Organism labels

By Robin Dowling · 2 months ago

Organisms in the simulation have individual names, belong to species, can be infected with diseases, be pregnant, following or being followed. But this information wasn't visible. You could watch an organism move across the world without knowing anything about it beyond its appearance.

I added labels that display directly above organisms. Each label shows the organism's individual name and species name. Additional indicators appear based on the organism's current state: a symbol for pregnancy, another for infection, another for interaction state.

Labels update in real time as an organism's state changes. When an organism becomes pregnant, the indicator appears. When it gives birth, the indicator disappears. If it becomes infected, that status shows immediately.

This makes the simulation much easier to understand. You can see family relationships, organisms with similar species names are possibly related. You can track disease spread through populations by watching infection indicators move through groups. You can identify which organism you're following at a glance.

The labels also make it easier to find specific organisms. If you want to follow a particular species or individual, you can scan the visible organisms and identify them by name rather than appearance alone.

Adding labels required balancing information density with visual clarity. Too much text clutters the viewport. Too little leaves observers without context. The current implementation shows essential information concisely, name, species, and state indicators, without overwhelming the view.

It's a simple addition, but it transforms observation from watching anonymous sprites move around to watching individuals with identities and stories.