Post by Drongo on Aug 9, 2017 9:49:31 GMT
So while I've suggested in another thread that players start with specific species which have their own unique traits, I am also thinking that it would be nice to be able to spend water, food, pheromones and maybe another resource ("genetic diversity" or similar - reaped by laying breeding drone (male) ants and burning them with a complaint partner player that also burns theirs for mutual benefit) to level up techs.
Players that lay these drone ants (flying ants) and burn them in "mating events" with other players then earn "evolution points" which can be used to breed new traits into their ant nest... things like:
1) Larger size = better attack, faster hunting and attack speeds, but higher food consumption per ant.
2) Honeypot ants = ability to store excess food for "dry times" - such as when you need to bring your hunters inside while a war is breaking out around you, etc
3) Formic Acid Spray - increases death toll among enemies
4) Builders Glue - allows specialised structures, such as above-ground nests like termites build, increasing Warmth (a resource).
5) Weaponised Glue - unlocked by Builders Glue, this stuff binds enemies, greatly reducing the enemy's attack strength
6) Mushroom Chamber - your colony figures out which fungus can be farmed and harvested, leading to Leaf-Cutter style fungus farms.
7) Sub Major Caste - greatly enlarged workers that are almost a soldier greatly increases hunting effectiveness
8) Swarm Algorithms - your hunting parties swarming algorithms are greatly increased to allow maximum efficiency in penetrating every hole in a hunting field, vastly increasing hunting field food returns and reducing attrition deaths to predators (think "Army Ants").
9) Bridging - your ants are better at forming bridges of bodies, crossing huge gaps with living bridges, allowing for much more efficient marching (greater attack and hunting speeds).
10) Rafting - your ants can now strategically form rafts, which both increases attack and hunting speeds but also vastly increases survival during flooding events.
11) Stitching - (based on builders glue) - your ants can now use glue to stitch together leaves and debris to form temporary shelters from predators in which they can place eggs to mature in the warmth of the sun, vastly increasing laying speeds.
The list could go on forever.
So basically it would be possible for players to evolve their nest to encompass a range of favorable traits from a large variety of "real world" species, effectively having their own new fictional species with all these super-traits (over time, with investment and research).
Players that lay these drone ants (flying ants) and burn them in "mating events" with other players then earn "evolution points" which can be used to breed new traits into their ant nest... things like:
1) Larger size = better attack, faster hunting and attack speeds, but higher food consumption per ant.
2) Honeypot ants = ability to store excess food for "dry times" - such as when you need to bring your hunters inside while a war is breaking out around you, etc
3) Formic Acid Spray - increases death toll among enemies
4) Builders Glue - allows specialised structures, such as above-ground nests like termites build, increasing Warmth (a resource).
5) Weaponised Glue - unlocked by Builders Glue, this stuff binds enemies, greatly reducing the enemy's attack strength
6) Mushroom Chamber - your colony figures out which fungus can be farmed and harvested, leading to Leaf-Cutter style fungus farms.
7) Sub Major Caste - greatly enlarged workers that are almost a soldier greatly increases hunting effectiveness
8) Swarm Algorithms - your hunting parties swarming algorithms are greatly increased to allow maximum efficiency in penetrating every hole in a hunting field, vastly increasing hunting field food returns and reducing attrition deaths to predators (think "Army Ants").
9) Bridging - your ants are better at forming bridges of bodies, crossing huge gaps with living bridges, allowing for much more efficient marching (greater attack and hunting speeds).
10) Rafting - your ants can now strategically form rafts, which both increases attack and hunting speeds but also vastly increases survival during flooding events.
11) Stitching - (based on builders glue) - your ants can now use glue to stitch together leaves and debris to form temporary shelters from predators in which they can place eggs to mature in the warmth of the sun, vastly increasing laying speeds.
The list could go on forever.
So basically it would be possible for players to evolve their nest to encompass a range of favorable traits from a large variety of "real world" species, effectively having their own new fictional species with all these super-traits (over time, with investment and research).
