Name: G.I. Jonesy
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Posts: 2441
The game of WoW is filled with physics that make the game, in many ways, similar to the real-world. One thing it's missing though, is evolution. Wouldn't it be more interesting, if the creatures were capable of migrating and mutating, based on their environments? Just think about all the bizarre creatures it could spawn.

It shouldn't be too difficult technically. The possible mutations are all built in - things like the development of claws or flippers. The mutations occur after the creature spends enough time in a given environment. In other words, just a simple timer mechanism. The only other part would be implementing a system by which they would migrate. There must be a reason for the migration. Like if they had needs. If players keep killing them, that would be a reason... they want to move somewhere they don't get killed as often.

The idea of a game-world such as one found in WoW is interesting to me, in the sense creating it is almost like playing God. If God did create all this stuff (in the real-world), and you think that's so difficult and it requires a 'God', we can see by a game like WoW, that it really isn't so difficult. The creators of WoW are, essentially, the God's of the world of warcraft. If evolution was in place, the only thing differentiating the 'real' world (that we live in), and the game world, would be the consciousness of the creatures. Maybe some day, Maybe eventually, the creatures in the game can develop a sort of consciousness, and an ability to speak to the players. Would it really be so difficult to tell a scorpion, "Go to the red building."? I can already tell a minion to attack something, or move to a location. Is there really so much of a difference between pushing a button and issuing the command verbally? Aren't the letters I type in just a bunch of 1's and 0's anyway? The computer can interpret them the same way it interprets the pushing of a button, isn't that correct?

Maybe talking to the creatures, and them having something that resembles consciousness, or is consciousness, is a little further down the road. The evolution thing should be easily achievable though. As the creatures get killed more and more, they move further away from where they got killed. Once they spend enough time in a different environment, their features change. If they're going from something like water to land, they also have to first spend time in a transitional environment. And because it is a video-game, filled with things that are not possible in the real-world, the evolutionary changes could be as mythological and magical as the rest of the game. Yes, i'm talking about things like mermaid-ogre's. With gills and shark-teeth. Ultimately though, it would be the game-world making them what they become. The variations would be limited by the amount of possibilities installed by the creators.

In conclusion, yeah, you guys should do it.