Screenshot Saturday - Fire Ant Bridges WIP

MikeSlugDisco

Community Manager
Staff member
Community Manager
Fire ants (Solenopsis invicta) can use their own bodies to form water-floating bridges that reach to otherwise inaccessible locations! In this work-in-progress shot you can see how they've linked together, providing a platform along which their sisters can travel to get to otherwise unavailable resources.

Please be aware that this system is very much a work-in-progress, hence the fire ants clipping into the swamp bank on the left hand side. And the undecorated swamp in general. I'm sure you understand!

 

pakitane16

Colony
Ah so it's like the shallow water crossing in AoE II, not an actual bridge curve above water.
I'm curious: Are those ants counted as lost and new ones spawn (like The Other Foot's tube)? Can we unbridge to get back ants? Can the bridge be damaged by enemies?
 

A cool guy

Worker
Wow. Magnificent looking bridge. The only thing I have to say is that judging from the screenshot, in order to form a raft you need a lot of fire ants in the first place already, and not all of the fire ants can make it back. I'm hoping that we have a very good reason to cross the water. :p

Just kidding
 
Will the ants that are part of the bridge be able to slowly deconstruct the bridge? Kind of like a slinky, where the first ants to make the bridge are also the first to leave the bridge and follow the ants that they were building a bridge for?
 

Scyobi_Empire

Colony
Extremely Helpful Person
Ecosystem Beta Tester
This could be a good freeplay feature in the rainforest level, but it would take a huge amount of Invetica to pull off...
 

TheRexYo

Queen
Wow. Magnificent looking bridge. The only thing I have to say is that judging from the screenshot, in order to form a raft you need a lot of fire ants in the first place already, and not all of the fire ants can make it back. I'm hoping that we have a very good reason to cross the water. :p

Just kidding
Remember that the Fire Ants are supposed to be cheap as all heck, so that shouldn't be a problem.
 

TheRexYo

Queen
This could be a good freeplay feature in the rainforest level, but it would take a huge amount of Invetica to pull off...
I'm pretty sure the developers said they were rewriting the whole movement code for this feature, so I'm sure that it will be possible in any level with water and multiple riverbanks.
 

TheRexYo

Queen
I have a couple questions.
1) Will ants that aren't fire ants be able to use the bridges? For example, in Freeplay with Ereptors?
2) Will enemies be able to climb over them, or attack them?
3) Will the game count bridges as terrain for pathfinding, or as something else?
 

HofNerd

Colony
Beta Tester
Extremely Helpful Person
3) Will the game count bridges as terrain for pathfinding, or as something else?
With how the fire ant bridges snap into the tile grid, I am guessing they make their own pathable mesh ontop of themselves? (Similar to how terrain also has pathable mesh ontop of itself to be pathable.)
 

MikeSlugDisco

Community Manager
Staff member
Community Manager
Again? I thought they already did this when the new playable leaf cutters were out

We've re-written the movement code to work as the game currently exists but the system needs to be expanded for all the tricks fire ants will introduce. Separate zones for travel, bridges over water, water creatures.

This isn't a complete re-write this time; these are new systems expanding on previous ones. All the major updates need new systems - that's what makes them major.
 

MedinB

Colony
I've actually heard Matt has been working on this for like a month. Making it realistic as possible, as the ants actually float and bob around. I'm impressed with the dedication.
 
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VarmintLP

Queen
Backer
I feel like the fire ant colony could pose a very good enemy for a story quest. I will post my idea in the suggestion area.
 
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