Multicellular and Macroscopic and Trophic Lineages

[Rathalos]

@Poodelicus

One of the points I was truing to make was, while on most planets it would make sense if phototrophs and heterotrophs were the only trophs that made it to macroscopic, I believe that instead of making a space for “plants” and a space for “animals” (and “fungi”, should Thrive include them), having a requirement like “need x amount ratio of energy to mass” would prevent things like Thermosythesizers and Chemosynthesizers from becoming macroscopic on most planets, while leaving open the possibility that, on a non-earth like world, say one with much higher temperature and sulfur oceans, they might stand a chance of reaching macroscopic as there own groups without necessarily preventing plants and animals from also becoming macroscopic.

I still think the game’s miche system can do this if applied properly, no additional separate system system needed. And since auto-evo is a core part of Thrive and what creates all the species, I think it would be best to consolidate things into the same system as much as possible.

You’re aware of how it works?

Essentially: There are “slots” in the game, species compete to fill them, and gain mutations to try to fill them better. Unless a species fills one of the slots better than anything else, it’s probably going extinct. Right now there is just one slot per patch per food source, but it’s supposed to be expanded.

For example, there is a “light” slot if there is light in a patch. When there is no cell currently occupying it, any other species in the patch might mutate to get a thylakoid and fill it. But if there’s any species already in there, well adapted to it, some other species with one extra thylakoid is not likely to replace it. Much more likely that the same species or a “branch” from it will end up filling this miche again in the next round. So, there you already have essentially a “photosynthetic lineage”.

Once auto-evo is expanded to have for example a “macro-scopic photosynthesis Miche”, I would expect one species to go macroscopic, and then diversify from there, taking up all the space for “macro-scopic photosynthesis”, simply because no other lineage can compete with its head start. The exceptions would if two do become macroscopic at almost the same time by chance, or there are more miches that are not as easy to reach from the same starting point.

The same can go for any other “macroscopic + food source + certain structure” scenario. For example, there could be a “macroscopic chemosynthesis” Miche, but it either:

• Just does not show up below a certain minimum level of Hydrogen-sulphide
• Has certain minimum energy requirements that cannot be met unless there is enough Hydrogen-sulphide

@AnthropocenianAge

I wonder how large Radiotrophs could become if they reach Macroscopic? Hopefully, not Kaiju-size levels (assuming that would be even possible in the game).

@aah31415

I think they might struggle to be macroscopic and active…

With earth levels and dispersion of ionising radiation? We do have those radiotrophic fungi. And while some of them are single-celled yeast, others are multicellular. And as most multicellular IRL organisms, macroscopic by Thrive terms.

But yes, on the amount of radiation on earth, certainly not large or active.

On a planet completely bathed in large amounts of ionising radiation for some infernal reason on the other hand, it would be like photosynthesis I think. Enough to grow big, but there would also be little reason to move. So, do giant sequoia and aspen colonies count as Kaiju?