From SporeWiki, the knowledge base dedicated to Spore

Combat is likely to take many forms within Spore as you go through the various phases of the game. In the early stages you will be fighting for survival - later on you may well be the one starting the fight to gain resources or advantages over enemy civilizations, be they your countrymen or alien races. Either way, it is sure to be vital at some point in playing the game.

Contents 1 Combat by Phases 1.1 Tide Pool Phase Combat 1.2 Creature Phase Combat 1.3 Tribal Phase Combat 1.4 City Phase Combat 1.5 Civilization Phase Combat 1.6 Space Phase Combat 2 Indirect Player vs. Player Combat

[edit] Combat by Phases

[edit] Tide Pool Phase Combat

In the Tide Pool Phase, combat will be simplistic and consist of using evolved parts to fend off various hazards in the primordial soup, such as virii. In the GDC Video, Will Wright placed a spike on the front of his cell creature and used it to "pop" large amoeba-like creatures which before would inflict damage if he touched them, inferring that combat will be as simple as a rock-paper-scissors game with avoidance thrown into the equation.

[edit] Creature Phase Combat

In the Creature Phase, combat will likely be the prime, if not only, interaction between your creature and other creatures. It will occur for many reasons - perhaps your creature is a predator making a kill to feed itself. Perhaps you are being attacked by a predator and are fighting back. Maybe your eggs have been attacked and you need to defend them. Also, if a creature is social, it will call to it's friends to help it, thus introducing ganging up as a means of taking down a powerful opponent.

Creature Stage combat, from what has been seen in videos, seems to be based on direct interaction from the player, ie clicking the creature you want to attack or using abilities such as calling to your friends for help. Will Wright has compared the Creature Stage to Diablo before, inferring possible similarities to the combat system of that game.

[edit] Tribal Phase Combat

Combat in the Tribal Phase will likely either be with creatures your tribesmen are hunting, or with members of other tribes. Combat will likely still be for survival, but it is likely you could start a fight to eradicate another tribe, or take their land and resources for yourself. As of yet, combat in the Tribal Stage has not been seen in videos, but it is likely that it will be a simplified and possibly indirect tactical game, akin to Populous (which Will Wright has compared the Tribal Phase to).

[edit] City Phase Combat

Combat in the City Phase is unknown as of yet. Given that interaction with other cities heralds the beginning of the Civilization Phase, and that hunting for food will not likely be an issue in this phase, it is possible that combat may not feature in the City Stage at all, unless crime, riots, or rebellion are possible events.

[edit] Civilization Phase Combat

Since interaction with other cultures on your planet begins the Civilization Stage, War is entirely possible if you want to subdue or conquer other civilization. In the GDC video, Tanks were seen being sent fron a computer controlled city to attack Will Wright's city, suggesting that combat in this phase will be a direct RTS-like game such as Command & Conquer.

[edit] Space Phase Combat

In the Space Phase, combat is possible and in fact probable given the amount of different cultures or races you could find in space that combat will occur. The UFO seems to be the medium of violence, and many weapons systems can be purchased to defend yourself or attack others. Even tools used for other purposes could be used aggressively if you are feeling sadistically creative, such as the tractor beam being used to throw creatures, terraforming tools used to flood a city with water or lava, and so forth. The GDC also displayed a Superweapon type tool that blows up a planet in one shot, effectively an "I win" button for if things get too hectic for your taste.

From what has been seen in the GDC and E³ videos, combat with the UFO appears to go back to the direct style of the Creature Phase, ie picking a tool or ability and clicking where you want it to happen. Evading enemy attacks seems to go back to the Tide Pool Phase, ie just moving out of the way with your mouse.

[edit] Indirect Player vs. Player Combat

Though Player vs. Player (PVP) combat is usually a hallmark of multiplayer games alone, the Pollinated Content system of Spore will allow you to wage war with another player's creations, should you see fit to. If the other player raised a hostile and violent culture, then his creatures may well be the ones to strike the first blow even on your computer. In a way, this allows PVP combat, though not as direct as traditional multiplayer, to occur in Spore, pitting the creations of players against one another.

Galactic War has been discussed before, as it has been a marked concern that a space-faring race will be able to come to your planet and blast you off the face of the galaxy while you are still playing with spears and arrows. It has been mentioned in an interview with Will Wright that this is a thing the player can opt in and out of. It is likely that opting in will only affect you once you have reached the Space phase yourself, to give you a fair chance.