Miscellaneous Bugs And Questions That Don't Deserve Their Own Thread Thread

Throughout Human history, alliances have evolved. Starting from alliances between tribes, and all the way to NATO now. And my question is, how will alliances evolve?

In spore, the alliance system was a way to "Win" a stage of Civilization. But seeing how this game is going, I don't think there will be a "Win" mechanic. And in the space stage you were limited to 2 or 3 (?) allies. And I HATED that system. And my question is, how will alliances evolve in Thrive? Will you be able to ally with a neighboring tribe from the beginning of Civilization? And more importantly, could you forge an alliance of nations in the tech ages? (Maybe something like NATO or PACT?) And more importantly, will it be possible to forge a Galactic Federation of advanced Civilizations?

I find the Alliance mechanic is an important one to master, and if these are currently not planned ideas, I hope I gave a decent idea.

I won't lie, it is a good question, but a new thread is not the way to go. Please post a question on the Misc. thread first. If it gets enough discussion, it will get its own thread. This thread is also likely to be moved to the misc. thread.

As far as my knowledge goes, alliances are planned, but I have no idea of how in-depth they are.

NickTheNick wrote:

Exploronaut wrote:

Will there only be possible to create carbon-based lifeforms, or will it be possible to create lifeforms based on other elements, like silicon or sulfur or calcium?

Literally just a couple posts ago there was a discussion on whether the game will go outside the bounds of LAWK or not, and the answer was no. Please go back and read for the reasons.

I have read the reasons now.
So let me get this right: Theoretical, non-LAWK lifeforms is to much out of the realm of science, but theoretical thermosynthesis and turning into a god is not?
Just asking, by the way. No offense intended.

Thermosynthesis exists on Earth, as does chemosynthesis, but even if they didn't that is a misconception many have regarding LAWK. Remember, LAWK does not mean only life that we have seen. It means life as we know it. Therefore, any life that falls within the parameters of what we have observed on Earth. To apply this to thermosynthesis, its very similar to photosynthesis, just using a different source of energy.

Turning into a God is not related to LAWK. If you read about that part of the stage, that's to do with technology. Calling it "God Mode" is just a gaming convention. Your species is simply being transformed from matter into energy, since your technology is so advanced, and this is to provide the player with a sandbox mode as a reward for finishing the game.

What's more, venturing into life we know nothing at all about means we would have to completely fabricate whole swaths of information about the tissues, systems, organs, etc. of the organism. We are going for a realistic representation and simulation of evolution, and that means we need to stick within the bounds of LAWK. Just as if someone wanted to make a physics simulator, they stick within the known laws of physics.

Alright I am fine if it is moved. I apologize for any troubles

TriggzSP wrote:

Throughout Human history, alliances have evolved. Starting from alliances between tribes, and all the way to NATO now. And my question is, how will alliances evolve?

In spore, the alliance system was a way to "Win" a stage of Civilization. But seeing how this game is going, I don't think there will be a "Win" mechanic. And in the space stage you were limited to 2 or 3 (?) allies. And I HATED that system. And my question is, how will alliances evolve in Thrive? Will you be able to ally with a neighboring tribe from the beginning of Civilization? And more importantly, could you forge an alliance of nations in the tech ages? (Maybe something like NATO or PACT?) And more importantly, will it be possible to forge a Galactic Federation of advanced Civilizations?

I find the Alliance mechanic is an important one to master, and if these are currently not planned ideas, I hope I gave a decent idea.

Alliances will exist, and there is no limit to how many you can have. A coalition of nations, something like NATO, the EU, or the UN, will not be in the game initially but will be added in.

TriggzSP wrote:

Throughout Human history, alliances have evolved. Starting from alliances between tribes, and all the way to NATO now. And my question is, how will alliances evolve?

In spore, the alliance system was a way to "Win" a stage of Civilization. But seeing how this game is going, I don't think there will be a "Win" mechanic. And in the space stage you were limited to 2 or 3 (?) allies. And I HATED that system. And my question is, how will alliances evolve in Thrive? Will you be able to ally with a neighboring tribe from the beginning of Civilization? And more importantly, could you forge an alliance of nations in the tech ages? (Maybe something like NATO or PACT?) And more importantly, will it be possible to forge a Galactic Federation of advanced Civilizations?

I find the Alliance mechanic is an important one to master, and if these are currently not planned ideas, I hope I gave a decent idea.

Check out this thread for more information/the discussion on Alliances and their various structures.

So, three things, one ties into another.

1. Is the game going to take note of what the atmosphere is composed of, and will the player have any decision on what their creature uses for respiration?

2. In the space stage, is the player going to have to take the same things from 1 into consideration, such as making a suit to allow breathing in the foreign atmosphere?

3. With differing gravity levels in space stage, how is this going to be handled?

Immortal_Dragon wrote:

So, three things, one ties into another.

1. Is the game going to take note of what the atmosphere is composed of, and will the player have any decision on what their creature uses for respiration?

2. In the space stage, is the player going to have to take the same things from 1 into consideration, such as making a suit to allow breathing in the foreign atmosphere?

3. With differing gravity levels in space stage, how is this going to be handled?

1. and 2. I think som but 3. im not sure about.

I’m new and don’t know how most of how the posting thing works, but I hope I don’t jump into anything that’s already been clarified. Also how do you get the numbering list to work? I can’t seem to get it to work past 1.
Questions:
1. How does the environment affect or effect the evolution of a player’s organism?
2. Will there be an editor similar to the editors in spore that will allow us to showcase our creations, but also include new ones like world creator, or plant creator?
3. Have you ever thought of clothing skins? In Spore they gave you only pieces of armor so at the most it only looked partially clothed. Much like the coloring in Spore it would only be cosmetic but it would make the creature more like an intelligent being then animal. You can still have armor pieces that give attributes, but it should add on in the style of the clothing skin. The skin and the pieces should have edit interfaces to make it more unique.
4. In Spore, the actual covering of the organism weren't really given much thought and were mostly cosmetic. Will the covering of the organism such as feathers, fur, skin, scales, shells, and armor plating be given a more important role?
5. Also, about different niches does that include when species are active during the day? Can you go nocturnal until you’re strong enough to change your niche and how does the environmental factors contribute to that?
Suggestions:

1. All right my first is on the issue of transcendence of an entire species into energy for the purpose of allowing the player to reshape the universe. I think that the game should just unlock the God Tools, which must be bought and the majority of the God Tools can only be used in the Observer Mode which can be changed to God Mode. That way the player can enjoy playing various mini-games such as in Spore with Galactic Adventurers. The player worked hard on creating their organisms and turning them into civilizations, turning all that work into energy seems like such a waste.

2. It might be a good idea to give some of the editors’ catchy names that catch the mind like Creature Creature in spore. This is a game after all, and it would help in getting the attention of buyers of all ages. Like Microbe Maker and Organism Originator. Speaking of stages the Aware Stage might want to be broken down into several separate stages or substages to deal with the evolution of an animal into a being. Such as the aquatic stage, amphibious stage, terran stage, ect. That way, game players can get more in depth with the game and have better control over the player's organism and its evolution. I would also like to suggest that Auto-evo be, at least for the players organism be an optional setting for the same reason.

3. Since the game is based on evolution, I would like to introduce an investment system like in Age of empires or Civilization. But with it involved in how the player’s creature evolves as well! You would invest DNA into researching advancements for your creature into different niches, armor, the time of day its active, ect. That way, game players could focus on certain evolutionary paths depending on environmental concerns or to help the organism dominate other species in the future when there is favorable condiscions. This type of basis can help with putting your species on a path towards flight, aquatic, semi-aquatic, land based, or something in between.
I mean who says you want flying or underwater cities? The decisions you make throughout the game in the creature stage should determine what technology you can create as well based on the needs and wants of the emerging culture.
4. There was a reason they brought in the Adventure update in Spore, Space-Age is a sandbox, but it gets boring without some inclination of structure and order. It also allows us to go back to just one character and use it to interact on a more personal level. So why not take it a step further? If we're going to build buildings we might as well see whats inside of them. Have your character get up close and personal with other civilizations and planets. Enter another's ship and get the lowdown of the place, walk into the lobby of an embassy, and get into Indiana Jones moments as you explorer primitive planets.

Okay, I'll take a whack at answers.

Questions
1. Environment, such as the biome, as well as gravity will effect organism evolution in Thrive.

2. The Organism Editor allows creation of Plants, as well as Plant/Anima hybrids in theory at least.; and the editors can be accessed outside of the main game like spore if that is what you are asking, and users can upload their creations to a forum that is either this one or another one that is planned where they can be downloaded from

3. I can't answer that one

4. Coverings such as skin and fur have their own tab in the Organism Editor, so they will have an effect

5. Niches should already include the times organisms are active, the Behavior Editor should have a setting for that I think

Suggestions

1. God Mode is pretty much like Observer Mode, not only that, you can actually get the God Tools before transcending through God Machines in Space Stage, they are just expensive. Also I don't think there has been much discussion on what happens to Space Stage nations of the player when they transcend.

2. Creature Creator was just a promotional thing to get the editor out there, and in the game it is not called that, so that is moot. Plus, Aware Stage is more a part of a Creature Stage along with Awakening Stage.

3. Auto-evo is already optional for the player, I think it is set for settings at the beginning. Freedom of technology is part of Thrive, limiting the tech tree simply because of an evolutionary path does not sound like a good way to go to me. Technologies will just have to be applied differently or be useless depending on the species the player made.

4. The game has a Strategy Mode and an Organism Mode, the player plays in Organism Mode for most of the game until they unlock Strategy, but they can still access Organism Mode any time they want. Building interiors I think are iffy.

Okay, on some science channel I remember they were talking about microbes and how complex life can only survive under certain conditions. Does sickness play a part in the game and can your organism feed on microbial life during the beginning of the Aware Stage before evolving a more advanced feeding apparatus?

Also how would fungi fit into the game? Can they be used as hallucinogens for religious/social use like on earth?

Finally how does religion work? Are there certain parameters based on the organisms evolution that determine it and the only difference are the names which are picked by the player?

I think William said something about bacteria before me, so my best recommendation would be to look at earlier posts on this thread.

Fungi: I think there is a section for the possibility in the OE, but I am not sure they have gotten a lot of discussion since they would be hard to implement as far as I know.

Religions will be randomly generated with traits chosen randomly. Evolution does not play into it. Players cannot start their own I do not think. Names for them are generated randomly too I think.

Okay, let me know how fungi would fit into the game, because to many species it counts as an additional food sources. It also plays a great role in the evolution of society.

However, I do not agree that Religion should be random. All the Religions in the world were created by trying to explain the surrounding environment, so I believe that's how Religion should be determined in the game, much like an organism's niche in a biome.

Now I also have ideas for several mini games that can be played in the civilization and Space Stages. I believe they could have multiplayer attributes, but that can be talked about once Thrive is in stores and the Developers have had accumulated enough resources to turn to that topic.

So basically the mini games revolve around using one member of their species as an avatar.

In the Awakening Stage the mini games would be games that show case their skills in things like combat. Focusing on who is the best. There could be others that decide the superiority of one tribe to another.

In the Society Stage there would be Gladiator fights to animal fight rings on the more gruesome side. To contests of art, music, and intelligence.

There could also be an Age of empires style mini game that would allow you to control your units when fighting against an enemy nation.

The last mini game that comes to mind would be in the Space age where you would have to use a machine to artificially evolve a single celled organism to a more complex creature to fight in the ring against an opponents creature. It would be timed and the creature's final appearance would be determined by score and several other factors that I can not think of at this time.

If this has been gone over with before please let me know.

Okay, I do not have any actual knowledge on fungi in Thrive, a mod or programmer will have to answer that.

I only know the agreed on approach to Religion, and I find that it is something that would be easier. Since it gives bonuses to things like Happiness and Order in SCs. Please take that up with a dev.

I will only mention this once more, you can take control of any of the members of your creature's society in the Awakening or Society Stages by going into Organism Mode at any time. Plus what you are talking about sounds like the Sports and Celebrations (I think that was the name) in the Society Stage, those are created by the player or can be started randomly and have traits that give bonuses.

I know there is the possibility of Genetic Engineering, but I am not sure what the full extent planned for it is.

EDIT: While I am at it, there are some things about energy weapons I would like to ask.

1. Are Energy Weapons going to be projecting bolts or beams of energy, or can they be switched between the two in the TE?

2. In the TE or Unit Creator/Editor, if a unit wields an energy weapon, would it be possible to put an energy generator on it to provide some kind of infinite ammo situation via hooking the two together? Same goes for vehicles.

And something to do with Creature Stage

1. How are organism sounds going to be determined, are they going to be modifications on premade sounds, or something that will generate a sound procedurally, I remember something on Jurassic Fight Club they used some software that measured the lungs and throat of their models and made a sound based on that.

2. With Nick's answer to my question on gore, that eating can end up with a carcass being torn apart, how a creature eats, how is the game going to determine that. It would be rather interesting to see what happens if a tug-o-war breaks out between predators.

Hello all! I'm EVanimations but you can call me Evan.

I came across this ancient thread and it was agreed upon that it wouldn't serve much function as a status/braggin rights system.

I, however, have a few more practical ideas for implementing the Kardashev scale (or at least a few related concepts) to space-age gameplay, if it's not too late in development.

The answer is building and unlocking.

When the player explores the universe he may come across some solar systems in which:

1. one (or all) of the planets has been replaced by a computational substrate
2. the entire solar system is surrounded by a dyson sphere or ring world
3. asteroid belts have been converted into defensive/construction drone swarms
4. all of the above

The player can slowly invest in constructing such things (mid-late game). Doing so will:

1. fortify the solar system
2. make the colonies more self-sufficient
3. provide stupid amounts of energy (if such a mechanic exists)
4. garner more respect/fear from other creatures (makes you more formidable)
5. unlocks tech

It could also unlock some fun stuff, like creating planets or star systems from scratch.

Got the idea from the Xeelee Sequence.

Basically, if you decide to wage war on another civilization and notice, say, their homeworld was converted into a computer and the star is powering a dyson sphere, you may realize they're *way* out of your league. Conversely, if you decide to ally those creatures you will have to try harder, as they may view you as a lesser life form. If you are successful in forming positive relations, they will regard you with condescension.

So really, it would be a mechanic that adds more depth to the difficulty curve and tech tree. Any ideas to refine these concepts?

Please do not create a new thread when you want to start discussion. Put a thread on the misc. thread before you do that, or ask in an introduction thread for yourself.

Don't get me wrong, it's great you went ahead and read up, but please take a look at the BEFORE YOU POST section before posting. I learned that the same way.

How will extinction work? Will the player be able to go extinct? If so how do you go extinct?

Deleted, irrelevant.

Sorry for making you wait Linker, thought someone else would.

Extinction will happen in Thrive, it will just be harder than in Spore, you will actually have to kill enough of the population so that no more of that species can breed, thus ending their existence. And yes this can happen to the player, that's a game over.

This can also likely happen in different ways, a new predator or even microbe, as well as changing planetary conditions makes them unfit for survival.

A game over? Waaaaaaait a second. This is going into the territory of ruining the game. It doesn't completely end the game, so that you have to start it over? Think about it. There will be a certain point in your game, after all, where the damage is permanent and your species is doomed. This will get annoying to people. The age of game overs and restarts left with the PlayStation 1. Surely it will take you back to a point in your species' history where you can try something different?

I don't know for sure dinoman, I was just saying my best guess, the thought actually crossed my mind on it actually going back to a point it can be saved, but I guess that's why they say not to make decisions at night.

Well, I played Spyro when I was young. I'm talking ancient Spyro, with the horrible graphics and weird weasel guy, with the dragonflies and stuff. I lost interest in it because I was so young, first off, and secondly, because it got annoying to go through that again and again. That's carried over into today's gaming community. Most games restart from the last save if you die now. Make this happen, developers. It might be part of the masses, but it WORKS!

I actually played that original game too, still have it in fact. I just gave up on it since I got stuck in one spot and went to other games.

I think you can put your concerns to rest, if I remember correctly on the earlier half of this thread (the archived section) something like this came up and the devs said something like you're talking about. Having to do with going back to a certain point in time.

dinoman9877 wrote:

Well, I played Spyro when I was young. I'm talking ancient Spyro, with the horrible graphics and weird weasel guy, with the dragonflies and stuff. I lost interest in it because I was so young, first off, and secondly, because it got annoying to go through that again and again. That's carried over into today's gaming community. Most games restart from the last save if you die now. Make this happen, developers. It might be part of the masses, but it WORKS!

Well, in Thrive, if your species/nation is wiped out, then its game over. It doesn't automatically take you back to the latest save. You, the player, can choose to go back to a previous save if you kept one, so its a good idea not to only have one save per playthrough.

Also, we can't use magic to just make the game load an earlier point that wasn't permanently doomed just because we want it to. First of all, that would mean saving the game literally every second, and secondly the computer somehow would need to be able to determine when, and in which saves, the player is permanently doomed to lose, which is just not possible.