On Jun 11, 2004, at 12:24 PM, Joseph J. Strout wrote:
Here's an idea for a different sort of game, though you will recognize
inspiration in SimLife and other similar artificial life apps...
The basic idea is this: You, as a player, design a species of
creature, by setting a large number of parameters (both physical and
behavioral). Your creature may be anything from a tiny plant to a
Godzilla-like behemoth. You then toss, say, a few dozen members of
your species into a jungle rich with other creatures, and see how long
they (and their progeny) last.
I like it.
But I wouldn't limit it to just a jungle. To make it really
interesting, you would make it with a number of landscape varieties
including extreme environmental differences. Your "pad" could be
anything from a Desert with 130°F temperatures (54°C) and almost zero
moisture to a Sub-Zero Arctic climate with glaciers for top soil -- and
deep underwater zones to oxygen starved mountain tops.
When a species is created, the user would have the ability to affect
life-span/birth rate, community vs. solitary, reasoning (learning) vs.
instinctual, strengths and weaknesses.
For example, a Flying Insect would have a large range in which it could
travel, would have a short life span and only certain members of the
community would be able to reproduce (but man do they reproduce). The
fact that the insect could fly would reduce other strengths such as
weak in attack/defense. Flying would also require a higher metabolism,
but since the insect is small, it would not require a great deal of
food compared to a man-sized species. The Flying Insect could also
have other defense mechanisms such as poison, stink clouds, stingers,
etc...
A physically strong and large creature (such as Godzilla) would be
balanced with a very low birth rate and the requirement to eat a lot of
food. Natural armor would be balanced by slow movements (in relation
to size). A large size would be balanced by the inability (weakness)
to effectively defend against swarms of small creatures (such as Flying
Insects).
A terrain-only creature would be hindered in another environment, such
as drowning in water. If a creature is designed to adapt to multiple
environments, it would cost in other ways (such as weaker defense).
Essentially, every species would need to have resistance factors to
certain conditions:
- Water (amphibious) / Air (oxygen breathing)
- Toxic substances (Poison, Sulfur, Radiation, Food Types, etc)
- Heat/Cold
- Humidity (Desert vs. Rain Forest)
Also, the older the species, the more resistances and additional
abilities it acquires -- making a elder species more difficult to wipe
out by an new species (but not impossible).
In addition, it would be interesting to develop co-existing species
that work together in a community -- such as the relationship between
ants and aphids.
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