2/10/21 – All the natural processes of weathering, creatures making homes in stuff, metal rusting and breaking, creatures making burrows in weak plaster, etc. Being one such creature trying to make a living there? Control the elements to try to break it down in as few years as possible?
5/23/21 – Coming back to this idea, I have thought about a lot of the various mechanisms that can be used by nature to reduce even the toughest functional buildings to rubble. It may take a few years, or thousands, but without maintenance most everything will eventually be reduced to ruins.
Weather – Starting with the namesake cause of damage over time, weather. Obviously lightning will blast things pretty hard if it uses the building to ground it, and if lightning-resisting devices are built into it, those too can break down over time to leave the structure vulnerable. Depending on the location, powerful weather systems such as rain seeping in through cracks or flooding the foundation and lower floor, snow that can accumulate and weigh down on areas, windstorms and the potential for tornadoes or ocean-swept hurricanes can bring debris and devastation, sandstorms that batter the surface and accumulate debris, and even rapid shifts from hot to cold to create a repeated effect of expanding and contracting, can all deal a significant amount of damage over time. When water has seeped in, freezing temperatures can allow it to expand and drive cracks open even further, breaking anything that can’t withstand the expansion apart as it continues to repeat this effect during periods of freezing and thawing.
Seismic Events – A good ol’ earthquake can shake things up pretty well, and repeated earthquakes in an area over time can loosen and degrade the methods used to hold the walls together, or create breaks and gaps in the walls themselves. Whenever there’s a crack that’s left unmaintained, it opens the path for weather to affect it further. Localized seismic events may also lead to other effects, such as natural gases escaping from the ground to do damage in a different way, uplifting events that change the angle of the ground itself, and the formation of volcanoes that can bring anything from molten lava to pyroclastic ash flow as the method of destroying the structure. A distant earthquake can be equally devastating, as one done off the coast will result in a tsunami, bringing a wall of water crashing down upon the land, which is sure to devastate all but the strongest of structures, which then has to survive the debris-filled flooding left over.
Decay – Some materials weren’t really meant to last the test of time to begin with. The fibers may naturally weaken, hard-packed materials can loosen and crumble, rubber can slowly disintegrate, weight-bearing spots can begin to bend and break, adhesives can lose their hold, among other things that may fall apart on their own. Poor craftwork can further aid the process, in cases where the original parts of the structure were poorly built, or where it has been maintained in a poor manner, these may be the first places where decay can begin to manifest. Undisturbed aside from decay, a structure can still sustain heavy damage as parts begin to fall in, accumulate, and even contribute to roof or floor collapses. Aided by other forms of weathering, decaying materials can become the gateway for a much faster rate of destruction, even occurring acutely instead of a slow path to ruin.
Dirt – Accumulated particles that can cake onto an area lead the way to further destruction. Where a plaster or metal that is rinsed clean and allowed to dry may stay in pristine shape over the ages, the accumulation of dirt invites a host of problems that lead to vulnerabilities like mold or rust. Acting as a means to keep moisture in, the natural environment can utilize dirt as a way to maintain conditions on materials that can let in other forms of rot and decay. Being a potential vector for wildlife to get involved, dirt can accumulate to extend the ground upwards, allowing what would normally be an exposed exterior or interior wall to become built up to let creatures gain access to places they previously couldn’t reach. Dirt can also accumulate on roof and top-level surfaces over time, bringing additional weight of its own, and acting as a sponge or a means to make a heavy mud slurry when precipitation occurs.
Fungus – Mold and other fungi are an effective means of destroying breathable materials. By weakening plaster, grout, and wood, with trapped-in moisture that helps it spread, mold can act as a tiny system that propagates while causing weakening to any area where it takes hold. These can also have harmful effects on microorganisms from bugs to large mammals, who may suffer neurological damage and become agitated or outright berserk with the body or mind altering effects of these microorganisms being present in the air within and even around the structure. Larger fungi can potentially damage an organic material at a faster pace by setting up and consuming the available resources to grow larger fungal structures, and may also affect macroorganisms who attempt to feed on it.
Rust/Corrosion – Where fungus can target breathable and organic materials, rust and corrosion can bring damage and devastation to most industrial metals when given enough time. Ferrous metals are subject to sustaining rust as moisture and oxygen can batter it over time, where dirt can work as a vector to keep moisture in place year-round to facilitate localized rust. Non-ferrous metals can be similarly affected by moisture and materials in the environment, opening the door for corrosion that can weaken and deplete the materials over time as they get similarly converted to a weaker material that doesn’t hold the same structural capacity as the metal put in place. Batteries are especially susceptible to this, and as they corrode, they can exude a more dangerous chemical element.
Flora – Growth can occur wherever seeds have a place to grow, or where a plant can grow above or underground adjacent to the structure. Cracks in concrete and blacktop can be enough for pernicious weeds to spring up, which will continue to grow and split the surface further over time. Anywhere that dirt has accumulated needs little more than wind-blown seeds, animal dropping, or even a squirrel’s forgotten stash,
Fauna – Creatures of all sizes and kingdoms can destroy structures in their own unique ways. Burrowing insects can make pathways through wood and plaster, even using them as a breeding grounds to propagate their species. Where water can’t go, moths can enter to destroy fabrics, birds can create nests or take nesting materials with them, and squirrels can destroy fabric and plastics alike for the sheer joy of it, or to create nests of their own. Spiderwebs can accumulate dust to create kindling for a spark to ignite, whether it be lightning or even a reflection off broken glass on a hot day without humidity. Creatures like rats and raccoons can damage and destroy anything that seems like a good entry point for a hideout to live in, and may be pursued by predators who exacerbate the issue. Even larger creatures can carelessly cause damage, such as a bear out of hibernation rubbing its back furiously against a loose wall, or grabbing and pulling out metal cables for the fun of it. All of this can create more access routes for weather, dirt, bacteria, and fungus to enter a structure that had previously been sealed off.
This can be applied to games in a variety of ways, two of which I will describe below.
Simulated Ruin – Whether a game involves time travel, skipping between generations, or existing in a distant future where the carcass of old societies leaves its evidence in remains and ruins, weathering and other devastation can be applied by hand, or through automated simulation, taking anything from a single structure, to a city, to an entire world left to the dust of ages. Players may be allowed to see the ruin occur through time lapse, or just know that a world once existed that had been built and designed to be ruined for the start of gameplay. This can play exceptionally well with procedural design systems, where both the region and its ruination are uniquely generated, which works well for post-apocalypse or the still-popular zombie apocalypse in progress setting.
Controlling Ruin – This is any sort of ruination simulator, whether designed for academic or industrial models to understand how a planned structure can break down over time and determine what the cost of maintenance may feasibly be like, as well as knowing where to inspect regularly for damage. This can also be a game-like system where the player is tasked with destroying structures over time, either by trying to destroy them with as few events as possible, destroying them in the shortest time possible, or with assigned point values on each event and creature in order to destroy structures with the fewest expenditures. In game form, it should be presented as a puzzle, and offer a variety of challenges that are limited by the weather and inhabitants of the region.