Spore/Walkthrough

Gameplay
Spore is a simulation that begins in the Cell Stage and progresses through to a Space Stage. It consists of several long phases, each with its own style of play, with a range of gameplay styles, including elements of life simulation and real-time strategy. Players are able to remain in any phase for as long as they wish, before moving on to the next phase. Players may also choose between easy, normal, or hard difficulties. For the purposes of this guide, we will assume you are playing on normal difficulty.

Stages
There are five stages in Spore: cell, creature, tribal, civilization, and space. Each of these stages have their own unique style of play and creativity. Your choices in earlier stages will determine which abilities you receive later in the game.

Cell Stage
For more information, see Cell Phase.

The Cell Stage is the most basic of stages in Spore. You control a small organism that must eat to grow. As a carnivore, you must kill creatures smaller than you to eat them. As an herbivore, you will find small plants to eat. The more you eat, the larger you become. As an omnivore, you may eat both meat and plants. You also gain "DNA points" which you may use to upgrade your creatures abilities in the Cellular Editor.

When you gain enough DNA points you will automatically evolve a brain. You may now choose to move on to the Creature Stage.

Creature Stage
For more information, see Creature Phase.

The Creature Stage follows your creature as he continues to evolve on land. By finding new parts, you may increase your creatures ability to fight or socialize using the Creature Editor. You must eat to stay alive, as well as avoid predators that are stronger than you. Carnivores must kill other creatures to eat and herbivores can forage for fruit. Omnivores may do either.

You have the option of befriending other creatures or killing them off to the point of extinction. Befriending creatures will entice them to join you as allies, helping you fend to off or kill larger creatures.

Periodically, your brain will become larger until you can finally enter the Tribal Stage.

Tribal Phase
For more information, see Tribal Phase.

The Tribal Stage is the first stage in which you gain control over multiple characters. Your creature has evolved enough to learn how to use tools and has created a tribe. Your goal now is to become the dominant tribe on your planet, by befriending or destroying five other tribes. Meanwhile, you must still feed your tribe. This is accomplished by hunting, farming, or fishing for food. Also, you may give your creatures clothing, which boosts their abilities by spending food as currency.

When you are the dominant tribe, you will advance to the Civilization Stage.

Civilization Phase
For more information, see Civilization Phase.

The Civilization Phase adds two new editors to the game: the Building Editor and the Vehicle Editor. You now control a thriving society that is vying for power against other similar societies of the same creature. You now have three means with which to conquer your opponents. You may take their city by force by destroying their city until they surrender, convert them to your religion, or buy them off after trading with them for long enough.

You may buy new vehicles and cities using spice, which is the currency of the world. Cities also produce spice consistently if you have factories. Unfortunately, factories cause unhappiness in your citizens, so you must build entertainment centers to balance them. Further, houses are required to increase the number of vehicles you may have at one time.

There are three types of vehicles: land, sea, and air. Land vehicles may attack cities and land-based spice deposits. Sea vehicles may attack coastal cities and sea-based spice deposits. Air units may attack cities and can cross the ocean, but they cannot take spice deposits.

Once you have taken over the entire world, you may design and build your spacecraft, which will launch you into the Space Phase.

Space Phase
For more information, see Space Phase.

The Space Phase is the largest and arguably most complex stage of the game. Your goal is to reach the center of the galaxy. In order to do so, you must earn Spore Bucks with which to buy upgrades to your ship. To earn money, you may perform missions, buy and sell spice, and take over rival solar systems. There are now alien beings that you may attempt to ally or go to war. You may set up trade routes as well. In order to advance, you may have to take over rival planets. This is accomplished by destroying their cities or buying the planet.

You now have the option to terraform other planets, making them inhabitable. This allows you to colonize planets to capitalize on their spice deposits.

When attempting to reach the center of the galaxy, you will evidently run into the Grox. The Grox are a powerful, malevolent race that will attempt to prevent you from reaching your goal. There are numerous ways to deal with the Grox, but they are a force to be reckoned with.

Reaching the center of the galaxy ends the game, though you have the option to continue playing.