Mixotroph gameplay

How should gameplay of mixotrophs work?

Mixotrophs can use more than one source of energy. For example Euglena can both photosynthesize and feed on other organisms.

Perhaps a multicelluar organism could take advantage of mixotrophism and use it's appearance to blend in with normal plants and while it's photosynthesizing it can wait for an herbivore to go up to it and then attack it. A free meal.

EDIT: More ideas for Mixotroph Gameplay: Since you can use more than one source of energy, why not being able to choose if you move or not? Mixotrophs should have all the needs that organisms that use one of the sources of energy they use. For example, if it can photosynthesize and feed on other organisms, it will have the needs of plants and animals. I need more ideas...

Mixotroph wrote:

How should gameplay of mixotrophs work?

Mixotrophs can use more than one source of energy. For example Euglena can both photosynthesize and feed on other organisms.

Perhaps a multicelluar organism could take advantage of mixotrophism and use it's appearance to blend in with normal plants and while it's photosynthesizing it can wait for an herbivore to go up to it and then attack it. A free meal.

EDIT: More ideas for Mixotroph Gameplay: Since you can use more than one source of energy, why not being able to choose if you move or not? Mixotrophs should have all the needs that organisms that use one of the sources of energy they use. For example, if it can photosynthesize and feed on other organisms, it will have the needs of plants and animals. I need more ideas...

I'm not really sure mixotrophs really work, at least for macroscopic play. I do think we should include it for microscopic organisms, since, like you said, microorganisms like euglenas are mixotrophs, but as for macroscopic organisms, the only creatures that remotely resemble this that we know of are carniverous plants, and even they aren't true mixotrophs, they're just using animals to gain nutrients instead of soil. So in my opinion, I say no to having macroscopic mixotrophs.

Being a macroscopic mixotroph isn't very advantageous. In your example, the creature would be much better off just sitting there and continuing to photosynthesize than to waste energy trying to catch prey. It would still get food with practically no energy cost.

If we did have macroscopic mixotrophs, they wouldn't necessarily look like plants, either. They COULD, but all that's required is they have chloroplasts, which would most likely just be embedded in the skin. This would mean they would take on the colors of the foliage around them, which would mean the player would have no choice in skin color. Again, another reason not to have macroscopic mixotrophs.

Not saying I don't like the idea, but there's really not much added to gameplay except for sunning yourself to get food (basically what cold blooded organisms already do). Macroscopic mixotrophs are more in the realm of sci-fi than science, and we're going for the later.

On an earth like planet, being a photomixotroph is not very advantageous, but on a planet with a lot more available sunlight, it's not a bad adaptation. The only thing I can think of that would really change gameplay if you're a photomixotroph is that when at rest and in light, you make food.