| A formicarium is an insectarium which is designed | | | | In SimAnt, the player plays the role of an ant in a |
| primarily for the study of ant colonies and how ants | | | | colony of black ants in the back yard of a suburban |
| behave. "Ant Farms," similar to these, are popular | | | | home. The ant colony must battle against enemy red |
| subjects for school projects. Those who study how | | | | ants. The ultimate goal is to spread throughout the |
| ants behave are known as myrmecologists. | | | | garden, into the house, and finally to drive out the |
| A formicarium is usually an ant colony enclosed by a | | | | human owners. In this respect, SimAnt differed from |
| transparent box made of glass or plastic. The first | | | | other 'Sim' games, which largely had no "win" or "lose" |
| commercially-sold formicarium was introduced around | | | | situation. |
| 1929 and patented in 1931 by Frank Eugene Austin, an | | | | In the Quick Game, the player establishes a black ant |
| inventor and professor at the Thayer School of | | | | colony in a small patch of yard, shown in top-down |
| Engineering at Dartmouth College. Austin included | | | | perspective. The computer opponent establishes a |
| painted or wooden scenes of palaces, farms, and | | | | competing red ant colony in the same patch. |
| other settings above the ground level, for a whimsical | | | | Underground ant colonies are depicted in a side view. |
| look. | | | | The player has direct control of a single ant at a time, |
| The best-known formicariums are examples of "Uncle | | | | indicated by a yellow color, and may switch control to |
| Milton's Ant Farm," for which the ants are sent to the | | | | a different ant at any time (by double-clicking the |
| purchaser through the mail, upon receipt of the coupon | | | | desired ant). (A little known fact is that the spider in the |
| enclosed with the Ant Farm. The educational toy is | | | | game can also be controlled by double clicking it.) The |
| made by Uncle Milton Industries in Westlake Village, | | | | player's yellow ant may influence the behavior of other |
| California, and has sold over 20 million Ant Farms since | | | | black ants by leaving pheromone trails to destinations |
| 1956 and which owns the brand name "Ant Farm" (a | | | | such as food and enemy ant colonies and can control |
| registered trademark). This type of formicarium is for | | | | the other ants in a limited way (by ordering a certain |
| observing worker ants and its effectiveness in serious | | | | number to follow it, for instance). The quick game is |
| ant propagation is limited. | | | | won or lost when either the red or black colony in said |
| Formicariums and "Ant Farms" are usually made thin | | | | patch is defeated. |
| enough so the tunnels and cavities made by the ants | | | | The player's yellow ant may pick up food and rocks, |
| can be seen and for their behavior to be studied. They | | | | regurgitate food for friendly ants, and attack enemy |
| can be filled with soil, sand, vermiculite, other mineral | | | | ants, spiders, caterpillars, and antlions. Natural hazards |
| fragments, or sawdust. Newer formicariums filled with | | | | include human footsteps, spiders, antlions, lawnmowers, |
| semi-transparent gel (pictured right) can be made | | | | and rain, which washes away pheromone trails and |
| thicker. The gel provides nutrition, moisture and a | | | | can flood the bottom of ant nests. |
| medium for the ant nest. | | | | In the Full Game, the player begins with an ant colony |
| Other types of formicariums are those made with | | | | in an overhead view, much like the Quick Game. The |
| plaster, or simply with no medium. Plaster nests can be | | | | region of this overhead view is a single square of a |
| made by placing modeling clay on a glass panel in the | | | | map containing a yard and house, and the player wins |
| form of tunnels and chambers. The plaster is poured | | | | by colonizing the entire map. The player spreads to |
| onto the mold and when it has dried the clay is | | | | other areas by producing young queens and drones to |
| removed and the remaining structure can be used for | | | | mate with each other. The full game is won or lost |
| housing ants. The ants in this type of formicarium are | | | | when either of the red or black colonies is eliminated. |
| very easily seen, but it can be less than comfortable | | | | The Experimental Game is similar to the Quick Game, |
| for the ants. Mediumless formicariums can be in any | | | | except the player can also control red ants and has |
| container, with the ants staying in moist test tubes or | | | | access to a set of experimental tools. These tools |
| other small containers. This also allows for better | | | | allow the player to place pheromone trails, maze walls, |
| visibility, but can be less interesting because no digging | | | | rocks, ants, and food. |
| takes place. | | | | The boxed game also comes with a thoroughly |
| Often, containing ants inside a formicarium can be a | | | | researched instruction manual, which not only covers |
| problem. Several substances are used to repel the | | | | game mechanics, but also contains a large amount of |
| ants, including vegetable oil, petroleum jelly, or fluon. | | | | information regarding ants and ant societies. |
| They are applied to the side of the formicarium to | | | | Creatures |
| prevent escape. These substances are generally too | | | | There are a variety of creatures in SimAnt such as |
| slippery for the ants to walk on. Despite this, some | | | | spiders, antlions, caterpillars, pillbugs, birds, and even |
| species of ants can build bridges of debris or dirt on | | | | humans. All of these creatures are hazards to a |
| the substance to escape. | | | | player's ant colony, though the player can switch to |
| Another way of preventing the ants from escaping is | | | | playing a spider in order to destroy opposing ant |
| to place the entire formicarium in a shallow container | | | | colonies. The spider, caterpillars, and the antlions can all |
| of water, creating a moat. | | | | be killed by swarming them with other ants you've |
| SimAnt is a 1991 life simulation computer game by | | | | gathered to yourself. Dead spiders and caterpillars will |
| Maxis focusing on ants. It was designed by Will Wright, | | | | eventually turn into food. They will also return later on. |
| maker of other 'Sim' games such as SimCity and The | | | | Antlions stay dead once they are killed. |
| Sims. | | | | The ants' caste system in the game is simple. |
| The game is essentially a simulation of an ant colony | | | | Workers normally make up most of the colony and |
| (Ant simulation game) . The game consists of three | | | | their jobs are to gather food, dig out the nest, and care |
| modes: a Quick Game, a Full Game, and an | | | | for eggs, larvae, and the queen. They also help defend |
| Experimental Game. It was released for the IBM PC, | | | | the nest. Soldiers are stronger than workers, and |
| Commodore Amiga, Apple Macintosh, and Super | | | | better at fighting other ants; they can do most of the |
| Nintendo Entertainment System. The Nintendo version | | | | same jobs as workers but need more food and can't |
| also added eight scenarios, where the goal in each is | | | | care for eggs and larva. The queen ant only has to lay |
| to eliminate the enemy red ants in various locales, | | | | eggs and is the most important ant. New queens and |
| each with different hazards. However, this edition of | | | | males (drones) have wings and their only job is to |
| the SimAnt lacks the Experimental Game. | | | | mate and make new colonies. |