Antsim

## How to access

This game is part of a game jam on Itch.io. You should probably go search there or something, or perhaps join the Discord server at https://discord.gg/j2kmV9q and then search the news section until you find it. It'll turn up eventually, just like the bees. Do not avoid the bees, embrace them. But beware, for if their hunger is not sated, they will embrace you.

## The Antsim

This is probably a game, and it's even made by people. As with any Farrago product, the true goal of the game is to look inside and discover what the goal is for yourself. To that end, you have an assortment of tools available to you in order to aid in your endeavors as the new god of the probably ants:

### Dig

Described by some as the sensation of clawing at soil with your hands like a feral beast, your powers were are even more visceral. This tool will destroy the ground it touches, in a similar fashion to the red bees. It's almost somewhat eraser-like. You can become an engine of absolute destruction except only for dirt, because you can't actually harm anything else with this.

### Dirt

Place a square of dirt. Hold the mouse button down and drag to place many places of dirt. Enable the suffering of the winged dwellers of the fetid sky by encircling them in dirt. You can draw a circle right? You should be fine. It doesn't have to be a perfect circle. For all it matters you could draw a bunch of cats. Anyway, alternating between the Dig and Dirt tool will allow you to fold the landscape to your own whims. If you're into that sort of thing. You must be if you hang around Farrago without fearing for your life.

### Food

This tool makes a $13 uncooked steak pop out of nowhere. You can place as many steaks as you like. Feel free to place so much steak it clogs reality. If you wish to encase a creature in dirt and then smother it in meat to create a tomb, you are probably some strange and sadistic person. But then, you're playing a Farrago game so you might as well since you have the opportunity. The little bees will try to collect this and bring it to their queen, which will make her explode in size and spurt out small bees like some ungodly abomination. The more meat you stuff in her the better. She loves to engorge herself on it. She has no self control. This is her only joy in life. You wouldn't deprive her of her sole source of happiness would you? Would you? Why are they carnivores? Who is becoming the steak?

## Characters

There are a few creatures you will encounter while playing this game. You will find a startling lack of ants listed in this category. I accept no responsibility for this. I am just as much a victim as you are.

### I'm told they're red ants

They're bees or something though, or some other forbidden creature entirely. Who even knows. The red ones have the power to dig through the soil, similarly to your Dig tool. Except they're slow. You should help them in their endless, unquenchable crusade to destroy the world. Embrace capitalism.

### Black ants probably

These little guys exist to be buried alive. Failing that, you can also dig up the soil around them so that they can collect meat and bring it to the Queen Bee. Do not make the mistake I did and assume they are villains. The true villains are the creators of this game. You can exact retribution against them by defeating their children in the sky. These black bees will go and attack the children in the sky if there is no food around them. There would be no food around them because you're either very curious or just like to watch things fend for themselves. If the latter applies to you, please do not adopt an animal.

### Queen Ant? Is this even a bee?

No one knows the true nature of this horrific creature, only that her endless drones desperately toil away their short lifespan in order to attempt to sate her unquenchable thirst for whatever the heck is flying around above the soil. Once she consumes a steak or, whatever else you find for her to eat, she will swell to horrific proportions in order to unceremoniously spurt a crapton of bees or ants or whatever you're going to call them into existence and the cycle will continue. None can glean even a hint of emotion or caring in her cold, dead eyes. Only an insatiable and empty existence desperate to devour all that you find good in the world. Please distract her with the bizarre flying creatures at the very least. She will spare no one. Feel free to give her a silly name that starts with a B though. So far I've named mine *Queen Bunglechonk* and *Queen Chonklate Milk III.* The more royal sounding the name, the more insane your cohabitors will perceive you as when you whisper silently into your screen in response to her calls. Unless you live alone, in which case loudly declare your love for her at your leisure. Especially if you have neighbors.

### Pigeons? Seriously?

They're called pigeons but are an amalgamation of two entirely different things. Or perhaps three. I couldn't force myself to look at them very long. They fly around and smell delicious apparently. The bees will attack them if there is no immediate source of food available, and they make a super secret noise that may resemble the biological noises of a certain sleeping god-like being if they happen to be devoured. Be sure to feed as many as possible to the queen. There will never be enough to sate her hunger. Never.

## Game modes

Here are just a few ways you can experience this contraption without inflicting harm to yourself: Unless you hurt your wrist or finger by moving your mouse around. You should probably see a doctor.

**Advent of the Dark Queen:** Try to corral the pigeons to your queen while keeping her well fed. Make tunnels! Draw circles around the pigeons! You can't move the queen so you're forced to slowly shepherd the pigeons to their doom like an indignant executioner or goat herder. Except these pigeons are even dumber than actual pigeons and will get caught on any amount of dirt so good luck with that.

**Doodle mode:** Just draw with the dirt tool and let nature take it's course. Nobody said you had to interact with this game. In fact, why play anything? What are you doing on the internet? Go do my homework. The time machine is in the corner. Stop looking at me.

**Dig Dug but reverse:** Fill the entire world with dirt. If you manage to fill the entire world with dirt, without leaving even an inch bare, and then fill it completely with meat, you may unlock a secret. In fact, if you completely fill the entire screen with meat and go to the Discord server, posting your image with the caption "Big meat," people will probably assume you're a terrifying person. I know I will. Go do it. Do it now. You've done enough reading. Your reward is the sweet embrace of madness. What are words but a collection of pixels with no queen to feed? What was that noise?

## Trivia

* The music will change depending on the number of bees available. If you hear a bunch of clapping noises and them a solemn, mysterious piano, you have ruined everything. Please enjoy the music anyway.
* This game was part of a game jam or something. I'm hazy on the details. I've forgotten where I live.
* "But I don't want to have to go all the way to the discord server or search itch.io. My face was stolen by a Farrago executive and that makes it extremely difficult to navigate the internet." Fine, here: https://jadedresearcher.itch.io/antsim