Post-comp storyboard of the game we didn’t build

For the game we DID build, go here http://www.ludumdare.com/compo/ludum-dare-24/?action=preview&uid=10313

I just need to get this idea off my chest. Long before the theme got picked I had it in my head that there must be some sort of Sims-like game concept around evolution. A bit like Sim-Life (1992, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SimLife) except I’d never heard of that game. And not just lip-service to the subject, but a semi-serious model using generations, mutations, environment blah blah. Now there are some serious flaws to this idea, chiefly that it’d probably be boring to play. Also, the storyboards in my heard are not 48 or 72hrs of work. I applaud the games submitted here that go some way to this dream – I’ve played a couple that are a lot like my idea.

In my idea you would have a self-contained ecosystem. An island seems obvious. The player starts with some herds/populations of basic animals. You can control time and the environment, like weather. The species evolve algorithmically including a degree of random mutation and a Natural Selection criteria. A bit like a virtual pet, you have to look after these species, watching them evolve. Only like 10 or more virtual pets at the same time. Graphically the herds would be represented by a 3D models, like a representative sample. which would mutate via bone animation – eg if the trees grow taller the tree-eating animals get longer necks.

Well, the more I write about it and mock-up screens, the duller and more complex it seems. Glad we did our combat sim instead.

This entry was posted on Saturday, September 1st, 2012 at 8:43 am and is filed under LD #24. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.