Game Idea
Lonnie Clay
Specification for digital life game GrowsLCC.
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The map is formed from hexagons, with the number of hexagon levels determined by the player. The hexagon levels are :
0 - The basic hexagon, six sided and capable of containing a creature or just absorbing sunlight to warm up. The amount of energy in a hexagon is stored in an accumulator variable, and increases when sunlight impacting the hexagon exceeds the hexagon's ground temperature, or cools when sunlight temperature is less than ground temperature. Also see creature effects.
1 - 7 level 0 hexagons, formed into 1 central and 1 on each of the 6 sides joined to the center one.
2 - 7 level 1 hexagons, same formation, each of which contains 7 level 1 hexagons, which contain a total of 49 level 0 hexagons.
3 - 7 level 2 hexagons, same formation rules
etc
When hexagons fitting into the user specified map size (dependent upon computer capacity) have been created, then the unused map space is filled with hexagons by randomly selecting an unused location to test. The test determines the highest level hexagon that can be added without changing the existing map. That hexagon (and all hexagons nested inside it) is then generated and the map is revised before generating another random location.
For each hexagon at all levels, a side is open or closed depending upon a random number, with the thresholds for status determined by the player at game creation. HOWEVER, by bumping against a hexagon side, a creature weakens it from the initial strength. IF enough creatures bump to reduce a closed side to zero in its counter, it becomes open. Once open it remains open forever.
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Creatures are 6 sided and absorb sunlight regardless of their activity. All creatures are a size that fits into a level 0 hexagon. If the creature temperature is less than the ground temperature of the hexagon it occupies, then it is warmed by the ground and the ground is cooled, otherwise it loses energy to the ground and is cooled. Creatures have the capability of :
1) Spinning in place, changing the orientation of the creature's head by 60 degrees, either clockwise or counterclockwise depending upon a random number it draws.
2) Moving into a neighboring hexagon at its head, unless blocked by a creature or wall.
3) Bumping against a wall, reducing the wall's strength and taking energy from the creature depending upon the level of the creature, the wall, and the creature's energy. The proportion of the creature's energy devoted to wall breaking is determined at game start, but cannot exceed half the current creature energy or the current wall strength.
4) Eating a compatible creature in a neighboring hexagon, depending upon whether its head is properly located. A creature can only be eaten if its level is at least 3 levels less than the eater's level.
5) Combining with a creature of the same level in a neighboring hexagon to form the next level up. This will occur regardless of the orientation of their heads.
6) Laying an egg to create a new creature when it hatches. The egg's time to hatch depends upon its creature level and a game speed determined at startup. An egg is a dormant creature placed into the hexagon opposite the creature's head, regardless of walls and whether the hexagon is occupied. The egg creature level ranges from 1 to 4 less than the spawning creature's level, and contains half the energy maximum of the egg's creature level, subtracted from the spawning creature's energy. An egg will not hatch if the hexagon is currently occupied by a creature. When an egg hatches, the hatchling is ravenous and eats any eggs in its hexagon until it is nearly full or all eggs in that hexagon are gone. A hatchling cannot eat an egg if by doing so its energy would equal or exceed its maximum energy.
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General Rules :
1) The time clock is one game minute per movement iteration. Eggs hatch and hatchlings eat first, then all level 1 creatures previously hatched are processed, then all level 2 etc. until the largest creatures are done.
2) The temperature of a creature is simply proportionate to its current energy level versus its maximum energy. The maximum energy level doubles with each level up of a creature. The maximum energy of a level 1 creature is determined as a game option for each game played.
3) The ground temperature is proportionate to the current versus maximum ground energy of a hexagon. A designer variation could be ground maps with varying maximum energies due to rock composition, or the option of a uniform map.
4) Wall strengths for a hexagon generated at game startup should depend upon the level of the hexagon and a random factor.
5) The energy from sunlight might vary as time passes in the game, possibly with a regular day/night cycle.
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User Interface ;
1) The game should not require a keyboard or mouse, being playable on handheld devices. Initialization should be kept simple.
2) Provide a pause/resume button, game clock, save game, load game, and end game.
3) Provide map zoom/expand view and scrolling.
4) Provide a filter for creatures so that a user can examine just all creatures of a specified level or less/greater etc.
5) Provide an interface to examine everything at once, just the hexagons with walls, just the ground temperatures (color coded), just eggs, or just creatures.
6) Provide some type of scoring mechanism, based upon creatures at end game, initial conditions, and game time elapsed.
Typing this up took 4 hours. Normally around Christmas I provide a specification for a cryptographic technique but this year due to lack of interest at sci.crypt I decided to do this as my annual public service. This specification is hereby declared public domain, and all games based upon it must be provided either free of charge or as shareware. If you are feeling exceptionally generous, then you could donate to my Paypal account clayl...@comcast.net
Lonnie Courtney Clay