Discover Albia

Digging Around for Creatures 4 News

2012-05-17T12:50:00.000-04:00

With no new information about Creatures 4 for some time, I started to get curious. And when I get curious, I go through hoops to find any little tidbit of information available! I should note that the lack of information is understandable, and I have no negative feelings towards the developers. I'm an impatient Creatures fan, though! Anyway, I decided to look at the official Creatures 4 web site to see if there was anything else hidden away somewhere. The same message about subscribing to the newsletter has been present for a long time. I signed up as soon as I spotted it! Then, it dawned on me... What about a sub-directory?

Abracadabra, and I found the Creatures 4 Site! I was thrilled at first to see the background design, but my excitement was quickly quieted when I noticed that the content looked very old. As in, the latest information mentioned Gamescom 2011. Even worse, many of the links were broken. Granted, the site has not yet been publicly released, although it is very easy to locate. There are also versions in other languages, although these seem to have more broken links. With the release so close, perhaps the real site is offline.

When the correct link for the About section can be found, the content should look eerily familiar. As in, it actually comes directly from the Gameware Development site based on information about previous Creatures titles. I know all about the importance of mapping out and testing a web site prior to launch: My own test content usually includes lots and lots of gibberish! I was just surprised to see this content sitting here from September 2011. The one bright spot appeared to be the navigation options:

The Forum is functional, and I immediately registered. I have yet to post, though, as this still appears to be an inactive element of the Creatures 4 community. As the forum shows, the last activity occurred in September 2011. My hopes are high that this is just a test site, while the rest of the real content resides offline and hidden from prying eyes... Like mine! I figured I would find nothing, but I suppose this is something. Hopefully a big chunk of news about Creatures 4 will be coming soon, and perhaps the site will even be updated!

A Bit of Light Reading from Stephen Grand

2012-05-15T21:40:00.000-04:00

In the months leading up to the release of Creatures 1 and the subsequent years, there were a number of published articles which revolved around the game. As that time period was nearly fifteen years ago, I assumed that the written work would be impossible to come by. However, while leafing through my copy of Creatures: Official Strategies & Secrets by Toby Simpson, I stumbled across the following paragraph on the final pages:

"We recommend you read the paper Creatures: Artificial Life Autonomous Software Agents for Home Entertainment by S. Grand, D. Cliff, and A. Malhotra. This paper was presented at Agents 97, and is available from the CyberLife web site... It contains a more detailed breakdown of how the brain model in Creatures works."

The URL listed was long gone, but I had some hope! Finding the title of an article was an excellent start. It took only a few moments to locate the article at CiteSeerX! A PDF version can be downloaded via the small icon on the right side of the screen. Even better, there are two other papers found in a search for Stephen Grand!

Creatures: Artificial Life Autonomous Software Agents for Home Entertainment is a fairly brief article, but it is packed with an enormous amount of information about Creatures. Granted, some sections include many scientific words that require some extra research to understand. Yet, on the whole, the descriptions of the brain model and biochemistry made a lot of sense to my nonscientific mind! There were also a few interesting tidbits, including a couple of shortcomings and opportunities. I was highly impressed about the ways in which learning in Norns was described. Suddenly, a lot of the sections of the Creatures 1 Genetics Kit didn't seem so foreign!

I highly recommend downloading the article, if only to keep it on hand for a rainy day. I have yet to fully read the other two articles, although Creatures: Entertainment Software Agents with Artificial Life appears to be a more fleshed out version of the aforementioned article. Still, I was very excited to stumble across these Creatures articles! I wonder if there are more out there...

Update: Here are a couple of additional resources from Steve Grand regarding Creatures and artificial life.

Agents from Albia (Thanks to Malkin for the title!)

Bubbles in Cyberspace: A Cellular Approach to Virtual Environments and Intelligent Synthetic Life Forms

Creation: Life and How to Make It (Thanks to ArchDragon! Excerpt available online, or at Amazon to purchase.)

Creatures: An Excercise in Creation

Effing the Ineffable: An Engineering Approach to Consciousness

The Emergence of Personality: How to Create Souls from Cells (Partial chapter available online.)

Here, There, and Everywhere in Creatures 1

2012-05-14T20:46:00.000-04:00

With all the hubbub around the Grendel sprites, my main Creatures 1 world had been in stasis for a bit longer than I intended. Fortunately, I was to be rewarded with one of my best visits to Albia in some time! Angharad decided to find a little privacy, where she could lay her egg in peace. She had actually had a fairly uneventful pregnancy, despite her diminished capacity to eat. She promptly looked at her shiny new egg, and curled up next to it. What an effort it had taken for something so small! Compared to her body, though, that egg looked enormous!

Love danced upon the ocean breezes, and set a spell upon Eilonwy and Coll. Amazingly, it only took a couple of carrots to revive him and bring him back to a healthier state. The little couple watched the ball bounce before them, and pretty soon there would be another somewhat circular object for them to watch over! I feared that Coll would never become a father with his terribly inefficient independence, but he seemed to have it all planned out. His blue eyes looked brighter than ever with Eilonwy.

The Norns were not the only ones having a wonderful time! Ellidyr and Achren met up again near the garden, as if they never could leave one another for long. In a few moments, Achren surprised me with an egg: I had forgotten all about her pregnancy! It was a very welcome surprise, indeed. On the subject of Grendels, my project continues! The baby male Grendel is almost all set, and I will be updating the adult and senior males this week. The females will require extra time, yet I am happy with the progress. Now that I have a good understanding of sprites and body data, I eventually hope to tackle the many small issues inherent in C1 Norns.

I was so accustomed to finding the Norns and Grendels huddled together, that I nearly jumped when I spotted Dallben in the cable car above the garden! Toys and gadgets had become things of the past for him, and nothing could erase his boredom. When an opportunity to jump inside the bright red cable car presented itself, Dallben nearly flew out of the window in his enthusiasm! Halfway through the journey, he decided that it was much safer to return to where he had come from. Strange how many Norns can never take a direct trip to the settlement. Dallben spotted Doli riding the lift nearby, but decided to freeze and act like he wasn't there. It worked! Actually, Dallben could have jumped around with no response.

Another Norn had traveled quite far, and all by herself. Dwyvach decided that the laburnum made a nice background ornament to her ponderous pondering. I was proud of her for not eating it, although I had to roll my eyes a few minutes later when she couldn't resist reaching out for the flower. No harm done, thankfully! Recall that she has a mutation in one of her receptors that generates fear from boredom. Although I had yet to graph this phenomenon in the science kit, it appeared to be working: She often adopted the fearful gait after she was bored for a long time. Was this the reason for her isolation?

The constant buzzing of life made me nearly forget all about the newest life: Fflewddur! When I had last seen him, he was hanging around the incubator at nearly twenty minutes old. He also had yet to encounter another living creature, which must have been a lonely existence. With no help from the hand, Fflewddur took matters into his own hands and set off on an adventure. He kept moving his tiny feet until he was as far from his birthplace as he could get. Here, he was immensely pleased to find another living soul and experience all the joys of Norn conversations! Eilonwy was happy to have a youngster to teach and raise as her own.

Eilonwy's maternal instincts were very acute, for she had just laid an egg nearby. She knew that her egg had the toughest shell, and that it was safe to leave it to grow on its own. Coll wasn't convinced, however: He made it his mission to guard his egg with his life! He wore a very serious expression on his face, and I left him alone... No sense trying to convince him to leave something he treasured so much! I hoped that Coll would leave the egg alone when I had to move it and prevent its premature hatching. All the same, it was a nice change of pace to see a Norn act like a protective father to an unborn baby Norn.

There was one Norn who was decidedly absent... And that was Doli. Doli, who loved to ride a lift up and down for ten minutes at a time. Doli, who ate when he had the time. Doli, who had no idea what to do with an herb. Doli was just... Doli! Even though I would have been bored to tears with his lifestyle, he only had a frown when he neglected his rumbling tummy for too long. I just hoped he would figure out that herbs were for pushing, not pulling!

The Next Lucky Couple in Creatures Docking Station

2012-05-12T15:56:00.000-04:00

Settle in for a video featuring the fourth generation Creatures Docking Station Norns! I had a wonderful time with this alpha couple challenge, particularly since it went by a little more quickly and was filled with humor. The remaining males will be exported and added to CreatureLink in the near future. I actually have a bit of updating to do on that front: There should be a bunch of new Creatures 1 and Creatures 3/Docking Station Norns posted this week! Congratulations to the newest alpha couple!

The Fourth Generation Alpha Couple in Creatures Docking Station

Veridia | Creature Nametags | Creature Marks

A Slight Detour with Grendel Sprites

2012-05-11T08:18:00.000-04:00

After successfully updating many of the female C1 Grendel sprites and body data this week, I figured I would move onto other things and get back to my usual game play. Not so! I had plans to update the female Grendels head with a new look, so I decided to experiment with the baby male Grendel head to see how I fared with spriting. Even though these images are tiny, there is a ton of detail packed into a very small space! I admire those who can create sprites from scratch: It's nothing short of difficult! This little male should look a little different... Can you spot his new look?

There are actually many, many minor changes. The major change is his hairstyle: I figured that male Grendels should earn their Elvis hairstyle with age! Thus, this baby male has a smaller amount of hair that made me think he was even more adorable. I also updated most of the body data files to give him a better overall appearance and pose. This pose actually took me a day to complete, because his right arm was literally detached and floating in the air! It kept me up all night, and gave new meaning to the phrase "mad scientist!" Fortunately, I found the issue in an incorrect variable in a body data file. Yay!

Another main difference is the order of the head sprites: These are actually reversed, both in baby and adult male Grendels. When they attempt to reach for something high up, their heads actually point down. I always thought it looked rather cute, but impractical. I was thrilled when I watched this little one follow the hand with the correct head carriage! I also know that my excitement is over small things, but I never really tried working with sprites in the past, and I've learned a lot.

I am still finalizing certain aspects of this update for the baby male Grendel: For instance, his arm and hand placement appears slightly off in this pose, although he looks like he's ready to dance with the spinning top! There are also multiple sprite fixes, although these mostly involve one or two pixels in a few images. My goal is to update the male Grendel before moving onto the female. Feel free to share any ideas or suggestions about the C1 male and/or female Grendels!

Download the Updated Creatures 1 Grendel

2012-05-10T09:20:00.000-04:00

This baby Grendel has a smile a mile wide to celebrate a momentous occasion! One might notice that she looks a tad bit different from other baby female Grendels from Creatures 1. After toiling away with every individual image included in the baby female Grendel sprites, I am happy to announce that I have completed the first version of the updated C1 Grendel! The easy route would have been to simply rearrange a few images, but I chose a longer project that involved copying and recoloring all of the male Grendel sprites.

The fixes are not limited to just the babies, though. The adult female Grendels also received a makeover using the adult male Grendel sprites as a template. This has also vastly improved the posture of female Grendels: Now that they have identical sprites as the males, they also have identical body data. This was already true for the adults, but the update includes fixes to the baby female Grendel body data.

I have plans for an additional version in the future, with even more updates. In particular, I would like to update the female head sprites and body data: Note that these have remained unchanged with this version. Head placement is slightly off for the babies and adults, while there are a few extra pixels floating to the left and/or right of the head in different poses. Never fear: I will be working on these! Also planned are new senior sprites for males and females.

I hope these updates will vastly improve the appearance and movement of C1 female Grendels! I did some testing myself, but please feel free to let me know if any issues arise. I have a feeling some body data may need to be tweaked for baby males and females, but this current batch of updates should fix the major problems associated with the Grendels! I also included a couple of sprite updates for the male Grendels: They involve a minor update to one of the hand sprites. Stay tuned for the next version and round of updates, which will hopefully finalize the Creatures 1 Grendels! Have a wonderful time with these updated Grendels!

Download the Updated C1 Grendel (Version 1.0)

All .att files are body data files, and should be placed in the C1 Body Data folder. All .spr files are sprite files, and should be placed in the C1 Images folder. These are meant to update already installed .att/.spr files.

Original baby male Grendel sprites and body data credited to Greg Poehlein of Norn Holiday.

Progress on the Creatures 1 Baby Female Grendel Sprites

2012-05-07T20:24:00.000-04:00

The main project I am currently working on involves the Creatures 1 female Grendels. I mentioned this project about a month ago, but I haven't made much progress... Up until today, that is! I identified all of the areas which require updates, and there are far more than I imagined! Fortunately, the vast majority of these updates simply involve swapping the positions of sprites. There may be some necessary body data adjustments, but my initial test fixed the main problem with how baby female Grendels got around. The major problem involves their feet, which seriously hinders their movement. There is an additional problem that affects their hand, although this mainly poses a superficial graphical glitch. Have a look at the following comparison between the male baby Grendel sprites and the female baby Grendel sprites! Note that some of these poses are not used: They simply show all ten of the limb positions, which often are mixed to form the actual poses shown in Creatures 1.

This almost reminds me of those games where one has to find the differences between two similar images! There are actually problems with every single pose, although certain ones leap out a bit more! I will be correcting these problems, which will hopefully give these Grendels a better lease on life. I have another larger project in mind to recreate a female Grendel, although it will mostly be a lesson for me in body data and sprites. The initial changes should be released later this week, provided testing goes well!

A Great Migration to Veridia

2012-05-07T08:28:00.000-04:00

The mass migration in Creatures Docking Station was soon completed! The females found themselves in unfamiliar surroundings, although they quickly became accustomed to the region. This was Veridia, a beautiful meta room released during the CCSF 2011. Yenki, Leyfin, and Poplis formed a small group together as they slowly and carefully explored. There was so much food to enjoy!

Not too surprisingly, Davira ended up traveling from one side of the room to the other on her own... It was quite a hike to escape from the rest of the females! The size of Veridia was an advantage at this point, though, since the nine females could spread out much more than they had been able to in the Norn Meso. There were even several levels of tree houses to explore, although the ground level seemed like more than enough! Davira continued to stay isolated from the others, most likely due to the constant expression of how they disliked her. She seemed unaffected, though, and took the opportunity to eat everything in sight. No competition for food made her very full!

The last of the females decided to stick very close together on the west side of Veridia, where they had been originally imported. With the females spread out somewhat, I was amazed at how similar many of them looked. Thank goodness for the presence of Leyfin to add some more variety! Xeeril, Elania, Inlex, Kiarya, and Hiara cautiously moved about their new home. Xeeril was the most important at this point: She was still an adolescent.

While the females enjoyed Veridia, the male Norns were not completely forgotten! I gave them a temporary home in the Norn Meso, although this would again house the young females of the next generation once the alpha couple had been determined. Remdor and Topin made their way to the upper level together. The Bengal Norn appearance genes had really taken hold of the majority of the population! Not that I could complain much, since those stripes were one of my favorite patterns. These two may have looked young, but they were fertile and ready to go!

The remaining males made their way to the bottom level of the Norn Meso: Prindar was still older than the other males by a considerable amount, but Lundio and Guffin had reached the youth life stage already. This was one of the smallest groups of potential alpha males up to this point, mainly because a pair of twins exhibited problematic behavior that could have led to their early deaths. Rather than letting them suffer, I exported them and will find them new homes in the future. The competition would most likely be even fiercer with this small number of males, though. I had a soft spot for Prindar, although it was impossible to tell who would be the top contenders.

The stage was set for the fourth generation alpha couple! Yenki decided to play the Didgeridoo to announce the presence of the females... Poplis seemed a little jealous that she couldn't be the one to play it! Xeeril only had a few minutes before she would be fertile, and that would mark the time for a new video! Make sure to check back later in the week to find out which of these Norns will become the next alpha couple!

Everyday Happiness in Albia

2012-05-06T17:12:00.000-04:00

It's always pleasant to be greeted with happy Norns! I found Doli and Dwyvach enjoying a little vacation on the desert island. Although they were quite friendly towards one another, this was not an occasion to make another egg. Other Norns, and even the Grendel couple, found their way to the island in no time! Word must have traveled quickly that it was a very favorable place... The submarine was jam packed, and even the little boat had a guest or two to ferry across the water. Food was in a bit of short supply, but I didn't mind refilling the honeypots and bringing some carrots over. They were eaten up very quickly!

Eilonwy went into a bit of shock after her illness and pregnancy: Both took a toll on her, and she deserved a very long rest. Fortunately, she was one of the best eaters in the world: I barely had to wave a carrot around before she grabbed it and gobbled it up! She spent some time with Coll, who was the polar opposite of her: At just a few hours old, his testosterone levels were very low, and he refused to eat. I had a challenge ahead of me, but it would not be impossible to rehabilitate him. At least I hoped so! Eilonwy enjoyed her time away from everyone, and was quickly reunited with her friends. I was proud of her for taking such good care of herself.

With Albia fairly settled and no immediate problems, it was time to hatch another third generation Norn! Out of a spotted blue egg emerged Fflewddur, the son of Mevik and Pettvika. He had a couple of genetic mutations, although nothing seemed too out of place. However, I feared that he had a brain lobe mutation when he refused to move for several minutes after he was born. He turned about, focused on different objects, and spoke, yet he seemed glued to the floor! Fflewddur finally took his first steps after I gave him a gentle slap... It was a last ditch effort, and the only slap he received. That helped bring him out of a haze, and he passed his vocabulary lesson with flying colors! Now, to have a quick look at his mutations and what they translate to in Creatures 1.

Green: Good Mutation | Blue: Neutral Mutation | Orange: Bad Mutation

RECEPTORS
54 Chi B MutDupCut Creature, Drive Levels Boredom, chem=Boredom, thresh=2, nom=0, gain=255, features=Analogue

This gene normally controls how the boredom drive is affected by the boredom chemical: It's important to note that these are actually two different things. In the standard Norn genome, this gene switches on at the embryo life stage, and has a threshold of zero. Fflewddur actually has a double mutation in this one gene, which often happens in later generations. First, this gene will not switch on until childhood: As a baby, no matter how much boredom chemical he has in his system, he will never experience boredom. When he becomes a child and can feel boredom, he will be able to tolerate one unit of boredom chemical without being bored. The second part of this mutation is extremely minor, and should have no noticeable effects. The life stage change could be detrimental to his learning, though, since the most important lessons are often learned when Norns are babies. Still, I have yet to find a baby Norn who became extremely bored: The main issues normally involve eating and sleeping!

HALF-LIVES
1 Emb B MutDup Glucose 130

Half lives can be a nightmare to understand, since every chemical is crammed into one gene! It can be tough to go through when a standard Norn genome is mixed with that of some of the newer breeds, such as the Purple Mountain Norn or the Forest Norn. Half lives differ significantly between these two, yet I don't consider these mutations. For Fflewddur, his half life for glucose was mutated to have a value of 130, rather than 128. In the Genetics Kit, 130 is actually not a valid value: It is automatically reverted back to 128, even though it still appears as 130 in the D-DNA Analyzer. It will be interesting to see if this actually passes along, or if the Genetics Kit corrected it. The difference seems fairly minor, but a value of 128 corresponds with 5 hours, while a value of 136 corresponds with 10 hours. This could mean that glucose would remain in Ffleddur's system for a longer period of time than usual. A longer half life for glycogen would have been much more useful!

STIMULI
97 Emb B Mut 'I bump into wall' causes sig=0 GS neu=2(I've bumped a wall) int=255, Sensed Even When Asleep => 25*Pain++ + 0*NFP

In the standard Norn genome, bumping into a wall creates a sharp increase in pain. Fflewddur has a very minor mutation, where the second chemical was changed from NONE to need for pleasure (NFP). This still has a value of zero, but with a further mutation, this could cause a Norn to receive another incentive to not walk into walls too much. Pain should be enough, but I think we've all experienced constant wall bonking!

Ellidyr decided to watch over Angharad as she slept peacefully in the garden. I managed to catch her in a rare eating mood, and she wolfed down about four carrots! I was ecstatic as I watched her life force climb to a healthy 77%. She even had a better score than some of the other Norns! It was still very hard to find her in an eating mood, but it was nice to see Angharad doing so well. Ellidyr acted like her little protector, and he flashed her a smile whenever he could. He had left Achren with some other Norns for some time, but I had a feeling he would seek her out again. Albia needed another Grendel egg!

Doli and Dwyvach continued to enjoy their time on the desert island! Dallben also stuck around: One might barely catch a glimpse of his ear in this photo. Along with Coll, he had turned into one of the worst eaters. It was probably just a phase, but it meant another round of rehabilitation for another male. My female Norns never seemed to have this problem... Maybe the males were just more forgetful when they turned their attention to kisspopping! Doli probably fared very well because he was not too focused on kisspops: He just enjoyed spending time with Dwyvach and eating honey under the sun. What a happy Norn!

After about ten minutes or so went by, I managed to free Dallben from the desert island and begin his alone time. However, I was surprised to find Angharad so far from the incubator and garden! She rarely strayed too far from the places she knew well. As tired and hungry as he was, Dallben remembered his first romance with Angharad, and she soon found herself pregnant! Sadly, this unborn Norn inherited all of her mutations, and even had a new one affecting a brain lobe. Still, it was a happy occasion for the pair! Amazingly, Achren and Ellidyr had become pregnant about a minute beforehand. It was quite fitting, since Ellidyr and Angharad had been such close friends. I braced myself for the dual egg watch that lay ahead.

Genetics Lesson: Understanding Gene Header Information

2012-05-04T11:18:00.000-04:00

Difficulty: Easy | Primary Game: Creatures 1

Denny D. Rite: "The world of Creatures genetics includes many different options and properties. Before we jump into the more complex genes and determine what they do, we need to understand the general properties that affect most genes. Additionally, there are a few interesting features of the Genetics Kit. Our question for today is: What does the gene header define and where can I find extra information in the Genetics Kit? Read on and learn!"

Part I: Deciphering the Gene Header

Virtually every C1 gene contains a gene header, which can be modified in the Genetics Kit. There are a few select cases where certain parameters can not be altered, but in general, the gene header has the same set of options for every gene. A gene header serves a very important purpose, in that it defines certain behaviors of each gene. These options deserve a closer look, and a thorough explanation.

This screenshot shows a typical gene in the Genetics Kit, and what the gene header looks like. The first parameter is a drop-down menu, which includes each of the life stages. As simplistic as Creatures 1 is, there are still quite a number of life stages that each Norn goes through! These are correctly ordered from the earliest to the latest life stage. This selection determines when the gene switches on and begins to function. Most genes switch on at the embryo life stage: The exact moment is actually when the egg begins to hatch, and not when the baby is conceived. This ensures that these genes are working properly as soon as the baby enters the world. Genes with a later life stage, such as youth or adolescence, usually encompass aging genes or those centered around reproduction. Some genes, like initial concentrations, only function when triggered at the embryo life stage.

The next set of options in the gene header is a series of check boxes, which probably look quite foreign to anyone not familiar with their definitions! They control how a gene is treated during the breeding process, when two genomes are combined and sometimes mutated. These are as follows:

Dup (Duplicate): When checked, the gene can be duplicated or copied. From my experience, I have never seen a duplicated gene mutate at the same time. A Norn can end up with two or more identical genes. This, in itself, has no effect, but further study is needed to see what happens when a duplicated gene becomes mutated. This may create additional responses, or the body might choose to use one gene over the other. When unchecked, the gene can not be duplicated.
Mut (Mutate): When checked, the gene can be mutated. Mutations come in all types and flavors, as many players have probably discovered! Typically, every option that can be edited is fair game for mutations. Even the options in the gene header can be affected by mutations: In particular, the life stage that a gene switches on is prone to mutations. I have never seen the check box options (Dup, Mut, or Cut) altered through a mutation, though. When unchecked, this gene can not be mutated.
Cut (Delete): When checked, the gene can be deleted. There are certain genes, such as the half life example pictured above, which should never be subject to deletion from a genome. However, many genes have the ability to be deleted from the gene sequence, in a similar but opposite way to the duplicate option. A deleted gene can be a minor one, although it can also seriously impact a Norn. When unchecked, this gene can not be deleted.

Almost finished! The final set of options in the gene header is a set of radio boxes. Unlike the Dup, Mut, and Cut options, only one of these options can be chosen for each gene. It defines which gender(s) will be affected by the selected gene: "B" corresponds to both males and females, "M" corresponds to males only, and "F" corresponds to females only. When going through a genome, the vast majority of genes are set up to affect both genders. Reproductive genes are typically the only ones which are gender specific, although there are other cases.

Part II: Finding Hidden Information in the Genetics Kit

The Creatures 1 Genetics Kit is very limited in the explanations it provides, yet there is a short line of information that many may not know about! When a gene is opened up, either by double-clicking it or choosing Edit Gene, move the window to a position where the very bottom of the main Genetics Kit window is visible. If an option is chosen or altered, a bit of information sometimes appears to provide a little extra help. In this case, it shows that a half-life of zero indicates that the value can go from its maximum to zero instantly. I use this hidden information only sparingly, often because it provides very little. However, sometimes it's just a short explanation that is needed to help us understand something a little better! Changing the value of the half life with the arrows also provides information about the different lengths of time. Half lives are actually pretty interesting: The lowest value is instantaneous, yet the highest value would take 52 years to fully decay! That's not in Norn years, either. Hidden genetics information can be awesome!

Emmit Ter: "Chemical half lives are part of a much more in-depth explanation. One gene controls every half life! This is why mutations in half lives can be frustrating to find: One must go through every chemical to find a difference! The D-DNA Analyzer is pretty helpful in showing where any differences exist, but sifting through the chemicals can still be a challenge. Think about the alternative: A gene for every half life would expand the Norn genome tremendously! And it probably wouldn't make much difference except to awesome scientists like me."

Not all genes have a thorough notes section, but choosing this option from an open gene will show any added notes. I often overlook these, simply because there is no real consistent pattern to them. Users can add text to these notes, though, which are saved in a .GNO file. Read more about this File Format at The Creatures Developer Resource. Or, check out the notes in the Genetics Kit!

Part III: Viewing Gene Headers in the D-DNA Analyzer

The gene header is quite easy to find in the Genetics Kit, since it has a clear label and section in each gene. When using the D-DNA Analyzer, however, the gene header appears differently and can be difficult to parse out from each line. Rather than its format in the Genetics Kit of life stage, Dup, Mut, Cut, and gender, it appears in the D-DNA Analyzer in the format life stage, gender, Mut, Dup, and Cut. Take a look at the following screenshot to see several types of gene headers. It's a lot of text, but luckily we're only looking at a section of each gene!

As shown, the first three genes switch on at the embryo life stage in both males and females, and can be mutated, duplicated, and deleted. The next three genes affect only females, and switch on in adolescence. Although only part of the genes is shown, these are clearly reproductive genes. Similarly, gene 162 only affects males in adolescence and onwards. Genes 165 through 170 are aging specific, and switch on at different times in a Norn's life. Note, too, that these can not be mutated, duplicated, nor deleted. Gene 173 is not the actual "die of old age" gene, but rather states that a Norn will die when glycogen reaches a very low level. Not all genes are grouped together nicely! The gene header information is still fairly easy to find in the D-DNA Analyzer, and knowing where it is located helps make each gene a little less overwhelming.

Part IV: Glossary of Gene Header Information

Life Stage: Shown first in the Genetics Kit in a drop-down menu. Also shown first in the D-DNA Analyzer. Only one life stage can be chosen for each gene, and it defines when the gene will switch on. A gene continues to function into all later life stages: For example, a gene which switches on in childhood continues to function throughout the Norn's entire life. Note that the order they are displayed in the Genetics Kit is not chronologically correct. The following life stages are available:

Embryo (Emb)
Child (Chi)
Adolescent (Ado)
Youth (You)
Adult (Adu)
Old (Old)
Senile/Senior (Sen)

Dup (Duplicate): Shown second in the Genetics Kit as a check box. Shown fourth in the D-DNA Analyzer. This defines whether a gene can be duplicated or not. A Norn can carry multiple, identical copies of a certain gene without any effects. Differences may occur when a copy is mutated.
Mut (Mutate): Shown third in the Genetics Kit as a check box. Shown third in the D-DNA Analyzer. This defines whether a gene can be mutated or not. Mutations can come in many different forms, and can affect most parts of a gene. A mutation is simply a difference from the original gene.
Cut (Delete): Shown fourth in the Genetics Kit as a check box. Shown fifth in the D-DNA Analyzer. This defines whether a gene can be deleted or not. A deleted gene is no longer carried in the Norn's genome, and can have minor or major effects, depending on the type of gene involved.
Gender: Shown fifth in the Genetics Kit as a radio box. Shown first in the D-DNA Analyzer. Only one gender type can be chosen for each gene, and it defines which gender(s) will be affected by the specified gene. This is an instance where a gene could possibly be seen as recessive when it only switches on in the opposite gender, but it is more closely related to a dormant gene. The following gender types are available:

B (Both)
M (Male)
F (Female)

Part V: Extended Learning

Explore how the gene header appears in the Genetics Kit and D-DNA Analyzer. Understanding what this relatively straightforward section means removes part of the mystery about genetics! Consider how the different Dup, Mut, and Cut parameters could impact different types of genes. I created the C1 No-Mutate Norns as an extreme example of how to remove the possibility for all mutations, aside from pigment changes. Feel free to download their genomes to use or study! Finally, see if you can determine how a Norn reacts to a duplicated gene that has been mutated. For instance, if a chemical reaction controlling the creation of glycogen was duplicated and mutated, could a Norn generate glycogen from different sources? Or would the game default to the original gene?

An Itty Bitty Update About Creatures 4

2012-05-04T08:12:00.000-04:00

An eternity of waiting for Creatures 4 news paid off today! Well, sort of. Fishing Cactus released a Micro Creatures 4 Update today. Don't expect a huge amount of information, but know that Fishing Cactus is working with Big Ben "to determine what info we can actually release to you in the coming weeks." Naturally, I wanted screenshots and videos as of yesterday! It's exciting to know that June 2012 is just around the corner: Hard to believe that the development of Creatures 4 was announced about a year ago! Although I know many of us continue to wait on the edge of our seats, perhaps the final line of the update summed up everything perfectly: "Be patient!" That's about the hardest thing to do at thing point. Ha ha! Good luck Fishing Cactus!

A Massive Case of Dislike in Creatures Docking Station

2012-05-03T18:58:00.000-04:00

A look of sheer and utter surprise met me when I jumped back into Creatures Docking Station! Prindar was helped along by some histamines, but he was generally excited to be back in action. I last left the population on the verge of youth and adulthood: There were only a few Norns who needed to grow up before the next alpha couple would be decided. I also had plans to move everyone to a new world, both to remove clutter and to move to a brand new home. Prindar was at the top of my list for the next alpha male! He had been the reason why his youngest brothers had even made it into the Norn terrarium, and he was generally a very likeable character. Look at all those spots and stripes!

The rest of the males were quite spread out, although Guffin seemed to be the most prone to exploring. Either that, or he wanted some peace and quiet! The males were actually relatively quiet, though, and I often had to carefully look through the scenery to spot one. I supposed that with all of their drives at a low level, there was nothing to really chatter about! Creatures are not known for making happy conversation: They seem to be much better at offering solutions to problems, or expressing their overall dislike for a particular Norn, Grendel, or Ettin. Guffin only wanted to tell me that he planned on eating those seeds.

There was an enormous difference in sound level where the females were located! The Norn Meso echoed with the feelings of everyone and how much they disliked Davira. Their incessant chatter drove me to the brink of sanity, and even Xeeril attempted to run away from the noise! This is one of the very unfortunate downsides to educated Norns in C3/DS... They just love to have an endless loop about how much they dislike others.

I carried Davira away from the terrible bullying, and hoped that she would settle down. Having a strong Hardman Norn background, though, she barely looked phased! Indeed, she shouted back about how she disliked pretty much every other Norn. No one bullied Davira and got away with it! Even with her out of the immediate picture, the others continued. I assumed that she must have slapped the others quite a lot to alleviate her anger, but Norns have tricky minds. Maybe Davira ate all of the food one time, and the others decided to hold a grudge against her. They certainly seemed unable to stop disliking her!

The story was the same everywhere I turned in the Norn Meso. Kiarya, Leyfin, and Inlex made a pretty trio with their unique looks. Inlex actually suffered from malnutrition amongst all of the talking, and I took it upon myself to lead her to some food. I will probably let nature take its course with future generations, since the idea is to only nurture those Norns who can easily and properly care for themselves. It's just so hard to not do anything sometimes! Inlex quieted down after her meal.

Could Hiara have struck a better pose? I doubted it! She looked adorable as she watched Yenki and Poplis become sleepy. Their time in Remniova was almost over, as another world began to take form. I had a mass export and import event coming up, but it would be worth it! I just hoped the females would forget about their dislike for Davira... Or at least forget how to express it! A quiet Norn is a happy Norn.

Brief Updates in the Creatures Community

2012-05-02T21:54:00.000-04:00

There have been a number of important updates around the Creatures community within the past two weeks. Naturally, I've completely forgotten to provide a summary until now! Perhaps one of the most useful pieces of information came from Jessi at Jessi's Creatures Documentations. I frequently ran into the starch glitch, where the selected creature would randomly and mysteriously receive an injection of starch every now and then. This completely hurt the learning process, and also kept creatures in good health when they should have been seeking food! Jessi located the problem, which is present in many of Muppetboy's food COBs, such as the muddy swamp carrots and parsnips. Basically, rather than injecting the creature who ate the food with the corresponding chemicals, the currently selected creature would receive the benefits. I was thrilled to learn that this glitch was not something in my game or world! Jessi made a couple of recent updates to her COBs, including a change which fixed this issue in her wonderful food COBs. Expect to see pretty much everything of hers shown off soon!

Might I add that there is one somewhat exciting development slated for release in June 2012? That would be Creatures 4! The news has still been very sparse, yet Fishing Cactus has been pretty busy. Andrea Di Stefano has taken on a pretty active role in replying to many comments over at Creatures Caves. He even stopped into the CC Chat for a few words! Hopefully there will be some definitive updates for us shortly... I know I've been getting extremely impatient! Yet I imagine there is a lot of work involved, and Fishing Cactus has never struck me as a secretive or lazy company. We'll have some news soon enough! And a new game, too.

I could go on and on about a thousand other things that have popped up and interested me lately, yet I imagine this post would go on forever! I hope to feature some recent creations in my posts, since the developers deserve neverending praise for their hard work. Particularly for Creatures 3 and Docking Station, I expect to show off these amazing new additions soon. I imagine my Norns and Grendels will also thoroughly enjoy the new agents and scenery! It's amazing how many new ideas keep popping up for the Creatures games. Go creativity!

Greetings From Norns, Grendels, and Antigen 5

2012-05-01T20:00:00.001-04:00

A week away from Creatures seemed like a lifetime! Coll was the most excited to finally be able to move around again in Albia. I found him apparently dancing about the garden, where he had plenty of carrots and lemons to satisfy his hunger. I made a quick sweep around the world, and all seemed at peace. My one point of concern was still Angharad, whose life force continued to hover around 30% due to her brain disorder. Although she could look at food and recognize it, eating was more of a rare and random occurrence. Before I could dive into her care, Coll caught my attention again with a different sort of dance: The dreaded cough twirl.

The antigens were so excited to see me again that one decided to venture forth on a glorious journey! I laughed about the situation for a moment, until I found out what the illness actually was. Antigen 5 was a fairly nasty strain, and its corresponding antibody was rather slow to build up. There were also two different unknown toxins that had the exact same pattern, along with histamine B. Not only was it an unpleasant illness which could take some time to fight off, but it was also contagious. The one Norn I had to worry about was Angharad, who wasn't too far away near the incubator. If she was to become ill, I knew there was a good chance that she could die from lack of glycogen. I steered Coll away from her, and successfully quarantined him!

Meanwhile, Achren had returned from the island to take a break from Ellidyr during her pregnancy. She took an immediate liking to Eilonwy, and then I realized why she was so drawn to this Norn: Eilonwy was pregnant, courtesy of Dallben! Time had flown by, for the youngest creature was an adult. It was my first time actually seeing a pregnant Norn and Grendel in Creatures 1 together. Although it's mostly coincidence, I always have thought that pregnant creatures flock together.

On the desert island, the males had formed a sort of bachelor hideout in one of the caverns. All they needed was a honeypot, and they were good to go! Well, everyone except for Dallben. As the father of two of the three eggs, he seemed more of the settling type of Norn. Doli and Ellidyr watched him run away from them with perplexed expressions on their faces. The females were just a submarine ride away, and they had a pretty good thing going here! Dallben just wanted a break from everyone.

I was immediately alerted to another sick Norn, and I discovered, with a sinking heart, that I had not quarantined Coll for the entire duration of his illness. He had recovered, yet Dwyvach had become infected. She suffered from the illness much more quickly than Coll had. I watched her life force begin to rapidly fall to about 55%, and she did not want to listen to my suggestion to eat anything. Angharad was leagues away, yet the pregnant Eilonwy was nearby. I was in a desperate fight against this contagious illness, and I refused to let Dwyvach out of my sight. Thankfully, she took a rest and gave me a moment to ensure no one would go near her.

Try as I might, Eilonwy became infected. She never came in contact with Dwyvach, although she was a few steps from her when she traveled on the lift. Apparently, contagious illnesses have a bit of an airborne range. Eilonwy was an excellent patient, who ate carrot after carrot and even took several naps. After the ordeal, she even curled up with her freshly laid egg! Thankfully, this illness attacked some of the stronger members of the population.

Amazingly, Angharad actually ate a carrot all on her own while I was away! Even better was the smile on her face: This was an even rarer event, since it was very hard for her to satisfy her drives. Creatures who need extra care can be more than a handful at times, and it's often difficult to even help them lead somewhat happy lives. Angharad was another example of how it all could pay off, though. This one moment showed how she could be happy, as the others often were. And it was still wonderful to know that she had an unhatched baby who would not inherit her brain mutations!

Luckily, Dwyvach made a full recovery and was last seen chasing butterflies in the garden. I wish I had the time to do just that! Life has been pretty busy lately, and I realized I actually missed the two year anniversary of Discover Albia a few days ago! It's hard to believe I've been writing and rambling for that long! My entries may be a little more sparse than usual and I know I have a few things to catch up on, but rest assured that I will certainly be updating when I can. Genetics lessons are on their way, as are more videos! Thanks to everyone who enjoys visiting and reading about my adventures. I hope my crazy enthusiasm and love for Creatures has at least inspired a few people to pick it up again, or for the first time!

Naptime in Albia and Its Exciting Conclusion

2012-04-23T10:30:00.000-04:00

There was no better place to enjoy a little snooze than under the sea! Achren had been isolated near the settlement for awhile, and it was by sheer luck that she fell asleep where the cart could pick her up. I was very excited to see that she had become an adult. Both she and Ellidyr seemed to be stuck in childhood for a long time, yet a look at their genetics showed that their aging chemical fell at a slower rate than usual. This would mean a longer lifespan, which was wonderful!

Another nap was in progress on the other side of Albia. Angharad still had a dangerously low life force of about 30%, despite my constant nagging. She had progressed into holding a carrot, but that was not enough. Luckily, a few minutes after she awoke, I watched her finally eat two carrots! It was a bit of an improvement, yet her life force was still under 50%. Her body could survive for a long time: It was the threat of disease that made me worry about Angharad. At least she had actually eaten, although she was already in need of another feast.

My other Grendel, Ellidyr, had also become an adult! He dragged Dallben along for another undersea adventure, only in the opposite ocean. It still amazed me that Norns and Grendels would want to take constant journeys in the submarine... The Shee had left long ago, and who was actually maintaining this vessel?! Dallben was relieved when they docked, although Ellidyr looked around like he wanted another ride. I actually removed the cave flies so that everyone could travel more easily to the island.

Achren and Ellidyr were soon reunited. They kissed one another, smiled their toothy Grendel grins, and tried to express how happy they were. In the end, the occasion was commemorated with a dual nap. I don't think they could have gotten any closer: It almost looked like there was a single Grendel with two heads! Even though sleeping creatures are not exciting to watch, this meant that they were taking care of themselves. Besides, there were plenty of Norns up to their old silly ways whom I could watch!

Was there ever a more perfect picture of two Creatures 1 Grendels? After awaking at almost exactly the same time, Achren and Ellidyr made their way up to the main level of the island. They basked in the sun, and made a wonderful pair! It took a little more time and patience, yet there was soon a baby Grendel on the way! This would be my first natural Grendel egg, and I realized I had some planning to do. Would I hatch it now?

I had little time to think it over, for there was another couple who were expecting. Congratulations to Doli and Dwyvach! Although they were half siblings and looked almost identical, this was still cause for celebration. They made a very adorable Norn couple, and Doli didn't even attempt to abandon her after her pregnancy began. What a gentleman! Now, if only the rest of the male Norns could be as polite as Ellidyr and Doli!

Addressing a Rumor About the C1 Cave Flies

2012-04-20T22:54:00.000-04:00

Update: Special thanks go to Grendel Man and Jessi for properly testing this rumor out and proving me wrong! Grendel Man took a look at the actual scripts involved, and found that there are two scripts that affect the pianola and either the jukebox or the radio. Jessi went ahead and tested the Cave Fly COB in game on an adult female Norn, and found out that her sex drive rose in response to the pianola. This suggests an injection of alcohol had been experienced. In the end, this rumor was actually true! It also goes to show that other opinions are vital! Thanks again for the information, and for showing that this rumor was actually true! Someone suggested creating separate COBs for the pianola, jukebox, and radio so that we wouldn't have to deal with the cave flies in order to have this update. Anyone up to the task is more than welcome to take it on: My COB creating skills are next to nothing. Make sure to read the comments for more information!

Several months ago, Malkin posed an interesting question about the Cave Flies COB for Creatures 1. Apparently, there was a rumor that it also altered the pianola, in addition to adding six pesky cave flies to the game. Rather than testing this theory on my current world, I started fresh with a little female named Valanice. She looked like a mixture of many breeds, but she was merely a standard first generation Norn with some appearance gene edits. She needed to stand out a little bit!

First off, I wanted to test the baseline for another item in the same instrument category. The pianola, jukebox, and smaller instruments are all classified as instruments, just as carrots, honey, cheese, and lemons are all classified as food. It's a bit difficult to see in this graph, but Valanice had a slight decrease in need for pleasure (NFP) when she played the trumpet, but no other changes. I was also disappointed to find out that Purple Mountain Alcohol was classified as chemical 80, but since it was undefined in the chemical list, it was not possible to graph it. However, I have seen Norns ingest drinks associated with this chemical, and their gait is unmistakable! So far, I had a pretty good idea of what the handheld instruments could do. Next was the actual pianola!

Valanice had to journey a little ways to actually find the target instrument. She did not become bored, so I had to hold myself back from tickling her, in order to keep her NFP relatively high. I still was only looking at the baseline, and had not yet injected the cave flies. As soon as she interacted with the pianola, it was clear that it created a different reaction than the trumpet. Not only did her NFP decrease, but her tiredness also decreased. It was also interesting to note that she received the same response whether she was the one who activated the pianola, or if I did it myself. Basically, it looked like the pianola affected any creatures within earshot. A decrease in boredom was the only other mystery, although I assumed it did just that. Valanice just wasn't bored!

While Valanice was in the vicinity of the pianola, I injected the cave flies into Albia. The reaction to it looked identical to me: There were still decreases in NFP and tiredness. I also made sure to play it numerous times, to see if she would exhibit a different gait that might indicate drunkenness. Nothing happened. I also brought the trumpet back to Valanice, and confirmed that it still acted in the same manner. It dawned on me that this might be something that would only affect the newer breeds, such as the Purple Mountain Norn and Forest Norn. After all, they had some updated genes which could have defined Purple Mountain Alcohol in a more direct way. I set about the task of finding a friend for Valanice who could share in this experiment.

Meet Graham! Together with Valanice, they formed a pair of characters from one of my favorite computer series. Quite an old one, but a great one all the same! Maybe I'm the only one who knows what it is, though... Anyway, Graham had another interesting appearance, but his genome was otherwise identical to that of a Purple Mountain Norn. It seemed odd that the pianola would only affect a certain breed, but stranger things have happened in Creatures. At least Graham was a very willing participant! That is, so long as he got to take his honeypot along for the ride.

The pianola had exactly the same effects on him as it did on Valanice, and he showed no signs of a drunken gait that would indicate the presence of Purple Mountain Alcohol. However, this graph is not of the reaction to the pianola: Graham had a rather fun time with the trumpet, and he played it about eight times over the course of this graph! It wasn't much of a substitute for a tickle, though. A single tickle could sharply drop the NFP to a negligible amount, and a short round of tickles was more than enough to satisfy this need. I had hoped to see something happen with the pianola, but it looked like this had just been a rumor. Or perhaps I just missed something: Has anyone tried this out and found anything to the contrary? It would be interesting!

The two main references that were pointed out to me regarding the cave flies and the pianola can be found Here and Here. Maybe there is something hiding in the code that I simply overlooked: It certainly would be nice if the cave flies COB counteracted those nasty bugs with a nice update to the pianola! This might also affect the jukebox, although Valanice and Graham didn't look like they really wanted to go across the world. Indeed, they had heard enough music to last them their entire lives!

Update: Please read the comments section to find out how true this rumor actually is. I was happy to be proven wrong, though! Next time, I'll know a few other ways to really understand how to test something like this. Thanks again to all those who commented, particularly Grendel Man and Jessi!

Genetics Lesson: Preparing to Tear Apart Creatures Genomes

2012-04-18T19:34:00.000-04:00

Difficulty: Easy | Games: Creatures 1, Creatures 2, and Creatures 3/Docking Station

Anna Log: "Before we can jump right into studying the genetics in any of the Creatures games, it helps to have a starting point and a baseline to start with. Since everyone learns differently, this lesson will hopefully help us all understand the very basics of becoming a Creatures geneticist! Today, the question we hope to answer is: How and where does someone begin with these genetics lessons? Join us today for the very basics!"

Part I: Default Genomes

From my own learning experiences, I know that sometimes it helps to actually try new things for myself. Everyone learns a different way, but I think it's important for anyone wishing to use the genetics programs to be able to easily follow along. Unless otherwise noted, all genetic information will be based on the following set of genomes. Edited genomes and newer breeds, such as the CFE breeds for C3/DS, often have new or altered genes. Additionally, it can be difficult to follow along when gene numbers are different.

Download the Default Pack of Genomes

C1 Genome: Basic genome with two gene changes made by Tarlia to allow death by old age and no way to increase the aging chemical via antioxidants.
C2 Genome: Basic genome with no changes. This is not a Canny Norn, Nova Subterra, nor other edited genome. The shortcomings will be explored to show why these updated genomes are so useful.
C3/DS Genome: Basic genome with no changes. This is not a CFE Norn nor any other edited genome. The shortcomings will be explored to show why the CFE genome is so useful.

Norn genomes will take priority during these genetics lessons, but Grendels and Ettins will not be forgotten! Their genetics are normally very similar to those of Norns, though, with the ability to use the same concepts. Specific lessons will be geared towards Grendels and Ettins, and will be noted. These genomes will be made available with these lessons, if need be. Lucas Locus and Gene Gnome would never want their species to be left out!

Part II: Genetics Kit

Perhaps the most important tool for understanding Creatures genetics is the all important Genetics Kit! It contains hundreds of options, the ability to change a gene at will, and many more features. One important concept to note is that there is a separate Genetics Kit for each Creatures game. I've had times when I've used the wrong program without even knowing it! Luckily, this just returns an error message. Make sure to grab one or more of the following downloads if you would like to follow along closely with the lessons.

Note: The download links are not broken! One simply needs to change the ".co.uk" to ".com" in the URLs.

Creatures 1 Genetics Kit
Creatures 2 Genetics Kit
Creatures 3/Docking Station Genetics Kit

Part III: Genome Comparison Programs

Besides the Genetics Kit, there are a couple of very useful programs. I recommend these mostly for those trying to understand the differences between two creatures, or figuring out which mutations a baby has from his or her parents. Although the information in these programs is much more limited than that of the Genetics Kit, I usually use them almost as often, particularly during Norn breeding season!

Note: For the D-DNA Analyzer, change the download URL to go to the /Slink directory like the other downloads.

D-DNA Analyzer: For Creatures 1 and Creatures 2.
Gene Compare: For Creatures 3 and Docking Station.

Part IV: Differences in Genetics

Denny D. Rite: "It would be simple to explain genetics if everything was the same across all of the games! Of course, each of the Creatures games has its own set of genetics. The information builds upon itself, but we have to remember which concepts go with which game. Just as an example, the Creatures 1 default genome has 320 genes. In Creatures 2, this number shoots up to 786 genes! Don't let it scare you: I look scared enough for everyone!"

All lessons will start off with concepts that can be applied to Creatures 1, and possibly used in Creatures 2 and Creatures 3/Docking Station. Once we get through a good deal of information for the first game, I plan on diving into the new aspects introduced in the later games. For example, organ systems and a more complicated digestive system were introduced in C2 and expanded upon in C3/DS. Naturally, this final game in the series has the most complicated genetics system. Complicated can be fun, though!

Part V: Extended Learning

Download the default genomes and all genetics programs that will be useful to you. It might even be a good idea to open up a genome in the correct Genetics Kit, just to get an idea of what the genes look like. Be warned that there will be a lot of information and options! Make note of any particular genes you might have questions about, or if there are certain areas you would be most interested in. Feel free to reply with your notes, or just keep them on hand as the genetics lessons start to get more in-depth! And please don't think of this as a series of lectures: Comments, questions, and suggestions are always welcome!

A Wake Up Call Heard Around Albia

2012-04-18T10:18:00.000-04:00

The birds chirped, the leaves rustled, and everyone slowly woke up one fine morning in Creatures 1. Then came an enormous "BOOM!" from the vicinity of the settlement! Coll sounded off the cannon many times to make sure that no Norn, nor Grendel, would sleep in! This contraption became his favorite thing in the world, and nothing else could compare to its loudness. Coll was a little isolated, so perhaps he needed something to temporarily replace the endless chatter between Norns and Grendels. At least I could escape this racket!

I lost track of the littlest member of the group, Eilonwy, whom I thought was safely exploring the garden. It turned out that she was the most adventurous of anyone: She had made a comfortable retreat for herself on the desert island! With some cheese and honey nearby, she was never hungry for long. As was the case with most baby Norns before her, Eilonwy was intrigued with the shiny ball! She loved to chase it around, but she also enjoyed freezing in this pose and studying it for a few minutes. Was it perfectly round? Only she knew!

On the opposite side of Albia, love was in the air between Angharad and Dallben! They had kisspopped a few times already, but I was still very excited when Angharad became pregnant. She was exhausted, and fell asleep standing up. A more distressing development was the fact that she had stopped eating altogether. Dallben tried to help by carrying food around and eating like a champion, but Angharad could only stare at food and state how she wanted it. By the time she laid her egg, her life force had dipped down to 30%. Her brain mutations were not passed along, thankfully.

Dwyvach had already begun to grow up, and she was also a very adventurous Norn. Lifts were one of her favorite things, but she was intelligent enough not to eat the deathcap mushroom. Still, she seemed like a prime candidate to experiment one day. She would be the next female to reach adulthood, and I hoped that the males would be distracted with her long enough to give Angharad time to recover. Dwyvach had already made friends with Doli, who was never too far from her. The fourth generation was already on its way!

A Meet and Greet with the Genetics Team

2012-04-17T11:20:00.000-04:00

Meet Denny D. Rite, resident genetics expert! His knowledge spans across many areas, and he will have a strong presence throughout most of the tutorials and lessons. Denny will be the main guide and host, with plenty of information to share. Word has it that he has a talent for silly poetry and sayings from time to time... No one is more prepared to laugh at his jokes than he is! Hopefully these silly things will be useful in learning about genetics!

The next member of the team is Lucas Locus, a neurologist and general brain expert. He will be joining us for the complicated topics related to brain lobes, state variable rules, and the like. Lucas is a fairly quiet Grendel, and may only pop in with a few words, although his charts and graphs collection is quite impressive. Don't let that bony stump fool you: Lucas is easily one of the most agile Grendel neurologists around! Well, maybe he's the only one...

Our bright and cheerful gene properties specialist is Anna Log! Her studies have guided her into the realm of different gene properties, ranging from the differences in analog and digital features, to significance values and reaction rates. Anna will drop by from time to time in order to explain tricky gene properties, and also to offer some helpful hints and tips! She certainly enjoys what she does, and looks forward to sharing her knowledge.

No team could be complete without twin siblings: Say hello to Emmi Ter and Emmit Ter! Emmi is our organ and body expert, and she will step in to explain special characteristics about these areas. Emmit is a specialist in chemicals, and he possesses important information about what different chemicals are and what they can do. Together, these twins will also demonstrate the important links between chemical receptors, emitters, and more!

Last, but certainly not least, is Gene Gnome! This little Ettin is the disasters and experiments master: He always knows just what to do to make a mess out of any gene! Luckily, this also makes Gene adept at fixing genetic problems, from the tiniest mutation to the most devastating disorder. Get ready for an interesting and somewhat terrifying genetics journey with him!

This team of six will guide us through many genetics tutorials and lessons. I have a pretty good idea of what will be the most useful, but keep in mind that the first few entries will be simple, slow, and short. No sense diving into brain mechanics when some of us have never even used the Genetics Kit before! As always, comments and suggestions are welcome at any point. I look forward to having fun learning about genetics with everyone!

A Pretty Picture of Albia

2012-04-16T08:22:00.000-04:00

The Norns and Grendels of Creatures 1 became pretty well established, and I seized the opportunity to introduce another new Norn. Meet Doli, the son of Mevik and Forvika! He looked almost exactly like his father, but his face was often covered with a frown, rather than a smile. I was perplexed, for even when all of his needs were low and he had been tickled, Doli still had a sad expression. As we will see in just a moment, there were no obvious genes responsible for this apparently neverending sadness. It just seemed to be a trait that Doli had. Fortunately, his frown only lasted through the baby life stage, and eventually disappeared. During his first few minutes, I was worried that something was wrong. I should have known better when he actually liked his vocabulary lessons, contrary to some other baby creatures!

Green: Good Mutation | Blue: Neutral Mutation | Orange: Bad Mutation
LOBES
122 Emb B Mut Lobe #=8 Suscept State Rule: 0 end end end end end end end

The bad news was that Doli had a brain lobe mutation, which could be crippling. The good news was that it was actually a minor mutation with a state variable rule, but one that actually meant a little something! Normally, the mutated parameters occur somewhere after one of the end values: Whenever a state variable rule reaches a value of end, it stops and any further variables are ignored. There are multiple state variable rules in the concept lobe, but most lobes do not define a state variable rule for susceptibility. This defines how responsive the dendrites are to reinforcement, which is involved in the learning process. Even with the first value set at zero, Doli should not suffer, for this rule is undefined and unused in the standard Norn genome.

STIMULI
93 Adu B Mut 'Pointer slaps me' causes sig=32 GS neu=1(I've been slapped) int=255 Sensed Even When Asleep => 75*Pain++ + 32*Fear++ + 16*Anger++ + 16*Sleepiness-

In the standard Norn genome, this gene controls what a Norn will feel when he or she is slapped by the hand. I find that occasional slaps can aid in the learning process with particularly stubborn Norns, although positive reinforcement has been far more productive in my experiences. Doli will be unable to experience the specified reaction until adulthood, where other Norns are able to feel a slap from birth. This could make learning more of a process for Doli, particularly if he picks up any bad habits. Although it is a negative mutation, he will still be able to thrive, only with a short-term immunity to slaps from the hand!

Angharad and Ellidyr became glued to one another, and they made a happy little couple. Even though he was a Grendel, Ellidyr was one of the most kind and patient creatures in Albia: I had yet to hear him deliver a slap to anyone. He preferred to play with the ball and top, preferably with a companion! He even helped Angharad continue to eat properly: She ate carrots and herbs with him, in between an almost constant playtime.

Coll also took a liking to a Grendel! He brought Achren to his secret lair, but he immediately realized his social snafu when he remembered that he had no hootch to offer her. I brought them a couple of honeypots, and all was ironed out. They decided that riding the lift up and down would make a good pastime: With their honeypots in hand, Achren and Coll went on a low key adventure in the lift. At least there was no alcohol and stumbling involved!

At last, another female hatched to join the group! This happy little lady is Dwyvach, the daughter of Mevik and Jetvika. Her half-brother looked similar to Mevik, but she had all of his appearance genes! Unlike Doli, she had a smile from ear to ear most of the time, although the learning computer seemed to just make her sad. It was a lot of information, yet there were a couple of carrots waiting for her the moment she finished up. Dwyvach might not have shared Doli's enthusiasm for learning, but she made it through her lessons very quickly. I only had to leave her once to fight off an invasion of cave flies. Not too bad! Her genome contained a few mutations that would make her a little more unique than the average Norn.

RECEPTORS
248 Chi B MutDupCut Creature, Sensorimotor, fearful, chem=Boredom, thresh=144, nom=0, gain=239, features=Analogue

This gene normally controls when a Norn becomes fearful, in response to the fear chemical. Dwyvach's mutation makes her become fearful in response to boredom. From my perspective, this could be both good and bad. Dwyvach will not actually be fearful when she experiences fear, but will incorrectly be fearful when she is bored enough. Fear is sometimes useful in the learning process, although pain, punishment, and reinforcement are usually more prominent. It will be interesting to see how Dwyvach reacts in extreme boredom: Will she run away in fear, or actually attempt to satisfy her boredom?

252 Emb B MutDupCut Creature, Sensorimotor, limping, chem=Glycogen, thresh=0, nom=35, gain=255, features=Inverted Analogue

Does this gene look absolutely identical to that of a standard Norn? It should, for this is simply a duplicated gene in Dwyvach. She has two of these genes, and they define when she should limp in response to a low glycogen level. Duplicated genes have been fairly uncommon in my experience, and it is unclear whether both genes will be used, or only one. For instance, if this copy is eventually mutated again so that the chemical is something like hotness, will the Norn limp in response to low levels of glycogen and hotness? Or will the original gene prevail?

STIMULI
244 Emb B Mut 'Invol 3='cough'' causes sig=0 GS neu=255 int=0 => 32*Pain + 8*Coldness + 8*Fear + 16*Hexokinase

A feeling of recognition should be present when looking at this gene: Dwyvach inherited it from her mother, Jetvika! This stimulus gene defines the reaction a Norn feels in response to coughing. A standard Norn will experience pain, tiredness, fear, and hexokinase. For Dwyvach, tiredness has been replaced with coldness. This could be quite helpful, since coughing can be associated with a fever and excess hotness. With her other main mutation, she should not become fearful from coughing a lot, as other Norns would.

With a positive start to life for the last two Norns, I couldn't stop just yet! Out of the incubator emerged Eilonwy, the daughter of Oppeid and Leira. She mostly took after her mother, although her tiny arms closely resembled those of her father. The White Haired Pixie Norn genes seemed to be dominant, though. At least there was a good bit of diversity in the Norns, though: They all easily could have been much closer in appearances! Eilonwy did not have any notable genetic mutations, for neither would have any effect on her. Sometimes a Norn with no mutations, or minor ones, is instrumental in keeping the genetic pool somewhat stable. Eilonwy was up to the role... Just as soon as she learned the language and grew up!

Four of the Norns made a pretty picture in the garden, where they politely played with one another. I say politely because there were a minimal number of slaps. Doli even had a huge grin to commemorate the occasion, and it was his first one since the moment he was born! Angharad and Dallben were already adults, and made time seem like a fast moving target. It would only be a matter of time before the next generation began. One third of the third generation Norns were already in the world: Quite an improvement over the slow second generation!

A Retired Alpha Couple and a Special Duo

2012-04-15T15:20:00.000-04:00

Another early death was waiting to greet me in Creatures Docking Station: Zinsi passed away in an eerily similar and perplexing way as that of Santia. It could not have been a gene, for they were from different mothers. I also didn't notice anything unusually out of the ordinary about either of their mutations. Although Zinsi was also healthy at her death, according to the Hover Doc, I still wondered if there was something that might have been the cause of death for both of these young females. I made sure there was a good supply of food for everyone before heading off. Hopefully Zinsi will rest in peace: It looks like her final moments were not filled with pain, thankfully.

My attention was now focused on the clutch of four eggs that the alpha couple had produced. One of the most difficult things is to get them all to hatch in order... Or maybe I'm just the world's worst Norn egg tender! In any event, the first egg crackled open to reveal a very handsome male named Remdor. I thought he was very well put together, even if he was a mix of several different Norn breeds. I try to balance diversity with appearances that mix well together. It might not be a terrible thing to have a very unique Norn in the population every now and then, though! The marks are still very useful in distinguishing Norns: Sometimes, a crazy pigment also works!

Fawkix and Naeda's second egg held a beautiful female Norn, whom I named Julis. She was yet another example of how different Norn parts could mix together very well! It was love at first sight when she found herself in her new home: The Norn Meso. Ultimately, Julis would not spend a very long period of time in Remniova with her sisters and half-sisters. She wasted no time in becoming part of the pack, though! A little Norn can always make a big scene, when he or she wants to.

Another Norn who made a scene was Julis's brother, Topin. He was actually born out of order, as some of the last eggs tend to hatch more quickly. It could just be the way I carry around the eggs, or maybe these last eggs don't want to be the youngest! Topin tried to interact with his unhatched sibling before being carried away to the learning room. He ended up finding it quite cozy, and took a long time to emerge from the door. He needed no encouragement to eat, however: Topin virtually vacuumed up a small area before he decided that his tummy was full!

The final member of this litter was Guffin, another male. Apparently, Fawkix and Naeda got the message that I was worried about not having enough young males to compete and carry on the family line! I loved Guffin's tail, and how it stood out like a bronze statue. He would have looked identical to his older brother, Topin, and it seemed like he wanted to make a statement. That was, after all, the theme of this litter! Guffin took the longest to make it out of the learning room and into the Norn terrarium, but he certainly made it and enjoyed his first meal!

With seven sons, I decided that it was time to retire the alpha couple. I was still very fond of Naeda, and it was awesome that I had pegged her to be the next alpha female as soon as I saw her. Her legacy would continue to live on, and perhaps she would end up with a new home through CreatureLink! I still have a number of Norns to add, and hopefully they will be posted this week. Naeda took a well deserved rest, and found herself sucked into an odd turquoise bubble as she was exported. Fawkix remained for a short time, for it seemed that he had one more goal to accomplish...

Finally, Fawkix took notice of Ryleen and granted her the honor of becoming a mother for the first time! I was prepared to keep her around until the next generation, as was the case with Seyon. She had other plans, though, and was quite content in maintaining a quiet role. Perhaps she would not have fared very well as the alpha female... It certainly requires a lot of strength to bear so many baby Norns! After she laid her two eggs, I exported Ryleen and waved farewell. Fawkix surveyed his kingdom one final time before temporarily joining the other exported Norns.

Luckily for Ryleen, her first egg hatched into a beautiful little female! Even more wonderful was the fact that Xeeril was identical to her mother, right down to her white-tipped tail. She was much more reserved and shy than other Norns, and she kept to herself in the Norn Meso when possible. Norns show certain personality traits every now and then, even though most of their behaviors can be attributed to the environment or genetics. I still like to think that there is another element that makes Norns who they are.

Ryleen's second egg contained Xeeril's twin brother, Kirkik. He was exported immediately, although he would not live in a lonely folder for too long. In the case of the early death of an alpha male, I may use one of these inferior males, depending on the timing and circumstances. The genetic pool of this population is fairly limited, but at least there are some ways to keep it moderately diversified. And in the worst case, it just means more adoptable Norns to add to CreatureLink! Make sure to check in for the Creatures 1 Norns.

As I started to jump around to watch the males and females begin to grow, I came across a very strange occurrence in Denlex. The Hover Doc showed that his needs were fairly low, and that he was not carrying any toxins, other than histamine A. Yet his life force was at about 4%, while the rest of the Norns normally sat between 25% and 35%. I brought him some food, yet he just stared at himself. The only information I got from him was, "Denlex dislike Jessica." Why, thank you! Even a lot of tickles couldn't convince him otherwise.

I noticed a similar problem happening with his identical twin brother, Frimtio. These two brothers had been such a comical duo from the start, yet I was dismayed to find some harmful genetic mutations. Their hunger for carbohydrate receptor was actually inverted: The more they needed carbohydrates, the less their drive would be. Frimtio also displayed a sleeping problem, where he was unable to wake up on his own. They seemed to require constant attention, and needed regular reminders to eat. I left them with life forces at around 5%: They can definitely recover, but I really think they could create many issues should either become the next alpha male. I think the best course of action is to export them, either to nurture myself, or to send off to someone who would be able to take care of them. Would anyone be interested? Denlex and Frimtio also have a few pose mutations, so they often make angry faces and dance. They're cute and funny, but should be carefully watched.

Meet the Creatures Genetics Team

2012-04-14T19:10:00.000-04:00

Many of us know what a genome looks like when viewed in the Genetics Kit: A lot of text that seems to never end, and which often requires a lot of research to fully understand. This screenshot is just a sample of about twenty genes of a Creatures 2 Norn. This genome has a total of 786 individual genes! With limited resources available to understand what is actually behind Creatures genetics, it's no wonder that many players choose to avoid this side of the game. It's certainly not required in order to enjoy the series! However, there is an enormous plethora of information and knowledge packed into each genome. Maybe none of us will become expert geneticists in the real world, yet the possibility does exist in the world of Creatures!

A special thanks goes out to everyone who has answered the questions about Preferences for Learning About Creatures Genetics! In less than a day, 15 responses have been sent in! There is obviously no one way to satisfy everyone, but I have a much better picture of what would be the most helpful. Feel free to participate if you have yet to do so: Every answer helps! One idea that seems to be universal is that studying genetics should be somewhat interactive, entertaining, and fun. Therefore, meet the genetics team!

These characters will be introduced as I begin to write more about genetics. It might seem like a silly concept, but they each have a role to play. One will be the general guide throughout the learning process, another will be an expert on the brain, and so on. One is even the master of disasters and experiments! Expect to see him pop in every now and then to illustrate how to create mayhem with genetics... And also how to correct it!

As if I was already teetering on the border of extreme cheesiness and corniness, I do believe their names will incite a few laughs! That, or a whole lot of eye rolls. I've always believed that finding some fun and humor in the learning process makes it much more bearable. I don't plan on writing up lessons and tutorials as if they came from a boring textbook! Even though they all use sprites from Creatures 2, rest assured that their genetics journey will encompass all of the games. Expect to start off with some Creatures 1 genetics, since these form the foundation for the other games, which built off of these simpler concepts.

The names of these team members will be revealed in the upcoming weeks... We need a little suspense! Keep an eye out for the beginning of an in-depth genetics course, designed for amateur and advanced geneticists!

Preferences for Learning About Creatures Genetics

2012-04-13T21:28:00.000-04:00

I have been contemplating a series of genetics tutorials and lessons for quite some time, and have only held off because it seems like a genetics case study pops up often enough! Yet I would love to delve into Norn genetics on a more specific basis, and provide more details about each gene. For me, Creatures 1 genetics seemed all too complicated, and I never wanted to look at the genetics in Creatures 2, Creatures 3, or Docking Station. With a leap of faith and some excellent resources, though, I discovered that the majority of the genes were not as crazy and complicated as I had originally assumed. Granted, there are still certain aspects that confuse me, but I consider it all part of the learning process! Creatures genetics always offer many new challenges.

There are many different formats that I have thought of utilizing, such as step-by-step tutorials for the D-DNA Analyzer and Genetics Kit, or YouTube videos to illustrate important points. Charts, graphs, and other visual aids are also in the mix. As I've learned, though, it certainly helps to publish the elements that will be most helpful to others. For that reason, I hope everyone will take the time to respond to the following short questions. Feel free to post any other comments directly in response to this entry! Thanks so much!

A Study into a Family of Creatures 2 Norns: Part III

2012-04-12T21:06:00.000-04:00

The wonderful world of Creatures 2 could not be held off for long! The death of Endar was still sad, but I had five siblings to hatch and look through. Luckily, their mutations were more minor than anything. Yet even the minor ones can be vital in understanding Norn genetics in more detail. I began with a little female, whom I named Sapphire. Thanks to JayD's Neptune's Womb, it was easy to hatch these babies in different areas of Albia. Genetics, here I come!

Green: Good Mutation | Blue: Neutral Mutation | Orange: Bad Mutation
EMITTERS
635 Ado F MutDupCut Organ#=16 Creature, Reproductive, I am fertile, chem=FSH, thresh=127, samp=0, gain=32, features=Inverted Analogue

Sapphire was lucky to have only one mutation, and it was not too serious. This gene affects the level of FSH in a female when she is fertile. Just what is FSH? I whipped out my Official Creatures 2 Strategies & Secrets, by Toby Simpson, for an explanation. I still have yet to dive into this book completely... Anyway, page 197 states:

"The female system is considerably more complex and involves a number of emitters, receptors, and chemicals. When the cycle starts, a female Creature prduces follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH). This reacts with cholesterol to produce estrogen. When there is enough estrogen in the bloodstream, the Creature can become fertile."

It goes on to explain the reproductive process in more depth, but the important takeaway is that FSH produces estrogen, and a typical female becomes fertile when her estrogen peaks and begins to fall. At this point, FSH also begins to fall, and is controlled by this chemical emitter. Since it is an inverted emitter, the gain value can be seen as more of a loss value. This is where Sapphire's mutation is: A standard Norn has a gain value of 16, while hers is doubled to 32. This means that her FSH chemical will fall more quickly than usual. FSH usually decreases to zero long before the female needs to produce it again to begin the production of estrogen. There is a chance that this could affect her cycle, yet I imagine it would be minor.

Next up was a baby male named Pacific. He hatched near his sister, where they each could eat everything and never run out of food! One mutation in his genome was in a pigment bleed gene, but I could not tell the difference between him and the rest of his family members. Pacific took a long time to look at something other than himself, and I had a feeling that he had a mutation that affected one of his brain lobes. Indeed, this was the case! As I've found, though, many Norns are adaptable enough to live healthy lives.

LOBES
624 Emb B MutDup Lobe #=7 Dendrite Type 0: Input Lobe=2 Min#=1, Max#=1, Spread=0, Fanout=0

Brain lobe mutations are best understood by using the Creatures 2 Genetics Kit, as it offers much more information than the D-DNA Analyzer. This gene controls the attention lobe. Pacific's mutation altered the input lobe from lobe 12 to lobe 2. I believe this is part of the updated Canny Norn genome, where lobe 12 is the search lobe associated with seeking out an interesting object. Lobe 2 is the stimulus source lobe, which has a cell for each particular object in the world, such as the hand, a plant, a toy, and so on. Brain lobe mutations often puzzle me, and I'm not entirely sure I understand what will happen. It seems as though Pacific will focus his attention on the most stimulating object, rather than using his ability to seek out an interesting object. To me, it seems that the end result will be the same: Pacific ended up moving along just fine after some time, and was able to interact with his sister without any issues. Either it was a minor mutation, or he found out how to fool me!

There was no stopping this family! Their beautiful blue and green dotted Albia, yet there was soon another who joined the mix. Twilight was born in a more secluded area of the world, yet he was fascinated with his surroundings from the very start. I found myself getting sidetracked from my project as I watched the world and admired the beautiful artwork. For a somewhat older game, the graphics still amaze me, and rival some newer games! Maybe I'm just biased, though. Twilight was impressed, though, and took in the scenery!

RECEPTORS
583 Emb B MutDupCut Organ#=12 chem=Water, thresh=48, nom=0, gain=56, features=Digital

In a nutshell, this gene is supposed to activate the clock rate in organ 12, which is the skin, based on the level of water. From my limited understanding, an activated organ can absorb energy, process biochemistry, and/or repair its injuries. This mutation actually removed the definitions for the organ clock rate: The genetics kit automatically replaced these missing fields with a locus in the brain that would not pertain to much of anything. Twilight would not be able to use his skin as intended, and its ability to repair itself would either be completely gone or greatly diminished. Skin is not an absolutely vital organ in a Norn, yet it does play its role.

STIMULI
545 Emb B Mut 'I am quiescent' causes sig=0 GS neu=255 int=0 => 8*Boredom++ + 9*Sleepiness + 8*Tiredness + 2*Stress-

A good mutation! I say that with a little bit of a chuckle... The only mutation is in the level of sleepiness, which was increased from eight to nine. I consider this a good mutation, though, because when a Norn is quiescent, he or she is doing nothing. This is often the prime time for getting some sleep, when there are not a thousand distractions in the region! This is extremely minor, though, and Twilight will probably never know the difference.

What an adorable little guy! Oceanic gave me a smile as he entered the world, and promptly decided to eat some caterpillars. They looked quite tasty, I guess! He had a mutation in one of his pigment bleed genes, but it was hard to tell if there was any difference. His eyes captivated me for a little while, though: So blue! Behind them, he had a couple of interesting mutations. Cute appearances can hide both good and bad mutations: It takes a little digging, but genetics make Norns unique!

RECEPTORS
499 Emb B MutDupCut Organ#=7 Organ, Repair Rate chem=Stress, thresh=0, nom=0, gain=12, features=Analogue

This gene normally states that stress reduces the repair rate in organ 7, which is the stomach. It makes sense: A stressed out Norn normally has a harder time repairing any organs, which can also be seen in the real world. When we become extremely stressed out, we can be more prone to illnesses and our bodies can heal much slower. Oceanic actually has a very good mutation that might not be obvious. At a glance, it still looks like this gene ties in stress with the repair rate in the stomach. The mutation actually exists in the features: This is normally an inverted analogue receptor, because it reduces the repair rate. For Oceanic, stress actually improves the repair rate of his stomach! This is good news for his stomach, but stress still has its negative effects for the rest of his organs. Still, it's a bit of an improvement!

STIMULI
531 Emb B Mut 'Creature slaps me' causes sig=128 GS neu=10(IT is approaching) int=255, Modulate Using Sensory Signal => 32*Turnase + 0*NONE + 0*NONE + 0*NONE

In a standard Norn, this stimulus gene is supposed to state that when something is approaching, it activates a neuron corresponding with the action and injects a fair amount of turnase. Oceanic associates a slap from another creature with the neuron for "IT is approaching" and also receives an injection of turnase. This actually seems somewhat helpful, since the turnase will entice him to turn in the opposite direction from the slap-happy creature. It does mean a bit of confusion between stimuli and neurons, though, so it could be detrimental to his learning process. In the end, the benefits and problems should balance each other out, or it will simply be minor.

Last, but not least, was the final member of this family of Creatures 2 Norns. Cerulean hatched on the island, and thoroughly enjoyed the warmth! Although his siblings had only a couple of mutations, he was packed with four interesting mutations! I hope that it's become clear that a genetic mutation in a Norn is not necessarily a bad thing: Many can be fairly minor, while others can actually be quite helpful. Cerulean had a mixture of different mutations that would make his life a little different than other Norns.

LOBES
632 Emb B Mut Lobe #=8 at X=11 Y=5 is 40 neurons wide and 16 neurons high

Every brain lobe is given a position in X,Y coordinates, and a size based on a set width and height of its associated neurons. Essentially, a Norn's brain can be pictured as a series of different sized rectangles that are completely separate, but are linked through dendrite connections. Lobe 8 is the concept lobe, and it normally sits at X=9 and Y=4. Additionally, it is usually set at 51 neurons wide and 17 neurons high. Not only could it overlap with another brain lobe, but it is also over 200 neurons smaller than normal. The concept lobe is essential to the learning process, and Cerulean could easily be faced with a learning disorder. However, brain lobe mutations such as these do not always spell the end for any Norn: The number of concepts he can learn may just be limited.

RECEPTORS
383 Emb B MutDupCut Organ#=3 Organ, Clock Rate chem=Dissolved CO2, thresh=64, nom=127, gain=64, features=Inverted Digital

The purpose of this gene is to activate organ 3, the lungs, based on the level of dissolved CO2 in a Norn's system. Recall that when an organ is activated through its clock rate, it can absorb energy, process biochemistry, and/or repair injury. The standard Norn genome has this gene set as analogue, so that as more dissolved CO2 builds up, the lungs are activated more often. This is logical: One function of the lungs is to remove dissolved CO2 and expel it as carbon dioxide and water. Cerulean's mutation defines this as an inverted digital receptor. The differences between analogue and digital receptors requires a longer discussion, but the inverted factor is the main problem. This means that as dissolved CO2 builds up in his system, Cerulean's lungs will slow down, rather than speeding up. In extreme conditions, he might have serious problems breathing, and might be overcome by carbon dioxide. So long as he can keep his dissolved CO2 under control, he should be healthy!

HALF-LIVES
467 Emb B Mut Ageing 144

All half lives are defined in one enormous gene, so there can be multiple mutations within this one gene. Cerulean has a number of other half life mutations, but they were either minor or associated with undefined chemicals. This mutation is fairly interesting, though. In a standard Creatures 2 Norn, the half life of the ageing chemical is set at 120, which means that it will decay to zero in approximately two and a half hours. That seems like a short life span for a Norn, yet I'm used to the ten hour marathons of my Creatures 1 Norns! For Cerulean, his ageing chemical decays at a much slower rate of 144, which is equivalent to about twenty hours. This should greatly extend his natural life, barring any illnesses or injuries!

STIMULI
562 Emb B Mut 'Invol 3=cough' causes sig=0 GS neu-255, int=0 => 32*Pain + 8*Tiredness + 8*Boredom + 16*Hexokinase

The final mutation! This gene simple defines what chemicals are created as a result of coughing. In a standard Norn, there is a combination of pain, tiredness, fear, and hexokinase. For Cerulean, he experiences boredom, rather than fear. At such a low level, this is quite a minor thing. The only real downside is that if he coughs a lot while he is ill, he will eventually feel that he needs to satisfy his boredom, rather than eat and sleep to get well.

And so concludes the case study of this Creatures 2 family! I learned much more than I thought I would through this analysis, and I hope that it has been helpful to others. I still shy away from genetics from time to time, because the truth of the matter is that there is a ton of information packed into just one gene. By asking questions, researching, experimenting, and observing, genetics can be quite a fun journey!

Another Bite of Norn Genetics

2012-04-12T10:24:00.000-04:00

The next egg to be hatched was a special one, for inside was the only child of Arnes. He struggled throughout his life, yet found one lucky moment to kisspop with Dalselv. It never dawned on me that the one seemingly minor mutation would prove deadly. When an egg is placed in the incubator, the Norn is immediately added to the observation kit. I found it odd that he started off at an unusually low life force of 38%, which quickly fell to 17%, then 9%, and finally, 0%. All of this happened before he even popped out of his egg. Technically, he was not stillborn, though, since he was alive for a few moments. What happened?

Green: Good Mutation | Blue: Neutral Mutation | Orange: Bad Mutation
REACTIONS
144 Emb B MutDup 3*Glucose + 1*NFP => 1*Glycogen + 1*Hunger-; half-life=56

When I first looked at this mutation, I assumed that it was good, and that this Norn could reduce his need for pleasure (NFP) with a simple and common chemical reaction. What I failed to consider, however, is that NFP was necessary to convert glucose (short-term energy) into glycogen (long-term energy). The initial concentration of glycogen brought him to life, but this reaction was necessary to keep his glycogen from immediately falling. Since he was cozy and happy in his egg, there was not any NFP in his system. At least he was not in any pain, yet it was heartbreaking to realize that Arnes would not live on through any children. Perhaps that was just his destiny: I know I'll never forget him! And neither will his son be forgotten.

I decided to temporarily hold off on hatching another egg. Coll decided to go exploring under the garden, which was pretty rare. Most Norns traveled to the east and ended up on the desert island. With the new and dangerous cave flies, perhaps he hitched a ride in the opposite direction for a reason. That cart could not go fast enough for Coll, though! If he could have sped it up somehow, I think he would have danced at the opportunity. The safety of the garden didn't appear to be very enticing to anyone... Everyone was fascinated by the cave flies, despite the constant pain!

In a much happier turn of events, Angharad had managed to take care of herself and eat enough to keep her stomach full most of the time. She still needed a lot of encouragement, and I often had to repeat something about ten times before she got the idea. Yet she was eating on her own, which was wonderful! Angharad also enjoyed hanging around the cave flies, which made her ill. I kept a worried eye on her, waiting for her to refuse to eat. She seemed perfectly happy, though, which was a huge relief.

After a time, I decided to take another chance with a new egg. This one was from Kleppstad and Dalselv: Out popped Dallben! He was the half-brother of the last hatched Norn, and it was nice to somewhat have a tie-in with Arnes. This Norn was very laid back: He smiled at me for a few seconds, then obediently followed me to the learning computer. He attempted to race through the words, confidant that "wun" was the same as "run" and "wight" could suffice for "right." Not quite, Dallben! Although he was mainly a Forest Norn and Purple Mountain Norn mix, he did not have the genes present that made geddonase so dangerous. Dallben did, however, have one interesting genetic mutation that could prove to be both helpful and harmful.

RECEPTORS
235 Emb B MutDupCut Creature, Sensorimotor, Invol 2='sneeze', chem=NA Toxin, thresh=58, nom=0, gain=255, features=Analogue

The wonderful sneeze gene! This gene defines which chemical, and at what level, will generate a sneeze. In the standard Norn genome, the chemical associated with sneezing is histamine A. In Dallben, sneezing is controlled by one of the unknown toxins. Note that these toxins are defined as "NA Toxin" in the D-DNA Analyzer. As stated above, this could be both good and bad. Illnesses become contagious with sneezing or coughing: Histamine A is often pretty common, so this would isolate those illnesses to Dallben. On the other hand, a normally noncontagious illness with an unknown toxin could be contagious if Dallben was infected.

All of the excitement with Dallben's birth left the other Norns to their own devices. Coll soon grew into a child, but also decided to become much more mischievous! All of the hootch cans scattered about him had been neatly perched on their shelf until he came along. He staggered about for a spell, ate some honey, and proceeded to pass out. No harm done, thankfully! I planned to let him sleep off some of the effects, and then separate him from his collection of green cans.

The two Grendels, Ellidyr and Achren, were not to be forgotten! They traveled with Dallben after meeting him for the first time in the garden. Despite their supposedly thick skin, the cave flies stung them over and over again. No one was any worse off in the end, though... Particularly when a shiny, bouncy ball came into view! I would have to keep a close eye on the Norns and Grendels who played in this area. The cave flies were feasting on them, and my slaps did little to keep them at bay.