Fungus

This is just ideas about fungus growing in the colonies. Suggestion based on initial idea by someone i forgot (probably on G+), my own ideas and later comments in Discord by 4N3G4ZPK20, Phap, scooterman31, mijkolsmith

Starting to grow

Colonies may build a fungus chamber.

• An action taking 24 h and sacrificing quite a number of ants.

The player can get hold of some fungus ... somewhere.

• Event?
• Random when helping/sabotaging colonies?
• Random in the wild?

Player may insert fungus into fungus chambers in colony when in range. The fungus start to grow.

Player must be at least level 10(?) to handle fungus. (I want it pretty high, see Experience for some other levels)

Having an active fungus chamber

• A colony with fungus chamber has two more values:
  • Fungus size: 1% - 100 % (0% when there is no fungus inserted in the fungus chamber)
  • Fungus pollution: 0% - 100%
• The food produced by workers in the colony gets increased by (Fungus size) * (1 - Fungus pollution). Note in math: 1 = 100%, 0.01 = 1%
  • At maximum you double the food income
  • When pollution is high you get nothing extra
• Fungus size increase as the fungus grows. 1 percentage point per day.
• Fungus pollution grows (1 percentage point) * (Fungus size) per day. (I.e. slower when the fungus is small.
• Gardening the fungus? Some of the workers fetching food handle feeding and handling the fungus. No special setting for that. No special code.

Handling the fungus in the colony

There are 2 options to clean the fungus.

1. You have the colony in reach and make a clean fungus action

• Fungus pollution drop to 0%
• Fungus size drops a bit?

2. You order the ants to clean the pollution.

• Fungus pollution drop to 0%
• Fungus size drops a bit?
• There is a risk that the fungus start to control the ants and taking control of the colony. (Search the net for "Zombie ants" if you dare).
  • The colony become independent
  • Maybe some fungus will appear around the colony? (Ants hanging in the trees, if you read about the zombie ants)

When the colony gets really small (counting actual worker ants), the fungus dies.

If fungus pollution reach 100% the fungus dies.

Extracting more fungus

• When the colony is in range and fungus percentage is higher than threshold, the user may extract fungus as an action on the colony.
  • The fungus percentage drops to a low value: Maybe 10% or 20%?
  • The player gets a piece of fungus.

Or maybe (but this would allowing handling fungus in colonies you don't visit too):

• When the fungus is higher than threshold may order the ants to extract some fungus. After some time:
  • The fungus percentage drops by something, maybe 50 percentage points?
  • A piece of fungus appear outside the colony.

Threshold could be 80% or so.

Fungus items

• Fungus dropped on the ground last for some time. Maybe a week?
• Fungus in inventory last... forever? Or just a week there too?
• Fungus has no species and may be used by any players.
• A player may carry up to user level number of fungus pieces.
• Fungus may be dropped and picked up.

Display

In the colony dialog, in the "ant count etc box".

It will display an extra row with a fungus symbol if there is a fungus chamber and a percentage. 0% for no fungus or the actual percentage for the colony. 100% will be red.

To build a fungus chamber you click on the "ant count-box" and then an action.

To extract fungus you click on the "ant count-box" and then an action.

Maybe later

• Expanding the fungus chamber... somehow. Increasing the max. (i.e. 100% gives a higher factor on the food)
  • Is another action taking 24h, 48h, 96h etc.
  • A setting in the sliders?