Roadmap

Requirements and architecture for the seven essential systems, written down in enough detail to build from.

The simulation runs in a browser. Two colonies, pheromone trails, digging, combat, a rule-based AI opponent, autosave.

The first version where a match has a beginning, middle, and end. Seven new mechanics give a round its shape.

• ▸ The spider — a neutral predator with a hunger clock that interrupts both colonies
• ▸ A telegraphed threat reticle — 6–8 seconds of warning before an attack lands
• ▸ A player command to mark high-priority targets
• ▸ Worker self-scatter under threat — emergent response without micro-management
• ▸ Danger pheromone propagation — the colony remembers where things go wrong
• ▸ A reproduction lever — food surplus accelerates eggs and maturation
• ▸ Difficulty tiers — asymmetric AI rates and world pressure

The world expands from a single patch to a yard of connected territories. Multiple biomes, linked by ant traffic corridors, with different terrain challenges and food densities across each patch.

Strategic stings and ambient audio give the colony a voice. Pixel art replaces programmer art throughout. The game begins to feel like a finished product.

Additional predator types, multiple map seeds, and expanded round configurations increase replayability. No two sessions should feel identical.

Touch input and a performance budget targeting mid-range phones. The same game, playable anywhere.

Castes, weather, day/night cycles, and deeper simulation variety. Multiplayer is also in this phase — we are exploring what form it would take, not committed to a design. The architecture preserves the option (deterministic simulation, replay logging), but no design work has started.

The destination these phases build toward. Not a date — a standard. When Subterrans is feature-complete and genuinely fun, that is v1.0.