LudumData

Tiny Ecosystem SimulatoR by Zliebowitz

[raw]
made by Zliebowitz for Ludum Dare 56 (JAM)

TitleScreen.gif

You have a tiny world to raise your tiny creatures!

Spend DNA to shape the world and earn DNA as your animals consume resources.

You can place terrain and tiny creatures onto the map by clicking the icons in the lower portion of the screen and then clicking on the map. Watch your animals go wild as you help them by terraforming your world. Just be careful not to destroy your ecosystem!

EmbedBG.png

TinyEcosystemSimulatorPlaythrough.gif

Like the soundtrack? Listen to it here:

https://youtu.be/0mZ088WLmEo?si=SFzZi5EUi4O4p59r

Link https://github.com/zliebowitz/ld56
Link https://zakmobl.itch.io/tiny-ecosystem-simulator
Original URL https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/56/tiny-ecosystem-simulator

Ratings

Overall 356th 3.725⭐ 22🧑‍⚖️
Fun 454th 3.5⭐ 22🧑‍⚖️
Innovation 441th 3.425⭐ 22🧑‍⚖️
Theme 179th 4.125⭐ 22🧑‍⚖️
Graphics 679th 3.45⭐ 22🧑‍⚖️
Audio 516th 3.175⭐ 22🧑‍⚖️
Mood 843th 3.15⭐ 22🧑‍⚖️
Given 15🗳️ 18🗨️

Feedback

RascarCapackDev
08. Oct 2024 · 10:14 UTC
Sweet little game, the squirrel animation is adorable. The idea is pretty neat. A small tutorial would help get started has the game requires a bit of thinking ahead. Good job overall
KaDokta
10. Oct 2024 · 00:45 UTC
Requires a little time to get going, but I love complex simulations like this. Well done!
Pachino55
12. Oct 2024 · 21:08 UTC
This simulation game is very cool! Good job
Tastical
12. Oct 2024 · 21:13 UTC
A little slow starting off, but pretty fun once you get going. It reminds me of something like worldbox.
LDJam user 4886
12. Oct 2024 · 21:18 UTC
I used to love ecosystem sims, this one brought nice memories back! Until a swarm of bunnies ate up all grass on the island, no matter how many hawks and foxes I spawned XDDD Very nice!
🎤 Zliebowitz
12. Oct 2024 · 21:25 UTC
@tastical Worldbox had come up during our planning although I think only 1 or 2 of us had any prior familiarity with it (not me). I feel like I should give it a try!
JonasOlsson
12. Oct 2024 · 21:32 UTC
Really nice little game, well done! I really like the theme and the idea of the game. It's hard for real to get balance even though the dna is plentiful, there is always something wrecking havoc on the island :)
Creeper Nade
20. Oct 2024 · 04:38 UTC
Wasn't clear about the gameplay until I took a careful look at this LDD page, but I eventually figured it out, and I say it is a nice little simulation game! The music really reminds me of terraria.
Sightseeker
20. Oct 2024 · 05:14 UTC
It is quite hard to achieve a sort of balance with the little ecosystem, having to manage all these different factors, really made me think. Fun game!
OwlyCode
20. Oct 2024 · 09:51 UTC
I love those kind of games and it's a good one! I had fun trying to balance the ecosystem, with rabbits quickly becoming invasive and then getting regulated by hawks and foxes. Good job!
stephenwhoskins
20. Oct 2024 · 19:57 UTC
@creeper-nade That comment means a lot to me. Terraria music is the best!

I was thinking of this song from an indie game called "Witch N Wiz" when I wrote it. And the music is entirely composed with Famitracker. Maybe we should make a full NES version of the game. =)
Jajo
20. Oct 2024 · 20:30 UTC
This is an incredible implementation of game of life style concept! the art and music were adorable alongside it. The only criticism I can offer is minimal feedback when placing creatures/tiles or when creatures eat or are eaten. But really that's a nitpick, very cool overall.
stephenwhoskins
20. Oct 2024 · 20:34 UTC
Thank you @jajo ! Your comments are much appreciated! We're glad you liked it!
hulien22
21. Oct 2024 · 09:01 UTC
Awesome simulation game, wow do rabbits take over really quickly if you don't keep them in check! Had a good time balancing everything, but would have loved if the animals weren't able to cross the water (I wanted to try to keep some of the animals contained..).

Also great job on the music, parts of it reminded me of the night theme from terraria, which matches the game very well!
Dissonance Generator
21. Oct 2024 · 16:12 UTC
Rabbits and squirrels can really take over! Nothing else seems capable of reproducing, though, so a key part of this simulation is missing. Is there any sort of intended win condition or scoring system here?

Bunnies also seem comically small compared to squirrels - not sure if intended?
Astoeth
21. Oct 2024 · 17:54 UTC
It's a fun simulation ! Fun to see all those rabbits reproduce, too much, remove all the grass, and die...
Squirrels are definitively a safer source of food for my predators :p
It would be great to have the predators reproduce as well, but it's already hard to balance the rabbits between dying of predation and dying of hunger
Anyway it was a nice experience !
M2tias
21. Oct 2024 · 19:16 UTC
Cool game! I was happy how everything was in balance and alt-tabbed away for a second. Suddenly I have no grass and 50+ bunnies. Managed to claw myself back to a more balanced place though. Music was awesome, art is really good and the game just works flawlessly. At least the Bunny is pretty ugly at times because it's scaled down I think. And maybe there could be some visible end goal so there would be something to aim for. Good job!
dp3rucha
22. Oct 2024 · 10:00 UTC
Nice approach to the theme. I haven't seen any similar game type in all the jam. GJ!