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Description
an image i made which is a part of my series surrounding things i think could be interesting in a sequel to the 2008 PC game "Spore".

previous images in the series:
Spore 2 Behavior Concept
Spore 2 Death Concept
Spore 2 Nest/Hut Concept
Spore 2 Cell Stage Concept
Spore 2 Perk Concept
Spore 2 Brain Concept

some extra stuff not fully mentioned in the image:
*When the player carries their own mutations, they'd have to find a mate (it could be any mate) in order to unlock the parts from the mutations they are carrying. If the player dies, all of the mutations they were carrying would be lost. This would be a representation of the concept of passing one's genes onto the next generation, and would also serve the purpose of emphasizing the fact that each avatar the player plays as in the Creature stage is actually a separate individual. If the player's individual dies before mating, then that means said individual's genes were not successfully passed onto the next generation.

*NPC mutations would only be able to be carried by creatures outside of the home nest because I feel that the player should have an incentive to try to mate with those creatures. In my interpretation, creatures from the player's home nest are more closely related to the player, while creatures that are not from the same nest are more genetically distant. In real life, mating with individuals that are more genetically distant provides gene flow. Gene flow can aid evolution by causing the "[...] spread advantageous alleles, increasing the genetic variation upon which selection can act," so I feel it would be fitting for some form of gene flow to be a part of Spore's evolution-based gameplay.

*NPC mutations would tie into the population meter I mentioned in my Spore 2 Death Concept. The player would have an extra incentive to try to keep their population number high. The lower the player's population is, the fewer instances of their species there would be on the planet. If the player's population were to be extremely low, their home nest would be the only nest of their species left. This means that the player wouldn't have access to NPCs with new mutations, slowing the evolution process down and resulting in a genetic bottleneck-esque situation.

*NPCs would be able to carry more than one mutation, allowing the player to unlock multiple new parts at once when they mate with them. The chances of finding an NPC with multiple mutations would be rarer compared to the chances of finding an NPC with a single mutation. I'd imagine NPCs would be able to carry up to 3 mutations at once.

*I'd imagine that every time the player mates with a creature outside of their own nest, even if the creature lacks mutations, the player would earn a generous DNA bonus. This would ensure that going out of one's way to find a mate outside of the home nest wouldn't be a wholly wasted effort even if no new parts were gained. Mating with a creature from the home nest would also provide a DNA bonus, but it would be smaller in comparison to the one earned from mating with distant individuals.
The mating bonus reward in general would serve as representation of the fact that one of life's basic primary goals is reproduction.

*I dislike how in the current Spore, for players aiming for the Predator card, the game indirectly encourages killing endlessly for DNA points, even if you're playing as a carnivore that is not hungry. I feel that the game feels too much like an RPG in this sense, as if the NPCs are just enemies to quickly tackle rather than creatures surviving and evolving alongside you in an ecosystem. I feel that adding the mating DNA bonus would give an incentive for carnivores to not always kill (since there'd be an extra way to earn DNA outside of socialization), making the player's place in the ecosystem feel more natural and less RPG-ish.

*I'd imagine there'd be some form of a "cooldown" for mating, preventing the player from just mating non-stop to quickly rack up extreme amounts of DNA points. I had the idea that the cooldown could come in one of these forms:
The player cannot mate until their creature has survived as an adult for at least 3 in-game days
There is a "mating season" event that lasts for 3 in-game days then deactivates for 7 in-game days

*The likelihood of an NPC having a mutation for a certain part would increase exponentially if the player's species already has that type of part attached to their creature. For example, if the player's species has the Twopaw part attached, the chances of an NPC carrying a mutation for the Threepaw part would become more likely since both of these feet are of the same type (paw-like feet). Meanwhile, a mutation for a part like Dirtchargers would be less likely to be present because the Dirtchargers are a different type of foot (dinosaur/bird-like) compared to the type that the player's species has.
This same rule would apply to the player's germline mutations. The player, in this case, would be more likely to develop mutations for paw-like feet.

*I'd imagine the player would be able to attract multiple mates with their mating call instead of just one, allowing the player to decide which mate they want to mate with in case one of them is carrying a mutation that the player wants.

*I'd imagine that Alphas would require the player to play an "Impress" minigame before they'd be able to be mated with. Depending on how the player designed their species, this minigame could either be dueling with another member of your species to prove your strength to the Alpha mate, or competing with another member in a social singing/dancing/charming/posing contest to prove your skills. Both minigames would be performed in a miniature arena (similarly to what's seen in Spore Hero for both combat and socialization whereas the game isolates the player and their competitor in a small area). The Alpha mate would be seen in the background of the arena watching the minigame closely. If this minigame is failed, the player would not be able to mate with the Alpha creature, as it would instead become lovestruck with the player's opponent (I'd imagine NPCs would be able to mate with each other, which wouldn't unlock any new parts and would just serve the purpose of spawning a new baby).
Alphas would not only be able to carry a random part mutation, but would also always carry a mutation relating to unlocking something that increases the health of the player's species.

Description
an image i made which is a part of my series surrounding things i think could be interesting in a sequel to the 2008 PC game "Spore".

previous images in the series:
Spore 2 Behavior Concept
Spore 2 Death Concept
Spore 2 Nest/Hut Concept
Spore 2 Cell Stage Concept
Spore 2 Perk Concept
Spore 2 Brain Concept

some extra stuff not fully mentioned in the image:
*When the player carries their own mutations, they'd have to find a mate (it could be any mate) in order to unlock the parts from the mutations they are carrying. If the player dies, all of the mutations they were carrying would be lost. This would be a representation of the concept of passing one's genes onto the next generation, and would also serve the purpose of emphasizing the fact that each avatar the player plays as in the Creature stage is actually a separate individual. If the player's individual dies before mating, then that means said individual's genes were not successfully passed onto the next generation.

*NPC mutations would only be able to be carried by creatures outside of the home nest because I feel that the player should have an incentive to try to mate with those creatures. In my interpretation, creatures from the player's home nest are more closely related to the player, while creatures that are not from the same nest are more genetically distant. In real life, mating with individuals that are more genetically distant provides gene flow. Gene flow can aid evolution by causing the "[...] spread advantageous alleles, increasing the genetic variation upon which selection can act," so I feel it would be fitting for some form of gene flow to be a part of Spore's evolution-based gameplay.

*NPC mutations would tie into the population meter I mentioned in my Spore 2 Death Concept. The player would have an extra incentive to try to keep their population number high. The lower the player's population is, the fewer instances of their species there would be on the planet. If the player's population were to be extremely low, their home nest would be the only nest of their species left. This means that the player wouldn't have access to NPCs with new mutations, slowing the evolution process down and resulting in a genetic bottleneck-esque situation.

*NPCs would be able to carry more than one mutation, allowing the player to unlock multiple new parts at once when they mate with them. The chances of finding an NPC with multiple mutations would be rarer compared to the chances of finding an NPC with a single mutation. I'd imagine NPCs would be able to carry up to 3 mutations at once.

*I'd imagine that every time the player mates with a creature outside of their own nest, even if the creature lacks mutations, the player would earn a generous DNA bonus. This would ensure that going out of one's way to find a mate outside of the home nest wouldn't be a wholly wasted effort even if no new parts were gained. Mating with a creature from the home nest would also provide a DNA bonus, but it would be smaller in comparison to the one earned from mating with distant individuals.
The mating bonus reward in general would serve as representation of the fact that one of life's basic primary goals is reproduction.

*I dislike how in the current Spore, for players aiming for the Predator card, the game indirectly encourages killing endlessly for DNA points, even if you're playing as a carnivore that is not hungry. I feel that the game feels too much like an RPG in this sense, as if the NPCs are just enemies to quickly tackle rather than creatures surviving and evolving alongside you in an ecosystem. I feel that adding the mating DNA bonus would give an incentive for carnivores to not always kill (since there'd be an extra way to earn DNA outside of socialization), making the player's place in the ecosystem feel more natural and less RPG-ish.

*I'd imagine there'd be some form of a "cooldown" for mating, preventing the player from just mating non-stop to quickly rack up extreme amounts of DNA points. I had the idea that the cooldown could come in one of these forms:
The player cannot mate until their creature has survived as an adult for at least 3 in-game days
There is a "mating season" event that lasts for 3 in-game days then deactivates for 7 in-game days

*The likelihood of an NPC having a mutation for a certain part would increase exponentially if the player's species already has that type of part attached to their creature. For example, if the player's species has the Twopaw part attached, the chances of an NPC carrying a mutation for the Threepaw part would become more likely since both of these feet are of the same type (paw-like feet). Meanwhile, a mutation for a part like Dirtchargers would be less likely to be present because the Dirtchargers are a different type of foot (dinosaur/bird-like) compared to the type that the player's species has.
This same rule would apply to the player's germline mutations. The player, in this case, would be more likely to develop mutations for paw-like feet.

*I'd imagine the player would be able to attract multiple mates with their mating call instead of just one, allowing the player to decide which mate they want to mate with in case one of them is carrying a mutation that the player wants.

*I'd imagine that Alphas would require the player to play an "Impress" minigame before they'd be able to be mated with. Depending on how the player designed their species, this minigame could either be dueling with another member of your species to prove your strength to the Alpha mate, or competing with another member in a social singing/dancing/charming/posing contest to prove your skills. Both minigames would be performed in a miniature arena (similarly to what's seen in Spore Hero for both combat and socialization whereas the game isolates the player and their competitor in a small area). The Alpha mate would be seen in the background of the arena watching the minigame closely. If this minigame is failed, the player would not be able to mate with the Alpha creature, as it would instead become lovestruck with the player's opponent (I'd imagine NPCs would be able to mate with each other, which wouldn't unlock any new parts and would just serve the purpose of spawning a new baby).
Alphas would not only be able to carry a random part mutation, but would also always carry a mutation relating to unlocking something that increases the health of the player's species.