Spore is indeed a huge game with revolutionary features, but much of it could be done better.
I doubt that there is room for Spore expansion packs, since there is nowhere to expand. (A Tetris-sort puzzle, representing chemical evolution, would add to the timeline, but hardly produce any synergy effect.)
After The Sims 3 is released in February next year, Maxis should start working at Spore 2. The game engine and interface are already decent, and could be kept. On the other hand, gameplay needs to be improved.
Here are my ideas:
Simple Start is a recurring theme. Each new game phase should start immediately as the old phase is finished, if possible without forcing the player through a dialog box or a designer interface. This brings the player closer to the game, and makes phases more continuous.
Cell phase - renamed to Water phase
* Simple start: Creatures should start as herbivore by default. Carnivore ability would be available in the cell designer.
* Half-way through the phase, the creature should become multi-cellular, allowing fins, shell, teeth, tentacles, simple legs (eg crab legs) and other body parts. This would allow the player to make animals more similar to fish, squid, starfish or trilobites (or they could keep the original, slug-like design).
Creature phase - renamed to Land phase
* Simple start: Water phase should start when the creature develops air-breathing (invisible). The player should not be sent to Creature designer, instead the creature starts the phase as is - without legs, or with very simple legs (see above). Start-up creatures in this phase should be thought of as Coelacanths, worms, slugs or arthropods. One of the first quests would be mating, entering the creature creator, and adding proper legs.
* Allow creatures to live amphibious, seeking food and shelter in shallow water as well as on land. There should be a Swimming skill too (apparently high in startup creatures with fins). Keep the deep sea off limits, though.
* Offer more missions to earn DNA. Climbing a mountain/tree, building a new nest, gathering an amount of food in the nest, stealing an egg, etc.
* Variable size, possible to change with each generation. Size should also be game-critical. A giant animal would of course be a better fighter, but would easily get starved, and also cause panic among other animals, though friendly. Small animals would rely on stealth and evasion.
* Climbing skill, for reaching trees and mountains. You should even be able to use a treetop as a nest.
* Real flying skill. Wings should cost a lot of DNA, and using them should cost food, dependent on creature size. Too large animals would be effectively prevented from flying.
* Vision, hearing and smell skills, depending on body parts. Smell highlights food and other animals, even when out of sight. Longer nights make sensory skills more important.
* New body parts with special abilities. Womb: can mate outside nest. Fat tissue: Larger food reserve.
Tribal phase
* Simple start: Characters should start naked. An early quest would access the outfit generator.
* Allow domestication of plants.
* Missions to earn food, buildings or outfit details. Crawl into a cave, chop down a tree, kill a pack of predators, etc.
Civilization phase
* Simple start: No vehicles in the beginning, only infantry units. Allow ships, cars and aircraft as technology advances.
* Cities should not be hard-coded as economic, religious or military. They should still be specialized, though.
* Divide the phase into ages - for instance Bronze, Iron, Gunpowder, Industrial, Nuclear and Space, as in Empire Earth and similar games. A player comes to Space phase by advancing to the last age OR conquering the world.
* Buildings should look more pre-industrial.
* Bandits/rebels/pirates.
Space phase
* Simple start: In the first missions in planet view, the player should control an air unit, playing the role of an air-force officer applying for space service. After the planet view mission, the space program officially begins, and the player has to design a spaceship. Then, the player would have to carry out a few missions in the planetary system (maybe building a colony), before getting access to interstellar view.
* A ranking system with more real-world military ranks, with Admiral close to the top.
* No full-scale wars before the player can assemble a large fleet.
What do you think?
I doubt that there is room for Spore expansion packs, since there is nowhere to expand. (A Tetris-sort puzzle, representing chemical evolution, would add to the timeline, but hardly produce any synergy effect.)
After The Sims 3 is released in February next year, Maxis should start working at Spore 2. The game engine and interface are already decent, and could be kept. On the other hand, gameplay needs to be improved.
Here are my ideas:
Simple Start is a recurring theme. Each new game phase should start immediately as the old phase is finished, if possible without forcing the player through a dialog box or a designer interface. This brings the player closer to the game, and makes phases more continuous.
Cell phase - renamed to Water phase
* Simple start: Creatures should start as herbivore by default. Carnivore ability would be available in the cell designer.
* Half-way through the phase, the creature should become multi-cellular, allowing fins, shell, teeth, tentacles, simple legs (eg crab legs) and other body parts. This would allow the player to make animals more similar to fish, squid, starfish or trilobites (or they could keep the original, slug-like design).
Creature phase - renamed to Land phase
* Simple start: Water phase should start when the creature develops air-breathing (invisible). The player should not be sent to Creature designer, instead the creature starts the phase as is - without legs, or with very simple legs (see above). Start-up creatures in this phase should be thought of as Coelacanths, worms, slugs or arthropods. One of the first quests would be mating, entering the creature creator, and adding proper legs.
* Allow creatures to live amphibious, seeking food and shelter in shallow water as well as on land. There should be a Swimming skill too (apparently high in startup creatures with fins). Keep the deep sea off limits, though.
* Offer more missions to earn DNA. Climbing a mountain/tree, building a new nest, gathering an amount of food in the nest, stealing an egg, etc.
* Variable size, possible to change with each generation. Size should also be game-critical. A giant animal would of course be a better fighter, but would easily get starved, and also cause panic among other animals, though friendly. Small animals would rely on stealth and evasion.
* Climbing skill, for reaching trees and mountains. You should even be able to use a treetop as a nest.
* Real flying skill. Wings should cost a lot of DNA, and using them should cost food, dependent on creature size. Too large animals would be effectively prevented from flying.
* Vision, hearing and smell skills, depending on body parts. Smell highlights food and other animals, even when out of sight. Longer nights make sensory skills more important.
* New body parts with special abilities. Womb: can mate outside nest. Fat tissue: Larger food reserve.
Tribal phase
* Simple start: Characters should start naked. An early quest would access the outfit generator.
* Allow domestication of plants.
* Missions to earn food, buildings or outfit details. Crawl into a cave, chop down a tree, kill a pack of predators, etc.
Civilization phase
* Simple start: No vehicles in the beginning, only infantry units. Allow ships, cars and aircraft as technology advances.
* Cities should not be hard-coded as economic, religious or military. They should still be specialized, though.
* Divide the phase into ages - for instance Bronze, Iron, Gunpowder, Industrial, Nuclear and Space, as in Empire Earth and similar games. A player comes to Space phase by advancing to the last age OR conquering the world.
* Buildings should look more pre-industrial.
* Bandits/rebels/pirates.
Space phase
* Simple start: In the first missions in planet view, the player should control an air unit, playing the role of an air-force officer applying for space service. After the planet view mission, the space program officially begins, and the player has to design a spaceship. Then, the player would have to carry out a few missions in the planetary system (maybe building a colony), before getting access to interstellar view.
* A ranking system with more real-world military ranks, with Admiral close to the top.
* No full-scale wars before the player can assemble a large fleet.
What do you think?
