A comprehensive reference for every mechanic in SpeciesQuest. Click any topic to explore it in depth.
Every hour, the world evolves. Populations grow, migrate, mutate, and clash.
The simulation advances one tick per hour. A tick is a full simulation cycle where every active species on every active tile is processed simultaneously. A tick takes only seconds to compute but represents generations of evolutionary pressure.
Each species grows based on its reproduction rate, current food score, and tile capacity. Overpopulation triggers migration pressure.
Overflow populations scout adjacent tiles. Speed and adaptability determine how far and how successfully a species spreads.
Small random gene shifts occur each tick. These are usually tiny. But over hundreds of ticks, they can drift a subspecies far from its ancestor.
Multi-species tiles resolve 1-4 encounters. Outcomes affect populations, can generate subspecies, or force extinction events.
1-2 global hazard events fire each tick — droughts, cold snaps, plagues, earthquakes. They affect targeted biomes and can devastate unprepared species.
Players can spend one genome nudge per tick to shift a gene by ±5 points. This is the core player agency mechanic.
Growth season. Food scores peak. Reproduction multipliers are highest. Best time to expand.
Aggression season. Competition encounters increase. Stronger species push weaker ones out.
Stockpile season. Food scores begin declining. Adaptability becomes more important.
Survival season. Low food. Cold modifiers active. High-resilience species outlast low-resilience ones.