Organic elements in a simulation

Being on an alien world presents a few challenges in reality that need to be addressed in simulation. Food is one of the main issues. In a pure game environment we can provide the user with virtual food and move on to more interesting things. One of the issues I wanted to address was how would you grow and process food on an alien world. And to that end how would you provide that process in a 3D simulation.

When dealing with simulators you have to understand the audience and what they expect from the product. At one end of the spectrum you have scientists that may want to use the simulator as a tool to help design the food synthesis system. At the other end you may have young people whom you are trying to gain interest in science and technology so a lighter version that demonstrates the action and effects would be better.

The Organics we have in Colony-ET are simple yet all the hooks are in the code to make it as deep an experience as the client wants. Currently, the user has to plant seeds which grow over time to provide a harvestable item that can be used for food, medicine, or fiber. The plants that are “picked” may provide more seeds depending on the age of the plant and the cycle continues. The plants also need water and fertalizer to grow. This can get deep into soil chemistry but we kept it simple for now.