>>5230587Thematic rules for this particular game:
>The creatures are Virtual entities, rather than biological creatures. As such, it's less about Biology, and more about their behavioral patterns. Each is a sort of tiny logic puzzle that can interact with others in various ways. >Feel free to go a bit further with designs, as these aren't biological creatures, but please try to make them related to previous generations, as well as the new function they've developed.>Err on the prudent side when making new mechanics for creatures to follow. A slow, gradual process is more interesting than suddenly gaining an ability from thin air.>Extinctions take place if a creature's mechanics become so obsolete that it can no longer survive. Instead of going extinct immediately, creatures will be marked out with an Extinction Warning, which allows them a chance to pass on their genes in the form of crossbreeds or new generations for a short while, before they die. The world is, very simply, called: MAP. The MAP is an expanse of white blocks that extend downwards and sideways. Whenever an entity wanders too close to the edge of the world, a new segment of MAP renders, preventing them from falling off the flat, procedurally generated world. Time in this world passes in terms of Ticks, which represents a block of time in which every single creature in existence makes its move. Creatures must move every single turn, if able to, and their movements form the basis of a food web. They're unable to make extremely intelligent decisions at the start, and just follow basic instinct such as: 'Move away from Predator', 'Move towards food', 'Search for mate while Hunger is full', etc. Creatures are killed and eaten if their tile is entered by an aggressor. Each has a hunger meter that it must keep filled in order to survive, and they're capable of reproduction, with tiny mutations and their internal 'genome' passing down as a result. They do reach the end of their lifespan eventually, however.
At the beginning, MAP is completely empty. The cast of creatures spawn in a single region, and as they multiply, will move outwards into the procedurally generated world. As mutations and new breeds rise up, segments of the MAP will naturally be filled out with different types of entities, that might eventually even change the world to suit their needs. Feel free to include the regional map later on, to show where your species is developing, but that's not compulsory.
