Spore Evolution

Spore Evolution is an upcoming Simulation-Strategy Game for the PC, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One & PlayStation 4. The game is the successor to 2008's life simulator, Spore. The game focuses the series on a singular gameplay style, returning to the micro-management and strategy of the Simcity franchise, as a result much of the game has changed although the general principles of creative freedom from the original are still present.
==Gameplay==
Gameplay in Spore Evolution, much like in Spore is split up into stages, each stage encompasses a general overview of different elements of evolutionary life, unlike Spore however these stages share many mechanics and all have the general gameplay style of a Simulation-Strategy game, with considerable 4X Gameplay Elements included. Each stage sees the player take control of the population of their creature, during the early stages of the game the player is directing the creature's evolution, having the species expand its territorial reach, find food, deal with various events and slowly evolve the player's creatures through generations.
The later stages of the game have the player in a role similar to those seen in traditional 4X Games where the player controls the civilization of their species from humble prehistory beginnings to becoming a space-faring race, while the general principles of play; war, diplomacy, trade, religion, scientific advancement, culture, etc. persist through all later stages of the game it is how the player's interaction with their species changes with the earlier stages focusing on a single settlement to a city-state, later sections having the player control the entire civilization much like in most 4X Games and then finally in the space stage where the player's view shifts from the individual civilization to the stellar community that the player's species controls.
===Creature Stages===
There are four Creature Stages, which are the stages where the player is capable of evolving their creature and have physical effects on the creature's appearance and abilities as a result. The creature stages are defined as;
*Invertebrate Stage - The first stage in the game and sees the player taking control of their species as humble simple invertebrates, through the players choices they're able to evolves their speces in various ways, there are a number of options for how to complete this stage.
*Oceanic Stage - This stage sees the player's first proper stage as the player expand's their species' territory with the goal being to reach the oceanic shallows, this involves the player evolving their species' respiratory system as the primary goal although many side goals can also be focused on, along the way the player will be introduced to biospheres in this stage.
*Amphibious Stage - This is the first stage that takes place on land, the player's goal in this stage is to evolve into a species that does not rely on water for the production of offspring, there are a number of ways to go about this goal and the results can vary much like in the invertebrate stage, this stage also sees many of the elements from the Oceanic Stage expanded upon.
*Terrestrial Stage - The last of the creature stages, the Terrestrial Stage has the most in similar with the original Creature Stage, the player control a land-dwelling creature and the goal of this stage is to develop a society, this is the first stage to really focus on the RPG-like elements with the player extremely frequently contending with random events and changes in the environment much more than the previous stages, this will carry on into the later stages and is intended to help the player get used to this change.
===Civilization Stages===
The next four stages are focused around building the player's civilization, these stages have the most in common with other 4X Games and reflect the common eras for such games, the gameplay here shifts noticeably towards less about evolution of the player's species and more so of the society of the species, traits and elements developed in the previous stages become the foundation for the player's society and the player will have many opportunities to alter their society through events within these stages;
*Neolithic Stage - The first of the Civilization Stages, this one sees the player develop their small nest of creatures into a functional city-state, much of this stage is focused around the development of early technologies and introduces complete trading (trading was possible in the Terrestrial Stage as well although is much more basic by comparison), religion, culture, politics and large scale warfare into the game, these elements would become more fleshed out in later stages as well.
*Antiquity Stage - After the player has succeeded in building their species up into a notable city-state they will now begin to have to deal with the world stage, the player will need to compete with city-states and develop an empire, there are many ways the player can go about this much like in 4X Games with their territory based victories. Antiquity's focus is towards Combat, Resources & Religion and sees these three elements fleshed out more allowing for customization on the player's part in new ways on their species.
*Reformation Stage - The Reformation Stage begins once the player has established their empire, at this stage the player will need to contend with the entire continent that their civilization is situated on, during this stage the player will be more properly introduced to the Politics aspect of gameplay with the player needing to satisfy the needs and wants of their citizens whilst expanding their influence, unlike Antiquit, conflict has a much different role in this stage and events where War occurs are considerably more major and less likely to occur, the player's goal is to unite their continent, there are numerous ways the player can do this and succeeding doesn't necessarily mean the player's society is a homogenous one.
*Modern Stage - The last stage of the Civilization Stages, the player's goal in this stage is to unite the world governments together through whatever means the player sees fit and to begin interplanetary travel, this stage combines the elements of the previous stages bringing them to a climax with the player having a much more complex system to manage with many groups within their civilization that need to be satisfied while also dealing with foreign affairs, resource management and technological growth.
===Space Stages===
There are only two space stages as opposed to the four from the previous multi-stages, these see the player step back from controlling their civilization and now control their intergalactic society, gameplay in this stage is more similar to the Civilization Stages than the Civilization Stages were to the Creature Stages however the scale of the player's control is pushed to the point where systems the player previously had direct control over now are minor elements of the much larger space gameplay systems;
*Stellar Stage - This stage sees the player needing to achieve faster than light travel (FTL for short), the player will be able to establish colonies on the other planets in their star system and can send out probes, satellites and other devices into deep space to collect information, the player will still need to handle internal affairs of each planet in this stage although conflict now focuses more on armies rather than units and the player will need to consider the route they take for technological advancement as it has repercussions in the Galactic Stage.
*Galactic Stage - The last stage in the game and drawing paralles to the original Space Stage from Spore, also the biggest by no small margin. The Galactic Stage sees the player taking control of their intergalactic community, which can encompass many species and has the player contending with the politics of not only the species under their governance but also the internal groups within those species, dealing with the trade between planetary systems, establishment of new technologies, dealing with cultural, religious and other affairs of their community and of course dealing with foreign communities both through diplomatic and warfare. There is no end goal to the Galactic Stage, the scale of the Galactic Stage is in essence infinite, unlike in Spore reaching the Center of the Galaxy isn't just the main task but is actually just a hurdle as the player can travel to other galaxies establishing intergalactic colonies and expanding across them, the player only then becomes limited by hardware and interest.
==Evolution==
Evolution plays a significant and important role in Spore Evolution, the player's advancement through the game hinges on their species developing in various ways to surpass competing species and other factions, Evolution in the game is the general reference for what other 4X Games call their Tech Tree or Policy Tree, although unlike most 4X Games the player doesn't have much in the way of direct control over the Evolutionary Tree, the player throughout multiple playthroughs will get all knowledge about each of the evolutionary steps encouraging the player to experiment with new methods and look for new potential avenues of evolution.
===In Creature Stages===
Evolution in Creature Stages features the gradual development and advancement of evolutionary traits, when the player first begins they have a herbivorous flatworm-like species, through the player's actions and direction as well as random events that the player interacts with the player's species will evolve. All Evolutionary advancements have pre-requisites that must be met before they're unlocked, once the player unlocks evolutionary advancements they're able to choose the implementation of the evolutionary trait, there are three options for every trait; Dominant, Passive and Recessive.
Dominant Traits are ones that are the most distinct, these traits will more noticeably alter the creature's appearance in the related aspect of their appearance, the player can only have a certain amount of dominant traits for a species and so will need to move old Dominant traits into Passive or Recessive positions to make space for new ones. Passive Traits are ones that are also omnipresent in the species however their effects are halved and don't have an aesthetic effect on the creature, they're otherwise the same. Lastly are Recessive Traits, when the player selects this option the trait will only crop up in the species some times, having recessive traits is important as it provides heterogeneity in the gene pool, this has several positive effects including increase maximum population size, unique effects in the later stages of the game and lower's the probability of plagues heavily damaging the species. The trade-off with Recessive Traits however is that any positive effects are only 10% what they would be if they were dominant and the fact that only some members of the species can benefit from them.
As the player advances through traits, old ones get replaced by new ones in some instances, when this happens the new traits takes the location of the old trait.
Some Evolutionary Traits are what's known as Pivotal Traits these are extremely important traits that define major characteristics of your species (e.g. Radial Symmetry, Fur, Wings, Internal Skeleton, etc.). These traits are not able to be set as Dominant, Passive or Recessive and effectively act as major points where the player's evolution branches off in a different direction, each Pivotal Trait its the base for a new major sect of the Evolutionary Tree.
===In Civilization Stages===
Evolution in Civilization Stages refers to Evolution of Technology & Culture, in these stages the Evolutionary Tree is more in line with the traditional Tech Tree and Policy Trees of other 4X Games, in these stages the player's able to acquire hints towards the next major evolution for their species. It should be noted that the Evolutionary Tree in the Creature Stages and in the Civilization Stages are entirely separate meaning the player will always start from the same initial spot at the beginning of the Neolithic Stage, however species characteristics the player evolved in the previous stages do have an impact on the technologies and cultural elements they can evolve in the Civilization Stages.
The Civilization Stages' Evolutionary Tree is also colour coded along its branches unlike the Evolutionary Tree, this is because the technologies and cultural elements present in this tree have implications for the type of society that develops from the player's choices with each major societal archetype having its respective colour.
The Civilization Stages' Evolutionary Tree is split into three types of evolutions; Technological Evolutions, Civic Evolutions & Philosophical Evolutions. Technological Evolutions (outlined in Cyan) are the most basic to understand, they directly influence the player's abilities and the abilities of their species during these stages, different technological evolutions will result in changes to the other elements of gameplay although has little in the way of visual changes in comparison to the Civic Evolutions. Civic Evolutions are what defines the player's species' culture alongside the behaviour and evolution of the species during the previous stages, in that; Culture, Architecture, Fashion, Societal Norms, Religion, Politics and Societal Behaviour are influenced, the player will mainly develop Civic Evolutions through contact and diplomacy (or warfare) with others in the Civilization Stages although can also develop Civic Evolutions from Random Events, encouragement or dissuasion or societal tendencies and various other small factors. Some Civic Evolutions aren't even visible on the tree until the player encounters them, these are exclusive to Random Events.
Lastly are Philosophical Evolutions, these have a bit of a mixed impact as they influence both the direct gameplay and the aesthetic of the player's society, the defining aspect of Philosophical Evolutions however is their impact of History, Foreign Affairs & Religion. As the player's species advances Philosophical Evolutions will cause them to reflect on their history, Philosophical Evolutions take some time to take effect in comparison to the almost immediate Technological Evolutions and the quick to adopt Civic Evolutions, however the impact of the Philosophical Evolutions is much more significant and can completely redefine the player species' society as a result. In addition Philosophical Evolutions have an impact on Foreign Affairs as they shape the player's species view on others and vice versa as well as having a minor influence on everything in Politics. Religion is also affected, more so by Philosophical Evolutions than Civic Evolutions, while Civic Evolutions define small elements of the Religion, Philosophical Evolutions can rework the Religion from the ground up and can cause schisms and fusions of religion.
===In Space Stages===
Like with the Civilization Stages, the Space Stages have their own evolutionary tree, although each individual stage's tree is quite different. The Stellar Stage sees a mix of the Civilization Stages' hybrid of Techs, Civis & Philosophies with what is the Galactic Stages' Evolutionary Tree, for this purpose this section will be focusing on what is in the Galactic Stage Evolutionary Tree more so.
For this Evolutionary Tree, the player will find that the Evolutionary Tree has what are known as Galactic Codes these are a hybrid of Technological and Civic Evolutions, they cover everything that the player can govern in the Space Stages and are just as important in foreign affairs as the Philosophical Evolutions are. Galactic Codes are gained through random events, exploration of space, encountering and interactions with other species, discovery of life, warfare and basically any other thing the player can do while in space, however when the player gets to the Galactic Stage this becomes dramatically different from the previous trees.
In the Galactic Stage, the player will earn Evolutionary Points towards new Galactic Codes although will have options on which Galactic Codes to implement, being able to select from several at each interval. In addition unlike the previous trees where the various elements of gameplay would weave together, each of the major branches is the elements of gameplay, as the player goes deeper into a branch they will unlock more and more Galactic Codes relating to that gameplay element and also ones that encourage and allow for the player to focus other elements of gameplay into their primary gameplay element.
==Customization==
Like in Spore, Spore Evolution makes an important element of the game the player's ability to customize their creature, unlike in Spore however the Customization has had some elements of freedom traded out to allow the Evolutionary Tree to flow naturally. It should be noted that Creature Creator (the side mode where the player can create creatures completely independent of the species they're playing as) remains functionally identical. When editing a creature many of the elements from the original do not return.
Instead the new system works on what is known as Generational Shift, over time the physical traits the player sets into their creature will appear, depending on the feature this can take only a few generational cycles or several hundred, generational cycles are fairly short in the Creature Stages however so the player can see these traits develop quickly preventing reality from completely destroying the gamey-ness of the system. What the player will find is that physical traits are attached to parts, instead of the stat system of the original, the parts the player unlocks are directly tied to the Evolutionary Tree and progress from one to another (hence, if the player evolves something about their arms then the parts will be related to arms and possibly hands). It should be noted that the player can only enter the creature editor when they've amassed Gene Points, these are points independent from anything else in the Evolutionary Tree and are gained passively based on the player's species population and also can be gained through certain Random Events.
Once the player amasses enough gene points they can enter Creature Editor and alter their creature, the larger the changes are to a creature the longer they'll take, the player is also limited by how much the creature can change based on the amount of Gene Points needed to enter Creature Editor, meaning initially changes are minimal but can be more significant over time, this is to correspond to the general amount of time it takes for later evolutionary parts to develop. The player must also keep in mind the cost of parts, as new parts mean the creature will need to consume more food or certain types to thrive and reproduce, so the player must ensure they're able to balance their species' development with their needs.
===Non-Creature Customization===
Much like in Spore the player is able to create their own buildings and vehicles and customize them, there is a much larger variety to choose from although unlike the original game these structures (which now also include; decorations and monuments) are influenced by culture, so the player now instead creates these structures in what are known as Frames, the palyer is able to see what the structure will look like under different cultural influences. In addition, new structures, like parts take time to be adopted into the society the player creates, as such the appearance of the new structure takes a few generational cycles although is quicker for Buildings and Vehicles that serve specific functions.
===Creature Anatomy===
Creature Anatomy has changed significantly since the previous game, the player now has the option to play as a vertebrate or invertebrate species, as the player's species evolves they're able to alter their appearance through various means. The anatomy for the player's creature depends on a number of factors although the player is able to directly influence change in the Creature Editor, like in the original Creature Editor from Spore the player can alter the appearance of their creature by adding or removing parts, there are a significant number of more parts in the game and while more fantastical designs are still present many are based on real-life animals, the player will find that body parts are organized into the following groups;
*Limbs - Limbs are attachments the player can add to the creature's primary body, limbs come in a variety of shapes and types, some limbs are simply only capable of movement while others can have other parts attached to them to provide additional factors, limbs are determined by the type of creature the player is playing as.
*Bone - These are parts the player can add to a creature which form new bones, they're only available to vertebrates and allow for the addition of detailed additions to the creature that the skin and muscle of the creature are attached to as opposed to details.
*Sensory - Any and all Sensory Organs are found here, a sensory organ is any organ that allows the creature to sense things, these include light, sound, vibrations, smell, taste, radiation, temperature and electricity, depending on the sensory organs of the player's creature they will see the world differently (this will also affect how the game appears to the player. As the player evolves their creature they will gain access to more of these options.
*Mouth - The mouth refers to the mouth of the player's creature, the player must have at least one mouth on their creature although can have more if they want, mouths have general formats although vary according to the creature's diet (if it has one) as well as the role of the mouth outside of eating and communication. The player can see what the different looks of the same mouth type are by toggling through them.
*Coating - Coating refers to the outermost layer of the creature and is the skin, scales, fur, feathers or exoskeleton of the creature, coatings are similar to the textures from the original game although the player can freely alter the colour and the player is able to apply coatings to particular parts of their creature's body allowing for a greater range of creativity in creature appearance.
*Extremities - This refers to hands and feet as well as appendages like mandibles, the player will need to include an extremity on certain types of limbs although there is a default minimalist extremity the player acquires should they not want any. An Extremity's appearance changes based on its usage and although has an initial set appearance will change according to how the player's species uses the extremity as well as the creature's physical attributes on the extremity.
*Details - Details refers to non-combat orientated additions that don't fall into the other categories above, these have a wide variety of usages and can help the player's creatures socialize, intimidate, escape and terrify other creatures they may come across among other things. Details can be added anywhere to a creature and by using certain commands can have a detail be specifically adapted to fit onto another part (such as fitting onto a sensory organ or an extremity).
*Armour - Armour refers to defensive parts that can be added to the player's creature, these work similarily to Coating in that they're applied to segments unlike in the original game where they would be separate individual parts. Armour can be applied alongside coating although some armours will override their coating this is most evident in "Thorny" armours with fur and feathers.
*Offense - Offense refers to parts that are intended for attacking with in combat, these come in a wide variety and can serve a variety of roles in combat depending on the part itself. Like with Details the player is able to, with a specific command, have the Offense Part adapt to fit with another part.
*Chemicals - Chemicals are parts that are able to use chemical reactions to cause effects, they're somewhat similar in regards to both Armour and Offense as their roles are combative in nature although some chemicals have other purposes such as encouraging plants to bloom and as a form of communication among the player's species. Chemicals can include Poisons, Electricity, Fire, Explosives, Wind, Scents, Resin, etc.
Creatures bodies are also split up into three general sections; Neck, Body & Tail. The player is able to adjust these three segments freely, in addition Neck and Tail can be split allowing for multi-headed and multi-tailed creatures should the player so choose.
==Random Events==
Random Events are a major component of Spore Evolution, they were inspired by the events that occur during most player's game of Spore, events such as the Alien Encounter, Epic Creatures, Giant Fossils, etc. became the basis for this new gamepaly system present in Spore Evolution.
Random Events are a very broad gameplay mechanic and are both internal to the player's species and external to the world around them, Random Events vary in significance and inversely in frequency, hence smaller Events occur more often while larger ones less so. Random Events add RPG elements and can help boost the player's species development down a certain path. A Random Event will pose itself to the player as a situation or an announcement, Situational Random Events (SREs) are what make up the vast majority of internal events as well as most smaller external events, these are solved by the player through a number of choices, these choices affect the species' evolution by either satisfying requirements for an Evolution or pushing the species towards a certain type of society. As mentioned earlier in Philosophical Evolution, some SREs can even cause new Evolutions to appear all together depending on how the player responds to them.
The other type are Announcement Random Events (AREs), these are almost always the most significant events and can't really be solved, more so have to be dealth with through the player's actions, these events will not give the player options of how to handle the issue posed but instead the player must directly deal with it in-game, these are things like Plagues, Ice Ages, Solar Eclipses, etc. They're much more influential on the player's species and depending on how the player handles things can end up being key defining elements of the player's species society.
==Gameplay Mechanics==
In Spore Evolution there are numerous mechanics the player must contend with throughout the stages, some mechanics are dropped as the game progresses while others are added, some also change their role within the game as the game develops. This section outlines each mechanic and how it is dealt with in the various Stages (Note: Stages are only mentioned if they significantly change the mechanic, as such stages not mentioned share the same mechanics as the previous stage mentioned).
Food
Food is the first and most persistent of all Gameplay Mechanics, it is the only one to appear in all Stages of the game and influences many factors of the player's species evolution. Food can be acquired through a number of means depending on the stage of gameplay, Pre-Civilization Stages, Food is obtained through foraging for food on plants or by killing other animals. In the Invertebrate & Oceanic Stages the player will often find food matter that is separate from a plant or living organism, while in the Amphibious and Terrestrial Stages food can only be acquired through Plants or Animals.
Food directly ties into the size of the player's species population, the more Food the species has the higher the species population can reach, the player is able to organize members of the species during the Creature Stages to go look for food in various areas of the map, in Civilization Stages the player will instead need to build and maintain farming complexes that produce food although require less members of the species to operate than the foraging of the earlier stages, lastly in the Space Stages Food is acquired through a similar method although the player simply needs to allocate construction of Farming Complexes and ensure the planet has enough power to provide to the farming complexes, if automated.
Food has a number of factors on the player's species, the location of food varies greatly and can influence what sort of creatures the player develops as a result since they will need to contend with the challenges of the environment where that food source is found. In addition the variety of the food can determine in early stages what sort of diet the player's species has, diet is much more fluidic in the Invertebrate and Oceanic Stages with the player freely being able to shift between Herbivore, Omnivore and Carnivore, however as the player evolves into the Amphibious and Terrestrial Stages their decision becomes more set in stone with the ability to change from one food type (even when both food types are under the same general umbrella of Herbivore or Carnivore) taking several generational cycles for it to become fully effective.
The player will also find that depending on the food the player's species eat they will be able to acquire new abilities and resistances to environmental effects, this becomes important in the Terrestrial and Neolithic Stages as the player's species is most vulnerable to environmental changes.
It should also be noted that there are other options for the player beyond just plant matter and animal matter, the player can if they specialize into the correct attributes gain the ability for their species to acquire nutrients through sunlight and soil similar to plants this allows the player to play as a Photosynthetic life form, alternatively the player can if on an applicable planet gain the ability to gather nutrients from the atmosphere allowing their species to be Aerosynthetic life forms. The third unusual option is specializing into Soil nutrient acquisition to the point where the player no longer needs sunlight or other sources for their nutrients and is able to acquire their nutrients from the ground itself, allowing the player to play as a Terrasynthetic life form.
Water
Water is a resource that is important throughout the early stages of the game and later becomes absorbed into the more nebulous Food mechanic. Water has different roles in each Stage as the player needs to use Water for different purposes. Water is first introduced in the Amphibious Stage and is important since the player's species is limited in how far they can travel by their access to water, the player needs to ensure that the water levels of their creatures remain at safe levels and that the nests of the creatures are in close enough proximity to bodies of water that their young don't die. Water during this stage is less of a resource like food and more so acts as an extension of each creature's life.
In the Terrestrial, Neolithic and Antiquity Stages, Water takes on a more traditional resource role where the player needs to make sure the species has access to water to survive, depending on how the player's species evolved the type of water they need will vary and while it is possible in the Terrestrial Stage to change what sources of water are applicable it isn't possible in the Neolithic or Antiquity Stages, in those stages however Water can be channeled into the player's species society allowing the species to survive in more arid environments, Water is for these three Stages of the game one of the key factors that dictates the expansion of the player's territory sometimes even more so than Food and Military Power.
Water remains relevant in the Reformation, Modern & Stellar Stages although methods of obtaining it are made so that obtaining the correct type of water is easier and it comes down to simply having a source of water or method of obtaining water, by the Stellar Stage one of the evolutions the player obtains will mitigate the need for water entirely by creating synthesized water, this is one of the essential evolutions the player will need to reach the Galactic Stage so after this point Water no longer becomes a gameplay mechanic in the sense of being a resource.
Water does have roles outside of being a critical resource however, depending on the technological growth and cultural style of the player's species water can be important for buildings, vehicles, religion and cultural norms meaning it can have a similar role to non-essential resources like various minerals. The other factor is Water's role in planetary design, as bodies of water can have different compositions and can also freeze over or evaporate as a result of terraforming or the natural climate of planets.
Exploration
Exploration is a mechanic that appears throughout the game initially present in the Amphibious Stage and develops throughout, Exploration is reflected as the player's species desire to explore further and/or expand their territory (depending on the leaning of the species). Exploration is acquired through exploring the surrounding area of the player's territory as well as exploring beyond the standard boundaries, it is also gained through playing nomadic, in the Amphibious, Terrestrial, Neolithic & Antiquity Stages while initiating first contact with species in the Stellar & Galactic Stages also satisfies this.
Exploration is also gained critically through Random Events and is heavily tied to them. The player is able to forcefully trigger Random Events through amassed Exploration with some Random Events only occurring through this expenditure of Exploration. In addition most Random Events will contribute towards Exploration in a very slight way in contrast to their more significant outcomes. Exploration also plays into several evolutions the player can take and leads down a uniquely distinct part of the Evolutionary Tree separate from most of the other evolutions meaning the player will have to invest heavily into Exploration to get its full effects in spite of the ubiquitous nature of gaining Exploration. 
Military
Military refers to the player's militarized units, the Military first appears in the Neolithic Stage and continues and becomes more complex throughout each stage of the game as new areas of combat are made accessible. The Military Strength is determined by the number of Military Units the player has, the amount of Defensive Buildings and Vehicles the player has, Defensive Technologies, WMDs and Military Treaties.
The player is able to expand their Military Strength through this by purchasing new units and encouraging Military Behaviour, Military Behaviour can be influenced by a number of factors although the primary three are Religion, Politics and Culture. The player can also establish Military Treaties where the player puts pressure on other species by the presence of their forces on their territorial border or through protective treaties where the player's species provides protection for the specified species from aggressors. These are methods by which the player can win over competing species through non-direct combative means as the species may regard the player's military strength as great enough to join the player.
The player can of course use their Military forces to combat enemy forces, this includes other military forces but also civilian and other non-combat forces, the player's military pressure can also cause enemy units to change sides and seek to join the player. It is also up to the player what the Military Policies for their species are which dictate their behaviour during conflicts.
Faith
Faith is a resource that first appears in the Neolithic Stage although has its roots in the Terrestrial Stage. Faith is directly tied to the Religion mechanics and is generated when events throughout the game encourage the doctrine of the Religion of the player's species. Faith has an important role in the Antiquity Stage and depending on the player's actions can continue to play an important role in later stages as well. The main role of Faith is directing cultural trends and the enforcement of religion. The Religion is formed during the Neolithic Stage of the game and is determined by various Random Events that can occur during the Stage as well as the Evolutions in Culture and Philosophy the player acquired during that Stage. Faith has an effect on how quickly Culture changes and develops and actively helps the player in having new structures (buildings, etc.) become prevalent.
The player can use Faith to create Culture Waves where cultural factors that the player likes or doesn't like can be rapidly enforced or removed from the species population, the player can also use Faith to purchase units who're referred to as Holy Units in their title and can help generate more Faith although are slightly weaker than standard units in whatever role they have.
During the Reformation Stage the player is capable of having their species evolve to become secular which removes Faith as a resource from the game although does increase the overall speed of Cultural Changes although isn't as fast as Faith enforced Culture Waves. Faith continues to have a role in later stages however as it can be used as a method of passively encouraging the co-operation of the player's competitors in later stages and acts as a method by which the player can acquire new territory in the Galactic Stage.
Sporelian
Sporelians are the general currency in Spore Evolution, they're one of the first gameplay mechanics the player can actually entirely ignore depending on their approach in the player's species society. If the player unlocks the Currency Evolution then they'll gain access to Sporelians which act as a median in trade allowing the player to trade Sporelians for goods between their competitors. Sporelians are generated based on the population, tax rate and a few other minor elements, the player is able to use Sporelians to influence culture and purchase units, this however can lead to a backlash as usage of Sporelians is tied to the internal corruption of the player's species society, with a greater use of Sporelians resulting in higher corruption, when being used for those purposes. Trade does not cause corruption to increase.
The player can use Sporelians to also induce corruption into their competitors through bribery and is one of the first methods the player can use to conquer their opponents in the Civilization and even Space Stages without direct conflict.
Should the player not develop currency however, then they're species will use a bartering system where goods have their value determined in relation to one another and change frequently, this makes resource management more important as without a general median goods need to be directly exchanged for one another and can become quite complex for the player in the later stages.
Science
Science is a Resource and Gameplay Element that first starts appearing in the Neolithic Stage, it plays an important role in all stages after its introduction as it is tied to the development of Technological Evolutions, Science is generated through interaction with most elements within the game including building new structures, finding new resources, completing random events, discovering and interacting with other species and cultures as well as through combat. Science as a resource can be used to induce Scientific Revolutions which depending on the type selected are able to bolster the output of other resources while also accelerating the evolution towards new technological evolutions in that particular field.
Science as a gameplay mechanic also comes into a role in relation to diplomatic interactions as the player is able to use scientific technologies in trade with other species as well use Science Output in trade.
Corruption
Corruption is a mechanic that is determined by the corruption within the player's society, it first appears during the Neolithic Stage and becomes more prevalent in later stages changing its nature as the player continues through the game. Corruption is an individual based value, so each member of the player's species as well as other species has their own slight variation on the global average, although this doesn't vary anymore than 2 points outside the norm (the norm measures on a scale of 0 to 200).
Corruption is generated in the global average when the player has the species perform dubious acts and uses underhanded tactics to expand their species' territory. These include acts such as; Espionage (both Passive like gaining intel on others and active in the form of sabotage), Assassinations, Bribery, Hiring Mercenaries and transgressing on the player's own religious doctrine. It is fairly difficult to unintentionally generate corruption in the Neolithic, Antiquity and Reformation Stages of the game although becomes more likely in the Modern, Stellar and Galactic Stages, this is because methods for reversing corruption are fairly difficult in those first three Stages while much easier in the later three stages.
Countering Corruption initially is quite difficult primarily due to the limitations of the player's philosophical sphere at the earlier stages of the game when Corruption is introduced, countering Corruption involves performing acts that counter the types of Corruption that have occured; Internal Investigations, Revolutions, Purges and Defaults are the primary methods of countering Corruption although depending on the player's religious doctrine some of these may in fact cause more Corruption as a result.
Peace
Peace is a gameplay mechanic that determines a number of factors within the overall game and is determined by the frequency that the player engages in combat. Peace (sometimes referred to as Peacefulness) is not the inverse of Military however as the player can possess a powerful military and be peaceful and also be warlike while not having a strong physical army. Peace impacts the cultural norms of the player's society and has a number of factors on Diplomacy as other species will view the player's species partially based on their peacefulness, depending on the species leanings they will regard the player's level of peacefulness differently.
The player can increase their peacefulness by not engaging in combat, negotiating peace with enemies or on behalf of competing sides (note: the player must initiate the peace agreement rather than be offered it), providing aid to their competitors and completing diplomatic agreements. Inversely; attacking other species, breaking peace agreements, committing war crimes, exerting threatening pressure and promoting or initiating wars will decrease the player's peacefulness. Unlike many other gameplay elements both extremes as well as the middle-ground of Peace can be used effectively in gameplay as the opinions other species have on the player's species can make playing any form of peace viable.
Peace first appears in the Antiquity Stage and is also the hardest to manage in this stage due to the random events often having significant swing on it. The player can easily change their peacefulness over time in any stage from Antiquity onwards although species will hold grudges against the player for past transgressions for longer than it takes for the player to become peaceful.
Industry
Industry is a Gameplay Mechanic that starts to appear in the Reformation Stage, it is in essence the rate or work the player's species can output towards products both in construction and factors like food, faith and science. Industry is partially determined by the population size but also by Industrial Buildings, Vehicular Access, Quality vs. Quantity (QvQ), Regulations and certain Technologies and Philosophies the player can access.
When the player is first introduced to Industry in the Reformation Stage the main factors will be Industrial Buildings and Techs/Philosophies that positively impact Industry, the player will find that Industrial Buildings are able to bolster the output of specific products and can also reduce the number of workers for that specific industry, Techs & Philosophies meanwhile are more global in their effects.
In the Modern Stage the player will be introduced to QvQ, Vehicular Access & Regulations. QvQ determines the grade at which products come out at and can have positive or negative impacts on the effects of the product, in addition the player will need to decide how they balance QvQ for products since they can trade products with other species and set up Import Trades which are persistent but have expected import amounts. Vehicular Access is fairly simple and refers to the need for vehicles for citizens to travel, vehicular access can be satisfied by constructing and providing support to the Vehicular Industry, when the player has a surplus of Vehicular Access they're able to send excess workers to further locations to work this becomes important in the Galactic Stage where some planets without Terraforming cannot support the lifestyle of the player's species but are excellent for Industrial Work. The last factor introduced are Regulations, these appear within Technologies, Civics and Philosophical Evolutions and are implemented through the player's political system, Regulations dictate the safety of the work environment and the output, the player is able to alter the regulations for each industry which will impact these two factors, each industry has a different danger factor so it isn't necessary to have the same regulatory standards for all industries.
Ecology
Ecology is a gameplay mechanic that refers to the ecosystem of the planet, it first appears during the Reformation Stage of the game although is important in the Modern Stage and later in the Stellar & Galactic Stage although for different reasons. Ecology is a non-linear mechanic like Peace, however Ecology is comprised of 6 factors; Rainfall, Soil Grade, Wind, Temperature Range, Atmosphere & Biodiversity. These factors are important in the Stellar and Galactic Stages when the player is able to terraform planets, during the Modern Stage however the player's main focus are on Soil Grade and Atmosphere, the player needs to balance the pollution of their cities and structures with these two factors, Soil Grade is impacted by Low Grade Product Industries and Agriculture while Atmosphere is impacted by Power Generation and Medium Grade Product Industries, the player can counter these through various means although the player is also free to ignore them which has a knock-on effect to the player's culture.
In the Stellar and Galactic Stage as the player will find most planets are uninhabitable and will need to either focus their technological growth towards scientific methods to bypass the Ecological Requirements or invest into Terraforming Tools, which are used to make a planet habitable. The most basic and key part of Terraforming is Temperature, a planet too close or too far from its stellar body (or bodies) will be incapable of being terraformed as it cannot support life, there is however a relatively wide range of planets that fit into the Goldilocks Zone however said zone varies depending on the player's species so while the player can create an ecologically viable planet in most cases the ability for it to sustain the player's species without protective shielding is actually quite rare. Other factors to this the player needs to consider are Rainfall, Soil Grade, Wind & Atmosphere. Rainfall and Wind are able to be adjusted through machines either directly which have small by specific effects or large scale machines which will affect not only Rainfall and Wind but also many other factors like tide level, volcanic activity, seismic activity and atmosphere. Atmosphere comes fourth and ensuring an appropriate atmosphere that protects the planet from solar radiation but not so dense that it blocks out sunlight all together is key, Atmosphere has a small effect on Temperature although unless the player has the planet designed for their species or is one the edge of the Goldilocks Zone this will not matter much.
Soil Grade and Biodiversity are the last two and somewhat fall hand in hand, initially the player will need to create a synthetic soil for which plants can initially grow on, over time however the player will find the plants naturally support the soil grade meaning the player won't need to monitor them further, while Plants are the bare minimum for biodiversity the player can also bring zoological life onto the planet or trigger life to occur through Multi-Cellular Cascades, a fairly late-game item in the Galactic Stage, the player needs to make sure they have a suitable level of biodiversity however, this means they need to have at populations of animals that provide the role of Consumer and Decomposer (and Producer if the player decides not to have any plants on their planet), the player also needs to ensure that there are large enough populations of each respectively across the planet, over time this system will stabilize itself however the player may need to monitor the planet until it has stabilized. Once a planet has a stable ecology in the Stellar or Galactic Stages it will not change its ecology without the player's direct influence.
Politics
Politics is a system first introduced in the Reformation Stage although has its foundations established in the Antiquity Stage. Politics refers to the political form that the player's species takes, this is determined by the combination of Cultural and Philosophical Evolutions the species has taken as well as the level of free will the species has and other factors such as how the player responds to random events and has dealt with competitors in the Neolithic and onwards Stages. There are a number of different Political Systems that the player's species can form which vary similar to their societal type based on the aforementioned factors as well as Religion, Science, Military and Foreign Affairs.
Political Systems change slowly like Evolutions and often take several generational cycles to change names, there is however a method of bypassing this which are Revolutions which can occur when the species is unhappy with the current system and revolts, this has severe repercussions however and only occurs if the species' dissenting demographic believes it is powerful enough to perform the revolution.
Culture
Culture is a Mechanic in Spore Evolution that is first seen in the Neolithic Stage and similar to Faith has roots in the Terrestrial Stage. Unlike the previously mentioned mechanics, Culture does not have a quantitative value and is instead the reflection of the type of society the player's species develops throughout the game. Culture has a wide variety of terms that are used for the player's society and is directed based on the player's actions and the results of Random Events throughout the game. Culture determines the aesthetic design of structures in the player's species society as well as the behaviour of the creatures, specialities in later Stages and focus towards certain resources.
As the player is developing their society it will fall under one of several umbrella terms, these umbrella terms are reflective of the major direction the player is taking their species' society in, the player is able to adjust their culture in any age simply by focusing on different elements of the game however so culture is never static. The following mechanics influence what sort of culture the player has; Science (S), Peace (P), Industry (I), Currency (C), Ecology (E), Fraudulence (F), Order (O), Religion (R), Military (M), Arts (A) & Travel (T) otherwise referred to as the "SPICE FORMAT".
*(SP) Healer
*(SI) Researcher
*(SC) Tech Market
*(SE) Biologist
*(SF) Testmaster
*(SO) Technocracy
*(SR) Technothiest
*(SM) Starforce
*(SA) Wonderer
*(ST) Explorer
*(PI) Provider	
*(PC) Stabilizer 
*(PE) Naturalist 
*(PF) Intelligencer 
*(PO) Diplomat 
*(PR) Shaman 
*(PM) Peacekeeper 
*(PA) Composer 
*(PT) Performer 
*(IC) Investor 
*(IE) Eternalist 
*(IF) Black Market	
*(IO) Architect 
*(IR) Funds Pact 
*(IM) Military Machine 
*(IA) Stylizer
*(IT) Salesman 
*(CE) Renewable Economy 
*(CF) Con Artist 
*(CO) Plutocracy 
*(CR) Tithe Government 
*(CM) Mercenary 
*(CA) Influencer	
*(CT) Trader
*(EF) Bio-Terrorist
*(EO) Ecologist 
*(ER) Protectorate
*(EM) Bio-Protectors
*(EA) Wild Heart
*(ET) Green Thumb
*(FO) Mastermind
*(FR) Whisper Cult
*(FM) Propagandist
*(FA) Trickster	
*(FT) Charlatan 
*(OR) Theocracy 
*(OM) Knight's Order 
*(OA) Counsel 
*(OT) Promoter 
*(RM) Crusader 
*(RA) Spiritualist 
*(RT) Missionary 
*(MA) Assimilator 
*(MT) Nomad 
*(AT) Bard
Spice
Spice is a critical resource in the Stellar & Galactic Stages of Spore Evolution, returning from the previous game, Spice is the governing fuel source for interplanetary travel as well as numerous late-game technologies, Spice is the most important Resource the player will need to expand across the galaxy and utilizing it effectively is key to succeeding in the later parts of the game alongside with the respective other gameplay elements the player has become accustomed to.
Spice comes in numerous varieties that are designated by their colour, Red is the most common while Purple is the rarest, each Spice has a different functionality and purpose, so the player will need to make sure their sources of Spice remain at an acceptable output. Spice has three main sources; Biological, Mineral & Spacial. Biological Spice occurs from certain species of plants, this along with Spacial are renewable methods of obtaining Spice although Biological is much slower but is available much earlier as well, Biological Spice has the innately lowest grade of all three Spice Sources and Green and Blue Spice are more common.
Mineral Spices are found in geysers and as underground veins, they have a similar acquisition to other minerals and are non-renewable meaning the player will need to keep an eye on the Spice Levels on planets that only use this method for acquisition. Mineral Spice is the only instance where Dual-Spices can occur, this is where two spices of different colours appear simultaneously making it easier to harvest both, in addition Mineral Spices have the highest grade of the three in part due to their limited access. In spite of being non-renewable in standard senses, Mineral Spice does very slowly regenerate over time although this takes millions of years so it is not viable for the player.
Lastly is Spacial Spice, this is Spice that appears in space through anomalies, this Spice is renewable and is generally the main source for late into the Galactic Stage, in this form Yellow and Pink Spice are the most common. The player must be mindful of their surroundings when they find these anomalies however as different stellar bodies can react differently to spice, the player can also experiment this by jettisoning Spice canisters from ships into stellar bodies, the main ones to keep an eye on are Stars (which will explode if they come into contact with Spice Anomalies) and Bio-Clouds (which contaminate the Spice and can cause plagues as a result).
==Planetary Types==
The player will find that there are wide variety of planets for them to choose from, unlike in Spore where planets would be pre-determined the player is able to alter some elements of the planet they're species will reside on, this allows the player to not only alter the planet's appearance but the challenges the player will face as a result, different species will appear depending on the type of planet and other factors like plant matter, water level and sunlight vary as well. Below are the list of planetary types although each planetary type has variation within itself forming ranges.
*Frozen - A planet that's completely frozen over, this is one of the most inhospitable planetary types and is the lower temperature end of the Goldilocks zone, plants only grow in underground areas where the temperature from the mantle provides enough heat. Life on these planets is typically found exclusively in caves and thus is usually adapted for low light environments, the player can establish a species on land however will need to rely on cavern systems to survive.
*Glacial - Glacial Planets are large icy planets that are distinguished for having what are known as belts, these are climate varying areas often around the equator and tropics of the planet as well as uncommon ones appearing near volcanic regions. These planets are similar to Frozen and Tundra planets and are somewhat of an inbetween, they have sizeable bodies of water although they're often completely frozen unless in these warmer zones, life tends to be similar to Alpine Planets in the warmer zones although life on the border between the two major environmental types is usually unique to these planets.
*Tundra - Freezing cold planets with small patches of green amidst semi-frozen oceans and snowy mountains, Tundra planets are often rich in minerals although developing life can be difficult as native fauna is often ultra competitive and the freezing winds and low temperature make the landscape unforgiving.
*Iceberg - These watery planets have very little in the way of landmass, most of the planet's land is submerged under freezing cold oceans where massive icebergs form, these planets often have bountiful sea life and are excellent for fishing colonies however the lack of land and blisteringly cold conditions makes it difficult for intelligent life to form on them.
*Crystalized - Crystalized planets are very cold planets where large mineral deposits form giant crystals all across the planets, they're often prized by other species due to the bounty of minerals although are rarely terraformed as the minerals often need to remain in sub-zero temperatures to remain in a solid or even liquid state. Life on these planets is usually mountainous in nature with medium trees being the dominant flora and most animals either being adapted for fast vertical movement or outright flight.
*Winter Desert - Relatively cold planets, Winter Deserts are defined by their near complete lack of above ground water, small oasis form in their deserts but the low temperature means that during some times of the year the bodies of water freeze over. Plants on these planets often are capable of adapting to the harsh conditions by storing water in massive storage bodies on the plant which fauna often need to rely on to survive.
*Magnetic - Magnetic Planets are ones with massive magnetic mineral deposits resulting in semi-frequent thunderstorms on the planets, they're often lacking in large bodies of water however the atmosphere is quite thick so it rains frequently on such planets. Species that develop on these planets usually don't have to worry about energy as much although at the same time have to adapt their technology to live on such planets.
*Alpine - Alpine Planets are planets that have large plant life although have a relatively low temperature, they have large bodies of water as well although these can freeze over during cold periods, Alpine planets are generally considered to be at the lower temperature end of the Perfect Goldilocks Zone. These planets can be challenging to live on although aren't nearly as unforgiving as other cold planets, in addition creatures that do well in jungles and forests can sometimes thrive on these planets.
*Fogbank - Fogbank Planets are semi-cold planets with extremely dense atmospheres, they're often quite lush although the fog can often obscure the planet's natural beauty, flora can vary greatly on these planets and fauna will often evolve to be able to see through the fog or hide within it. These planets are also one of the few where amphibious creatures thrive as the wetness of the entire planet makes it easy for them to create nests.
*Superplant - These bizarre planets are easily identifiable for the massive plants that grow on them, they're fairly similar to Aged and Rough Planets, however due to the abundance and sheer size of the plants these planets will be unrecognizable, the plants often are able to sustain their own ecosystems with smaller parasitic plants and fungi growing on them and fauna living around the various parts of the giant plants.
*Aged - Aged planets are standard temperature planets with little in the way of topography, their name comes from the general lack of tectonic or extraplanetary activity creating hills, mountains, volcanoes, valleys or canyons, as a result the planet has a very flat look to it and tends to be somewhat lacking in trees as well. These planets often have very large grasslands which make them excellent for species that excel in ambush hunting as well as creatures that are quite tall and are able to see long distances.
*Rough - Rough planets are more or less the topographical opposite of aged planets, although they can be of the same age or even older, these planets have a more active tectonic system and have defined mountains, valleys and other features, they're generally one of the more varied in terms of biospheres and are considered one of the best planets to find as unless the species is an extremophile they can usually colonize such a planet without terraforming.
*Spiny - These planets have a very distinct appearance which is where they get their name from, the planet is often quite young and has massive mountains and chasms that creating giant rivers that often flow at high speeds across the planet's surface, over millions of years these planets can change into Rough or even Aged planets, they tend to favour deep rooted planets such as brush and trees and generally herbivores on these planets remain relatively small although carnivores can end up larger if they're in favourable locations.
*Cavernous - Cavernous Planets are ones that have been bombarded by asteroids to such an extent that large chasms and canyons have formed across the planet, these are easily distinguished from Spiny Planets as they lack the defining spines as the unaffected ground is more flat and in line with an Aged or Rough planet. These planets are rather strange as they are able to develop a wide variety of life forms thanks to the combination of large flat areas and sharp inclines and declines in the terrain as well as cavern areas that provide environments for creatures adapted for low light to thrive. These planets are typically somewhat lacking in large bodies of water as most of the water falls into the chasms pooling in large underground lakes.
*Arid - Planets with little in the way of large plants and bodies of water, these planets aren't extreme in temperature although due to the lack of flora and water are rather difficult for animals to live on. Many of these planets also often have sharp defined geography making navigation along these planets difficult.
*Green - Planets that have a moderately high amount of water and have bountiful flora across the planet, they're fairly uncommon due to the combination of requirements for their existence also needing an active tectonic surface but not as extreme as a Rough Planet, in addition they're also fairly old planets where the plant matter was able to develop long before fauna appeared.
*Lunar - Lunar planets are only defined by a single factor, they're not orbiting their parent star but rather are orbiting a planet, they fit the size parameters for a planet however and can be any other type of planet and as such are referred to as "Lunar-[Type]" based on what the other attributes of the planet are. In general these planets have their main difference be the appearance of sunlight varying from a standard planet as they orbit a non-light emitting celestial body.
*Acidic - Acidic Planets have the distinction of having noxious fluids and fumes that can be found across the planets, they're difficult to colonize and make species that develop on them considerably more hardy than most. The planets offer a number of resources that are somewhat rarer on other planets although colonization is difficult if not impossible due to the poor air quality and danger of contamination into the purification systems for colonizing species.
*Floating Islands - These rather unusual planets are the results of ultra-heavy seas as a result the landmasses glide across the ocean due to their bouyancy, these planets are rather difficult for life to develop as there is very little in the way of beaches and as such amphibious life is nearly never present on these planets. The mineral present in the oceans to make them ultra heavy is only found at a very specific temperature so these planets are considered among the rarest in the galaxy.
*Steppe-Whirl - These strange planets have small flat landmasses that are surrounded by oceans, due ot the unusual shape of these planets their oceans often contain massive whirlpools that circulate the water around the planet at high speeds, they're a tricky planet for species to develop on however the land it varies between grasslands and arid deserts based on the location on the planet itself.
*Tropical  - Tropical Planets are one's with a slightly above average temperature, they're defined by longer than normal sunlight, the other qualifying factor for them is the extremely high presence of water making them similar in appearance to Iceberg planets in terms of water level. Life on these planets is often surrounded around the islands on these planets even in the ocean as the ocean's of these planets often have very active volcanic vents.
*Steam Jungle - Steam Jungle Planets are planets where there is a moderate amount of water and above average temperature, they're distinguishable for also being among the most verdant planets in the galaxy, hence their name. They will often have superheated geysers situated throughout the planet that spew up underground lakes located above the mantle. Life on these planets is often extremely abundant but also competitive as a result with it being common for species to rapidly die out until one becomes dominant.
*Desert - Desert Planets are above average temperature planets that are generally lacking in water, they're considered to be the hot equivalent to Winter Deserts and share many of the same features just differing according to the temperature. They similarly have very little in the way of large plants with most plants often being more solitary and having elements that allow them to retain water much more easily. Species on these planets often have a hard time developing especially early on as any bodies of water are often transient meaning only species that migrate often can usually survive.
*Sandstorm - Though similar to desert planets, Sandstorm planets are distinguished for their relatively flat geography resulting in large sandstorms that plague the planets, they're also not as lacking in water as Desert planets although nowhere near enough water to support large amounts of plants and therefore most life. The hardy nature of creatures on these planets mean they often adapt to living without sight relying on different senses instead.
*Volcanic - Volcanic Planets are planets with high temperatures although not extreme, they're easily identifiable for having high tectonic activity which results in numerous volcanoes forming along the tectonic intersections, while they do appear rather dangerous they're quite capable of being lived on as the excellent soil allows plants to grow rapidly which will often spread far to ensure they aren't made extinct by a single eruption, bodies of water are also able to vary from being few to many although if the sea level is high enough the planet is instead considered a Tropical Planet.
*Molten - Molten Planets are among the most inhospitable of habitable planets in the galaxy, at the upper limits of the temperature scale these planets have boiling oceans of water and volcanic material, plant life is often limited to small grasses and shrubs as larger plants simply can't survive in the extreme temperatures. Though water is generally abundant on these planets it is transient outside of major bodies of water as the hot ground causes rapid evaporation, life that dwells on these planets is often incapable of surviving on colder planets as they've evolved internal cooling systems.
*Old Life - Old Life Planets are rare ones that can be found periodically, there is no way for the player to create such a planet similar to Lunar Planets, these are planets were an old species that went extinct long ago once existed, like Lunar Planets these ones will be referred to as "Old Life - [Type]" based on other attributes. It should be noted that it is impossible for a Lunar Planet to also be an Old Life Planet as the two are set to be mutually exclusive.
==Plot==
Spore Evolution doesn't really have a plot per-say, rather there are a series of events the player will have to go through to progress through the stages as outlined above these include developing certain evolutionary qualities both physical and technological. As the player advances through the game they will find various fossilized remains of ancient creatures, this becomes relevant during the Stellar and Galactic Stages as the player will learn about a major faction that appears in every Galaxy called The Great Knowledge a collective of species dedicated to the understanding of ancient knowledge, the player is free to ignore this group if they want although this does provide the player with information about the history of the galaxy.
From the player's interactions with this group they're able to learn that the galaxies of the universe are merely testing grounds for much higher beings who had periodically wiped life back to an ancient state although no one knows why, some believing it to be a disgust towards the knowledge or religions of the species that formed or their behaviour or treatment of the planet, others still believe it is because they fear the industrial might or military prowess of some species or perhaps the cultural influence or explorative desires of species.
As the player continues through the game they'll encounter remains of ancient species that reflect the trends of the player's own species being experts in whatever fields the player's species were experts in, eventually after the player unlocks the ability to jump between Galaxies they will meet a robotic entity called S.I.M. (Simulated Intelligence Machine) who informs the player's species that they've done well to make it so far and that the being who brought them into existence has done an admirable job in getting the species as far as it has (referring to the player and also essentially stating that the ancient beings the Great Knowledge believe in is just the players), S.I.M. then proceeds to lambaste and criticize the player's decisions throughout the game, using very minor and seemingly irrelevant nitpicks showing the later outcomes of some of the player's random events and the repercussion of the player's choices in those events often portraying the outcome as having an absurdly negative effect on the individual of the player's species involved in the event that the player would've had no way of predicting. S.I.M. however concludes that the player's species has made it far enough that it can look past the player's shortsightedness stating that it had already expected this.
S.I.M. then seems to go into a ramble where it begins to ponder if it is in fact the creator of the player and rattles off about its infinite foresight and then wonders if perhaps it was created by the same species as the player before concluding that to be impossible and tells the player's species not to worry about their creator as S.I.M.'s creator probably made sure the player's species creator (the player) couldn't balls things up too much.
S.I.M. can be encountered a few more times after this when the player achieves certain technological feats, S.I.M. will ponder on various other ideas and will also indirectly mention the Grox stating;
:"I remember a creator had to destroy their entire galaxy once because this imp-like cyborg species they made got way out of hand and started killing everyone".
S.I.M. will also make reference to various science fiction entertainment in his encounters as well as a mention to Simcity and the Sims where it states;
:"I remember this one creator had the idea to simulate just a single city, apparently it was really popular and a lot of other creators ended up getting in on the idea, then that creator decided they just wanted to focus on one member of their species, must've been a pretty bad life for that poor creature"
As the player unlocks more technologies and philosophies in the Galactic Stage they can also acquire items from S.I.M. who'll congratulate the player's species for their technological or philosophical advancements and suggests they reverse engineer the things it gives them since it can only provide a limited amount. These vary greatly from powerful Terraforming Tools to Mineral Converters.
==Trivia==
*The decision for the game to focus more around Strategy-Sim rather than Action-Adventure stemmed from the potential the developer saw in the Tribal and Civilization Stages, seeing them as the most underdeveloped of the five in the original and also as the ones most apt to expand upon.
*Unlike the original Spore, Spore Evolution will not start the player in the Milky Way, although the galaxy does exist in the game the probability of the player encountering it is extremely low.
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