Agents

Not to be confused with agents (spies, assassins, saboteurs) from the Strategy Mode.

Overview

Agents (sometimes called toxins) are specialized compounds used by microbes to perform useful tasks. The majority of gameplay focuses on the use of agents in chemical warfare between cells.

• Each agent has an effect (what it does), a target (what it effects), and an efficacy (how good it is at doing what it does).
• Agents can target organelles, microbes, or other agents. Some have no specific target.
• When a microbe first evolves an agent secretor, they are granted a randomly chosen low efficacy agent. The agent could be beneficial or deleterious. Placing new agent secretors grants new random agents.
• Each secretor can only release a single agent, but multiple secretors can release the same agent. Each secretor can be assigned a hotkey.
• Agents are stored in vacuoles.
• Agents are released as clouds and dilute over time.
• Cells can have resistance to agents.

Resistance

• Each agent has a numerical bitmask consisting of two hexadecimal digits to identify it. Every microbe also has a hex bitmask.
• The more similar the bitmask of a microbe to an agent, the more resistance they have. With 100% similarity between bitmasks, the agent is ineffective (positive or negative).
• Every generation, a microbe's bitmask may change slightly. Every time an agent is modified, it's bitmask will change slightly.
• Each generation, a player can upgrade the efficacy of one agent (with diminishing returns).

List of notable agents:

• Paralytic – Inhibitor type agent. Inhibit movement organelles.
• Kinase – Attacker type agent. Damage cell membranes.
• Cyanide – Inhibitor type agent. Inhibit mitochondria. Made from hydrogen cyanide (hydrogen, nitrogen, carbon).
• Slime – Defensive agent. Blocks engulfing edges. Cannot be released in the same way as other agents. Stored in a specialized vacuole called a slime gland (choosing to store slime in a vacuole automatically turns it into a slime gland). Releases quicker than agents. Slime can't be upgraded.
• Inhibitor Neutralizer – Neutralizer type agent. Neutralizes inhibitor agents, with both breaking down into their constituent compounds. Cannot be upgraded.
• Carbonate – Solidifies upon secretion. Made from calcium carbonate. Cannot be upgraded.
• Lure Signal – Signal type agent. Prompts nearby microbes to swim towards the agent. No effect on the player, but it shows as a visual cue.
• Stimulant – Stimulant type agent. Stimulates internal organelles. (Might be necessary to split up by organelle affected).
• Binding Agent – Unique agent. Can be released to attach two microbes together. Only works within a species.
• Coordination Signal - Signal type agent. Prompts other members of your species to mimic your actions. Only works within a species.
• Digester Agent – Digester type agent. Breaks down floating organelles or protein into constituent compounds, but removes the Mutation Point bonus from nuclei.
• Bioluminescent Agent – Alternative to a bioluminescent organelle. Stored in a vacuole, the bioluminescent agent provides light in dark areas while continuously draining ATP. It can be released through secretors if the ATP use is too high, and lights up the surrounding area as an agent cloud (but only for a short duration). Interestingly, it can provide fake sunlight for photosynthesizing cells in dark areas, creating the potential for symbiosis. Can be upgraded to use less ATP.

For a full list of agents, see here.