I agree 100%. This is the place where prototypes are great, because they show you what works and what doesn’t without breaking what’s already in place. I for one think a CPA prototype is the most important thing we need in the near future, because really it’s what the whole game is about. I’m really looking forward to seeing one.[quote=“TheCreator, post:3, topic:159”]
As for the cytoplasm organelle, what is the point of it? Like, when would the player use that as opposed to using normal organelles and why would he do that?
[/quote]
There were a couple of reasons in the original post, but I’ll summarise them here with some others. I’m not advocating cytoplasm’s inclusion per se, just making sure everyone knows what will have to be offloaded onto other game mechanics if they’re decided against.
In the current concept, cytoplasm hexes:
- Perform simple chemical reactions. Having cytoplasm hexes as opposed to the overall cell size would help quantify the rate of these reactions.
- Guard against engulfment, because bigger cells can only eat smaller ones. Again, explicit hexes aren’t completely necessary, but they’re an easy way to display this mechanic to the player.
- Are major components of the as yet unfinished osmoregulatory system concept.
- Allow external organelles (flagella, pili, etc.) to be placed further away from the main cell body in exact locations, for strategic purposes or other reasons.
- Make the assimilation of new organelles easier to process, because (in the current concept) a cell must have enough free cytoplasm hex area for a bacterium it consumes to be placed inside it as an organelle.
- Give the player a lot more creative freedom. Even if all the other stuff is solved via other methods, I think creativity in building a microbe’s shape without the need for restrictive organelle sizes is important. It’s a simulation, but also a game with a heavy focus on creativity.