A New Base Genome: The Final(?) Results

 At long last, the time has come to share all the changes my new base genome made from the original 2017 genome. 

Though if you can believe it, I actually was thinking I'd have to lie again and give another major change its own post. It would've been the crowdedness/loneliness balance; I've noticed 2017 creatures tend to be pretty solitary and almost never get lonely. I made some changes, only to have them appear to have no noticeable effect. So I asked for help, and with the assistance of Dragoler (the creator of the TWB/TCB genomes), I found the cause was...Natural Learning and Natural Curiosity. Apparently speech bubbles still have some effect on creatures, even in the case of CFF derived genomes where the associated stims are silenced or just not present at all.

With that case settled, I figured it was high time to make this writeup. Since the name "2017" doesn't really make much sense for my base genome (that was six years ago, as of this writing...why am I so old?), I have decided to call this genome...RA's Standard Genome. Not very creative, I know, but hopefully it gets the point across.

Since this is a stupidly long post, I'll just say that if you want to play around with this genome I've uploaded a test pack of norns and the current version of the genome to Creatures Caves. What follows is a list of all the changes I made and why I made them.

This is a RA's Standard ChiChi Norn being compared with a 2017 ChiChi Norn. Other genomes (particularly ettins and grendels) are for another time.

Without any further ado, let's begin.

Brain Lobes

Gene Compare doesn't handle the brain very well; it can tell where there's a difference, but you're not going to be able to tell what that difference is in most cases. So instead I just decided to show the genes directly from the genetics kit; the original 2017s are on the left and RA's Standards are on the right.

This particular edit was created by Evolnemesis for his Evo Norns and was later incorporated into the CFF proper. It's one I've talked about quite a bit on this blog (even during this very series, in fact); it's the edit that's supposed to make CFF-derived norns more curious and willing to try new things, but I always found made them forget how to eat.

I can see why some people would appreciate this; one of the biggest complains about C3/DS creatures is how they can come across as being overly robotic with how easily they tend to their needs, especially with the combination lobe edit introduced in the CFE. I, however, would rather have creatures that can take care of themselves; if I see creatures dying younger, I want it to be for reasons beyond an inability to take care of themselves. So I reverted this change to how it was in vanilla creatures and the CFE.

That being said, RA's Standard Genome is still susceptible to Tryptamine (chemical 130), which makes them act very weirdly. That's a fun change I'm willing to keep.

Chemical Receptors

From here on out, the original 2017s are on the top (File 1), and RA's Standard Genome is on the bottom (File 2).

432 Different in file 1 149   0 Emb B MutDupCut        128   0 Organ# = 20, Organ, Organ, Injury, chem=61, thresh=0, nom=0, gain=34, features=Analogue  (0)
433 Different in file 2 149   0 Emb B MutDupCut        128   0 Organ# = 20, Organ, Organ, Injury, chem=61, thresh=1, nom=0, gain=34, features=Analogue  (0)

This is another thing Dragoler helped me with while we were trying to figure out what the heck was going on with the crowdedness/loneliness balance. I noticed that 2017 norns tend to take a bit of muscle damage when they're first born, and the cause turned out because Lactate Dehydrogenase (chemical 61) was building up before they took their first breath. So now it needs to be slightly higher before actual muscle damage occurs, thus allowing RA's Standard Genome to hatch with happy muscles.

Lactate Dehydrogenase is part of a much larger cycle in CFF-derived genomes that, in short, help creatures survive longer while they're drowning. It takes the place of a vanilla chemical simply called Lactate. Lactate is the first chemical on the chemical list and did nothing in vanilla creatures except damage the muscles and never decayed, which was a problem since Lactate was by far the most common chemical to fill in otherwise empty spots in chemical reaction genes due to it being chemical 1.

443 Different in file 1  14   0 You M MutDupCut        128   0 Organ# = 20, Creature, Sensorimotor, Gait 14, chem=Sex drive, thresh=42, nom=0, gain=255, features=Digital  (0)
444 Different in file 2  14   0 You M                    0   0 Organ# = 20, Creature, Sensorimotor, Gait 14, chem=Sex drive, thresh=42, nom=0, gain=255, features=Digital  (0)
434 Different in file 1 106   0 Emb B MutDupCut        128   0 Organ# = 20, Creature, Sensorimotor, Gait 7, chem=Alcohol, thresh=16, nom=0, gain=239, features=Digital  (0)
435 Different in file 2 106   0 Emb B                    0   0 Organ# = 20, Creature, Sensorimotor, Gait 7, chem=Alcohol, thresh=16, nom=0, gain=239, features=Digital  (0)
444 Different in file 1  15   0 You F MutDupCut        128   0 Organ# = 20, Creature, Sensorimotor, Gait 15, chem=Sex drive, thresh=36, nom=0, gain=255, features=Digital  (0)
445 Different in file 2  15   0 You F                    0   0 Organ# = 20, Creature, Sensorimotor, Gait 15, chem=Sex drive, thresh=36, nom=0, gain=255, features=Digital  (0)
435 Different in file 1 105   0 Emb B MutDupCut        128   0 Organ# = 20, Creature, Sensorimotor, Gait 2, chem=Tiredness, thresh=141, nom=0, gain=207, features=Analogue  (0)
436 Different in file 2 105   0 Emb B                    0   0 Organ# = 20, Creature, Sensorimotor, Gait 2, chem=Tiredness, thresh=141, nom=0, gain=207, features=Analogue  (0)
436 Different in file 1 104   0 Emb B MutDupCut        128   0 Organ# = 20, Creature, Sensorimotor, Gait 3, chem=Sleepiness, thresh=128, nom=0, gain=207, features=Analogue  (0)
437 Different in file 2 104   0 Emb B                    0   0 Organ# = 20, Creature, Sensorimotor, Gait 3, chem=Sleepiness, thresh=128, nom=0, gain=207, features=Analogue  (0)  
437 Different in file 1 103   0 Emb B MutDupCut        128   0 Organ# = 20, Creature, Sensorimotor, Gait 5, chem=Anger, thresh=124, nom=0, gain=223, features=Analogue  (0)
438 Different in file 2 103   0 Emb B                    0   0 Organ# = 20, Creature, Sensorimotor, Gait 5, chem=Anger, thresh=124, nom=0, gain=223, features=Analogue  (0)
438 Different in file 1 102   0 Emb B MutDupCut        128   0 Organ# = 20, Creature, Sensorimotor, Gait 4, chem=Fear, thresh=128, nom=0, gain=223, features=Analogue  (0)
439 Different in file 2 102   0 Emb B                    0   0 Organ# = 20, Creature, Sensorimotor, Gait 4, chem=Fear, thresh=128, nom=0, gain=223, features=Analogue  (0)
439 Different in file 1 101   0 Emb B MutDupCut        128   0 Organ# = 20, Creature, Sensorimotor, Gait 6, chem=Injury, thresh=64, nom=0, gain=239, features=Digital  (0)
440 Different in file 2 101   0 Emb B                    0   0 Organ# = 20, Creature, Sensorimotor, Gait 6, chem=Injury, thresh=64, nom=0, gain=239, features=Digital  (0)
442 Different in file 1 100   0 Emb B MutDupCut        128   0 Organ# = 20, Creature, Sensorimotor, Gait 1, chem=Pain, thresh=33, nom=0, gain=239, features=Digital  (0)
443 Different in file 2 100   0 Emb B                    0   0 Organ# = 20, Creature, Sensorimotor, Gait 1, chem=Pain, thresh=33, nom=0, gain=239, features=Digital  (0)
445 Different in file 1 108   0 Emb B MutDupCutDor     128   0 Organ# = 20, Creature, Sensorimotor, Gait 15, chem=Alcohol, thresh=0, nom=0, gain=255, features=Digital  (0)
446 Different in file 2 108   0 Emb B          Dor       0   0 Organ# = 20, Creature, Sensorimotor, Gait 15, chem=Alcohol, thresh=0, nom=0, gain=255, features=Digital  (0)
440 Different in file 1 190   0 Emb B MutDupCut        128   0 Organ# = 20, Creature, Sensorimotor, Gait 8, chem=Downatrophin, thresh=77, nom=0, gain=255, features=Digital  (0)
441 Different in file 2 190   0 Emb B                    0   0 Organ# = 20, Creature, Sensorimotor, Gait 8, chem=Downatrophin, thresh=77, nom=0, gain=255, features=Digital  (0)
441 Different in file 1 189   0 Emb B MutDupCut        128   0 Organ# = 20, Creature, Sensorimotor, Gait 9, chem=Upatrophin, thresh=77, nom=0, gain=255, features=Digital  (0)
442 Different in file 2 189   0 Emb B                    0   0 Organ# = 20, Creature, Sensorimotor, Gait 9, chem=Upatrophin, thresh=77, nom=0, gain=255, features=Digital  (0)

A big long list of changes that boil down to "what gaits creatures use in a given situation is now fixed and cannot change as the generations go on." The actual gait genes themselves are already immutable in default 2017 creatures, but my dislike of gait-based mutations goes a little farther than that and so now there's no way for them to change at all (or at least it's much less likely).

Chemical Emitters

159 Different in file 1  41   0 Emb B MutDupCut        128   0 Organ# = 7, Creature, Sensorimotor, Crowdedness, chem=Loneliness, thresh=227, samp=11, gain=1, features=Inverted Digital  (0)
159 Different in file 2  41   0 Emb B MutDupCut        128   0 Organ# = 7, Creature, Sensorimotor, Crowdedness, chem=Loneliness, thresh=227, samp=10, gain=1, features=Inverted Digital  (0)
160 Different in file 1  32   0 Emb B MutDupCut        128   0 Organ# = 7, Creature, Sensorimotor, Crowdedness, chem=Crowded, thresh=26, samp=6, gain=1, features=Analogue  (0)
160 Different in file 2  32   0 Emb B MutDupCut        128   0 Organ# = 7, Creature, Sensorimotor, Crowdedness, chem=Crowded, thresh=77, samp=6, gain=2, features=Analogue  (0)

As mentioned back at the start, I noticed that 2017 creatures tend to be solitary, almost never getting lonely. Since that's not great for getting a population going, I went and did some tweaking to the crowdedness/loneliness balance so they'd get the urge to rejoin the herd after a while and take longer to get crowded once they've found a group (many thanks again to Dragoler for providing the latter change).

This is something I'd likely revert back to 2017 defaults for my ettin and grendel genomes as I'd like them to be a bit more independent than norns.

170 Different in file 1  38   0 Emb B MutDupCut        128   0 Organ# = 7, Creature, Sensorimotor, Upwards slope, chem=Upatrophin, thresh=48, samp=2, gain=255, features=Digital  (0)
170 Different in file 2  38   0 Emb B                    0   0 Organ# = 7, Creature, Sensorimotor, Upwards slope, chem=Upatrophin, thresh=48, samp=2, gain=255, features=Digital  (0)
171 Different in file 1  40   0 Emb B MutDupCut        128   0 Organ# = 7, Creature, Sensorimotor, Downwards slope, chem=Downatrophin, thresh=48, samp=2, gain=255, features=Digital  (0)
171 Different in file 2  40   0 Emb B                    0   0 Organ# = 7, Creature, Sensorimotor, Downwards slope, chem=Downatrophin, thresh=48, samp=2, gain=255, features=Digital  (0)

Out of all gait-related mutations that could happen, I found the ones where creatures start acting like they're going up/down hills even on flat floors to be the most annoying. These are the two genes primarily responsible for that, and now they're immutable just like with the gait receptors.

Chemical Reactions

41 Different in file 1  55   0 Emb B                    0   0 Organ# = 2, 6*Anabolic steriod + 4*Amino Acid => 1*Muscle Tissue + 1*<NONE>; half-life = 65
41 Different in file 2  55   0 Emb B                    0   0 Organ# = 2, 4*Anabolic steriod + 4*Amino Acid => 1*Muscle Tissue + 1*<NONE>; half-life = 65

This is a change I made over the course of reducing the amount of Activase in RA Standard creatures' systems. Since they had less Activase in their system and thus produced less anabolic steroid (mispelled in Gene Compare presumably due to a typo), I reduced the amount of anabolic steroid needed to produce muscle tissue.

870 Different in file 1  14   0 Emb B MutDupCutDor     128   0 Organ# = 22, 1*Coldness + 1*<NONE> => 1*Coldness backup + 1*<NONE>; half-life = 18
876 Different in file 2  14   0 Emb B MutDupCut        128   0 Organ# = 22, 1*Coldness + 1*<NONE> => 1*Coldness backup + 1*<NONE>; half-life = 18
871 Different in file 1  19   0 Emb B MutDupCutDor     128   0 Organ# = 22, 1*Hotness + 1*<NONE> => 1*Hotness backup + 1*<NONE>; half-life = 18
877 Different in file 2  19   0 Emb B MutDupCut        128   0 Organ# = 22, 1*Hotness + 1*<NONE> => 1*Hotness backup + 1*<NONE>; half-life = 18
872 Different in file 1  37   0 Emb B MutDupCutDor     128   0 Organ# = 22, 1*Tiredness + 1*<NONE> => 1*Tiredness backup + 1*<NONE>; half-life = 18
878 Different in file 2  37   0 Emb B MutDupCut        128   0 Organ# = 22, 1*Tiredness + 1*<NONE> => 1*Tiredness backup + 1*<NONE>; half-life = 18
873 Different in file 1  61   0 Emb B MutDupCutDor     128   0 Organ# = 22, 1*Loneliness + 1*<NONE> => 1*Loneliness backup + 1*<NONE>; half-life = 18
879 Different in file 2  61   0 Emb B MutDupCut        128   0 Organ# = 22, 1*Loneliness + 1*<NONE> => 1*Loneliness backup + 1*<NONE>; half-life = 18
876 Different in file 1 106   0 Emb B MutDupCutDor     128   0 Organ# = 22, 1*Sex drive + 1*<NONE> => 1*Sex drive backup + 1*<NONE>; half-life = 18
882 Different in file 2 106   0 Emb B MutDupCut        128   0 Organ# = 22, 1*Sex drive + 1*<NONE> => 1*Sex drive backup + 1*<NONE>; half-life = 18

Now this was a strange one. For one reason or the other, a bunch of reactions in the default 2017's Hungerly Drive Overwhelmsion organ (the organ that puts most other drives on the backburner when creatures get too hungry) were set to not express (still in the genome, but not functional). I could somewhat see the logic behind tiredness and loneliness, as sleeping is good for a creature's memory and not having loneliness get suppressed could potentially help the otherwise-solitary 2017 creatures find each other when they do get lonely, but the rest just confused me. Particularly the one for Sex Drive; personally, I don't want creatures who are starving to death breeding. So I just reverted these back to how they were in the original CFF (and how they continue to be in the TWB/TCBs).

432 New in file 2 122   0 Emb B MutDupCut        128   0 Organ# = 20, 6*CA smell 13 (Grendel) + 1*<NONE> => 2*Fear + 1*Adrenalin; half-life = 41
874 New in file 2 121   0 Emb B MutDupCut        128   0 Organ# = 21, 8*Boredom + 1*Wait => 1*Wait + 8*Boredom backup; half-life = 19

These are two new reactions not present in the default 2017 genome. The first of them is the replacement for the Grendel Frightening neuroemitter I talked about in my last post, and is now the first gene in the muscle organ like the similar gene is in vanilla grendels. The second, however, needs more of an explanation.

Years back, when the Gameware Forums were still operational, it was noted how vanilla norns were constantly addicted to pushing elevators. A user by the name of Ratboy (also known for helping with the Enhanced ChiChi Norns, and who I believe also assisted Vampess in creating the CFE) figured that the instincts responsible had to be there for a reason, likely to convince norns to travel. So instead he came up with this reaction gene, temporarily suppressing boredom whenever creatures waited to travel on an elevator or through doors. Hopefully, by the time boredom was restored the creature would be elsewhere and thus more likely to do something else.

It's a gene I've added to basically all my genomes since then, even as the instincts responsible were silenced in the CFE and beyond. I'm not sure how much it helps, but I've never really noticed it to hurt either, and I just like to think of it as a personal tag. Plus, I've also experimented with traveling creatures before, and it'll very much be helpful in any such genomes I try making in the future.

Half-Lives

26 Different in file 1   1   0 Emb B MutDupCut        128   0 [Wait] = 38
26 Different in file 2   1   0 Emb B MutDupCut        128   0 [Wait] = 31

Gene Compare is lousy at showing the user what's different in half-life genes. Instead of just showing the changes, it spits out the gene in its entirety and presents the user with a blob that's nigh-impossible to parse. It makes trying to figure out what the exact changes were much more of a hassle than it needs to be. Rather than subject you to that, I'm just showing the changes. Or rather the one single change.

Wait's half-life is reduced as a complementary change to the aforementioned reaction gene that has wait suppress boredom. So essentially RA Standard creatures won't be staring at elevators or doors for as long as other creatures should they insist on pushing one that isn't moving, though I haven't noticed it having any negative effect on regular usage of doors and elevators.

Stimuli

395 Different in file 1   1   0 Emb B MutDupCut        128   0 Disappointment (0) causes sig=0 GS neu=0 int=0, ,,,240 => 1*Boredom + 25*Punishment + 62*Brain chemical 1 + 4*Activase
395 Different in file 2   1   0 Emb B MutDupCut        128   0 Disappointment (0) causes sig=0 GS neu=0 int=0, ,,,240 => 1*Boredom + 25*Punishment + 62*Brain chemical 1 + 1*Activase
409 Different in file 1  16   0 Emb B MutDupCut        128   0 I have eaten (26) causes sig=61 GS neu=12 int=0, ,,,64 => -7*Boredom + -2*Coldness + 2*Activase + 3*Tiredness
409 Different in file 2  16   0 Emb B MutDupCut        128   0 I have eaten (26) causes sig=61 GS neu=12 int=0, ,,,0 => -7*Boredom + -2*Coldness + 0*<NONE> + 3*Tiredness

These are the stimuli genes I mentioned in my post about the 2017 digestive system and the changes I made to it. Not much to say that I didn't already say there.

However, I did remove the Activase from the Having Eaten stimulus; I decided I wanted to keep some risk of a heart attack present and thus made it a little more likely if creatures insisted on eating fatty foods to the exclusion of all else.

410 Different in file 1  17   0 Emb B MutDupCut        128   0 I have approached (periodic) (16) causes sig=29 GS neu=14 int=0, ,,,48 => 4*Activase + 1*Crowded + -13*Loneliness + 0*<NONE>
410 Different in file 2  17   0 Emb B MutDupCut        128   0 I have approached (periodic) (16) causes sig=29 GS neu=14 int=0, ,,,16 => 4*Activase + 0*<NONE> + -6*Loneliness + 0*<NONE>
412 Different in file 1  19   0 Emb B MutDupCut        128   0 I have retreated (17) causes sig=13 GS neu=14 int=0, ,,,160 => -11*Crowded + 2*Loneliness + -7*Fear + 4*Activase
412 Different in file 2  19   0 Emb B MutDupCut        128   0 I have retreated (17) causes sig=13 GS neu=14 int=0, ,,,128 => -11*Crowded + 0*<NONE> + -7*Fear + 4*Activase
532 Different in file 1  55   0 Emb B MutDupCut        128   0 Reached peak of smell 12 (67) causes sig=0 GS neu=0 int=0, ,,,16 => -3*Loneliness + 0*<NONE> + 0*<NONE> + 0*<NONE>
535 Different in file 2  55   0 Emb B MutDupCut        128   0 Reached peak of smell 12 (67) causes sig=0 GS neu=0 int=0, ,,,48 => -25*Loneliness + -3*Fear + 0*<NONE> + 0*<NONE>

These stimuli are changed as part of balancing the amount of loneliness/crowdedness. I realized that the approaching and retreating stims likely triggered on approaching or retreating from anything (not just other creatures), a thought reinforced by the fact TWBs/TCBs don't have these genes affect crowdedness/loneliness. So now those two drives are handled more by the aforementioned emitter genes.

2017 creatures also get considerably less loneliness reduced when they find another creature of their species. I decided to revert this back to how it was previously, as well as make it so it reduced fear as well in case they get scared by the presence of grendels in their midst.

531 Different in file 1  53   0 Chi B MutDupCut        128   0 Travelled through internal door (96) causes sig=0 GS neu=0 int=0, ,,,16 => -124*Enter + 0*<NONE> + 0*<NONE> + 0*<NONE>
534 Different in file 2  53   0 Chi B MutDupCut        128   0 Travelled through internal door (96) causes sig=0 GS neu=0 int=0, ,,,48 => -124*Enter + -124*Wait + 0*<NONE> + 0*<NONE>

So this is a change I'm not sure any other base genome's made. This gene refers to passing through internal doors. They're not the same as doors leading to other metarooms; this refers to doors leading to different areas of the same metaroom. Accordingly, internal doors are associated with the Enter drive as opposed to the Exit drive for metaroom/external doors.

I don't think the Enter drive is relevant anywhere in the base game of C3/DS, but it does come into play for certain third party metarooms as described here. And I don't think there's any reason why an internal door shouldn't use the Wait drive; without it it'd just lead creatures bouncing throw internal doors repeatedly. With it, however, most creatures would just wind up staring at the door they just used for a while before the Wait drive wears off and they realize they're at their destination.

So I made it so that the stim for using internal doors also gets rid of the Wait drive as is the case for elevators and external doors. Not sure how many internal door agents are out there, but it's futureproofing.

411 Different in file 1  18   0 Emb B MutDupCutDor     128   0 Heard creature speak (11) causes sig=0 GS neu=4 int=0, ,,,240 => 1*Crowded + -10*Loneliness + -11*Fear + -5*Anger
411 Different in file 2  18   0 Emb B MutDupCut        128   0 I have pulled (14) causes sig=55 GS neu=15 int=0, ,,,192 => -4*Boredom + -2*Coldness + 4*Tiredness + 4*Activase
533 Different in file 1  56   0 Emb B MutDupCutDor     128   0 I have said need (20) causes sig=0 GS neu=0 int=0, ,,,32 => -6*Anger + -2*Crowded + 0*<NONE> + 0*<NONE>
536 Different in file 2  56   0 Chi B MutDupCut        128   0 Discomfort (76) causes sig=0 GS neu=0 int=0, ,,,16 => 124*Comfort + 0*<NONE> + 0*<NONE> + 0*<NONE>

The TWBs/TCBs often repurpose previously dormant genes, changing them into completely new ones. In the interest of compatibility, I decided to do the same for a few genes. 

The CFF silenced the "Heard Creature Speak" and "Stated Need" stimuli and their corresponding instincts as it was basically a negative impact all around (they often resulted in feedback loops and creatures talking instead of actually taking care of themselves). Since they weren't being used anyway and I don't have any plans for them for future genomes, I turned the "Heard Creature Speak" stim into a Pulled Object stim (a copy of the Pushed Object stim except for pulling; for one reason or the other there wasn't one already) and "I have said need" into "Discomfort," taken from the vanilla grendel genome.

847 New in file 2  62   0 Emb B MutDupCut        128   0 Hit critter (87) causes sig=0 GS neu=0 int=0, ,,,0 => -5*Boredom + -13*Anger + 0*<NONE> + 0*<NONE>
848 New in file 2  63   0 Emb B MutDupCut        128   0 Hit machine (92) causes sig=0 GS neu=0 int=0, ,,,0 => -7*Boredom + 0*<NONE> + 0*<NONE> + 0*<NONE>

Alas, there weren't any more stimuli I felt comfortable repurposing, so two new stimuli genes were necessary to add these two stims. Like discomfort, they're from the vanilla grendel genome. Ettins don't have any stimuli genes unique to their vanilla genomes; if they did, I would've added them too.

Instincts

462 Different in file 1   3   0 Emb B MutDupCut        128   0 [03: stim] [Cell 3 (Seed)] + [Brain Lobe 255] [Cell 0] + [Brain Lobe 255] [Cell 0] and [Hunger for carbohydrate] => Cell 12 (Eat); unknown = 0.
462 Different in file 2   3   0 Emb B MutDupCut        128   0 [03: stim] [Cell 3 (Seed)] + [Brain Lobe 255] [Cell 0] + [Brain Lobe 255] [Cell 0] and [Hunger for carbohydrate] => Cell 12 (Eat); unknown = 31.
463 Different in file 1   4   0 Emb B MutDupCut        128   0 [03: stim] [Cell 11 (Food)] + [Brain Lobe 255] [Cell 0] + [Brain Lobe 255] [Cell 0] and [Hunger for fat] => Cell 12 (Eat); unknown = 0.
464 Different in file 2   4   0 Emb B MutDupCut        128   0 [03: stim] [Cell 11 (Food)] + [Brain Lobe 255] [Cell 0] + [Brain Lobe 255] [Cell 0] and [Hunger for fat] => Cell 12 (Eat); unknown = 31.
464 Different in file 1   6   0 Emb B MutDupCut        128   0 [03: stim] [Cell 8 (Fruit)] + [Brain Lobe 255] [Cell 0] + [Brain Lobe 255] [Cell 0] and [Hunger for protein] => Cell 12 (Eat); unknown = 0.
466 Different in file 2   6   0 Emb B MutDupCut        128   0 [03: stim] [Cell 8 (Fruit)] + [Brain Lobe 255] [Cell 0] + [Brain Lobe 255] [Cell 0] and [Hunger for protein] => Cell 12 (Eat); unknown = 31.
463 New in file 2  32   0 Emb B MutDupCut        128   0 [03: stim] [Cell 3 (Seed)] + [Brain Lobe 255] [Cell 0] + [Brain Lobe 255] [Cell 0] and [Hunger for fat] => Cell 12 (Eat); unknown = 62.
465 New in file 2  34   0 Emb B MutDupCut        128   0 [03: stim] [Cell 11 (Food)] + [Brain Lobe 255] [Cell 0] + [Brain Lobe 255] [Cell 0] and [Hunger for protein] => Cell 12 (Eat); unknown = 62.
467 New in file 2  48   0 Emb B MutDupCut        128   0 [03: stim] [Cell 8 (Fruit)] + [Brain Lobe 255] [Cell 0] + [Brain Lobe 255] [Cell 0] and [Hunger for carbohydrate] => Cell 12 (Eat); unknown = 62.

In the interest of making them trickier to care for, 2017s only have one instinct each for dealing with the hunger drives. EDIT: The 2017's description states that this change makes them require a more varied diet, which I interpreted as "it's to make them harder to raise." However, it's not stated as the actual reason, or even a reason ("to help prevent overeating" is a more directly stated reason). Some other reasons might've been out of an assumption that too many instincts could be confusing or just to make them only eat one kind of food item per type of hunger drive.

EDIT2: Dragoler did some sleuthing and found the discussion topic for 2017s on Creatures Caves, in which multiple people noted that 2017s tended to have trouble remembering to eat. Based on this, I'm inclined to believe that the reason was mostly to correct eating issues, both in remembering to eat and reducing "brain fog." Thanks, Dragoler!

In any event, they eat seeds when seeking cards, food when seeking fat, and fruit when seeking protein. However, since they're rarely hungry for protein on account of having a lot of muscle tissue, this tends to mean they almost never eat fruit. So a lot of those nice fruit agents out there just sit there unused. Not only that, but fruit's actually the best thing for a CFF-derived genome to eat if it's seeking carbs or protein, as it won't get fat on the side and thus won't get extra adipose tissue (and thus lower its risk of a heart attack).

Partially because of that and partially because I just wanted more variance in behavior, I readded the extra eat genes that are present in vanilla creatures (the CFF and prior) and weakened the genes already present. However, in the spirit of the original 2017 creatures, I also made it so the secondary eat genes are weaker than their respective primary gene.

468 Different in file 1  13   0 Emb B MutDupCutDor     128   0 [03: stim] [Cell 36 (Norn)] + [Brain Lobe 255] [Cell 0] + [Brain Lobe 255] [Cell 0] and [Anger] => Cell 8 (Say what you need); unknown = 93.
471 Different in file 2  13   0 Emb B MutDupCut        128   0 [03: stim] [Cell 36 (Norn)] + [Brain Lobe 255] [Cell 0] + [Brain Lobe 255] [Cell 0] and [Fear] => Cell 4 (come); unknown = 62.

A repurposed dormant instinct that I had no future plans for. The original instinct encouraged creatures to express themselves when angry, matching the corresponding stimulus; I instead turned it into an instinct to approach other norns when scared to match the change I made to that stimulus and to help counteract the Grendel Frightening reaction.

471 Different in file 1  15   0 Emb B MutDupCut        128   0 [03: stim] [Cell 28 (Machinery)] + [Brain Lobe 255] [Cell 0] + [Brain Lobe 255] [Cell 0] and [Boredom] => Cell 1 (push); unknown = 0.
474 Different in file 2  15   0 Emb B MutDupCut        128   0 [03: stim] [Cell 28 (Machinery)] + [Brain Lobe 255] [Cell 0] + [Brain Lobe 255] [Cell 0] and [Boredom] => Cell 1 (push); unknown = 62.
505 Different in file 1   5   0 Emb B MutDupCut        128   0 [03: stim] [Cell 21 (Toy)] + [Brain Lobe 255] [Cell 0] + [Brain Lobe 255] [Cell 0] and [Boredom] => Cell 1 (push); unknown = 0.
508 Different in file 2   5   0 Emb B MutDupCut        128   0 [03: stim] [Cell 21 (Toy)] + [Brain Lobe 255] [Cell 0] + [Brain Lobe 255] [Cell 0] and [Boredom] => Cell 1 (push); unknown = 62.

As you might've noticed, ChiChi Norns and norns in general love their machinery. Since that's kind of annoying, I weakened the strength of the instinct so they're more likely to try other things. In a similar vein, I weakened the instinct for pushing toys as well. Hopefully this results in more varied behaviors without the problems that come with getting rid of boredom-related instincts outright.

Pigments and Pigment Bleeds

373 Different in file 1   1   0 Emb B Mut              129   0 Intensity of Red is = 128.
373 Different in file 2   1   0 Emb B Mut              255   0 Intensity of Red is = 128.
374 Different in file 1   2   0 Emb B Mut              129   0 Intensity of Green is = 128.
374 Different in file 2   2   0 Emb B Mut              255   0 Intensity of Green is = 128.
375 Different in file 1   3   0 Emb B Mut              129   0 Intensity of Blue is = 128.
375 Different in file 2   3   0 Emb B Mut              255   0 Intensity of Blue is = 128.
376 Different in file 1   5   0 Emb B Mut              129   0 Intensity of Red is = 128.
376 Different in file 2   5   0 Chi B Mut              255   0 Intensity of Red is = 128.
377 Different in file 1   7   0 Ado M Mut              129   0 Intensity of Red is = 128.
377 Different in file 2   7   0 Ado B Mut              255   0 Intensity of Red is = 128.
378 Different in file 1   6   0 Emb B Mut              129   0 Intensity of Red is = 128.
378 Different in file 2   6   0 You B Mut              255   0 Intensity of Red is = 128.
379 Different in file 1   4   0 Ado F Mut              129   0 Intensity of Red is = 128.
379 Different in file 2   4   0 Adu B Mut              255   0 Intensity of Red is = 128.
380 Different in file 1   8   0 Emb B Mut              129   0 Intensity of Green is = 128.
380 Different in file 2   8   0 Old B Mut              255   0 Intensity of Red is = 128.
381 Different in file 1   9   0 Emb B Mut              129   0 Intensity of Green is = 128.
381 Different in file 2   9   0 Sen B Mut              255   0 Intensity of Red is = 128.
382 Different in file 1  10   0 Emb B Mut              129   0 Intensity of Green is = 128.
382 Different in file 2  10   0 Chi B Mut              255   0 Intensity of Green is = 128.
383 Different in file 1  11   0 Emb B Mut              129   0 Intensity of Blue is = 128.
383 Different in file 2  11   0 Ado B Mut              255   0 Intensity of Green is = 128.
384 Different in file 1  12   0 Emb B Mut              129   0 Intensity of Blue is = 128.
384 Different in file 2  12   0 You B Mut              255   0 Intensity of Green is = 128.
385 Different in file 1  13   0 Emb B Mut              129   0 Intensity of Blue is = 128.
385 Different in file 2  13   0 Adu B Mut              255   0 Intensity of Green is = 128.
891 New in file 2  14   0 Old B Mut              255   0 Intensity of Green is = 128.
892 New in file 2  15   0 Sen B Mut              255   0 Intensity of Green is = 128.
893 New in file 2  16   0 Chi B Mut              255   0 Intensity of Blue is = 128.
894 New in file 2  17   0 Ado B Mut              255   0 Intensity of Blue is = 128.
895 New in file 2  18   0 You B Mut              255   0 Intensity of Blue is = 128.
896 New in file 2  19   0 Adu B Mut              255   0 Intensity of Blue is = 128.
897 New in file 2  20   0 Old B Mut              255   0 Intensity of Blue is = 128.
898 New in file 2  21   0 Sen B Mut              255   0 Intensity of Blue is = 128.

Since I make genetic breeds and genetic breeds really benefit from having nice colors, I changed around the existing pigment genes and added new ones so there's a set of red, blue, and green pigment genes for every life stage. The new pigment genes are at the end of the genome to maintain compatibility with the original 2017 genome.

For one reason or the other, C3 standalone changed how pigments and pigment bleeds worked in C1 and C2, where they kicked on at the lifestage they're set to and stayed that way for the rest of the creature's life. Instead, the genes only apply to the lifestage they're set to and switch off after that, requiring genes for all life stages if you want a creature to keep its color for its whole life (and even then they'll lose their colors after they die of old age, since "Dead" is technically a life stage itself that you can't set genes to kick on at in the Genetics Kit).

DS reverted this change to how it worked in C1 and C2, and I imagine most people aren't playing C3 standalone these days. However, there's another reason to have pigment and pigment bleed genes for all lifestages in DS. In the vanilla genomes and other genomes that don't have extra pigment genes for lifestages past baby, a single pigment or pigment bleed gene mutating to affect a later life stage will result in that gene dictating the entire color scheme at that lifestage. So even if it was strongly colored as a baby, it'll go back to looking almost normal when it ages and stay that way for the rest of its life. Having extra pigment and pigment bleed genes for the later lifestages keeps that from happening for colored creatures.

The original 2017 genome also drastically reduced the mutation rate of pigment genes, presumably for the same reason the Farbe genome disables pigment mutations entirely. Bright pigments tend to look less realistic and pleasing to the eye than pigment bleeds do. But out of personal preference, I kicked the mutation rate back up to where it is in vanilla creatures. 

 387 Different in file 1   2   0 Emb B Mut              255   0 Rotation = 128, Swap = 128.
387 Different in file 2   2   0 Chi B Mut              255   0 Rotation = 128, Swap = 128.
388 Different in file 1   3   0 Emb B Mut              255   0 Rotation = 128, Swap = 128.
388 Different in file 2   3   0 Ado B Mut              255   0 Rotation = 128, Swap = 128.
389 Different in file 1   4   0 Ado F Mut              255   0 Rotation = 128, Swap = 128.
389 Different in file 2   4   0 You B Mut              255   0 Rotation = 128, Swap = 128.
390 Different in file 1   5   0 Ado F Mut              255   0 Rotation = 128, Swap = 128.
390 Different in file 2   5   0 Adu B Mut              255   0 Rotation = 128, Swap = 128.
391 Different in file 1   6   0 Ado F Mut              255   0 Rotation = 128, Swap = 128.
391 Different in file 2   6   0 Old B Mut              255   0 Rotation = 128, Swap = 128.
392 Different in file 1   7   0 Ado M Mut              255   0 Rotation = 128, Swap = 128.
392 Different in file 2   7   0 Sen B Mut              255   0 Rotation = 128, Swap = 128.
393 Different in file 1   8   0 Ado M Mut              255   0 Rotation = 128, Swap = 128.
393 Different in file 2   8   0 Emb B Mut              255   0 Rotation = 128, Swap = 128.
394 Different in file 1   9   0 Ado M Mut              255   0 Rotation = 128, Swap = 128.
394 Different in file 2   9   0 Chi B Mut              255   0 Rotation = 128, Swap = 128.
899 New in file 2  10   0 Ado B Mut              255   0 Rotation = 128, Swap = 128.
900 New in file 2  11   0 You B Mut              255   0 Rotation = 128, Swap = 128.
901 New in file 2  12   0 Adu B Mut              255   0 Rotation = 128, Swap = 128.
902 New in file 2  13   0 Old B Mut              255   0 Rotation = 128, Swap = 128.
903 New in file 2  14   0 Sen B Mut              255   0 Rotation = 128, Swap = 128.
904 New in file 2  15   0 Emb B Mut              255   0 Rotation = 128, Swap = 128.
905 New in file 2  16   0 Chi B Mut              255   0 Rotation = 128, Swap = 128.
906 New in file 2  17   0 Ado B Mut              255   0 Rotation = 128, Swap = 128.
907 New in file 2  18   0 You B Mut              255   0 Rotation = 128, Swap = 128.
908 New in file 2  19   0 Adu B Mut              255   0 Rotation = 128, Swap = 128.
909 New in file 2  20   0 Old B Mut              255   0 Rotation = 128, Swap = 128.
910 New in file 2  21   0 Sen B Mut              255   0 Rotation = 128, Swap = 128.

As with the pigment genes, the existing pigment bleed genes were rearranged and new pigment bleed genes were added to ensure every life stage has three pigment bleed genes assigned to it. Why three? I found that was the number that ensured the most intense pigment bleeds and also provided the correct value for the Creature History's color sections.

Not much to say here that I haven't already said for the pigment genes.

Facial Expressions

460 Different in file 1   6   0 Emb B                    0   0 Sad, Weight 255 => 124*Pain + 71*Unknown drive number: 255 + 69*Unknown drive number: 255 + 69*Unknown drive number: 255
460 Different in file 2   6   0 Emb B                    0   0 Sad, Weight 255 => 124*Pain + 75*Hunger for protein + 75*Hunger for carbohydrate + 75*Hunger for fat
454 New in file 1   1   0 Emb B                    0   0 Sad, Weight 51 => 49*Unknown drive number: 255 + 31*Unknown drive number: 255 + 31*Unknown drive number: 255 + 0*Unknown drive number: 255

The facial expression genes have been changed to match that of the TWBs/TCBs, who look miserable when they get hungry. Since I thought was cute and also helpful to tell a creature's mood at a glance (especially postmortem, as 2017 creatures also take on a neutral expression when they're bored), I added it in.

I also got rid of the seemingly-extraneous "hungry" expression that's been present since the original C3 expressive breeds. I think that was something added that wound up not working and was never removed...like a lot of other things in vanilla genomes.

Conclusion

Despite the length of this writeup, RA's Standard genomes actually aren't changed that much from the original 2017 genomes. Most of the changes are in the stimuli genes, and a lot boil down to "this gene can't mutate/is more mutable." 

But at the end of the day, I'm not trying to reinvent the wheel and set a new standard in genetic development. The only standard I'm setting here is the standard I'm holding my future breeds to, hence the name of the genome. And I'm pretty happy with what I've made so far.

To save you a bunch of scrolling, here's the link to the test pack of norns and the genome I uploaded to Creatures Caves. There's no egg agent in this download; I'm saving that for the finalized version of the genome, which I'll release alongside my grendel and ettin genomes whenever I finish those up.

I'm not sure what my file hosting situation is at the moment. Trying to get to the place that hosted my downloads up until now just gives me a page stating "This website is being moved," and I remember getting something along those lines when I tried going there previously. To my knowledge the files already uploaded can still be downloaded (if not, EemFoo should have what you're looking for). So I'll need to figure something out when the time comes.

But for now, I think it's time I started work on my ettin base genome. I'll be certain to document that journey and the one for my base grendel genome as well, so until then, folks.