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[bersaelor]

Like the helpful soul Anvilfolk pointed out I'm reposting the news about a game that I'm working on in this forum. He said it's more visible here 

Here's the gist:
"yes, I too was playing Dwarf Fortress and thought (while my third fortress flourished and I just made my first adamantine sword) :
"this is so great, so much detail!
"These dwarfs look like my own personal busy ant-hive..."
"... wait someone should totally make a game about an ant-hive controlled like dwarfs in DF!"

Being a mathematician by trade (like toady) I got slightly distracted for a month, putting lots of effort into realistic plantlife (properties and colors based on their genes, reproduction, usage of nutrients based on groundmaterial etc) and now heavily working on more commands I can give my little ants.
The simulation-core is written in C++, the current 2D graphic-layer in Apples Spritekit.

Here's a first screenshot (from the underground management of one's ant hive):


And here's another one of the surface with bugs, beetles, plants and butterflies (everything has genes, chromosomes and a metabolism and reproduces including the plants):


If you like to support us, any little bit is appreciated, just a like/share or a vote on greenlight would be great 


Furthermore I was asked about the different casts of ants that we will have, here is the answer:

The default worker is the one you can see in the pictures, the normal type of soldier is already drawn and animated but not in the videos yet. Ranged acid-sprayers and honeypot (living food storage) are discussed.
Leafcutting specialists are another branch. Then there is the suicide bomber caste (which are all just representations of real world ants).
Tiny low-energy-consumption nest-maintenance caste. Really big tank ants. Poison attack ants... I can go on a long time, just a matter of time&money to enlarge the pool.

Another question we got is that ants are not building rooms/buildings/workshops, traps, furniture, etc. , how can we have enough complexity?
You can tell your ants to dig tunnels, strengthen walls with stone, build above and below-ground earth/stone walls and structures, build nurseries, build underground fungi-gardens. Furthermore the genetic system is a piece that adds a completely different game-element. In Dwarf Fortress you only get to train the dwarfs. You can design the very body and genetics of your ants, shaping them to your needs. Where Dwarf fortress has Equipment and clothing to individualize your workers, in formicarium you get to modify their bodies.


EDIT: We only reached 68% of our goal, still pretty good for a completely new and unknown game. We keep working on it in our spare time and will be back 2015. If you want to be informed of the latest developments, we have a newsletter signup at www.formicarium.org.

[Farce]

Sounds neato.

[Ozyton]

Why bother? DF is going to simulate all of this and it'll all fit on a single tile.



=p

EDIT: I liked screwing around in Sim Ant. Any chance we can have playable spiders? Hehehehe

[Mictlantecuhtli]

What is this? A game for ANTS?

[PTW]

[kaian-a-coel]

I like the concept. What about reproduction? Spreading new colonies? Inter-colonial warfare? Anthill coalitions?

[Ghazkull]

Finally a game about ants *squees*

Lets see:

1. Will there be different species? Like Slaver Ants?, Army Ants? and polygyn (a hive with many queens) and monogyn (hives with only one queen?)

2. Will it be more scientifically accurate with different species only having different ants and specific mechanics (aka leafcutters can grow fungus but slaver ants can not, but in return get to keep slaves)? Or will it more likely be a freeform system?

3. Do you intend to include different seasons?

4. Will humans make an appearance? ( the big foot out of the sky...run for yer lives!)

5. Will you be able to invade other Ant-Hives and take their hives?

6. Will there be a multiplayer option?

7. Will the game in scale be like Dwarf Fortress, or will you be able to actually expand into a farch stretching "Ant-Empire"?

8. Is there going to be a campaign?

9. What about "animal husbandry?" Will ants be able to domesticate lice and milk them for their sweet, sweet sugar?

[Anvilfolk]

Haha, good to see the game have good reception here! I'm looking forward to it greatly

[Bluerobin]

Huh. As a geneticist (I guess that the way to make it into a title) by trade and training, this looks so. cool. Definitely keeping my eye on this. At first I was a little lukewarm, but the more I thought about a modern Sim Ant-ish sort of thing where I can actually fiddle with genetics, the more excited I got. You could even indirectly select for better plants by making sure the bad ones get taken out by your ants.

Very cool.

[Vendayn]

Finally a game about ants *squees*

Lets see:

1. Will there be different species? Like Slaver Ants?, Army Ants? and polygyn (a hive with many queens) and monogyn (hives with only one queen?)

There are definitely TONS of ants that can be included.

2. Will it be more scientifically accurate with different species only having different ants and specific mechanics (aka leafcutters can grow fungus but slaver ants can not, but in return get to keep slaves)? Or will it more likely be a freeform system?

Hopefully different ants also have "optimal" habitat. Like, leafcutter ants tend to need tropical areas (though some live in the desert). Or some ants thrive in the desert, but do bad in moist areas (or opposite). Some ants even nest in wood. Like wise, some ants are better at defending, some are invasive and some just blend into the environment and go unnoticed.

Like, Pheidole megacephala/Argentine ants/Solenopsis invicta being the three main invasive ants...one should be able to play as them for a really "easy" time. But, you are vastly more noticed by humans which makes it A LOT harder in some ways than playing other species. But hopefully they don't do the "easy" approach and just go with the lame common ones everyone knows about. Come on, at least add unique species that aren't as well known.

Everyone knows harvester ants, but they eat seeds/insects mainly.

But others, like Forelius pruinosus/mccooki and Dorymyrmex bicolor get huge colonies out in the desert. They are the #1 most popular ant of deserts in North America.

3. Do you intend to include different seasons?

Hopefully they include that

4. Will humans make an appearance? ( the big foot out of the sky...run for yer lives!)

Hopefully they include that, but include bug poison/baits/spray etc (mostly for invasive ants or if your colony gets huge and becomes a nuisance)...not just a lame foot.

5. Will you be able to invade other Ant-Hives and take their hives?

Hopefully they include that

6. Will there be a multiplayer option?

Don't really care about that. Unless its a HUGE total war style map, but insect-based. Otherwise it just takes development time.

7. Will the game in scale be like Dwarf Fortress, or will you be able to actually expand into a farch stretching "Ant-Empire"?

I won't be interested if you can't make an ant empire to be honest. We already have sim ant and even then, in todays time...its way too simple. I'd like it like total war, conquering regions/habitats and stuff. Heck, take over neighborhoods or cities and drive out the humans (unless humans drive you out). Spread your colony to different areas of the "world", and fight other ant species, termite species and wasps/bees...or just other insects. If they do this, I'll kickstart this so fast. Otherwise, I'll still be waiting for my ultimate ant game to be made


8. Is there going to be a campaign?

--
9. What about "animal husbandry?" Will ants be able to domesticate lice and milk them for their sweet, sweet sugar?

If they don't include farming aphids or scalebugs, it won't be really realistic at all. TONS of ant species get honeydew from aphids.

[dennislp3]

ptw

[ventuswings]

I hope ant empire functionality works - it could be like that when you create new colony, you are given choice between which one you want to control and hand other over to the AI... otherwise I assume player burden will be massive.

[Rez]

looks interestsing

[Rolan7]

Posting to w

[varsovie]

I so read "ForNicarium", now I'm dispointed. 

Thank for the Linux version, I'll sure follow a project like that. Just make it better than this please.

[Jack_Bread]

Looks stellar. I'm a big fan of the art... and the game... and the everything. I'll be watching this.