Biotama/GDD
Biotama is a game where players attempt to convert wastelands into thriving ecosystems.
In more traditional city-builders like the SimCity and Cities: Skylines series, players start with a pristine landscape, then convert it into a sprawling city, exploiting natural resources and creating pollution.
In Biotama, the player starts with a “Mother Tree” which acts as the core component of the player’s ecosystem. Trees grow roots that can connect together, allowing them to communicate and send resources between each other. Mycelial networks function similarly for fungi. Biotama aims to be educational as well as fun. It will feature real-world species with tooltips showing fun facts about those species. We are consulting with experts in biology where necessary to ensure accuracy to the real world.
Players build up different ecosystems in various biomes such as forests, wetlands, and deserts, with each posing unique challenges. They will face world events, such as forest fires and disease outbreaks. The player will navigate these events and increase the overall health of the ecosystem.
Biotama is
- A nature building game
- inspired by traditional city-builders
- focusing on science and education.
Biotama isn't
A fully-fledged nature and climate simulation.
The in-game player lifespan is limited to a few years, whereas major changes in climate take decades or centuries. The player’s goal is to make positive impacts towards future climate change for later generations.
This is a game, first and foremost, and we sometimes intentionally sacrifice full scientific accuracy for gamification and scope management.
Gameplay
In Biotama, the player creates sustainable, biodiverse ecosystems ("biota"), as opposed to traditional city-buider human-built settlements. However, the mechanics are quite analogous to city-builders.
Here are some examples:
- Town Hall → Mother Tree
- Paths and roads → root systems and mycelial networks
- Money and raw materials → water, phosphorous, nitrogen, ammonia
- Power plants and electrical grids → sunlight and photosynthesis
Biomes
| Name | Description | Effects | Plantae | Fungi | Animalia |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rainforest | Densely populated with trees | Mild winter, high rainfall, frequent storms | Pine trees, oak trees, grasses, ferns | Anamita, morels, oyster mushrooms, lichens, fairy rings | Deer, foxes, ants, birds |
| Desert | Sparse hardy vegetation, hot days and cold nights, very rare but severe storms | Droughts, floods, heat waves | Cacti, succulents, grasses, brush | Desert Fungi | Scorpions, lizards, birds |
| Plains | Few trees, sparse grass, low humidity, evil bugs | Big wind storms | Grass, birches | Sparse lichen | Wolves, deer, rodents, birds |
| Boreal Mountain | Hilly, many conifers, cold weather on average | Harsh windy winter storms | Junipers, lingonberries, pines, spruces, cedars | Shelf Fungus | Bears, moose, elk, marmots |
| Wetlands | Humid, swampy | Hurricanes, droughts, floods | Algae, lillies, mangroves | Bolete, root fungus | Manatees, fish, caimans, birds |
| Volcano | Very hot, lava floes, lava tubes, flying rocks | Fires more frequent, limited buildable area, very vertical | Lupine, grass | Fusarium strain flavolapis | Iguanas, bugs |
Systems
TBD
Production
TBD
Art
TBD
Audio
TBD