Right now you start the game as a single, basic bacillus shaped bacterium. The only genes you have are the ones required to give you the very basic ability to survive, and to get other genes you must evolve. So getting a special gene like endospore (or the 20 "non-core" genes)will require a bit of luck and evolution.
In other words, you start as a very basic bacteria, which can evolve into something more like a Bacillus, or enteric, or thermophilic bacteria.
But that's what is in the game right now. There are a couple of updates I'll be putting into the game after I get the core game-play down. And here's a list of features, related to your questions, that will be future improvements to the game. Listed in order of when I will put them in.
- The ability to base your bacteria's DNA on actual Bacterial DNA. The game will take a gene from a real bacteria and base your bacterium's genome on it (the reason for gene->genome, is in the game a gene is 5-30 nucleotides and a genome 3,000 nucleotides. In real life, a gene is hundreds to thousands of nucleotides and a genome millions, so taking a real gene can act as a genome in the game.
-The ability to start with a bacteria fit for a different environment. Currently you start in a lake, and to make the game easy at the beginning, your bacteria is designed to survive in the lake. But I will put in the ability to start in different places, with bacteria fit for different environments.
-Different shapes (round = cocci, sprilli = spiral) , this is going to be one of the later things I do, as it will take the most programming. But the other bacteria around you are a wide variety of shapes. The current visuals of your bacteria that can evolve are : Color, size, flagella number, and flagella length.
Side note : DWARF FORTRESS IS AMAZING!
MilkyJoe241
John joined
I develop indie video games and card games. milkyjoegames-dot-blogspot-dot-com/