Unterholz was made in less than 24 hours so it lacks a bunch of features (i.e. gameplay). The basic idea is to manipulate the elements to transform the environment so new lifeforms can emerge.

The only life form emerging in this build are just two types of plants though. Little creatures spawning in the lakes, climbing on plants, or looking for shelter in dark crevices could be added too.

It was interesting to work with pixel water, or cellular automata as it is apparently called. However it is very poorly optimized and can run into performance issues quite quickly if you keep pouring rain. Further performance tweaks would require me to rewrite the whole system, which i might :p

Currently, the environment is only absorbing water. Upon absorbtion there is a chance for a plant to grow out of it. Continuous watering will help the plants spread.

More environmentally changing features could be added like wind, storms, snow – which can melt -, thunder – bursting plants inflames – and other hazards that influence how life developes.

Here’s the source to the framework i’ve been using, it’s the same i’ve used the last two times:
Flow Source

Go play and rate Unterholz here.