So I've just wrapped up the programming and art for the new sperm-related mission! Taking place inside the female fallopian tube, this mission requires you to intercept as many pathogens as you can while dodging giant sperm. The longer you last and the more sperm get through to the egg, the greater the reward (and if you stop all pathogens, one of those lucky sperm will fertilize an egg!).
Riding in alongside the sperm, pathogens come in increasingly larger waves with semi-random mixtures. Here are some of these nasty fellows:
- G. clapperi (bacteria) - appearing as a linked pair of spiky cells, these enemies use a randomized wave-like pattern to avoid attacks. Damage the pair enough, and the cells will break apart; although weaker individually, you now have two separate annoyances to deal with. Inspired by N. gonorrhoeae.
- H. vertex & H. hortex (virus) - these viruses don't have a complex pattern of movement, but instead rely on the motion of sperm to travel deeper into the fallopian tube. They are covered with a protective membrane which contains their inner proteins. Breaking this membrane will cause a massive chemical reaction, sending out blasts of toxins at right angles. Time it right, and you can annihilate masses of pathogens with this 'not-so-friendly fire'. Inspired by H. simplex.
- M. concelios (bacteria) - These dangerous pathogens will let nothing stop their infection - including you! The closer you get to these bacteria, the more aggressive they'll pursue you. Their distinctive orange proteins act as a hazard warning, so you'd better think fast when they home in on you. Unfortunately, these pathogens can also 'surf' on fast-moving sperm, rapidly increasing their speed. Inspired by C. trachomatis.
I've been considering making an egg-specific mission as well, but I'm not quite sure how to approach it. If
it's just shooting down pathogens before they touch the egg, then it's pretty much the same mission as the sperm one. I'd like to do something a bit more clever, ideally involving the sperm as well. But I'd rather not have the player actively shoot down sperm, because then it's less about preventing disease and more about preventing conception!
