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