Advanced way options for ants? (walls, climbing over each other)

Diavid

Worker
Backer
Beta Tester
In cramped tunnels and even the inner rims of curves, ants often get into "traffic jam" and slow down heavily.
What if they can climb over each other or could use the walls as streets?

In a 1 tile wide tunnel, usable walls would theoretically wide the tunnel to 3 tiles. (1 on the ground, 1 left, 1 right). I'm sure it would also look nice and more naturally.
 

JohnSlugDisco

Administrator
Staff member
Developer of EotU
We have investigated this and there are quite a few issues. We are making an RTS game and we want to be able to produce a lot of ants, and the ants need to be able to properly path around the level. Because of this the movement of the ants needs to be kept simple as to not slow the game down.

We have however solved the problem of traffic jams. Ants will first try and "wiggle" their way out of the issue. If that does not work they are allowed to pass through friendly ants for a short period of time (but not if they are in combat).

We intend on having certain large creatures (we are calling them Titans) that can be walked on and attacked from there but the ants will have very set paths they use to move over the Titan. Additionally things like aphid farming will be done in a similar way, where ants can vertically climb a plant on a set path.
 

Serafine

Queen
Backer
Beta Tester
Ecosystem Beta Tester
Do it like ants do it in the wild - ants that do not carry anything will always evade ants that carry stuff (because these are less agile). That way you'll even get natural-looking ant traffic.

We intend on having certain large creatures (we are calling them Titans) that can be walked on and attacked from there but the ants will have very set paths they use to move over the Titan.
Can you do this with ants as well? Asian Marauder ants (Carebara diversa) have huge supermajors that carry tiny minor workers. This could make an interesting unit, basically a huge soldier with abilities that are usually exclusive to workers. It could even act as an armed harvester, defending the plant while it's workers are milking aphids.
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Serafine

Queen
Backer
Beta Tester
Ecosystem Beta Tester
Oh, and can you make fire ants that grab onto each other and form living rafts for your other workers so they can traverse water? The fire ant rafts could be used as bridges between islands (and be placed like nest tiles - they would emerge from the nest entrance, walk to the building site and then anchor themselves there).

There could even be a special campaign mission around this - one mission to build the raft, one probably short mission traveling with it (just for the fun of using it), and one landing and establishing a new colony.
 

MikeSlugDisco

Community Manager
Staff member
Community Manager
Fire ant bridges was one of the Kickstarter stretch goals (and it was reached) so it'll feature somewhere along the way.
 
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