Does anyone here remember the Simulations of A-Life that became popular with gamers in the late 80s and 90s?
You do??? Good… Then you will also remember the game “Creatures� that took artificial life to a new level when it was released.
For several years I have worked on A-Life programs and one of these was called “R.I.C.K�. RICK was a special learning language developed for a game manufacturer that would be able to adapt to its environment and to the player in a dynamic fashion not following any set rules. To coin a phrase, it could “Think outside the box�.
Over the years my baby has grown up, and I am proud to say that some of its concepts (and code) have graced many an AI game program over the years, so I felt it only right that I should try and see if Dark basic was up to the task.
The following screenshots are from the almost finished program called, “NONKS�, and they show just what I have been up to for the past 6 months.
(Mmm, An apple a day yes, but MORE bloody oranges!!!
(So..After all these X-Rays, what do I get except being able to read in the dark cos of the glow?!?)
In the game (its NOT a game as such…read below) you take control of a certain Nonk called Fred who you have to nurture, love, play with and generally take care of.
Unlike other “Sim� games, you don’t have to teach Fred anything as he’s all grown up and knows enough to maintain himself and to let YOU know what he needs.
After the Christmas Break I will be putting the final touch to the program and it should be ready to release to you all for about the 7th of January.
In the meantime please post your questions, comments and other things here and I will do my best to answer you.
Enjoy the game (when its out)
Q & A
Q) So is this Nonk alive then or not?
(A) In the sense that it is an organism simulation then yes it is VERY much alive. Treat your Nonk well, and look after it. He depends on you and the code that went into building him is totally dynamic and interrelative and interactive. The only way your Nonk could get any more alive was if there WAS a Nonk for real.
(Q) Is there an end to the game?
(A) Yes there is. The object is to try and get your Nonk to the ripe old age of 120. If you can do this then you can consider yourself a “Winner�.
However… You may be able to do so well that you even surpass this age… It all depends on your skill (and a bit of luck too).
(Q) Why did you not enter this in to the AlienWare contest?
(A) Because I felt that it was not a game as such but something that was more like a “Toy�. Something that does have a goal but the goal and game play is not really important. So I don’t believe that it would have been suitable as a “game� for the competition.
(Q) Are there any tips, cheats or other things in this?
(A) Yes there is!! Glad you asked that one. But unfortunately for you I am not going to tell you any of them, except to say “Everything in moderation� is a good thing, and that if you stay on the game long enough to get the DNA Splicer then you can have all manner of FUN. (But try NOT to turn your Nonk into a bowl of jelly please!
(Q) Is this a 3D game or something else?
(A) The main character Fred is 3D, and so are a few other things too, but there are some 2D sprites used for other objects. Backgrounds were done in a mixture of Bryce and PSP. I was using a sprite for a long time and then when I saw the 3D Alien I thought I would use him.
(Q) What can I do if my Nonk gets sick, and you said “Nonks� so is there more than one?
(A) If your Nonk gets sick you can analyse it and try and determine the cause. You can then administer medicines, diet or direct DNA splicing to try and correct the problem. There are also some natural remedy’s you may try. And yes, there is more than one Nonk, but only if I decide to take this program further and that, strangely enough is where you come in. If there is sufficient interest from the DB community then I would be happy to not only do a full tutorial on the making of the game but I will be looking for people to join in with the development of the full game. So its all up to you if we take this further.
