An ecosystem that becomes the factory
Living Circuit is an ecosystem automation game concept set on an alien planet. Plants, fungi and animals form an expanding, self-sustaining production system. The satisfaction comes from building connections, observing bottlenecks and improving the living network.
You control the gardener, an alien caretaker who plants, harvests, relocates organisms and guides the system's growth. Automation lets the same amount of personal work sustain a larger ecosystem while leaving room for hands-on intervention.
Glowing mycelium connects the system
Fungal threads form the network beneath the garden. Connected organisms can share water and nutrients, while physical goods such as fruit, seeds and harvested biomass still need a carrier: an animal or the gardener.
A production chain might link a deep-rooted water source to mycelium, a tree, flowers, pollinators, fruit carriers and an organism that consumes resources to unlock evolutionary improvements. A broken connection affects the organisms that depend on it.
The visual direction uses a high, angled isometric or top-down camera so the network remains readable and the gardener's silhouette is visible. A proposed network view reveals roots, mycelium and resource flows beneath the surface.
Water determines where life can spread
Rain replenishes soil water. Shallow roots draw from the upper layer, while deep-rooted species can reach deeper water and nutrients. New plants need access to moisture through suitable ground and root-network coverage; without it, they dry out.
Water storage and shade are possible ways to manage dry periods and evaporation. Expanding the garden means establishing the conditions that let the next patch of life survive. Overusing a local water reserve can undermine an otherwise productive system.
Animals keep the cycle moving
Animals have functional roles in the ecosystem: pollination, carrying seeds or fruit, grazing renewable biomass, returning nutrients and controlling other populations. Decomposers and soil-improving organisms can close the cycle.
The challenge is to balance these relationships. Too many grazers can damage production; an unsuitable predator population can remove useful species. The intended rhythm is to build, observe, find the limiting process and adjust the system.
All organisms on the gardener's side are alien, with a visual identity that suggests calm, harmony and cleanliness. Unfamiliar anatomy, soft curves and bioluminescence support that identity even when a species is a predator. The detailed species roster remains to be designed.
Harvested material changes its purpose
The gardener can trim excess growth, gather produce, transplant fresh shoots, move organisms and carry remains or waste to a suitable decomposition area. Animals automate transport, but the gardener can still intervene where the system needs help.
Harvested material deteriorates over time. A fresh shoot may be suitable for planting; after spoiling, it can still fertilise the soil or feed a decomposer. The proposed progression from fresh material to decay and recovered nutrients changes its use instead of simply turning it into useless waste.
Evolutionary organisms can consume selected resources to support development. Gathering and moving materials therefore connects immediate care with longer-term changes to the ecosystem.
Biological defence against industrial invaders
Humans or other aliens can arrive by spacecraft and impose an aggressive industrial presence on the landscape. Their angular machinery, smoke, harsh artificial lighting and forced extraction contrast with the gardener's quiet, organic network.
Defensive organisms use biological traits: static discharge, venom, armour-piercing spines, acid, gripping roots and obstructing fungal growth. These are design directions to develop alongside each species' ordinary ecological role.
The gardener can also make organic tools from collected secretions, spines, resin or electrically active tissue. Acid sacs, adhesive masses and spore containers are possible examples. Their freshness and deterioration can connect direct intervention to the material cycle.
Turn the aftermath into new growth
Damaged machines and abandoned spacecraft become material sources. Specialised organisms can slowly break down metals and other industrial materials, while different decomposers process remains, spilled substances and damaged vegetation.
A reclaimed site can progress from wreckage to colonising mycelium, decomposition, recovered minerals, improved soil and renewed plant life. More advanced invaders may leave unusual materials that support new evolutionary possibilities.
Living Circuit is under planning. The supplied artwork establishes the gardener, the glowing network and the contrast with industrial intruders; organism behaviour, resource rates, combat balance and progression still need to be developed.