EVOLUTION SHOOTER

Evolution is a concept, to my knowledge, absent from the shooter genre of video games. In other genres there's 'SimEarth', and a more recent one called 'Species'. Though in these games you are more of a spectator, not participating in the struggle for existence itself.

Another game, 'Spore', does involve participating in that struggle, though the evolution-mechanism is not at all like that of the real world: you have to collect bones which give you new characteristics that you can apply to your species. An upcoming game, 'Evolve', allows you to play a monster that can kill creatures in order to 'evolve' your character. The game involves changes to the individual through a cocoon stage, making it much more like metamorphosis than evolution. 

'Evolve' from Turtle Rock Studios.

I did start thinking about true evolution in a shooter after reading the preview, and I think it's very much possible and plausibly fun. It will also solve common spawning-related problems.

HYPOTHETICAL GAME

In my hypothetical game, all players play a monster. They have to kill and eat each other, in order to produce eggs, which is the goal in the game. The players get victory points when the eggs they laid have hatched. Others try to destroy these eggs, to prevent giving points to the enemy (and to get food points for producing eggs of their own).

So where's the evolution? One element is genetic variation underlying phenotypic variation. This means that the differences in characteristics that affect gameplay (speed, strength, attack speed, etc.) are influenced by variables that are passed on to progeny. When eggs hatch, a monster similar to the parent will emerge. 

Another element is mutation. The creatures emerging from the eggs are similar to the parent, but not 100% similar. Each variable is slightly and randomly increased or decreased (or not changed). The hatchlings are slightly different from the parents, and also from each other. 

Natural selection is the final element. Selection of course occurs when some creatures are killed, and others survive. Like in the real world, genes do not determine 100% the evolutionary success of the creatures. Creatures with good stats have better chances of surviving, but in the end tactics of the players are also very important. Selection also depends on the environment. Some characteristics might be better for some maps than for others. Just as sniper rifles aren't useful in maps that lack high grounds and contain lots of small corridors.

SPAWNING

So what about the improved spawning mechanism? I hate games where suddenly out of nowhere an enemy can appear with 3 second immunity. It's often completely non-thematic and unfair. Sometimes fixed spawning points are used, which decrease the unfairness, but increases the 'camping' problem.

But in my hypothetical game everybody spawns from eggs. When you are killed, you spawn from an egg of a random other person. Perhaps you you start as a spectator inside another person (your mother), or in a unhatched egg. You wait a little while and then you hatch, ready to fight again. There's no appearing out of nowhere, as the eggs are clearly visible. The eggs can also be destroyed to prevent spawning. This should not decrease the spawning rate, as players are very much motivated to keep their eggs alive, because that's what counts in the game.

This does mean that affiliations can change, and that from the eggs you produce and protect deadly enemies emerge. That's nasty, but that's life. It happens all the time. If you're good you produce a lot of offspring, but are bound to get killed by your offspring. Still, evidence of your skill will be evident, as at that time many of the existing creatures resemble you.

TRADE-OFFS

To make the game both more fair and more realistic, we can introduce a trade-off to inheriting good stats. In reality creatures can evolve to be bigger and therefore stronger, though this requires more time to grow, and more energy. We can introduce this trait of reality in a number of ways. We can say that during the game the creatures have to eat not only to produce eggs, but also to become bigger. So if a creature has inherited the a high value on the size variable, he needs to eat more until he can produce his first eggs, but he will become stronger in the meantime. 

Another possibility is to make the eggs more expensive, assuming that all the growth happens inside the eggs. This means the eggs themselves cost more (nutrient points) to produce if the creature has high values in its variables. Yet another way would be to increase the time until hatching. I think it's possible and fun to incorporate all these things.

I think the game could be great. Imagine you first design your own creature, choosing body types and colors and appendages (or perhaps choose from randomized/ premade creatures if you don't feel like spending time on this). Perhaps you can spend points on jaw strength, leg strength, claw strength, etc. Do you want a big poisonous stinger? Or big legs that allows you to outrun others? Or are you a slow, camouflaged creature that can attack when others do not expect? Or do you want to fly? You have to keep the size of other body parts small or you would not be able to fly, but the advantage is great.

And then you battle creatures made by your friends, eat them to create more of creatures like you. Next you have a family hunting party that you use to battle the more difficult enemies, but suddenly you are betrayed and eaten by your own kin. But you start again, as the offspring of your offspring and take your revenge on the persons that have killed you in a previous life.