I think it would be most realistic if instead of fixed organelles, there would be a system where the processes of a cell would be done in a cytoplasm, with the ability to alter the efficiency of each process. But, improving one proccess will make the other proccesses work less well. After endosymbiosis, the new cell can be edited, and can be given different levels of process efficiency. They will share the compounds in the cell, also. This allows the creation of very specialised organelles, that can be unique.
The protein āorganellesā are meant to represent processes done in cytoplasm.
Implementing the āorganelle upgradesā system that has been discussed for a while would also allow the player to alter the efficiency of these processes.
But, would my idea be possible?
This has been talked about in the past. When I suggested it last time people were positive about it. Not sure if this will be the way we move forward or not, at this time.
Itās been a long time but I want to propose about cilia. I think we should add vortex arrays to the game to allow another predatory method. Here is how it wound work: The player can unlock the cilia which will normally be used to move the player, but once you press āGā the cilia create a vortex, pulling smaller weaker organisms into the deadly membrane of your cell. Of course this needs consequences or players will use it to be over powered. Maybe the cell might be significantly slower so that they must wait for prey?
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With compound production on the way and environmental tolerances being mentioned again, I think itās worthwhile to consider the implementation of new organelles ā specifically, anoxygenic ones. Metabolosomes serve the very important and unique role in Thrive of metabolizing glucose, but because they depend on oxygen to facilitate this metabolism, they obviously will be insufficient in an anaerobic world. As such, we need an anoxygenic alternative.
SULFUR-RESPIRING CELLS
I think a good option would be looking at sulfur-respiring cells. Sulfur respiration is an incredibly ancient method of respiration which essentially utilizes sulfur in the same way we use oxygen to burn food. It utilizes elemental sulfur and results in Hydrogen Sulfide as a waste product, meaning it is an important part of the biogeochemical sulfur cycle.
Sulfur-respiration is incredibly ancient, and is oftentimes mentioned as being one of the oldest metabolic strategies on Earth. It is generally believed that on the primordial Earth (around 3.8 bya) organisms either were chemolithotrophic ā generating energy from inorganic sources, such as iron or sulfide ā or sulfur-respiring heterotrophs which burned whatever naturally-occurring organic compounds they could find in an ancient ocean. It is important to note that sulfur-respiring cells can also be autotrophic, generating organics from carbon dioxide like modern-day cells; however, I think Thrive should be more interested in the heterotrophic sulfur respirators since we need an anoxygenic metabolosome equivalent.
IMPLEMENTATION NOTES
I was wondering if the anoxygenic part of the microbe stage should just be composed of the various chemolitotrophic processes already implemented in Thrive, such as Iron and Hydrogen Sulfide. But I think having an anoxygenic equivalent to the metabolosome should be included since it offers a bit more diversity and options in the anoxygenic patches of the ocean.
One thing to note is that this part requires the implementation of sulfur as its own environmental compound, but we can implement a really stripped down version of the sulfur cycle in Thrive, which would be pretty cool. Since Hydrogen Sulfide, already in game, is an output of sulfur-respiration, and since chemosynthesis breaks down the sulfur in Hydrogen Sulfide, there can be a really interesting feedback loop between the two processes and organisms in Thrive.
Iām not 100% sure which enzyme would best represent sulfur respiration: perhaps sulfur reductase would be fine? I can only find an oxygenic sulfur reductase online, but the majority of sulfur respiration happens in the absence of oxygen, so there has to be something out there. Regardless, sulfur respiration should be less efficient than metabolosomes to warrant some incentive to making the switch. Sulfur respiration can occur in the presence of oxygen unlike most forms of denitrification, which is a good thing for the sake of continuity in Thrive, so the switch from sulfur-respiration to oxygen-respiration doesnāt have to be that difficult. However, the presence of oxygen (Iām pretty sure) reduces the concentration of sulfur due to various chemical reactions, so sulfur-respiring organisms will likely be driven out from the surfaces patches regardless.
Along that note, Iām not sure if metabolosomes should be unlocked through upgrading sulfur respiration, as Iām not 100% sure how exactly aerobic respiration evolved. I think itās fine if metabolosomes evolve from sulfur-respiration since the breakdown of glucose is a pretty universally useful function, meaning a lot of cells and players will have it. If we include some sort of mechanism which allows the unlocking of upgrades or parts through lateral genetic transfer, which I think should be a mechanic as simple as picking up floating bits of DNA which gives you MP discounts on upgrades and parts other organisms in the patch have, the metabolosome could be acquired easily regardless, even if you still need to upgrade sulfur respiration up to that point.
I was thinking that denitrification should be the ideal candidate, but I think representing the nitrogen cycle in game requires a bit more thought since ammonia, nitrogen, and nitrate are so intensely connected and because the nitrogen cycle is generally more biologically moderated than the sulfur cycle, so more thought has to be put into it. I still think that the nitrogen cycle should be implemented in a very stripped-down form, however. Iāll make up a concept for it soon.
While Iām at it, a form of iron-respiration without a need for oxygen should also be implemented as well, although that requires some more research.
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Isnāt this using hydrogen sulfide, which already has an organelle in the game?
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Close. Whatās in game already is an anaerobic form of chemosynthesis and is a different chemical formula which utilizes hydrogen sulfide and carbon dioxide to generate ATP, emitting sulfur as a waste product. I think the modern version of chemosynthesis technically generates glucose instead of ATP directly and utilizes, but I think you guys wante an anaerobic and more balanced version of it to be implemented.
Sulfur respiration on the other hand can be thought of like breathing, where instead of oxygen being utilized to burn glucose down, sulfur is utilized. Instead of taking an inorganic compound like hydrogen sulfide and turning it into energy/glucose, it uses sulfur to burn down organic compounds like glucose into ATP.
Think of chemosynthesis is being like the photosynthesis of the sulfur cycle and sulfur respiration as being like normal respiration in the sulfur cycle. Chemosynthesis turns hydrogen sulfide into sulfur, sulfur respiration turns sulfur into hydrogen sulfide. The two balance each other out.
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Itās a very smol idea, but one thing that would be nice is for the nucleus to also allow us to have more space for mutation points, because eukaryotic cells obviously have more genetic code, which means more mutations.
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a protein organelle that contains or represents RuBisCO would allow the production of glucose through more realistic means and would make thylakoids able to be more realistic and make atp from sunlight while still allowing for things like Chloroplasts and paving the way for ferroplasts(an organelle that for game purposes turns iron into glucose instead of showing several different processes for one organelle), and thermoplasts that produce glucose.
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