(C) 2006-2011, 1988 Games

What was that? You wanted some more??

Back by popular demand is the Friday Freebee™ 7000 HD+. This time, we’re bringing you a game that was designed as a casual, easy-going title for the then up and coming Nintendo DS® platform. This game concept really capitalized on the uniqueness of the control methods available on the DS, and would have surely been remembered for instantly memorable gameplay. As always, yet another idea from the archives of 1988 Games that could easily be transformed onto today’s platforms.

DS Ant Farm (2006)

Concept:

DS Ant Farm is a unique and entertaining action/strategy game in which players are given control over an ant colony. This game can be considered a mix between Lemmings® and Pikmin®, but presented entirely in a 2D side-scrolling perspective on two screens. Players are given control of a small ant colony, and are given various challenges within various levels that range from expanding the colony by gathering resources, all the way up to going to war with a rival colony or large insect. With its unique presentation, action/strategy gameplay, and advanced stylus controls featuring both point-to-point as well as advanced drawing controls, DS Ant Farm is sure to win the hearts and minds of players of all ages!

Screen Layout:

(C) 2006-2011, 1988 Games

(Level Overview Screen)

This screen will show a scaled-down overview of the entire level map, complete with all ant/unit movement, and tunnel progression. During gameplay, this screen will let the player easily see their progress, their specific location as it relates to the Command/Control Screen, and a view reminiscent of a virtual ant farm.

(Command/Control Screen)

All gameplay will take place on this screen, which will show and enlarged section of the overall map (as seen in the Overview Screen) and give players direct unit control over their ants. Using the touch screen functionality of the DS’s bottom screen, players will control all ant movement and logic using the stylus. Ants can be controlled using a point and point method, but can also exhibit advanced controls when the player uses advanced drawing controls. Players can also change the view/focus of the Command/Control Screen using the D-Pad.

Ant Types:

(Queen)

The Queen Ant is the most valuable member of the colony. If she is killed for any reason, the game will end. Although the queen’s mobility is extraordinarily limited, she serves as a home for all of the resources gathered, and is responsible for producing additional ants. As long as the queen has supplies, she can produce and indefinite amount of other ants. Protect the queen!!

(Worker)

The Worker Ant is by far the most versatile of the ants. The worker can gather resources, dig tunnels, lift and carry objects/the queen, and can build walls and bridges. The worker ant is the backbone of the colony, and can be produced quickly and in large quantities by the queen.

(Soldier)

The Soldier Ant is essential to any thriving colony, as he is the only one who can fight and kill enemies/prey. Although not as versatile as the worker, the soldier is much faster and much more powerful. Soldiers can be used to knock down walls or bridges, and in addition to attacking, can be used to breakdown insects so that workers can carry the pieces back to the queen. Although fast and powerful, the soldier is limited to the above-described abilities and unlike the worker, cannot build or carry anything. Finally, the soldier is difficult to produce, taking more resources and time than the worker.

Controls:

D-Pad: Misc. Options or Secondary Weapons Select

Stylus: See Stylus Controls

R: Reverse View (Flip Screens/Maps)

L: Cancel Selection

Y:

X: Split/Segregate Units (After Unit Selection)

B: Stop All Units (After Unit Selection)

A:

Select:

Start: Pause Game

Stylus Unit Controls:

(Unit Selection)

Players can point to, circle, or line-through any unit(s) that they would like to select.

(Directional Control)

After selecting specific units, players can move them to any accessible location within the map by simply pointing to it once. If the player would like to specify a direct route as opposed to the computer deciding on one, they can draw a direct line starting from where their selected units are and ending where they would like to move the units. Finally, although players can also allow the computer to decide unit movement paths, they can also designate areas that are forbidden. To designate an area as forbidden, all players have to do is draw an X-shape over it. This technique can be used by players to cross out certain entries to tunnels or chambers in order to optimize unit movement, or even to prevent accidental loss of unit life.

(Worker Ant)

While controlling the Worker Ant, players will have stylus control over a set of special abilities in addition to movement control. To instruct a worker ant to dig tunnel, players can highlight an individual ant, and then draw a line (or shape) indicating where they wish that ant to dig/tunnel. Similarly, players can instruct the worker ant to build a wall or a bridge by selecting the ant, and then by drawing a vertical or horizontal straight line over a gap or tunnel. To instruct the worker ant to carry an object, players can simply select their ant (or group of ants) and then circle the object that they wish the ants to carry. After the item has been lifted by the ant(s), players can then point to the place they which the ants to carry (and drop) the object to. Of course, players can also draw a direct path using the stylus’ line movement control just as described above in the Movement section. To instruct the worker ants to gather something that is a resource (fetch and bring to queen), players can select their ant (or group of ants) and then point to the object they wish to gather. If it is something that can be gathered, the selected worker ant(s) will be dispatched to retrieve it. If it is a constant resource (something that takes more than one trip), the worker ants will continue to retrieve the resource by default until it is fully depleted. Of course, players can interrupt this and make any change that they would like at any time.

(Soldier Ant)

Because Soldier Ants can only attack, their controls are simple when compared directly to those of the worker ant. To attack something, players can select their ant (or group of ants) and then point to or circle anything that they wish to attack. If the object can be attacked, the soldier ant(s) will immediately move to attack it. This same method can be used to break up something that is too large for the worker ants to carry.

(Queen Ant)

Because the Queen Ant rarely moves, her controls are handled through on-screen icons. Each time she is clicked or circled, a short menu of options appears in the form of three buttons. These options are as follows: Create Worker Ant, Create Soldier Ant, and Stand Up. To activate any specific option, the player may simply click on any of the associated buttons. Each time the create worker/soldier ant buttons are pressed, the queen will consume a specified amount of resources and begin producing the specified unit. Once ready, this unit will be hatched from an egg and will emerge, immediately ready for use. To expedite unit creation, the queen will have a command queue of 4 units, allowing the player to issue up to four separate “create unit” commands without having to continuously monitor the queen and request more units as she becomes available. As for the third option, selecting this option will cancel any other commands in the command queue, and will instruct the queen to stand up. After the queen is up on her feet, she can then be instructed to move to any available spot on the map. Controlling the queen’s movement is identical to that of the other units, and players can either point to a specific location, or can draw a direct path using the stylus’ line movement control. Although she can defend herself while stationary, the queen will be completely vulnerable to attack while she is moving. Additionally, the queen is much slower than the other units, so she cannot outrun any attackers. Moving the queen should only be done in dire circumstances, or when there is plenty of strong protection for her by soldier and worker ants.

Objectives:

DS Ant Farm will engage players by presenting them with challenges and objectives throughout various levels. These challenges will mainly come from level layouts and obstacles, resource strategy, and battle. Listed below are some of the common objectives that the player will encounter while playing.

(Gathering)

Players will be given a goal to gather X amount of Resource Points to beat the level

Players will have to mine blue sugar crystals, hunt bugs, find food, or confront rival colonies for any of the above. By doing so, they will earn Resource Points (known as RP), which will help them meet their quota.

(Expanding)

Players will be given a goal to expand their colony to X amount of units, in order to beat the level. Each ant created by the queen will be counted as a unit, and in order to meet her production goal the queen will require many resources. Players will defend their colony while gathering resources and producing more units.

(Battle)

While gathering or expanding, players will frequently have to deal with battles. Some goals may not focus on battling directly, but others may give players a specific battle goal. In this instance, players may be forced to destroy a rival colony (killing the rival queen), or face and destroy other hostile insects that are a threat to them. Occasionally, players will be given the specific goal to battle a Boss Bug (advanced battle against a large enemy insect). Boss bugs will be very large and powerful, and will require precise strategy and coordination to defeat. Finally, when not attacking, sometimes players will have to simply defend their colony from rival attacks. This may simply mean construction of safe tunnels and dugouts, but can also lead to advanced strategy in attacking attackers.

Enemy Types:

(Basic)

Rival Ant Colony

Centipede

Bee

Spider

Silver Fish

Earth Worm

(Boss)

Giant Roach

Millipede

Giant Bumble Bee

Beetle

Large Earth Worm

Slug (Poisonous, Only Way To Kill Is To Trap, Dig Under, And To Attack Head)

Tarantula (Last Boss)

Ideas:

• Perhaps one of the level obstacles could be a beam of super-hot light (magnifying glass beam) that must somehow be avoided in order to gather some large dead insect resting on the surface of the level.

• What can we do with Fire Ants???

• Because the game’s side-scrolling perspective, there can occasionally be a scenario in which the player would like to move their ant to either the top (ceiling) of bottom (floor) of a tunnel but will not be able to. To counter this, all walls built by worker ants will serve as a bridge between the ceiling and floor of each tunnel. This will serve as a way of bridging the ceiling and the floor, and will also be an advanced strategy for players to exploit. Of course, levels will be designed and optimized with this limitation in mind in order to prevent unnecessary frustration for the player.

• Contrary to earlier design specifications, the Queen Ant will be able to move herself (without being carried), but will be very slow when doing so, which will make her very vulnerable to attack. This will solve the problems encountered by worker ants when trying to carry the queen (a large, more-than-one-ant carrying object) down a vertical tunnel. This would also reinforce the logic behind not allowing large groups of worker ants to carry large objects down a vertical tunnel without either first breaking them up, or by using the bridge trick.

• “The Bridge Trick” This is a trick in which players build a series of bridges over a vertical tunnel and then destroy them one-by-one after bringing a group of worker ants carrying a large object to stand on top of it. Using this method, players will be able to bring very large objects down into their tunnels (provided that the tunnels are wide enough) without having to break the object up ahead of time. This is useful for objects that cannot be broken apart such as large crystals or rocks. Of course, players will have to be mindful of the distances they allow their ants to fall, as too far will result in instant death.

• Alternate game title: “DS Ant Colony”

• As a partial publicity stunt, but also as a gesture of gratitude, 1988 Games will make a substantial donation to some kind of ant fund or charity, which promotes the awareness, study, and conservation of ants. Thanks little dudes!

• Although worker ants will be able to tunnel through practically any dirt, dirt with rocks will act as a natural obstacle/roadblock to this ability.

(Queen Ant)nbsp;/p