Frequently asked questions
Honest answers about what worldsim is, what it isn't, and where it's going.
The product
What is worldsim?
A text-based world simulation game focused on the engine first. A seed creates a world of factions, settlements, and resources; the world advances tick by tick; and every outcome is explainable through event logs. It draws inspiration from strategy and settlement sims like Age of Empires, Civilization, Dwarf Fortress, RimWorld, and city builders, but its own rules are original and deterministic.
Is it a game or an engine?
Both, in order: it is an engine first. The near-term product is a deterministic simulation
core that can be inspected, tested, and expanded before a richer interface is built. A
first playable scenario — survival-v1 — runs entirely in the terminal today.
Is there a graphical interface?
Not yet. The product is intentionally text-only for now. A graphical interface is not a goal until the simulation loop is credible.
Why "deterministic"?
Because the same seed and the same inputs always produce the same world and the same events — byte for byte. That makes runs reproducible, debuggable, and fair: a replay recipe shared with anyone else reproduces your exact run.
What is the current status?
survival-v1 scenario, replay recipes, and deterministic terrain generation
are shipped; systems like trade, diplomacy, and technology come next.
Playing
How do I play?
Two ways. Try it instantly on the homepage, where the game runs
in a browser terminal — no install, same engine, same results. Or install the package and
run worldsim play --seed 7. You control one settlement and allocate 12 labor
units per turn across food, wood, gold, and stone. Survive eight turns with 40+ people and
16+ wood gained. See the quick start for details.
Is every seed winnable?
No. Seed 7 is the balanced first-run and fixture seed. Other seeds can be easier or harder — survival and decline are both real outcomes. That variance is by design.
Can I replay a finished game?
Yes. Every finished run prints a compact canonical recipe. Run
worldsim replay '<recipe>' to reproduce the exact run without any prompts.
Do I need an account or the internet?
No. Everything runs locally from a seed. There are no accounts, online services, telemetry, or multiplayer.
Roadmap and scope
What's next?
The direction is to deepen the simulation engine. Terrain now shapes production and the world map is inspectable; the civilization-levels ladder (levels 1–4 with role unlocks) is specified and in progress. Further ahead: labor roles and task allocation, trade routes between settlements, faction diplomacy and conflict, technology progression, and save/load with deterministic replay.
Is there multiplayer or online sharing?
No, and it is an explicit non-goal for the current product slice.
What resources exist in the world?
Four: food, wood, gold, and stone. Food drives population growth and starvation pressure;
wood is the resource objective in survival-v1. Gold and stone are valid
allocation choices today but do not yet have a spending mechanic.
Where can I read the product requirements and plans?
The repository keeps product requirements under PRDs/ and implementation
plans under docs/. The changelog records every
shipped change.