One obstacle to making an evolution sim is graphically representing the organisms and their environment. Evolve represents its creatures with yellow squares. The most basic creature is a single yellow square, while more complex ones are collections of squares. Food is represented by blue and white squares.
This guy's sim uses circles to represent organisms and squares as food. Simple graphics aren't just laziness. How would you ensure a sim could animate a moveable arm? Draw longer legs? An evolution sim implies the creatures will change into unexpected forms. Spore was ground-breaking for its ability to animate creatures as players made them. Hobbyist programmers working alone won't have the resources to accomplish this, so it seems inevitable that graphics must be kept simple.
In 2D video games I generally prefer a side view to a top-down view. There is a joyous freedom in Mario's constant skirting of the rules of the gravity. It feels more natural than a top down view, which I find more cerebral. Our instinctual brains are more suited to watching jumping, climbing, and falling. How often do you view life from a top-down view?
One place is watching insects on the ground. In particular, ants, since these are usually found in large numbers and aren't shy.Another place is under a microscope. This isn't a view most people have first-hand experience of, but everyone has seen microbes under a microscope on the tv. Which is why 2 of the above games make me think the creatures are in a petri dish, when actually the creators didn't actually confirm that.
Is an evolution sim with a 2D side view possible?
I think so. I also think it'd be more interesting to watch than a top-down view. I'd be urging on the creatures to climb higher through the trees.
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