Here you’ll find comprehensive lists of various in-game assets and items, such as compounds and organelles, as well as a glossary of common terms. For a general list for all of Thrive, see here.
Glossary
Agent – A chemical signal made by a microbe which isn’t found naturally in the environment and can perform a specific function. Agents can be used for offence (such as by reducing the efficiency of an enemy’s organelles, preventing it from metabolizing properly and leading to its death) or communication (such as binding agents used to keep large colonies intact).
ATP – Adenosine triphosphate, the chemical used for energy transfer within cells. In Thrive, ATP is equivalent to a microbe’s energy store. It is used up by some processes and produced by others, and must be continually produced to prevent a microbe’s death.
Auto-Evo – The algorithm responsible for the evolution of NPC species, which takes place automatically, and links in with the compound system and population dynamics.
Biome – Any area of habitat with similar properties. Biomes are treated as discrete locations within the game world, with the player able to gradually move between them. Only the player's own biome is fully rendered, with others simulated abstractly.
Cell – See Microbe.
Compound – Scientifically, any substance made from two or more elements chemically bound together. In-game, compound may refer to a single element too. A compound is anything which can be used or produced by metabolic processes, where compounds are combined or split to perform different functions. A species’ effectiveness at collecting compounds determines its success through population dynamics.
CPA – See Compound, Population Dynamics and Auto-Evo.
Darwinian – Our current best theory on the process of evolution through natural selection. It states that random mutations in an organism can make it more or less successful at exploiting its environment, out-competing other species to pass on its genetic information to future generations.
Editor – The game scene where the player can make evolutionary changes to their organism and its behavior.
Environment – Where most of the game takes place. The player controls an individual of their species to explore, collect compounds, and interact with other species or members of their species. Microbial environments may include tidepools or hydrothermal vents.
Fossilization – In-game, fossilization refers to saving any encountered species for later use.
Lamarckian – A rejected theory for evolutionary biology which states that a population’s development is governed by a species’ actions during its life. For example, according to Lamarck’s theory, a giraffe which spent a long time reaching up to get food from trees would have offspring with longer necks. The theory breaks down when you realise one implication would be that parents who’d lost a limb would give birth to offspring with that limb lost as well.
LAWK – Life as we know it. Refers to our current best understanding of scientific theory and possibility. Occasionally a mechanic may be introduced which doesn’t abide by LAWK, but these are generally included for gameplay value or variety, and can be turned off.
Microbe – A single-cellular organism, the only type of organism in-game.
Mutation Points – A budgeting system for evolutionary change to prevent extortionate changes within a single generation. The player is limited to a fixed level of Mutation Points for each editor session, and changing anything (adding, removing, moving or upgrading organelles, membranes, coloration, agents or behavioral blocks) requires a certain amount of Mutation Points.
NPC – Non-player character: any microbe in-game not controlled by the player.
Organelle – A specialized unit within a cell which performs a specific function. Organelles are placed and upgraded in the editor. In-game, they might have an ability which uses or produces ATP, converts compounds through metabolic processes, or other.
Population Dynamics – The system which determines a species’ success based on its effectiveness at collecting compounds for energy production. Rates of compound consumption are fed into the population dynamics algorithms, and population dynamics feeds into Auto-Evo, deciding which species evolve or go extinct.
Procedural Generation – Producing content through an algorithm rather than pre-rendering it manually. Procedurally generated systems are random but are based on developer-assigned algorithms, and can be used to create natural-looking items or landscapes.
Species – All individuals genetically identical to each other. New species may be formed through repeated evolutionary mutations.
Toxin – See Agent.
Agents
| Agent | Upgrades | Effect | Target |
|---|---|---|---|
| Attacker Neutralizer | Neutralizes all attacker type agent clouds its cloud comes into contact with, removing their effect. | Attacker type agents | |
| Bioluminescent Agent | Decreased ATP use | Stored in a vacuole, making it light up with constant ATP draining. Can provide “sunlight” for nearby photosynthesizers. | |
| Bonding Signal | Attaches two or more cells of the same species together to form a colony. | Nuclei | |
| Carbonate | Releases calcium carbonate into the environment, solidifying to form solid structures. Made from calcium carbonate, unlike all other agents. | ||
| Carbonate Digester | Increased speed | Breaks down carbonate structures into their constituent compounds. | Calcium carbonate |
| Chloroplast Inhibitor | Increased inhibition | Slows processing speed for a short period. | Chloroplasts |
| Cilia Attacker | Increased speed | Reduces health level, eventually turning off the organelle. | Cilia |
| Cyanide (Inhibitor) | Increased inhibition | Slows processing speed for a short period. Made from the compound hydrogen cyanide instead of the usual agent production method. | Mitochondria |
| Flagella Attacker | Increased speed | Reduces health level, eventually turning off the organelle. | Flagella |
| Inhibitor Neutralizer | Neutralizes all inhibitor type agent clouds its cloud comes into contact with, removing their effect. | Inhibitor type agents | |
| Kinase (Attacker) | Increased speed | Gradually wears down a membrane and cytoskeleton until a cell bursts. | Cytoskeleton |
| Lure Signal | Sends a message attracting nearby cells, either as a lure or a signal of high compound concentrations. Has no effect on the player. AI can evolve a different response. | Nuclei | |
| Mitochondria Attacker | Increased speed | Reduces health level, eventually turning off the organelle. | Mitochondria |
| Organelle Digester | Increased speed | Breaks down floating organelles into useful compounds. | Floating organelles |
| Paralytic (Inhibitor) | Increased inhibition | Slows processing speed for a short period. | All movement organelles |
| Signal Neutralizer | Neutralizes all signal type agent clouds its cloud comes into contact with, removing their effect. | Signal type agents | |
| Slime | Blocks engulfing edges. Stored in slime gland, a specialised vacuole which explodes upon contact with an enemy. | Engulfing edges | |
| Stimulant | Increased stimulation | Increases processing speed for a short period. | All internal organelles |
| Thermoplast Inhibitor | Increased inhibition | Slows processing speed for a short period. Only available if LAWK toggle is disabled. | Thermoplasts |
| Toxin (Attacker) | Increased speed | Reduces health level, eventually turning off the organelle. | All internal organelles |
| Warning Signal | Sends a warning to all nearby cells that a predator or other danger is near, making them swim away. Has no effect on the player. AI can evolve a different response. | Nuclei |
Biomes
Main Article: Microbe Biomes
Check the spreadsheet link below.
Compounds
Check the spreadsheet link below.
Mutations
The following is a list of mutations a cell can undergo. Some of them are specific parts that are placed in your cell (called organelles), others are traits or processes of your cell that can be modified.
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1OTEzsEAKld5V8NBBOvXvsIix_tIgzsyB8-zZAW6T3B8/edit?usp=sharing
Processes
Check the spreadsheet link above.
Music
Check the spreadsheet link above.
Sound Effects
Environmental sound effects have their volume modified depending on their distance to the player, whereas interface type sounds have consistent volume. All environment sounds also apply to the editor test area. Interface sounds only play when affecting the player, not NPCs. There are likely to be many more sounds needed, but this list is a start.
Check the spreadsheet link above.