The Hive Mind is a sci-fi puzzle game about insect-inspired construction with robot swarms
As an Overseer, you were sent to an alien planet where we need to build a new outpost. Your job is to program robots that work on the building sites.
But there is a catch: Because we use a lot of robots, we can't program them one by one! Instead, we upload building rules that you create into every robot. The rules are executed in a random order and two robots can execute the same rule at different places at the same time. The main challenge for you is to create rules that fit together and make the robots build meaningful structures together.
Different Ways To Play
There are three game modes available: tutorial, challenges and sandbox.
A set of tutorial missions will teach you how to program the robots. Each tutorial mission gives you commendations so that you know which challenges you are ready to tackle.
In the challenge mode, you are presented with blueprints and your goal is to build structures that fit them. You level up by completing challenges and unlock new challenge missions.
The sandbox mode lets you build whatever you like
Based On Real Science
The creator of the game is a researcher in [b]swarm robotics[/b], a branch of [b]artificial intelligence[/b] that deals with programming large groups of robots that can cooperate. The robot behaviour is often inspired by ants, bees and termites, that live in large colonies and build marvellous structures often thousands of times larger than a single insect.
The game is not only a lot of fun, but it will also teach you about insect and robot swarms. It is a great treat for everyone interested in robotics and in science of the future.
Development
The game is currently in a late alpha development stage and can be played for free online. The main game mechanisms are in place and you can play through a number of tutorials and challenges. The sandbox is also available.
The developer is seeking opinion of the community on the general game idea and on the gameplay so that she can decide whether to develop this into a full game.