.
BlobCity
.
[Screenshot | Download | Playing | Controls | Simulation]

SimBlob is the name of a project I started in 1994, to produce a game that would let me experiment with various things I was learning at school. In particular, I wanted to experiment with bitmap graphics, multithreaded programming, user interfaces, and cellular automata. SimBlob started out as a strategy game for OS/2 with simulation of the environment and economy affecting your quest to conquer neighboring towns. The setting is an early (green) Mars, with blobs being the most intelligent life form on the planet. The original plan turned out to be too ambitious for me, given that I spend much of my time on projects and I have starting spending much of my time on my Ph.D. thesis.

The plan was for the SimBlob project to include two (or more) simpler games instead of one very complex one. The games would have shared the basic map structure (a hexagonal grid map), environmental simulation (water flow, erosion, fires, tree growth, etc.), and user interface. The first game, BlobCity, is a single player game where you are playing against the environment. In it you try to build a town in a world that has fires, floods, volcanos, and so on. The SimBlob project also included a second game, which would have had less city building and more resource management. This game was never fully designed. I wrote up several possibilities for games that could fit into the SimBlob project. The blobs might live in a large city; they might be building a town to compete with other towns; they might have towns already, and want you to link them together with trade; or they might be seeking to take advantage of the natural resources on Mars.

[8 Mar 1999] I have sent the source code to BlobCity to OS/2 NetLabs, in hopes that they will find a project maintainer and also put up a CVS version. You can also download a ZIP file (800k) with my poorly documented source. I hope some developers will produce versions for Macintosh, BeOS, Linux, and other systems.


 * The Past
  1. Screenshots (now with thumbnails)
  2. Old Changes (more than 4 months)
 * The Present
  1. A description of what's on the map
  2. How multithreading is used
  3. Frequently asked questions
  4. OS/2 Supersite's SimBlob tips page
 * The Future
  1. What is my goal?
  2. Possible alternatives
  3. Near term plans

Screenshot

(screen shot)
9 July 1998
On the map you can see the new house bitmaps (shaded polygons, rather than spheres) and new tree bitmaps (overhead view rather than side view) that show age (size) and season (color shading). At the top of the window the buttons (Silver, Population, and Ticks/Sec) now look like tabs for the information area below them. Although you can't see it here, if you move the mouse over the tab button, that tab's page will light up. In the bottom left corner you can see a new shaded world map. This view allows you to get a better idea of the terrain. Another new view for the world map is the Civilization View (not shown), which filters out the terrain and shows you the details of your civilization (farms, markets, houses, roads, walls, etc.)

Download BlobCity

 * Mar 8 version (379137 bytes)

 * SimBlob source code (800k)

Playing the Game

System Requirements

Controls

I have attempted to make the game use custom mouse settings that you have set in the properties page of the "Mouse Object". However, I have not extensively tested it, and the notes here assume the default left-handed mouse settings. Let me know if you have problems with the game's use of the mouse.

Simulation



HOME ABOUT PERSONAL PROGRAMMING SIMBLOB FRIENDS PICTURES LINKS

Last modified: Fri 18 Jun 1999
Comments? Suggestions? I'd love to hear from you!
Amit J. Patel, amitp@cs.stanford.edu