Now that we have begun implementing part modifications and revising engulfment mechanics I feel that now is a good time to discuss how we might be able to provide more depth to cellular combat in Thrive in the foreseeable future. This post is going to summarize my overall plans for combat, which is not particularly urgent, and can be implemented at any time.
The following concepts cover pili, toxins, and cell membranes in order to enhance the adversity players may face in their worlds, and grant them an expanded arsenal with which they can carve out their own way of life.
Eukaryotic Advantage:
Eukaryotes are large, in fact they are twice as large as their prokaryotic counterparts; So why is it that prokaryotes continue to pose as much of a threat as another eukaryote? With size being their only advantage, becoming a eukaryote can feel pretty underwhelming for the player.
As a solution, I propose a new benefit to possessing a nucleus; A 25-50% damage reduction from any incoming prokaryotic sources. This would ensure that while prokaryotes are not harmless, they won’t pose as much as a threat as a rival eukaryote.
Toxins:
Toxins are already an effective tool in Thrive, as they provide players with a weapon that enables them to bypass pili or catch prey that is otherwise faster than them. However they lack any sort of creative versatility beyond a mere projectile; Something that we can now fix with the addition of the modification menu.
In order to provide more variety in the worlds of Thrive, I have devised a couple of new ways that cells can utilize toxins. This way, players and AI alike will have a total of three options when choosing how to use this deadly tool. I also like to imagine that these different forms could determine if your organism is toxic to the touch, or poisonous to eat in later stages.
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Emissive: Emissive toxosomes will continuously release relatively low damage toxin clouds around the host cell, helping to deter would-be predators from preying on them, or perhaps chasing away rival scavengers from a prize meal. This output cannot be controlled however; So long as the toxosome remains active it will never cease to produce and dump toxins out of the cell, which can be expensive.
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Defensive(?): Defensive toxosomes build up toxin reserves within the cell, saving them up until a predator attempts to engulf them. If the host cell is damaged enough by engulfment, the defensive toxosome will automatically release much of it’s built-up poison, and give the predator a nasty and potentially deadly surprise. It uses up a large amount of toxins however, so players will need to save up in order for it to remain effective. It also doesn’t allow players to emit toxins on it’s own.
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Projectile: The classic behavior we all know and love, projectile toxins release a targeted and concentrated blast of toxins on demand. I feel that as of now, they are suitable and don’t need to be changed.
Pili:
The pilus remains one of the most effective weapon in a cell’s arsenal for both defense and offense, with a single pilus easily transforming a humble prokaryote into a savage gladiator in the arena of life. Approaching a pilus can be tricky, I intend for that to remain so, but I feel that they can be just a little too powerful in the right circumstances.
The most important change we could make to the pilus is the introduction of a damage delay. As of now pili can occasionally tear through a cell’s health in less than a second if it makes contact at the right angle, which can make pili far more deadly then they have any right to be. By introducing a delay between applying damage to the pilus, even as small as a quarter second, we could prevent this from happening. As an additional benefit this could allow us to more reliably change damage values in a wider range for future use.
As an external organelle, pili have a large amount of potential for customization. Extra length could give a predator the additional reach it needs to overcome it’s prickly prey, while a thicker pilus could help a cell more easily deflect toxic projectiles. These adaptations should come at a cost of course, which is something we will need to discuss eventually.
membranes:
In order to make each membrane-type more distinct, I’ve decided to approach them as the different solutions to the same problem that they are in reality.
In order to do this, I feel it might be necessary to implement two new stats; A toxic damage multiplier, and a healing modifier.
In addition, chitin and cellulose walls will eventually require special adaptations to consume.
silica:
I am re-imagining silica as giving players the means to almost completely seal themselves away from the environment at large. The idea being that they will be largely impervious to most threats by sacrificing many of their own abilities. This alone won’t save them from engulfment however, so prioritizing size will be key.
Hitpoints: 150
Movement: 0.5
Osmoregulation: 0.5
Resource Absorption: 0.4
Physical Resistance: 1.6
Toxic Resistance: 1.6
Toxic Damage: 0.4
Healing Rate: 0.5
Calcium carbonate:
Where silica walls are a fortress, carbonate is the tank. I am re-imagining this wall to largely shield the user from physical harm, while still permitting exchange with the outside environment. However, it still lacks defenses against engulfment.
Hitpoints: 125
Movement: 0.7
Osmoregulation: 0.8
Resource Absorption: 0.8
Physical Resistance: 1.8
Healing Rate: 0.7
Cellulose:
The idea behind cellulose walls is to provide better insulation from the environment while maintaining flexibility, thus I imagine them to have a measure of toxic resistance alongside more health. More importantly, they can only be engulfed by predators that possess cellulase.
Hitpoints: 110
Movement: 0.9
Osmoregulation: 0.7
Resource Absorption: 0.7
Toxic Resistance: 1.2
Toxic Damage: 0.8
Chitin:
A surprisingly versatile compound in nature, chitin can actually have many forms. It can be either flexible, or very rigid and strong. Thus I am reshaping chitin walls to reflect that. Chitin cells will also be resistant to engulfment unless the predator possesses chitinase.
Hitpoints: 110
Movement: 0.9
Osmoregulation: 0.8
Resource Absorption: 0.8
Physical Resistance: 1.2
My hope is that these changes will effectively expand upon predator/prey relations in Thrive to allow for compelling ways to specialize and adapt to adversity.
If anyone has any questions or comments please do not hesitate to provide them, any and all feedback is welcome.
Edit: I actually forgot to describe an idea I had where different wall types would have separate versions of the rigidity slider that would effect their stats differently. Alas, I had attempted to prototype the feature myself but it seems to be a bit more complicated and messy in practice than anticipated so I will withhold it for now, unless anyone is interested.