You can put all your ideas in this thread, so they won’t be scattered everywhere in the forum. I want to start talking about specializing cells. First, when you look into the human body, there are 4 types of cells if I don’t forget. So, we could have different classes of cells that we could choose or we could “program” our cells to specialize them. Also, because the colony is obviously looking forward becoming a creature (or a plant, fungi, etc. but mainly a creature), we’re going to need editing different systems such as digestive, respiratory, cardio, etc (and obviously neural system). End of my idea.
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one thing that would be neat to see is something like Cell Lab on mobile where you edit the genes of cells to make them grow in certain ways, along with different cell types that you can use to create a cell that survives in specific situations and environments.
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We have a category for multicellular ideas. I moved this thread there. If you want to use this thread you can, but if you have a bigger idea that you think needs more attention / discussion you should post a new thread in #future-game:multicellular-stage.
Ever since I first found thrive, I have always had a vision for what the multicellular stage would look like.
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The early multicellular stage would similar to a 3D microbial stage. It would mainly have a similar aesthetic to the microbial stage, with a seemingly never-ending watery environment, blurry backgrounds, and no solid walls/objects to speak of. This would make the player feel extremely minuscule, because they are.
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Towards the later stages, your environment will begin to get smaller, as you grow in size. At this point, you will be able to find solid surfaces, and perhaps even larger animals. By chance you could even accidentally find the ocean’s surface (though unlikely, due to how deep your creature would have to live)
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In the multicellular editor, creating the creature would be rather like KSP, adding cells as building blocks, using special cells for perks and benefits, and just trying to balance out everything. Normal cells would be the basic type, and you would be able to change their type once they are attached (Movement, Digestive, Protective, Misc).
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How often you meet another member of your species would depend on its overall performance/conservation status. If you are flourishing, you would constantly find other members, and if your species was doing poorly, you would be lucky to see any.
Thats about it, except for one thing. I once heard talk of the multicellular stage being 2D, like the microbial stage. However, while this would be easier to program, and easier to manage, I think it would be a poor choice. The people who have been along for the ride since (whenever Thrive began) would be disappointed to have to sit through another 2D stage. Multicellular being 3D would add a new level of gameplay, and so much more room for creativity. I understand the reasons behind why 2D would be chosen, but I personally advise against it.
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The thing about Thrive is that there aren’t supposed to be clear stage definitions. While there will be major developments which lead to each stage, it won’t be too much of a break in the gameplay flow.
Early multicellular being 2D is just a logical continuation of microbe gameplay, as you will also see lone 2D cells.
Once you become a large enough organism, we’ll figure out a subtle way to make it 3 dimensional. Maybe allowing more camera freedom as you add more cells (but not placement freedom) in the multicell editor could work.
That being said, the following transitions will be similarly subtle. Aware is reached upon adding enough nerve cells to become complex, so there won’t be a dramatic change. Awakening gives the player access to Strategy Mode, but you’ll still be using individual mode for some of the time.
The transitions in the society stages would be socially dramatic, but not dramatic in the gameplay flow. The development of agriculture (Society) gives rise to specializing roles, steam power (Industrial) allows for mechanical power, and Space is reached after a space program more advanced than ours. Throughout, you’ll still be using the strategy mode controls and you don’t have to redefine everything once you have a breakthrough. Even ascension, with all its god-like powers, comes after the use of superweapons (even if used for good) termed “God Tools” in the late Space Stage.
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How about the multicellular stage begins with a more 3D environment, but the player can still only move on a 2D plane with limited camera movement?
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Sounds a bit like spore’s cell stage.
Which is great, because that jellyfish-monster in the background creates some good fear factor.
In all seriousness, it’s a good idea.
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It’s called 2.5D and is used by a lot of sidescrollers today. Models are in 3d but the player is locked into a 2d movement path. You can just add large organisms on a plane in the background to get that depth feeling that spore had.
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I like the idea of 2.5D and for the transition to 3D maybe when you get better eyes you can turn your camera in your field of view and its locked to it but you can still see your organism and a little behind it. so more eyes = larger FoV. Also the type of eye could effect FoV too like how cuddle fish can see almost 360 and four eyed fish (only has two eyes but 4 pupils) can see below and above the water at the same time.
By that definition thrive is already 2.5D as the movement is locked to a 2D plane but all the models are 3D (some of them are flat or sprites but a lot of the organelles are actual full 3D models).
It is yes. but multicellular would use only 3d models where as currently it is a mix
How about building your Cells in another Cell Editor, then put your customized and built Cells together to form your organism? Based on that, you could get different possibilities for intern organs in the Aware Stage.
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The plan is that you have to design all the different cell types which you can then use for different organs in the late multicellular once you are no longer placing individual cells.
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How about you start with a HUGE (comparing to other cells) core cell, and shelter smaller weak cells inside of you, and those little cells inside produce STUFF! Or a core cell the size of others, but able to connect with other cells to earn abilities.
Our plan is quite the opposite, a bottom-up if you will model. Using binding agents, you’ll simply join two regularly-sized cells (though you could be a large cell if you wanted to, but had already evolved that) into the first multicellular organism. The “huge core cell” concept would be evolving a protective barrier of walled cells around your productive interior.
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The latter is kinda like an anem, anen, enanone, amonena
you know what i mean
I feel that the very end of Multicellular(assuming you wish to be an Animaloid creature ) should be the successful creation of enough ganglia bodies(for non-cnidarians) or a net of neurons(for cnidarians) that work in an efficient enough way to allow simple motor skills(ie. wiggle swimming, contract-convulse swimming, ect. ).
Though I’m not sure on what the consensus of fungus, plants and other immotile and semimotile organisms, I feel like both would reach “Aware” Stage by simply growing larger while simultaneous increasing efficiency until they have X amount of connectivity and efficiency.
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I don’t think we are going to allow aware plants, definitely no sentient plants. So playing as plants is one way to never get to the space stage.
Yes. I put quotations around the word “Aware” to mean the stage that comes after Multicellular for plants. Perhaps, Vascular or Sporing Stage are more appropriate terms. It very much depends on what kind of gameplay plants and other immotile organisms will have after Multicellular.
I kinda doubt that there is enough distinction and interest to warrant having a followup stage to multicellular specifically for plants. I could be proven wrong, though.