy just could not keep up with the needs of a more modern army (especially in the shelled out muddy hell of the WW1 battlefield).

Possibly why they invented the trench railway https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trench_railways

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Here’s my thinking: War Games often forget about logistics because well they are boring, just moving stuff from A to B.

However nearly all games are based on moving things from A to B but in a fun way.

So to view logistics as boring is kind of Oxymoronic from a certain point of view.

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Again, this is not what logistics means. Also, this is fundamentally ignoring the entire real time strategy genre, which is about supply line and command management, which is what “logistics” actually means.

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I think my logistics officer in the army would not agree with your definition Arowx

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Don’t ask an officer for the real world meaning of something ask his sergeant.

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Are these people sergeant enough for you? Or are they all officers?

Because this is literally everyone in the entire thread pointing out how your premise is flawed.

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False. Managing a process is not the same thing as carrying out the process. You’re not responsible for the logistics of a delivery because you drive the truck.

(And before you start with logic sillies, yes someone can be responsible for the logistics -and- drive the truck, but what I am specifically saying is that the driving of the truck does not make you responsible for the logistics. And that the person responsible for the logistics is not required to ever go near the truck. Or the item to be delivered)

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This was the Major General of the entire logistics military branch. Just kidding it was not, it was over 20 years since I did my service, but it was a pretty high ranking officer. Logistics is important in the military