What is this?

With Civarium I'm aiming to create a game inspired by Dwarf Fortress, Banished and other similar games where you manage a civilisation - but with a greater focus on the autonomy of the citizens. The aim is to create a game that can play itself without intervention - so you can leave the citizens to their own devices, or modify their environment as you please, sandbox-style.

Thus, Civarium - Civilisation Vivarium.

What does that mean?

I'm not really sure yet - at this stage I'm exploring the possibilities. Initially, citizens will have needs such as hunger and thirst which they will be able to manage via a goal-based planning system. But I also intend to make them able to optimise for the long run - such as by stockpiling foraged food for easier access, or building a well closer to home.

The citizens will also be independent individuals - if one citizen discovers a resource, only they will know about it unless they share their knowledge with others. This will introduce social bottlenecks that will be interesting to play with.