Release Roadmap

This page contains a rough roadmap of future features for Thrive. For already complete features and done releases you can read the releases page on our Github,

We have a kanban board for concrete issues short(ish) term planning: https://github.com/orgs/Revolutionary-Games/projects/8

Roadmap

0.x Releases

These are releases towards more fleshed out microbe stage. This roadmap was discussed here.

0.8.x (world and auto-evo updates)

• Move away from using percentages in the patch conditions
• Environmental events (need more events beside vent eruptions). ideas for events
• Make biome light properties actually affect the graphics (might be done with the day/night system) likely done
• Make player species members dying or reproducing on screen affect the population
• Investigate auto-evo generated species that immediately starve to death probably done with new auto-evo (miches)

Difficult / help wanted:

• Patches that link regions together should be more obvious done but could fix some corner cases
• More compound dynamism should be added. Hydrogen sulfide should be made to diffuse between patches and balanced.
• Planet Customization
• Change patch map generator to not need to abandon regions can be kind of considered done with bigger map bounds (but the underlying algorithm has not been changed)
• Patch terrain generation and differentiation
• Improve water currents functionality and visibility (only if we can get a graphics programmer) have been fully implemented, might need turning down compound cloud drift speed due to graphical artifacts
• Add some benefit in auto-evo calculation from chemoreceptor
• Make some auto-evo calculations be affected by organelle upgrades

0.9.x (finishing things off updates)

• Bioluminescence
• Achievements. Issue: https://github.com/Revolutionary-Games/Thrive/issues/2665 (also for Steam)
• Reworking the spawn system (only if necessary). Related issues: Add per spawner caps for entities, Make cloud spawns less random and more time based, Rework spawn system to be encounter based. Likely obsolete issue: Investigate a way to parametrize the bias for spawning in front of player
• Thermoplasts (full implementation)
• Expanded tutorials for the microbe stage (hand holding mode is very unlikely to be made). Add tutorials like Add a tutorial on death when using multiple ATP production types, Add a tutorial for taking ATP damage in engulf mode, Add a tutorial about loading a save if the player dies too much
• Split ToolTipManager.tscn to multiple files
• Make a nice cell division animation
• Reimplement the context dependent hints system
• Make clouds look like they did in 0.3.4 (if can be done with reasonable effort, or at least visibility should be improved) Related issue: Increase perlin noise texture size or get UV scaling math right clouds have had a looks uplift in 0.7.0
• Improve game performance if required. The ECS refactor in 0.6.4 improved the game performance a ton.
• Fix lag spikes from organelle duplication in very large cells should be done for all cells possible to make without cheats
• Find cause of occasional lag spikes after playing in a single area for a while (seems to still happen after organelle duplication efficiency changes)
• Add an automatic suggestion to run a benchmark before starting the game for the first time
• Intercellular matrix graphics
• Polishing up any obvious rough edges in the new player experience to have a really solid base for the game to expand

Difficult / help wanted:

• Expand the Thriveopedia to provide in-depth gameplay information (done except, our wiki now needs more content to include in there. If someone wants to join the team just to update the wiki, please apply to the team).
• Add a separate sound effect for binding mode
• Review how game difficulty settings death penalty works in terms of the coefficient and constants
• Create a different cutscene for when starting in the warm pond and probably for panspermia
• Make proper short tips for the microbe stage and the editor
• Improve the process panel display kind of seems like this is maybe unnecessary as it has been years since last confusion feedback related to the panel
• "Final" microbe game balancing

1.x Releases

Microbe stage is "finished" focus moves to multicellular.

1.0.0

• Microbe stage is finished
• We should have at least multicellular no longer marked as a prototype by this time

2.x Releases

Multicellular stage is "finished" focus moves to macroscopic.

3.x Releases

Macroscopic stage is "finished" focus moves to aware stage.

Feature Backlog

This is a rough list of features that are planned, suggested or have been discussed in the past and haven't been rejected. Note that none of the listed features are not guaranteed to be implemented, as this list does not include the official plans of Revolutionary Studios, only potential features.

Once we have many planned features for different stages this list should be split to be by stage.

Main Features

These features are considered but still may not be implemented. They are divided into three categories of increasing relevance.

High Priority

These features are in demand for implementation when possible.

• Nothing currently

Planned

These features are intended to be in the game eventually.

• Multiplayer
• Non-linear size / osmoregulation cost for cells (and matching gameplay with auto-evo energy cost)

Accessory

These features are deemed unessential to the game, but desirable.

• Nothing currently

Debatable Features

These features need debating (or major design work) before being moved to the list of main features for implementing

• Addition of seperate forms of a cell for lifecycle stages or interchangable "modes"
• Gene Transfer
• Endosymbiosis (full)
• Patch addition or rebalance
• Mobility altering gas vacuoles
• Official Mac support. Once there's enough demand (potentially we should do code signed builds)
• Reworking the spawn system to using an encounter / sector model (old pull request)
• Organelle adjacency bonus / bonus from being at the cell edge