Post by mitobox on Oct 13, 2016 23:32:54 GMT
This thread is not speculation and propositions for Thrive's future. This is a foray into its past.
A long time ago, when Thrive barely had its most rudimentary goals established, intense discussion went into establishing the specifics. The Microbe Stage, as the beginning of the journey, was first on the production line. As a stage of an evolution game, the deceptively small question of how evolution should actually work took prominence. An editor like Spore's, of course, but with organelles. But how to get those organelles?
Many ideas surfaced. The most well-met dealt with endosymbiosis; if it could work for mitochondria and chloroplasts, why not other organelles?
And so the idea of protocells took hold.
Here is an old list of protocells:
Here is a set of concepts for protocells.
And here are two demonstrations of how these protocells would look color-coded based on type, green for defense/storage, and blue for mobility.
Protocells seemed guaranteed a seat in the final game. Even some basic animation sets were made. What happened? I'm not too sure myself, but all of a sudden alternatives to them were needed. One idea was having free-floating plasmids (rings of genetic material) for the player's microbe to absorb, decipher, and incorporate. The more realistic "randomly unlock through mutation" idea also had its supporters. Last I heard, the current idea is for new non-symbiote organelles to be unlocked in a way similar to upgrading parts, with a few elements of endosymbiosis and plasmid-hunting mixed in.
Image:
(On a side note: Never try to make threads like this on a phone. Touch screen-induced browser crashes are NOT fun. If this fate befalls you, I prescribe Arby n' The Chief as a remedy.)
A long time ago, when Thrive barely had its most rudimentary goals established, intense discussion went into establishing the specifics. The Microbe Stage, as the beginning of the journey, was first on the production line. As a stage of an evolution game, the deceptively small question of how evolution should actually work took prominence. An editor like Spore's, of course, but with organelles. But how to get those organelles?
Many ideas surfaced. The most well-met dealt with endosymbiosis; if it could work for mitochondria and chloroplasts, why not other organelles?
And so the idea of protocells took hold.
Here is an old list of protocells:
1) Wrigglers - Worm-like creatures that move quickly around the screen; assimilating them grants the player a flagellum.
2) Writhers - Small globular creatures that move quickly around the screen by rippling cilia on their body; assimilating them grants the player cilia.
3) Squirmers - Crescent-shaped creatures that move by undulating themselves up and down like a pair of wings; assimilating them grants the player lamellipodes.
4) Squishers - Glob-shaped creatures that move in an amoeba-like fashion, by wriggling their cytoplasm; assimilating them grants the player the ability to move in this way and engulf other cells.
5) Shiners - Small spherical creatures that drift and emit a pale colored light whenever they absorb amino acids; assimilating them grants the player a bioluminescent dot that shines when they feed.
6) Clone-Stickers - Tiny globs with a hollow spike (like a hypodermic) that inject their reproductive material into other cells, causing them to die and be replaced by another sticker. Assimilating them grants the player a pilus (hypodermic spike) that can create clones of the player cell in this manner.
7) Poison-stickers - Tiny globs with a hollow spike (like a hypodermic) that inject toxic material into other cells, causing them to die and dissolve into edible material. Assimilating them grants the player a pilus (hypodermic spike) that injects poison.
8 ) Defenders - Tiny capsules that resist being absorbed by cells; assimilating them grants the player an antiphagocytic capsule which defends them from being absorbed by other cells by producing an outer coating of enzyme "slime".
9) Producers - Blobs that cluster around rich regions of the soup, transforming the amino acids into proteins. Assimilating them grants the player double nourishment from absorbing Amino Acids, and allows damaged cell components to be replaced.
10) Dissolvers - Blobs that cluster around proteins and reduce them to amino acids. Assimilating them grants the player double nourishment from absorbing Protein, and allows cells with Walls to be consumed.
11) Eaters - Small globes that absorb proteins and other cells, converting them to energy for reproduction; assimilating them grants the player Mitochondria, which allows them to "eat" carbohydrates.
12) Light-eaters - Small discs that reproduce automatically while exposed to light; assimilating them grants the player Chloroplasts, which transform light into nourishment (carbohydrates).
13) Heat-eaters - Small blobs that reproduce automatically when exposed to heat; assimilating them grants the the player Thermoplasts, which transform heat into nourishment (carbohydrates).
14) Cookers - Small spheres that release enzymes which break down proteins and cells into amino acids; assimilating them grants the player Lysosomes, which give double nourishment from consuming Cells.
15) Holders - Hollow membranes that encase whatever molecules they come in contact with; assimilating them grants the player Vacuoles, which can store material to be digested, or compartmentalize harmful substances (like poison or injected reproductive material).
16) Platers - Solid "plates" that reproduce by absorbing proteins; assimilation grants the player Cell Walls, which form a protective barrier around the cell. In silicone-rich environments, these may be 1.5x as hard to puncture/engulf (as they utilize silicate crystals).
17) Gluers - Globs that create a sticky enzyme that can glue cells together. Assimilating them grants the ability to bond with other cells of your type.
18) Sharers - Elliptic Cells which can exchange DNA with other cells, and after division acquire half of that cells traits. Assimilating them gives you the ability to exchange DNA (Early Sexual Reproduction).
2) Writhers - Small globular creatures that move quickly around the screen by rippling cilia on their body; assimilating them grants the player cilia.
3) Squirmers - Crescent-shaped creatures that move by undulating themselves up and down like a pair of wings; assimilating them grants the player lamellipodes.
4) Squishers - Glob-shaped creatures that move in an amoeba-like fashion, by wriggling their cytoplasm; assimilating them grants the player the ability to move in this way and engulf other cells.
5) Shiners - Small spherical creatures that drift and emit a pale colored light whenever they absorb amino acids; assimilating them grants the player a bioluminescent dot that shines when they feed.
6) Clone-Stickers - Tiny globs with a hollow spike (like a hypodermic) that inject their reproductive material into other cells, causing them to die and be replaced by another sticker. Assimilating them grants the player a pilus (hypodermic spike) that can create clones of the player cell in this manner.
7) Poison-stickers - Tiny globs with a hollow spike (like a hypodermic) that inject toxic material into other cells, causing them to die and dissolve into edible material. Assimilating them grants the player a pilus (hypodermic spike) that injects poison.
8 ) Defenders - Tiny capsules that resist being absorbed by cells; assimilating them grants the player an antiphagocytic capsule which defends them from being absorbed by other cells by producing an outer coating of enzyme "slime".
9) Producers - Blobs that cluster around rich regions of the soup, transforming the amino acids into proteins. Assimilating them grants the player double nourishment from absorbing Amino Acids, and allows damaged cell components to be replaced.
10) Dissolvers - Blobs that cluster around proteins and reduce them to amino acids. Assimilating them grants the player double nourishment from absorbing Protein, and allows cells with Walls to be consumed.
11) Eaters - Small globes that absorb proteins and other cells, converting them to energy for reproduction; assimilating them grants the player Mitochondria, which allows them to "eat" carbohydrates.
12) Light-eaters - Small discs that reproduce automatically while exposed to light; assimilating them grants the player Chloroplasts, which transform light into nourishment (carbohydrates).
13) Heat-eaters - Small blobs that reproduce automatically when exposed to heat; assimilating them grants the the player Thermoplasts, which transform heat into nourishment (carbohydrates).
14) Cookers - Small spheres that release enzymes which break down proteins and cells into amino acids; assimilating them grants the player Lysosomes, which give double nourishment from consuming Cells.
15) Holders - Hollow membranes that encase whatever molecules they come in contact with; assimilating them grants the player Vacuoles, which can store material to be digested, or compartmentalize harmful substances (like poison or injected reproductive material).
16) Platers - Solid "plates" that reproduce by absorbing proteins; assimilation grants the player Cell Walls, which form a protective barrier around the cell. In silicone-rich environments, these may be 1.5x as hard to puncture/engulf (as they utilize silicate crystals).
17) Gluers - Globs that create a sticky enzyme that can glue cells together. Assimilating them grants the ability to bond with other cells of your type.
18) Sharers - Elliptic Cells which can exchange DNA with other cells, and after division acquire half of that cells traits. Assimilating them gives you the ability to exchange DNA (Early Sexual Reproduction).
Here is a set of concepts for protocells.
And here are two demonstrations of how these protocells would look color-coded based on type, green for defense/storage, and blue for mobility.
Protocells seemed guaranteed a seat in the final game. Even some basic animation sets were made. What happened? I'm not too sure myself, but all of a sudden alternatives to them were needed. One idea was having free-floating plasmids (rings of genetic material) for the player's microbe to absorb, decipher, and incorporate. The more realistic "randomly unlock through mutation" idea also had its supporters. Last I heard, the current idea is for new non-symbiote organelles to be unlocked in a way similar to upgrading parts, with a few elements of endosymbiosis and plasmid-hunting mixed in.
Image:
(On a side note: Never try to make threads like this on a phone. Touch screen-induced browser crashes are NOT fun. If this fate befalls you, I prescribe Arby n' The Chief as a remedy.)
