Efficient Planet-Wide Simulation of Species Evolution in Real- Time With 2D Procedural Visualization
Miffy LIU
Software Development
Efficient Planet-Wide Simulation of Species Evolution in Real- Time With 2D Procedural Visualization
This game is an evolution simulation game inspired by Spore and Ancestor: Humankind Odyssey. Whereas Spore let players generate their species procedurally, Ancestor gave players a genetic skill tree to evolve their imp character. However, the limbs generated in Spore were largely cosmetic and did not give player species unique advantage over other species, and Ancestor is primarily focused on one single species evolution path. This game attempted to solve this problem by combining genetic algorithm with 2D procedural shape generation.
Players can give their species unique skills that not only change their appearance but also help them survive when competing for resources with other species within the same region. When players click on a region, all species living in that region will be illustrated as 2D animated shapes that
are accurate to their traits. For example, if a species has one leg and two arms, the shape will generally be displayed as a figure with three limbs growing out of the body. Furthermore, mass AI management techniques were used to keep the frame rate smooth and stable with thousands of species running logics on one large map every frame.
This project took about nine months and 450 work hours to complete. I learned various optimization skills including spatial partitioning, basics of genetic algorithms, and the design structure of simulation games.
94 SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT