Alright so I'm not going to launch another NESLife unless I can get my other NES updated reliably. But, I do have some things I'd like to see in a future evolution game:
Gene shifting: I really think it would be a good idea to be able to shift 'genes' between related actions, limited to one level at a time, in addition to adding from scratch. For example, one level of 'crawling' could be shifted to one level of 'swimming', while other genes could be added in the same turn. In the real world, we have evolution shifting between carnivorous and herbivorous diets without having to evolve a whole new digestive system from scratch. And limbs can be adapted for new purposes. Etc etc. Our body parts are far more often adapted from other uses. IMO it removes a handicap to creative species branching. I know there is the potential for arguments here, so it could be a 'think about this additional request' rather than a 'give me this' kinda deal.
Species-specific evolution bonus: in addition to player bonus, some species could grant more 'genes' for anyone who evolves them. Basically, older species that are widespread and well established in the world, having had more time for latent mutations to develop. Thus there would be more incentive to branch these older species and less incentive to only evolve from the latest, most gene-laden creatures. Also, species that are under attack from lots of predators could get a bonus due to the 'evolutionary pressure'.
Efficiency: simple, effective creatures should have more of a chance to survive. Both myself and Tux fell into the trap of killing off basic critters. In our world, we still have sponges and algae hanging around. I think a simple creature with good feeding abilities relative to its complexity should always do well. And we should bear in mind that a more complex creature is probably a much better meal for a predator. In both my NESLife3 and Tux's NES we have ramped up the complexity in a few turns without having improved the feeding abilities. So there should be more reward for doing so IMO. Its the same pattern of players in an arms race with claws and poison spikes etc, while in reality a feed and breed strategy leads to the biggest numbers, updates should reflect this.
PS: @flyingchicken that does look intresting!
