# Questions about plans on the pre-Cambrian gameplay
**URL:** https://community.revolutionarygamesstudio.com/t/questions-about-plans-on-the-pre-cambrian-gameplay/9064
**Category:** Macroscopic Stage
**Created:** [July 11, 2026, 10:36pm UTC](https://community.revolutionarygamesstudio.com/t/questions-about-plans-on-the-pre-cambrian-gameplay/9064 "2026-07-11T22:36:49Z")
**Posts on this page:** 15
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@RomanSkull](https://community.revolutionarygamesstudio.com/u/RomanSkull)
#### Post date: [July 11, 2026, 10:36pm UTC](https://community.revolutionarygamesstudio.com/t/questions-about-plans-on-the-pre-cambrian-gameplay/9064/1 "2026-07-11T22:36:50Z")
So I’m an amateur biologist, and I’m thinking about how in earth’s evolutionary history, we see that multicellular animals started off as sessile and passively motile creatures like sponges, corals, and jellyfish. I highly doubt too many people want to just sit and watch a coral sit on the ground, or a jellyfish float w/o any control. Do the devs have a plan to cut down on this possibility turn off to the game?
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### Author:  [@AnthropocenianAge](https://community.revolutionarygamesstudio.com/u/AnthropocenianAge)
#### Post date: [July 12, 2026, 1:41am UTC](https://community.revolutionarygamesstudio.com/t/questions-about-plans-on-the-pre-cambrian-gameplay/9064/2 "2026-07-12T01:41:03Z")
Welcome to the forums, @RomanSkull! The Thrive devs have a tentative outline of how the Macroscopic stage will play out.
> **[Overview of Early Macroscopic Progression](https://forum.revolutionarygamesstudio.com/t/overview-of-early-macroscopic-progression/1242)**
>
> This was something I’ve been writing in the background for a bit detailing some of the initial gameplay experiences of the macroscopic stage, and thus, what might be useful to focus on first. I think it could be useful for any work following the...
Early Macroscopic will be equivalent to the Ediacaran. As more organisms evolve movement, predation, more advanced anatomical features like calcium exoskeletons seen in _Cloudinia_ and _Corumbella_ (also one of the earliest known sessile animals with a gut), primitive eyes or tentative limbs, and possible turnover of microbial mats to a Cambrian-like transition, gameplay will become faster. I am not sure if the devs have decide on whether the time duration between turns will get shorter or not, since a recent paper suggest Ediacaran organism may have had lived for much longer than expect (from .53 to 40 years!).
> [@Science news](https://community.revolutionarygamesstudio.com/t/science-news/7701/96):
>
> [[image] ](https://trs.silverchair-cdn.com/trs/content_public/journal/rsbl/21/8/10.1098_rsbl.2025.0348/3/rsbl.2025.0348.f003.png?Expires=1777414824&Signature=qz5MAdyZianD9Tv5Xuqk1HfE5aHCsnX-rJcUgnu2wZ2-VboGPeA222PwbUh~5cwjgdeE9R9r2~kzCjFJQ55rpKZiXCVByM4Mrr~IGeR1X1xg8cUasbzVbP5L68mnZD7m6M-xZXczXX5TXVo4BwNN-uu-TwYhphV9w0bWUAJ3~Un7NfDV6ZQsYlpskxR8paH9AoUIb6evvUnBoHQdMDCxtR6y1oU1ivfdG9It2ps0m4lt8S7kmoK2srBC7hnFpk75gya9rOfIG7T7HGITiJlfv7fUTqVLzisN6GAvfmEgCELgyP2bCGKB0aziz1r1e5t3X8HhVKSidT164~FQO1hNaQ__&Key-Pair-Id=APKAIE5G5CRDK6RD3PGA)[https://royalsocietypublishing.org/rsbl/article/21/8/20250348/236067/Constraining-the-lifespans-of-early-animals-of-the](https://royalsocietypublishing.org/rsbl/article/21/8/20250348/236067/Constraining-the-lifespans-of-early-animals-of-the) According to a research paper, there might have been a large range of different maximum lifespans for Ediacaran organisms (from 0.53–30.2 years), with longer lifespans calculated in colder environments and those organisms which are more modular (up to 40.4 years). Even small organisms had longer than expected lifespans, d…
Also, common misconeption, but as far as we know, sea jellies did not evolve during the Ediacaran, but during the Cambrian. There were organisms that moved actively during the Ediararan, like _Spriggina floundersi_ (organism with head, segments, and possibly the earliest active motile organism with handedness), _Kimberella_(a possible early active motile mollusk), _Yilingia spiciformis_ (the second earliest known active motile animal with possible decision making, after _Uncus_, and has nuby appendages), _Uncus dzaugisi_ (the earliest known moving animal with chitin), and _Plexus ricei_ (a possible segmented tube swimming worm).
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### Author:  [@Poodelicus](https://community.revolutionarygamesstudio.com/u/Poodelicus)
#### Post date: [July 12, 2026, 3:25am UTC](https://community.revolutionarygamesstudio.com/t/questions-about-plans-on-the-pre-cambrian-gameplay/9064/3 "2026-07-12T03:25:16Z")
Welcome to the forum, @RomanSkull!
It is still being debated, but I believe the suggestion currently leading is essentially to have time seemingly move faster as a seesile macroscopic organism, then readjust when aware creatures learn to move faster. In this way, as a macroscopic organism, subtle movement could be seen as normal movement, and when faster movement evolves, the subtle movement would then effectively be sessile. Example, Sponges can actually move a few millimeters a year, which, when playing the Macroscopic stage, could be depicted as moving at a medium speed, but when the game switches to the Aware stage, they would essentially stop moving.
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### Author:  [@aah31415](https://community.revolutionarygamesstudio.com/u/aah31415)
#### Post date: [July 12, 2026, 5:14am UTC](https://community.revolutionarygamesstudio.com/t/questions-about-plans-on-the-pre-cambrian-gameplay/9064/4 "2026-07-12T05:14:43Z")
> [@AnthropocenianAge](#):
>
> I am not sure if the devs have decide on whether the time duration between turns will get shorter or not
Reducing the time a gameplay round takes for an entire stage already seems to be a hassle, so I can’t imagine this being done in steps over an entire stage.
Welcome to the forum @RomanSkull !
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### Author:  [@Rathalos](https://community.revolutionarygamesstudio.com/u/Rathalos)
#### Post date: [July 12, 2026, 3:45pm UTC](https://community.revolutionarygamesstudio.com/t/questions-about-plans-on-the-pre-cambrian-gameplay/9064/5 "2026-07-12T15:45:44Z")
You already had a bunch of good responses, but to add:
We’re partially banking on the idea that for example the [Bilateria](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bilateria)pretty much entered the IRL “Macroscopic Stage” already motile, and most of them stayed so. If that’s the case, then sponges and jellyfish would already have split off in what’s our Multicellular Stage.
Since this at least _is_ a hypothesis held by some, we think it’s reasonable for you to create a motile Multicellular Stage species and then be motile from the start of Macroscopic.
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### Author:  [@aah31415](https://community.revolutionarygamesstudio.com/u/aah31415)
#### Post date: [July 12, 2026, 5:09pm UTC](https://community.revolutionarygamesstudio.com/t/questions-about-plans-on-the-pre-cambrian-gameplay/9064/6 "2026-07-12T17:09:55Z")
Would being motile require myofibrils?
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### Author:  [@AnthropocenianAge](https://community.revolutionarygamesstudio.com/u/AnthropocenianAge)
#### Post date: [July 12, 2026, 7:05pm UTC](https://community.revolutionarygamesstudio.com/t/questions-about-plans-on-the-pre-cambrian-gameplay/9064/7 "2026-07-12T19:05:38Z")
Or even Contractile Vacuoles instead for those with more rigid membranes?
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### Author:  [@aah31415](https://community.revolutionarygamesstudio.com/u/aah31415)
#### Post date: [July 12, 2026, 7:06pm UTC](https://community.revolutionarygamesstudio.com/t/questions-about-plans-on-the-pre-cambrian-gameplay/9064/8 "2026-07-12T19:06:29Z")
I am not sure such vacuoles were ever planned for Thrive…
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### Author:  [@RomanSkull](https://community.revolutionarygamesstudio.com/u/RomanSkull)
#### Post date: [July 12, 2026, 7:16pm UTC](https://community.revolutionarygamesstudio.com/t/questions-about-plans-on-the-pre-cambrian-gameplay/9064/9 "2026-07-12T19:16:05Z")
Oh that makes sense. I was under the assumption that bilateria evolved out of some form of jellyfish ancestor, kinda like sea pigs evolved bilateralism after becoming motile. Thanks for clearing that up for me!
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### Author:  [@Rathalos](https://community.revolutionarygamesstudio.com/u/Rathalos)
#### Post date: [July 12, 2026, 7:53pm UTC](https://community.revolutionarygamesstudio.com/t/questions-about-plans-on-the-pre-cambrian-gameplay/9064/10 "2026-07-12T19:53:35Z")
> [@aah31415](#):
>
> Would being motile require myofibrils?
Right now I would design it as requiring actomyosin, or movement via other means like flagella/cilia.
> [@AnthropocenianAge](#):
>
> Or even Contractile Vacuoles instead for those with more rigid membranes?
They would be more-so Hydraulic Vacuoles, but that would indeed be an actomyosin equivalent.
> [@aah31415](#):
>
> I am not sure such vacuoles were ever planned for Thrive…
> **[Multicellular Parts](https://forum.revolutionarygamesstudio.com/t/multicellular-parts/1241/5)**
>
> Fair point there. There are several different versions of the suggestion there: non-cell parts, cells that fill up the space they’re in with non-cell stuff or “background” cells that have a filled space above them. All three of them could be used...
So, not on the roadmap, but suggested.
> [@RomanSkull](#):
>
> Oh that makes sense. I was under the assumption that bilateria evolved out of some form of jellyfish ancestor, kinda like sea pigs evolved bilateralism after becoming motile. Thanks for clearing that up for me!
Interesting reading, it likely was indeed extremely small: [Urbilaterian - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urbilaterian#Reconstructing_the_urbilaterian)
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### Author:  [@aah31415](https://community.revolutionarygamesstudio.com/u/aah31415)
#### Post date: [July 12, 2026, 7:55pm UTC](https://community.revolutionarygamesstudio.com/t/questions-about-plans-on-the-pre-cambrian-gameplay/9064/11 "2026-07-12T19:55:06Z")
> [@Rathalos](#):
>
> Right now I would design it as requiring actomyosin, or movement via other means like flagella/cilia.
The later wouldn’t be a viable way forward into aware, right?
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### Author:  [@AnthropocenianAge](https://community.revolutionarygamesstudio.com/u/AnthropocenianAge)
#### Post date: [July 12, 2026, 7:57pm UTC](https://community.revolutionarygamesstudio.com/t/questions-about-plans-on-the-pre-cambrian-gameplay/9064/12 "2026-07-12T19:57:39Z")
Ctenophore sea jellies are the largest ciliated organisms to exit (can be 1.5 meters), so it might be still be possible…
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### Author:  [@aah31415](https://community.revolutionarygamesstudio.com/u/aah31415)
#### Post date: [July 12, 2026, 8:00pm UTC](https://community.revolutionarygamesstudio.com/t/questions-about-plans-on-the-pre-cambrian-gameplay/9064/13 "2026-07-12T20:00:17Z")
I mean they surely aren’t making it into awakening
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### Author:  [@Rathalos](https://community.revolutionarygamesstudio.com/u/Rathalos)
#### Post date: [July 12, 2026, 8:03pm UTC](https://community.revolutionarygamesstudio.com/t/questions-about-plans-on-the-pre-cambrian-gameplay/9064/14 "2026-07-12T20:03:17Z")
> [@aah31415](#):
>
> The later wouldn’t be a viable way forward into aware, right?
There would just be obvious limitations of what you can achieve without muscle(equivalent).
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### Author:  [@aah31415](https://community.revolutionarygamesstudio.com/u/aah31415)
#### Post date: [July 12, 2026, 8:05pm UTC](https://community.revolutionarygamesstudio.com/t/questions-about-plans-on-the-pre-cambrian-gameplay/9064/15 "2026-07-12T20:05:06Z")
Well I sure do hope no one will try and argue for cilliated civs or something
Considering it’d just be an ever more extreme version of the societies beneath the waters