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/2

Roadmap

0.x Releases

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

0.7.x (the graph updates)

• Create a cache that is stored on disk for PhotoStudio (for better reworked auto-evo report performance)
• Add a way for the player to control organelle split order (maybe could be skipped as there's not been that much feedback lately about this being a major pain point)
• Implement someplace that shows the used energy sources per species (probably can just add the miche tree to the editor)
• Add best organelle suggestion shown in the editor

Difficult / help wanted:

• Compound production, photosynthesis implemented, other compounds not generated yet. Also diffusion of compounds between patches may need some math changes.
• Timeline should not claim the player is extinct if rescued by external effects (done, but needs a bit more testing)
• Make extinct in patch auto-evo result say split off (maybe no longer can happen with new auto-evo)
• Make auto-evo not claim a species is extinct if external effects rescue it (done, but needs a bit more testing)

0.8.x (world and auto-evo updates)

• Move away from using percentages in the patch conditions
• Marine snow (chunks) spawn density should depend on existing species
• Patches that link regions together should be more obvious
• Radiotrophs. Issue: Add radioactivity as an energy source
• Compound Toxicity and Environmental tolerance
• Environmental events
• Replace all Godot prints in auto-evo with storing events
• Make organelle storage amounts in tooltips use localization
• Improved microbe backgrounds (might just need some blur for the distortion effect)
• Make biome light properties actually affect the graphics (might be done with the day/night system)
• Make player species members dying or reproducing on screen affect the population
• Increase player auto-evo strength to 80% once the algorithm feels good
• Auto-evo does not change its prediction upon patch change
• Auto-evo needs to update prediction upon rigidity and behaviour change
• Investigate auto-evo generated species that immediately starve to death probably done with new auto-evo (miches)

Difficult / help wanted:

• Planet Generation and Customization
• Change patch map generator to not need to abandon regions
• Patch terrain generation and differentiation
• Improve water currents functionality and visibility (only if we can get a graphics programmer)
• Add some benefit in auto-evo calculation from chemoreceptor
• Make some auto-evo calculations be affected by organelle upgrades
• Make auto-evo take lysosomes (new digestion) into account

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, basic is done)
• Expanded tutorials for the microbe stage + hand holding mode selectable as an option that enables even more aggressive tutorials. 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
• 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
• "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 the early multicellular no longer marked as a prototype by this time

2.x Releases

Multicellular stage is "finished" focus moves to aware.

3.x Releases

Aware stage is "finished" focus moves to awakening 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