6 replies to this topic

[ken14400]

anyone every played empire of the undergrowth in steam? if anyone has played it what are your thoughts on it?

[CoolColJ]

Juts from videos, it's too RTS like, and not sim like enough for my tastest

[nick2253]

I own it, and I love it.  I agree with CoolColJ that it's definitely an RTS game, but the developers have done a great job at actually integrating realistic-feeling ant behavior into the game.  In other words, it's not just an RTS with ant models, but a game that is uniquely about ants.

 

The primary mechanism is the pheromone marker:  when you place it down, you instruct its associated group of ants to move to that location.  However, each ant is an individual.  Upon arriving to the marker, they will conduct themselves according to their own process:  if there is food, they grab it, and head back to the nest; if there is an enemy, they attack; if there's a wall to tear down to expand the nest, they start excavating.  Obviously, you can tweak some of this behavior, but ultimately you are disconnected from controlling a specific ant, and are instead controlling these ants as a group.

 

The nest-building part of the game is probably the most RTS or min/max part:  you try to structure everything to get maximum upgrades for your colony.  You control the exact number of workers/soldiers that your colony creates, and how large your food store are.  If you over-extend yourself, particularly in combat, you may find yourself running out of food, and not able to hatch your brood.  I wish some of these elements were a bit more disconnected from the player.  I also don't like the map exploration mechanism; there's really no way to send a group of ants out on a scouting mission.

 

In the name of greater sim play, I wish that you were more limited about the number of ants you could control.  Then, you'd depend on those ants laying a pheromone trail to draw the rest of the colony to food or battle.

Edited by nick2253, June 19 2018 - 6:20 AM.

[CamponotusLover]

Don't own it but I have seen enough gameplay of it to know I want it sooooo bad. But I hate how it mixes species.

[nick2253]

Don't own it but I have seen enough gameplay of it to know I want it sooooo bad. But I hate how it mixes species.

 

During the mission scenarios, you only play as one species at a time.  It's only in the evil-scientist laboratory mode where you mix species.  And they have some hand-wavy DNA-mumbo-jumbo excuse for why this works.

[Dukagora]

I have played through it and its pretty fun. They are introducing leaf cutters soon.

[Kalidas]

Oh my gawds, I just looked this up! Never seen it before, looks amazing!