I don't know much about subversion so I can't really talk about that. However, I can respond about the human orbit comparisons.
From what I remember about human orbit, it was a game where you could influence the crew by using anything that was connected to a network; Doors, phones, computers, life support, etc. It was a sandboxy game from what I remember.
The sims was hugely popular due to the multiple ways you could play that game. Some used a money cheat and designed beautiful houses while never actually playing the game. Others role play a character and try to have him live the way they imagined he'd live. Some do a challenge run with 8 kids etcetera. Even though you might say it was barely a game, it actually gave you a ton of options to play how you want. I was always the guy trying to max out everything, seduce everyone and earn money to buy the most expensive stuff.
I've never played the first populous (boooo) but from what I heard it's somewhat of a puzzle strategy game. Populous: The Beginning I have played however and I can explain why I thought that game was fun. For its time, it was quite nice to look at and the spells were amazing to watch. Each level had a certain way you had to play to beat it, but you could brute force your way through it in the earlier levels.
Human Orbit seems to me that it revolves more around one gimmick, which makes it more similar to a game like Red Suit. Fun for a bit but once you've seen what happens when you do X & Y, you stop being interested in it. Dwarf fortress is actually so much more complex compared to all other games mentioned. Just check one of the boards and see the amount of discussions that take place there.
Edit: Actually, the way I see I see it, Human Orbit would be like playing Dwarf Fortress in a pre-defined fort, no immigrants, no projects. You are able to toggle levers, lock doors, create burrows and assign dwarves to roles.