Hunter Gatherer
In this civilization builder, attempt to survive in a harsh environment as a hunter gatherer tribe. Movement and an understanding of nature and it's patterns will allow the tribe to grow and compete with opposing players.
Visual of the game's Technology tree, made in Twine
This game is a conceptual piece that I created to develop more skill related to systems design. This project is still a work in progress. The game currently has a technology tree system, a conflict system, and a cultural evolution system. All of these systems are backed by mathematical models that are formulated from historical study.
Examples of Technology improvement rewards
With the technology tree, I wanted to create something that was complex on a small scale and that made sense historically.
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It was a bit of a challenge to think of technology advancements where I could not have the player create a permanent structure to stay true to the hunter gatherer life style.
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Moreover, in order to accurately represent how technology advanced in real life (a reinforcing loop) I added in the presence of the Tradition branch which allows the player to gain more and more Tradition Points to move along faster in the Technology Tree.
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However, it is important to note that this doesn't necessarily lead to satisfying progression in a game. Instead, a more satisfying approach would be to create a steady increase of Tradition Points acquired.
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But this game was created with the intention to create a (mostly) historically accurate interpretation of hunter-gatherer peoples to allow the player to have some insight into how such cultures live.
Crisis Simulation
Example map with territory control
In addition to the technology system, this game also has a conflict system. As a multiplayer game, conflict, especially boarder conflict, will occur. This is especially true in this game as food resources will deplete and move, meaning players will be often be racing each other to the nearest food source as it appears.
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In this game, boarders of a tribe require defense and have a defense cost. If the value of the territory that's being controlled is less than the defense cost, then the tribe will lose territory.
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If the value of the territory equals the cost of defense, the growth of the tribe will reach an equilibrium and become stagnant.
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If the value of the territory exceeds the defense cost, then the territory will expand.
Cultural Evolution
The final system in this exercise is cultural evolution. In this system, each individual in a tribe has one culture. The more of a culture the tribe has, the player receives more benefits as well as a higher cost.
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The rules for changing culture are as follows:
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Individuals have quantifiable wellness and adopt one culture at a time
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An individual will adopt a new culture if their own wellness is less than that of a neighboring individual's
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An individual will only be influenced to switch cultures by neighboring individuals that are connected to them
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In this game, there are five culture categories.
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Order (Orange)
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Communication (Yellow)
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Economy (Blue)
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Arts (Green)
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Customs (Gray)
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These cultures are universal across all tribes, but the player will pick one at the start of the game.
Mathematical Model for cultural evolution
Round 1
Round 2