About Into the Thicket

What is Into the Thicket?

Short clip of Into the Thicket
Short clip of Into the Thicket

Into the Thicket is a forest simulation and zen-management game being made by me, Nick Camillo. It is the second, more ambitious iteration of an interactive art piece that I made in 2012.The grand plan is still in flux, but the overarching concept is to tend to the denizens of a unique, digital thicket as you grow a tree over a period of time. Sort of like a tamagotchi, except instead of looking after the health of a single creature, you're trying to optimize for the greater good of the ecosystem.

Click here to try any of the versions

What's in the game now?

Flora 🌳 🌱 🌲 🌿 ☘️

Grasses 🌾

  • grow on collision with sunlight
  • eventually flower and spread seed
  • provide food for ants

Mushrooms 🍄

  • grow in absence of light
  • eventually spread spores at maturity
  • provide food for Ants

Fauna 🐛 🐝 🐞 🐸 🦆

Ants 🐜

  • seek food for their colony
  • defend their colony from other colonies
  • dispose of dead
  • provide food for Grasshoppers

Grasshoppers 🦗

  • seek food
  • keep Ant population in check

Obstacles

Rocks 🥔

  • block Ant line of sight and pathing
  • cause light to refract

Acorns 🌰

  • block Ant line of sight and pathing
  • cause light to refract

What's next on the agenda?

  • Hydration/Watering System
  • Day/Night cycle