A Look at the Enhanced ChiChi Norn

Merry Christmas! Alas, as I'm still relearning all the ropes (and can't actually upload anything to my download site right now) I don't have anything to release today as I once tried to make a tradition of doing. However, in lieu of releasing a mod I instead decided to release a gift of information. Namely, doing a genetic breakdown of one of the oldest attempts at improving the base C3/DS genome, the Enhanced ChiChi Norn, by Daikaze, Ratboy, and Silvak.

Well, I said I was thinking about it my last post. I'm thinking about it now, and more importantly I feel motivated enough to do it now. I'm gonna strike while the iron's hot.

As I just linked their Creatures Wiki article I'm not going to repeat what that says too much. I'll just quote what Daikaze wrote in their readme:

"I got tired of some of the major issues that developed over time with creatures so I fixed it."

Short, simple, and to the point. Well, actually they went into everything that was changed about the genome immediately after that, but I'll get to that in a minute.

In a lot of ways, the Enhanced ChiChi Norn feels very much like a proto-CFF. A lot of the problems the CFF would later go on to fix are addressed here, sometimes in almost the exact same way. That being said, the Enhanced ChiChi Norn also brings some new features of their own that later base genomes never sought to replicate, some of which I think would be nice to have in RAS.

So without further ado, let's take a look. As opposed to going through it by gene type like I did for the comparison between RAS 1.0 and the original 2017 genome, I'll instead go by the order each particular feature is listed in the Enhanced ChiChi Norn's readme.

The New Brain Lobes

"The major change is the addition of some brain genetics (thanks to Ratboy). These new genetics cause the norns to need other norns while young and during the teen years the norns will try and avoid other norns."

As Gene Compare continues to be very bad at showing brain differences, here's the update rules of the two new brain lobes. There's more to them than this (brain genes have multiple tabs), but I feel this is the most important part.

I think I somewhat understand this?

Each of these brain lobes has an emitter gene tied to it. The emitters in question look like this:

820 New in file 2  44   0 Emb B 128   0 Organ# = 21, Brain, Brain Lobe 15, Cell 0 - state 1, chem=Loneliness, thresh=77, samp=15, gain=26, features=Digital  (0) 

821 New in file 2  45   0 Ado B  128   0 Organ# = 21, Brain, Brain Lobe 16, Cell 0 - state 1, chem=Crowded, thresh=77, samp=20, gain=26, features=Digital  (0)

As a brain edit, it's more simplistic than the more advanced and elaborate brain edits that went into the CFE and beyond, but it's still a lot more than I'd ever be able to do with the brain. It's also a lot more complicated than the CFF's solution to the same problem of making young norns stick around their parents (or each other, as the case may be) while older norns strike out on their own. In the CFF, it's just a pair of instincts; no brain edits needed (granted, I'm not sure how well these instincts work if they work at all; I didn't seem to notice any real difference in young norn behavior in my 2017 feral run).

The Hunger Overwhelmsion Organ

"I've added a hunger > all organ. This organ functions like the fearly and painly organs. The purpose is simply to ensure that norns eat instead of breed."

 The organ in question looks like this:

824 New in file 2   2   0 Emb B Mut 128   0 Organ# = 22, Clockrate = 128, Life force repair rate = 20, Life force start value = 128, Biotick start = 238, ATP damage coefficient = 128

And here's all the genes within it:

Reactions

825 New in file 2   2   0 Emb B 128   0 Organ# = 22, 1*Coldness + 1*<NONE> => 1*Coldness backup + 1*<NONE>; half-life = 18

826 New in file 2   4   0 Emb B 128   0 Organ# = 22, 1*Hotness + 1*<NONE> => 1*Hotness backup + 1*<NONE>; half-life = 18

827 New in file 2  14   0 Emb B 128   0 Organ# = 22, 1*Tiredness + 1*<NONE> => 1*Tiredness backup + 1*<NONE>; half-life = 18

828 New in file 2  19   0 Emb B 128   0 Organ# = 22, 1*Loneliness + 1*<NONE> => 1*Loneliness backup + 1*<NONE>; half-life = 18

829 New in file 2  37   0 Emb B 128   0 Organ# = 22, 1*Crowded + 1*<NONE> => 1*Crowded backup + 1*<NONE>; half-life = 18

830 New in file 2  61   0 Emb B 128   0 Organ# = 22, 1*Boredom + 1*<NONE> => 1*Boredom backup + 1*<NONE>; half-life = 18

831 New in file 2  71   0 Emb B 128   0 Organ# = 22, 1*Sex drive + 1*<NONE> => 1*Sex drive backup + 1*<NONE>; half-life = 18

Receptors

 832 New in file 2 138   0 Emb B 128   0 Organ# = 22, Organ, Organ, Clock Rate, chem=Hunger for protein, thresh=30, nom=0, gain=255, features=Analogue  (0)
 833 New in file 2 199   0 Emb B 128   0 Organ# = 22, Organ, Organ, Clock Rate, chem=Hunger for carbohydrate, thresh=30, nom=0, gain=255, features=Analogue  (0)
 834 New in file 2 202   0 Emb B 128   0 Organ# = 22, Organ, Organ, Clock Rate, chem=Hunger for fat, thresh=30, nom=0, gain=255, features=Analogue  (0)
 835 New in file 2 203   0 Emb B MutDupCut 128   0 Organ# = 22, Organ, Organ, Repair Rate, chem=Prostaglandin, thresh=0, nom=0, gain=143, features=Analogue  (0)
 836 New in file 2 204   0 Emb B MutDupCut 128   0 Organ# = 22, Organ, Organ, Injury, chem=Antigen 1, thresh=0, nom=0, gain=53, features=Analogue  (0)
 837 New in file 2 205   0 Emb B MutDupCut 128   0 Organ# = 22, Organ, Organ, Injury, chem=Antigen 3, thresh=0, nom=0, gain=53, features=Analogue  (0)

If you're unfamiliar with the way the overwhelmsion organs work, they're normally inactive unless their corresponding drive(s) are high, as determined by the clock rate receptors. Then they work to convert other drives into "backup" drives that the creature doesn't feel, leaving them feeling only the corresponding drives. Once they've dealt with it, another organ known as Constitutive Drive Maintenance works to convert the backups back into their original drives.

There's also a receptor to make Prostaglandin heal the organ and Antigens 1 and 3 damage it. Most organs in any given C3/DS genome have genes like this, as do the other two new organs in the Enhanced ChiChi genome. There's not much to say about them, so I won't mention them for the other two organs.

The Enhanced ChiChi Norns' using an organ like this predates the CFF's usage of it by eight years, and as such it's not entirely identical to the CFF's version (notably, the receptors that fire the organ up when the hunger drives get high are analogue, meaning that the organ gradually ramps up its speed as the hunger drives increase. In the CFF these receptors are digital, making the organ work in an on/off fashion). Nevertheless, it goes to show what a good idea it was to have made two separate appearances.

The Enhancement Gland

"There is an organ labeled "new organ" and it is simply an all-round organ. I use the "new organ" to store various genes that don't need a completely new organ."

This organ isn't actually called the "Enhancement Gland" in the Enhanced ChiChi Norns; as the readme says, it's just called the "New Organ." I'm giving it the name I gave its counterpart in RAS 2.0, as that's a little more fitting as to what it's meant to do.

The organ itself looks like this:

838 New in file 2   3   0 Emb B Mut 128   0 Organ# = 23, Clockrate = 128, Life force repair rate = 20, Life force start value = 128, Biotick start = 62, ATP damage coefficient = 128

It's placed underneath the Hunger Overwhelmsion organ, as I've done in RAS 2.0. Its rough equivalent in the CFF genome would be the miscellaneous reactions, receptors, etc. that the Genetics Kit lists as being part of the brain (though they're actually part of the Muscles, as the brain organ effectively doesn't exist).

As for what the Enhancement Gland does in the Enhanced ChiChi Norns....

Go Up When Drowning

839 New in file 2 213   0 Chi B MutDupCut 128   0 Organ# = 23, Creature, Drives, Up, chem=Air, thresh=78, nom=255, gain=255, features=Inverted Digital  (0)

A change that only needed one gene to implement. In short: when air gets low, the norn feels a desire to go up (use an elevator).

I should note that doing it this way is not the same thing as using the actual Up drive chemical (as an equivalent gene in the 2017 genome does). The actual drive chemical has some nuances that aren't replicated here (particularly related to how the brain handles the hierarchy of drives), though the norn still feels the desire to go up and will express as such if asked.

Fear of Death

840 New in file 2 214   0 Emb B MutDupCut 128   0 Organ# = 23, Creature, Drives, Fear, chem=ATP, thresh=26, nom=255, gain=255, features=Inverted Digital  (0)
841 New in file 2 215   0 Emb B MutDupCut 128   0 Organ# = 23, Creature, Drives, Fear, chem=Energy, thresh=45, nom=255, gain=255, features=Inverted Digital  (0)

These are similar to the Go Up When Drowning gene; when ATP or Energy get low, the norn will feel scared, will have a scared facial expression, and will express as such if asked.

Also like the Go Up When Drowning gene, this isn't the same as using the actual Fear drive chemical. A norn scared this way won't be using the special gait associated with fear, the Fearly Overwhelmsion organ won't start backing up drives, and so on.

The Elderly Become Weak

842 New in file 2 105   0 Sen B MutDupCut 128   0 Organ# = 23, 1*<NONE> + 1*<NONE> => 1*Pain + 1*<NONE>; half-life = 79
843 New in file 2 106   0 Sen B MutDupCut 128   0 Organ# = 23, 1*<NONE> + 1*<NONE> => 1*Crowded + 1*<NONE>; half-life = 58
844 New in file 2 107   0 Sen B MutDupCut 128   0 Organ# = 23, 1*Loneliness + 1*<NONE> => 1*<NONE> + 1*<NONE>; half-life = 58
845 New in file 2 108   0 Old B MutDupCut 128   0 Organ# = 23, 1*Prostaglandin + 1*<NONE> => 1*<NONE> + 1*<NONE>; half-life = 58
846 New in file 2 109   0 Old B MutDupCut 128   0 Organ# = 23, 1*<NONE> + 1*<NONE> => 1*Tiredness + 1*<NONE>; half-life = 72

All of these chemical reactions amount to the same thing: older norns find living more difficult, and also prefer to be alone when they die.

This is a feature I've strongly considered putting in RAS, not just for the realism but also for a more interesting way to help make generations move faster. I'd probably do it in a manner that feels more streamlined and takes less new genes if I could think of a way to do so, though.

The Sick Are Exiled

847 New in file 2 110   0 Emb B 128   0 Organ# = 23, 1*Antigen 0 + 1*<NONE> => 1*Antigen 0 + 1*Crowded; half-life = 38
848 New in file 2 111   0 Emb B 128   0 Organ# = 23, 1*Antigen 1 + 1*<NONE> => 1*Antigen 1 + 1*Crowded; half-life = 38
849 New in file 2 112   0 Emb B 128   0 Organ# = 23, 1*Antigen 2 + 1*<NONE> => 1*Antigen 2 + 1*Crowded; half-life = 38
850 New in file 2 113   0 Emb B 128   0 Organ# = 23, 1*Antigen 3 + 1*<NONE> => 1*Antigen 3 + 1*Crowded; half-life = 38
851 New in file 2 114   0 Emb B 128   0 Organ# = 23, 1*Antigen 4 + 1*<NONE> => 1*Antigen 4 + 1*Crowded; half-life = 38
852 New in file 2 115   0 Emb B 128   0 Organ# = 23, 1*Antigen 5 + 1*<NONE> => 1*Antigen 5 + 1*Crowded; half-life = 38
853 New in file 2 116   0 Emb B 128   0 Organ# = 23, 1*Antigen 6 + 1*<NONE> => 1*Antigen 6 + 1*Crowded; half-life = 38
854 New in file 2 117   0 Emb B 128   0 Organ# = 23, 1*Antigen 7 + 1*<NONE> => 1*Antigen 7 + 1*Crowded; half-life = 38

Another batch of chemical reactions that make norns infected with the antigens feel crowded, hopefully to encourage them to leave the herd and thus lower the risk they'll spread the bacteria around via coughing/sneezing.

Don't have much commentary to add here, really.

The Breeding Enhanced Organ

"There is also a new breeding organ. This organ reduces thew(sic) ability for older norns to breed."

The organ itself:

858 New in file 2   4   0 Emb B Mut 128   0 Organ# = 24, Clockrate = 128, Life force repair rate = 20, Life force start value = 128, Biotick start = 119, ATP damage coefficient = 128

And all the genes in it (barring the Prostaglandin/Antigen receptors that I'm not showing):

859 New in file 2 118   0 Old M MutDupCut 128   0 Organ# = 24, 1*Testosterone + 1*<NONE> => 1*<NONE> + 1*<NONE>; half-life = 74
860 New in file 2 119   0 Old F MutDupCut 128   0 Organ# = 24, 1*Oestrogen + 1*<NONE> => 1*<NONE> + 1*<NONE>; half-life = 74
861 New in file 2 120   0 Sen B MutDupCut 128   0 Organ# = 24, 1*Sex drive + 1*<NONE> => 1*<NONE> + 1*<NONE>; half-life = 74
862 New in file 2 121   0 Sen B MutDupCut 128   0 Organ# = 24, 1*Arousal Potential + 1*<NONE> => 1*<NONE> + 1*<NONE>; half-life = 74

863 New in file 2 209   0 Emb B MutDupCut 128   0 Organ# = 24, Organ, Organ, Injury, chem=Heavy Metals, thresh=0, nom=0, gain=25, features=Analogue  (0)

In a similar vein to the "Elderly Become Weak" reactions in the Enhancement Gland, these new reactions greatly reduce the fertility of older norns.

Also present is a receptor that makes the organ take damage from Heavy Metals, lining it up with the Gonad/Uterus's similar receptors.

I'm not quite sure why this needed to be an entirely new organ as opposed to just being part of the Enhancement Gland. Organizational purposes? To better line it up with the Gonad/Uterus?

New Instincts and Stimuli

"I've included a few stimulus and instinct genes as well. These genes are responsible for some interesting things."

871 New in file 2  63   0 Emb B MutDupCut 128   0 I am travelling (periodic) (23) causes sig=26 GS neu=0 int=0, ,,,0 => 1*Hunger for protein + 1*Hunger for carbohydrate + 1*Hunger for fat + 0*<NONE>
 872 New in file 2  64   0 Emb B MutDupCut 128   0 I am travelling (periodic) (23) causes sig=26 GS neu=0 int=0, ,,,112 => -1*Hunger for protein + -1*Hunger for carbohydrate + -1*Hunger for fat + 0*<NONE>

These two new stimuli genes are supposed to work in tandem by lowering the norn's hunger when it travels while also silently increasing it for no overall change, hopefully encouraging the Enhanced ChiChi to move more.

The base idea isn't bad, if maybe a little flawed (it could lead to norns starving to death because they think they're getting less hungry simply by moving). However...they don't actually work the way they're intended. If there's multiple stimulus genes for the same stimulus, the gene with the highest number takes priority and overrides the rest. So effectively, Enhanced ChiChi Norns just get hungrier from traveling, though as the increases are silent they won't recognize that.

I should also note that the Travelling stim almost never fires. You'd think it'd fire as creatures make their way across the world to things like food sources, but nope. It's just for moving left/right with no target in mind, which creatures do a lot less than you'd think.

869 New in file 2  61   0 You B MutDupCut        128   0 I have mated (45) causes sig=0 GS neu=9 int=30, ,,,16 => -62*Testosterone + 0*<NONE> + 0*<NONE> + 0*<NONE>
870 New in file 2  62   0 You B MutDupCut        128   0 I have mated (45) causes sig=0 GS neu=0 int=30, ,,,16 => -62*Oestrogen + 0*<NONE> + 0*<NONE> + 0*<NONE>

This pair of stimulus genes is meant to help tank the Enhanced ChiChi's fertility after mating. This is meant to work in tandem with an edit to the original "I've mated" stimulus (vanilla ChiChi on top; Enhanced ChiChi on bottom):

412 Different in file 1  24   0 You B MutDupCut        128   0 I have mated (45) causes sig=0 GS neu=9 int=30, ,,,192 => -50*Sex drive + 62*Libido lowerer + -7*Loneliness + 7*Tiredness
412 Different in file 2  24   0 You B MutDupCut        128   0 I have mated (45) causes sig=0 GS neu=9 int=30, ,,,192 => -50*Sex drive + 124*Libido lowerer + -7*Loneliness + 7*Tiredness

Alas, it runs into the exact same issue the traveling stimuli did in that only one of them actually does anything. In this case, it's only the one that reduces Oestrogen (the female fertility chemical). If that was set to female while the one that reduces Testosterone was set to male they'd both work for their respective genders, but as it is female Enhanced ChiChis get a slight fertility hit while males don't even have their sex drive lowered.

867 New in file 2  59   0 Emb B MutDupCut 128   0 Creature slaps me (4) causes sig=0 GS neu=0 int=0, ,,,16 => 70*Punishment + 0*<NONE> + 0*<NONE> + 0*<NONE>
868 New in file 2  60   0 Emb B MutDupCut 128   0 Creature pats me (2) causes sig=0 GS neu=0 int=0, ,,,16 => 0*Reward + 37*<NONE> + 0*<NONE> + 0*<NONE>

These two stimuli are meant to make Enhanced ChiChis feel punished or rewarded when slapped or patted by other creatures, respectively. I think I understand the idea behind this change; my guess is that it's meant to discourage taking actions that would lead to other creatures slapping them and encourage actions that lead to pats from other creatures. Alas, I don't think creatures are sophisicated enough to understand that kind of cause and effect.

And yet again, we run into the issue where there can only be one stimulus gene for each stimuli. These two genes overwrite the vanilla "I've been slapped" and "I've been patted" stimuli, so Enhanced ChiChi Norns only get punishment from being slapped by other creatures and reward from being patted.

873 New in file 2  30   0 You B MutDupCut 128   0 [03: stim] [Cell 23 (Dispenser)] + [Brain Lobe 255] [Cell 0] + [Brain Lobe 255] [Cell 0] and [Hunger for protein] => Cell 1 (push); unknown = 90.
874 New in file 2  35   0 You B MutDupCut 128   0 [03: stim] [Cell 23 (Dispenser)] + [Brain Lobe 255] [Cell 0] + [Brain Lobe 255] [Cell 0] and [Hunger for carbohydrate] => Cell 1 (push); unknown = 90.

A pair of new instincts to encourage Enhanced ChiChi Norns to use vendors when hungry for anything, not just for fat like how it is in vanilla ChiChi Norns.

503 Different in file 1  27   0 Emb B MutDupCut 128   0 [03: stim] [Cell 34 (Something34)] + [Brain Lobe 255] [Cell 0] + [Brain Lobe 255] [Cell 0] and [Boredom] => Cell 1 (push); unknown = 86.
503 Different in file 2  27   0 Emb B MutDupCut 128   0 [03: stim] [Cell 27 (Teleporter)] + [Brain Lobe 255] [Cell 0] + [Brain Lobe 255] [Cell 0] and [Boredom] => Cell 1 (push); unknown = 86.
504 Different in file 1  28   0 Emb B MutDupCut 128   0 [03: stim] [Cell 34 (Something34)] + [Brain Lobe 255] [Cell 0] + [Brain Lobe 255] [Cell 0] and [Crowded] => Cell 1 (push); unknown = 86.
504 Different in file 2  28   0 Emb B MutDupCut 128   0 [03: stim] [Cell 27 (Teleporter)] + [Brain Lobe 255] [Cell 0] + [Brain Lobe 255] [Cell 0] and [Crowded] => Cell 1 (push); unknown = 86.
505 Different in file 1  29   0 Emb B MutDupCut 128   0 [03: stim] [Cell 34 (Something34)] + [Brain Lobe 255] [Cell 0] + [Brain Lobe 255] [Cell 0] and [Pain] => Cell 1 (push); unknown = 86.
505 Different in file 2  29   0 Emb B MutDupCut 128   0 [03: stim] [Cell 27 (Teleporter)] + [Brain Lobe 255] [Cell 0] + [Brain Lobe 255] [Cell 0] and [Pain] => Cell 1 (push); unknown = 86.

875 New in file 2  36   0 Emb B MutDupCut 128   0 [03: stim] [Cell 34 (Something34)] + [Brain Lobe 255] [Cell 0] + [Brain Lobe 255] [Cell 0] and [Boredom] => Cell 1 (push); unknown = 86.
876 New in file 2  37   0 Emb B MutDupCut 128   0 [03: stim] [Cell 34 (Something34)] + [Brain Lobe 255] [Cell 0] + [Brain Lobe 255] [Cell 0] and [Crowded] => Cell 1 (push); unknown = 86.
877 New in file 2  38   0 Emb B MutDupCut 128   0 [03: stim] [Cell 34 (Something34)] + [Brain Lobe 255] [Cell 0] + [Brain Lobe 255] [Cell 0] and [Pain] => Cell 1 (push); unknown = 86.

The vanilla ChiChi instincts to push portals has been changed to instead be about teleporters (there is a distinction between the two; in vanilla, the difference seems to be that teleporters are for getting around one world while portals are for warping creatures. Of course, the line gets a lot blurrier when third-party agents are thrown into the mix), not that it matters since the old portal instincts are now in new instincts.

The vanilla caption for these genes is very confusing (they're labeled "push teleporter when X" when they actually refer to portals), so presumably that's why the portal genes are new while the teleporter instincts are edited and not the other way around.

This is a change that went on to be featured in the 2017 genome and that I'm planning on adding to RAS 2.0. Alas, the vanilla teleporters don't actually provide the same stim that the Warp Portals do, but it's still great to encourage creatures to actually move around the Shee Ark/Capillata more.

878 New in file 2  39   0 Chi B MutDupCut 128   0 [03: stim] [Cell 36 (Norn)] + [Brain Lobe 255] [Cell 0] + [Brain Lobe 255] [Cell 0] and [Anger] => Cell 13 (Hit); unknown = 0.
879 New in file 2  40   0 Chi B MutDupCut 128   0 [03: stim] [Cell 38 (Ettin)] + [Brain Lobe 255] [Cell 0] + [Brain Lobe 255] [Cell 0] and [Anger] => Cell 13 (Hit); unknown = 0.

Enhanced ChiChis have extra instincts to lash out at other norns and ettins as opposed to just grendels. Makes them a little more volatile than vanilla ChiChis, not that they're any more prone to getting angry than vanilla ChiChis are.

518 Different in file 1  48   0 Emb B MutDupCut 128   0 Activate machine (90) causes sig=0 GS neu=0 int=0, ,,,0 => -12*Boredom + 2*Hunger for fat + 0*<NONE> + 0*<NONE>
518 Different in file 2  48   0 Emb B MutDupCut 128   0 Activate machine (90) causes sig=0 GS neu=0 int=0, ,,,0 => -12*Boredom + 2*Hunger for fat + -3*Fear + 0*<NONE>
519 Different in file 1  49   0 Chi B MutDupCut 128   0 Got machine (91) causes sig=0 GS neu=0 int=0, ,,,0 => -12*Boredom + 2*Hunger for fat + 0*<NONE> + 0*<NONE>
519 Different in file 2  49   0 Chi B MutDupCut 128   0 Got machine (91) causes sig=0 GS neu=0 int=0, ,,,96 => -12*Boredom + 2*Hunger for fat + -5*Crowded + 0*<NONE>
520 Different in file 1  50   0 Chi B MutDupCut 128   0 Got creature egg (93) causes sig=0 GS neu=0 int=0, ,,,0 => -12*Boredom + 0*<NONE> + 0*<NONE> + 0*<NONE>
520 Different in file 2  50   0 Chi B MutDupCut        128   0 Got creature egg (93) causes sig=0 GS neu=0 int=0, ,,,0 => -12*Boredom + 1*Punishment + 0*<NONE> + 0*<NONE>

Not mentioned in the readme are these small adjustments to certain stimuli genes. Enhanced ChiChis get a little more out of interacting with machines than vanillas (pushing them drops fear while grabbing them drops crowded), while they're very slightly punished for picking up creature eggs.

466 Different in file 1  18   0 Emb B MutDupCut 128   0 [03: stim] [Cell 0 (Myself - norn)] + [Brain Lobe 255] [Cell 0] + [Brain Lobe 255] [Cell 0] and [Pain] => Cell 0 (Quiescent); unknown = 0.
466 Different in file 2  18   0 Emb B MutDupCut 128   0 [03: stim] [Cell 0 (Myself - norn)] + [Brain Lobe 255] [Cell 0] + [Brain Lobe 255] [Cell 0] and [Pain] => Cell 5 (run); unknown = 0.
483 Different in file 1   8   0 Emb B MutDupCut 128   0 [03: stim] [Cell 12 (Button)] + [Brain Lobe 255] [Cell 0] + [Brain Lobe 255] [Cell 0] and [Boredom] => Cell 1 (push); unknown = 62.
483 Different in file 2   8   0 Emb B MutDupCut 128   0 [03: stim] [Cell 12 (Button)] + [Brain Lobe 255] [Cell 0] + [Brain Lobe 255] [Cell 0] and [Boredom] => Cell 1 (push); unknown = 122.
501 Different in file 1  10   0 Ado B MutDupCut 128   0 [03: stim] [Cell 24 (Tool)] + [Brain Lobe 255] [Cell 0] + [Brain Lobe 255] [Cell 0] and [Boredom] => Cell 1 (push); unknown = 105.
501 Different in file 2  10   0 Ado B MutDupCut 128   0 [03: stim] [Cell 24 (Tool)] + [Brain Lobe 255] [Cell 0] + [Brain Lobe 255] [Cell 0] and [Boredom] => Cell 1 (push); unknown = 0.

Also not mentioned in the readme are these changed instincts from vanilla ChiChis. Specifically, Enhanced ChiChis are encouraged to run when in pain, have a strongly weakened instinct to push buttons when bored, and a stronger instinct to push tools (like the powerups in C3 standalone).

The idea behind the pain instinct is sound, though pain is a little context sensitive (running from a grendel makes sense, but running when you've just eaten garbage not so much) and the instinct is "Run self" rather than something like "Run grendel." The other two instincts aren't super notable in comparison, though it should be noted DS doesn't have powerups regardless of whether you're playing undocked or docked. I guess it does encourage Enhanced ChiChis to use the Knowledge Stones around the Shee Ark in docked worlds.

Enhanced Immunities

"The norns also have enhanced immunities."

This edit takes the form of two edits. Two changed reaction genes:

 345 Different in file 1  85   0 Emb B MutDupCut 128   0 Organ# = 18, 2*Antigen 0 + 1*<NONE> => 12*Antibody 0 + 1*Histamine B; half-life = 40
 345 Different in file 2  85   0 Emb B MutDupCut 128   0 Organ# = 18, 2*Antigen 0 + 1*<NONE> => 2*Antibody 0 + 1*Histamine B; half-life = 40
 347 Different in file 1  86   0 Emb B MutDupCut 128   0 Organ# = 18, 2*Antigen 1 + 1*<NONE> => 12*Antibody 1 + 1*Histamine A; half-life = 41
 347 Different in file 2  86   0 Emb B MutDupCut 128   0 Organ# = 18, 2*Antigen 1 + 1*<NONE> => 2*Antibody 1 + 1*Histamine A; half-life = 41

And some changed initial concentrations:

122 Different in file 1  17   0 Emb B MutDupCut 128   0 Initial concentration of Antibody 1 is 56.
122 Different in file 2  17   0 Emb B MutDupCut 128   0 Initial concentration of Antibody 1 is 100.
123 Different in file 1  18   0 Emb B MutDupCut 128   0 Initial concentration of Antibody 2 is 49.
123 Different in file 2  18   0 Emb B MutDupCut 128   0 Initial concentration of Antibody 2 is 64.
124 Different in file 1  19   0 Emb B MutDupCut 128   0 Initial concentration of Antibody 3 is 52.
124 Different in file 2  19   0 Emb B MutDupCut 128   0 Initial concentration of Antibody 3 is 68.
125 Different in file 1  20   0 Emb B MutDupCut 128   0 Initial concentration of Antibody 4 is 50.
125 Different in file 2  20   0 Emb B MutDupCut 128   0 Initial concentration of Antibody 4 is 66.
126 Different in file 1  21   0 Emb B MutDupCut 128   0 Initial concentration of Antibody 5 is 57.
126 Different in file 2  21   0 Emb B MutDupCut 128   0 Initial concentration of Antibody 5 is 73.
127 Different in file 1  22   0 Emb B MutDupCut 128   0 Initial concentration of Antibody 6 is 29.
127 Different in file 2  22   0 Emb B MutDupCut 128   0 Initial concentration of Antibody 6 is 45.
128 Different in file 1  23   0 Emb B MutDupCut 128   0 Initial concentration of Antibody 7 is 49.
128 Different in file 2  23   0 Emb B MutDupCut 128   0 Initial concentration of Antibody 7 is 65.
135 Different in file 1  25   0 Emb B MutDupCut 128   0 Initial concentration of Antibody 0 is 96.
135 Different in file 2  25   0 Emb B MutDupCut 128   0 Initial concentration of Antibody 0 is 102.

Initial concentration genes determine what chemicals a creature is born with and serve no further purpose past that point (they can also be set to kick on at a later life stage and have a similar effect then, though I haven't seen many breeds take advantage of this). As you can see, Enhanced ChiChi Norns are born with more antibodies than vanilla ChiChis.

The reactions to produce Antibodies 0 and 1 are also changed...but to me it looks like they're actually weaker than vanilla ChiChis, rather than stronger. Either it's a mistake or I'm just misunderstanding how chemical reactions work; either possibility feels likely to me.

Other Miscellaneous Changes

188 Different in file 1  60   0 Emb B MutDupCut 128   0 Organ# = 10, Creature, Somatic, Become a child, chem=Life, thresh=229, nom=119, gain=255, features=Inverted Digital  (0)
188 Different in file 2  60   0 Emb B                  128   0 Organ# = 10, Creature, Somatic, Become a child, chem=Life, thresh=229, nom=119, gain=255, features=Inverted Digital  (0)
189 Different in file 1  62   0 Chi B MutDupCut 128   0 Organ# = 10, Creature, Somatic, Become an adolescent, chem=Life, thresh=194, nom=116, gain=255, features=Inverted Digital  (0)
189 Different in file 2  62   0 Chi B                  128   0 Organ# = 10, Creature, Somatic, Become an adolescent, chem=Life, thresh=194, nom=116, gain=255, features=Inverted Digital  (0)
190 Different in file 1  63   0 Ado B MutDupCut 128   0 Organ# = 10, Creature, Somatic, Become a youth, chem=Life, thresh=165, nom=128, gain=255, features=Inverted Digital  (0)
190 Different in file 2  63   0 Ado B                  128   0 Organ# = 10, Creature, Somatic, Become a youth, chem=Life, thresh=165, nom=128, gain=255, features=Inverted Digital  (0)
191 Different in file 1  64   0 You B MutDupCut 128   0 Organ# = 10, Creature, Somatic, Become an adult, chem=Life, thresh=136, nom=128, gain=255, features=Inverted Digital  (0)
191 Different in file 2  64   0 You B                  128   0 Organ# = 10, Creature, Somatic, Become an adult, chem=Life, thresh=136, nom=128, gain=255, features=Inverted Digital  (0)
192 Different in file 1  65   0 Adu B MutDupCut 128   0 Organ# = 10, Creature, Somatic, Become old, chem=Life, thresh=19, nom=128, gain=255, features=Inverted Digital  (0)
192 Different in file 2  65   0 Adu B                  128   0 Organ# = 10, Creature, Somatic, Become old, chem=Life, thresh=19, nom=128, gain=255, features=Inverted Digital  (0)
193 Different in file 1  66   0 Old B MutDupCut 128   0 Organ# = 10, Creature, Somatic, Become senile, chem=Life, thresh=10, nom=128, gain=255, features=Inverted Digital  (0)
193 Different in file 2  66   0 Old B                  128   0 Organ# = 10, Creature, Somatic, Become senile, chem=Life, thresh=10, nom=128, gain=255, features=Inverted Digital  (0)
194 Different in file 1  67   0 Sen B MutDupCut 128   0 Organ# = 10, Creature, Somatic, Die of old age, chem=Life, thresh=5, nom=112, gain=255, features=Inverted Digital  (0)
194 Different in file 2  67   0 Sen B                  128   0 Organ# = 10, Creature, Somatic, Die of old age, chem=Life, thresh=5, nom=112, gain=255, features=Inverted Digital  (0)
197 Different in file 1  70   0 Emb B MutDupCut 128   0 Organ# = 10, Creature, Immune, Die if non-zero, chem=Energy, thresh=13, nom=255, gain=255, features=Inverted Digital  (0)
197 Different in file 2  70   0 Emb B                  128   0 Organ# = 10, Creature, Immune, Die if non-zero, chem=Energy, thresh=13, nom=255, gain=255, features=Inverted Digital  (0)
196 Different in file 1 163   0 Emb B MutDup           128   0 Organ# = 10, Creature, Immune, Die if non-zero, chem=ATP, thresh=19, nom=255, gain=255, features=Inverted Digital  (0)
196 Different in file 2 163   0 Emb B                  128   0 Organ# = 10, Creature, Immune, Die if non-zero, chem=ATP, thresh=19, nom=255, gain=255, features=Inverted Digital  (0)
198 Different in file 1 158   0 Emb B MutDupCut 128   0 Organ# = 10, Creature, Immune, Die if non-zero, chem=90, thresh=236, nom=0, gain=255, features=Digital  (0)
198 Different in file 2 158   0 Emb B                  128   0 Organ# = 10, Creature, Immune, Die if non-zero, chem=90, thresh=236, nom=0, gain=255, features=Digital  (0)

These are all of the receptors in the Time Line organ. Namely, the receptors that control the rate the creature ages, as well as death from low energy, low ATP, or high Wounded (chemical 90 in Gene Compare). In the Enhanced ChiChi Norns, these are set to not be able to mutate.

This is a change that went on to be included in the CFE and beyond, and it's one I highly approve of. As nice as it could've been to allow a creature's lifespan to change via mutation, all too often a mutation to one of these genes just results in an immortal creature (particularly if one of the aging genes gets mutated to affect a different lifestage; if, for example, the gene that tells creatures to age to child from baby gets mutated to age to adolescence instead, the creature gets stuck in the baby lifestage as it needs to be a child to become an adolescent but there's no gene that tells it to become a child).

880 New in file 2   2   0 You F MutDupCut 128   0 [02: noun] [Cell 29 (Creature egg)] + [07: detl] [Cell 1] + [Brain Lobe 255] [Cell 0] => 255*Anger + 0*<NONE> + 0*<NONE> + 0*<NONE>; Rate = 1.

This is a new neuroemitter in the Enhanced ChiChis, meant to make them extremely angry whenever they see another creature pick up a creature egg. Presumably, this is meant to work in tandem with the previously mentioned stimulus gene that punishes them for picking up eggs. Sure is a funny contrast to how Gizmos, 2017s, and TWBs/TCBs all have genes to encourage egg gathering, huh?

Alas, neuroemitters don't actually work. So this gene does nothing.

262 Different in file 1  20   0 Emb B MutDupCut        128   0 Organ# = 15, 1*Pain + 1*<NONE> => 1*Hunger for protein backup + 1*<NONE>; half-life = 18
262 Different in file 2  20   0 Emb B MutDupCut        128   0 Organ# = 15, 1*Hunger for protein + 1*<NONE> => 1*Hunger for protein backup + 1*<NONE>; half-life = 18

This was a bug with the vanilla genomes that pretty much every improved genome has corrected. Namely, the first gene in the painly overwhelmsion organ overwrote pain instead of hunger for protein, resulting in pained creatures getting their pain overwritten by hunger for protein (kind of counterproductive to what the painly overwhelmsion organ's meant to do). So in the Enhanced ChiChi Norn, it's been fixed to now have hunger for protein backed up when the norn is in pain, as with the other reactions in the painly overwhelmsion organ.

114 Different in file 1   1   0 Emb B MutDupCut        128   0 Initial concentration of Muscle Tissue is 32.
114 Different in file 2   1   0 Emb B MutDupCut        128   0 Initial concentration of Muscle Tissue is 64.

195 Different in file 1  12   0 Emb B MutDupCut 128   0 Initial concentration of Life is 255.
195 Different in file 2  12   0 Emb B Mut              128   0 Initial concentration of Life is 255.

Last, but not least, are these Initial Concentration genes. Enhanced ChiChi Norns are born with twice as much muscle tissue, while their Initial Concentration of life can't be duplicated or cut.

The former, presumably, is meant to help make for a more robust baby (muscle tissue is broken down into amino acid, which is used to make prostaglandin), and also somewhat makes up for the fact Enhanced ChiChis can't produce muscle tissue on their own as is also the case with vanilla ChiChis. And the latter's just to further prevent unwanted aging-related mutations, particularly where the gene gets cut and the creature ages all the way to death by old age upon birth.

Conclusion

As you can see, the majority of the Enhanced ChiChi Norns' changes were done via adding new genes, with very little edits made to the original genes. I wouldn't say this is a bad thing, per say, though it does mean that some of the problems with vanilla ChiChis weren't actually addressed properly (for example, Enhanced ChiChis still have the tendency to push elevators when bored).

All in all, it goes to show that a lot of the issues the CFF and beyond would later go on to correct had been noticed long before, with attempts to fix them. Alas, the Enhanced ChiChi never took off the same way the CFE and later would (presumably, mostly because almost all of them came out with all the official breeds, including grendels and ettins, converted, while the Enhanced ChiChi Norns are just...well, ChiChi Norns).

They definitely have their flaws (particularly in regards to how the stimuli genes were handled), but nevertheless the Enhanced ChiChi Norn was an admirable attempt at fixing all the flaws in the vanilla norn genome. And in a lot of ways, they're my biggest inspiration for RAS.

If you want to check them out for yourself, you can pick them up at EemFoo. I don't remember where they were initially released at, though it was likely at the Gameware Forums before those went down.

Happy holidays, y'all! I'll see you at the next one.

A New Base Genome: Picking My Battles

At this point, I think I've incorporated most of what I want for RA's Standard Genome 2.0 from the CFF and beyond. Watching my new testing feral run, I feel pretty satisfied with the direction it's taking so far. At the start they did seem a little reluctant to leave their hatching area for lack of need and most of them still haven't strayed far, but at least they're actually doing interesting things otherwise.

So now the question is: how much more do I want to incorporate from the CFF/2017s/TWBs/TCBs? Do I want RAS to be the ultimate combo of all the improved genomes that have been made over the years, striving to be the most realistic creature I can possibly strive for (seeing I still don't understand the brain very well and I'm not sure if I ever will, barring a "The Creature Brain For Absolute F-argh-ing Morons" guide being published in the future)?

Well...as I said at the end of my breakdown for the initial test release of the 2017-based RAS, I'm not setting out to push the boundaries of what the game can do. There's a breed that is doing that; they're called the TWBs/TCBs. And I'm definitely not setting out to make the new standard base genome.

My ultimate goal is to create a genome that I feel comfortable basing future genetic breeds on, but works just as well as a breed in its own right. I'm hoping to create creatures that are capable enough of tending to themselves, while being interesting and fun to watch (again, as much as possible without needing to make brain edits). I'm hoping to create a genome that's more compatible than my last base genome was.

Do I need my base genome to be ultra-realistic? After all, Creatures is a game that has the fandom it does in part because of how realistic it manages to be, especially for the time in which it was made. However...it must also be said that Creatures is a game. While it's setting out to replicate real-world biology, it's also not meant to be a super-complex simulation scientists use to help them study the real world and solve real problems. It's a pet/life simulation game that at the end of the day is meant to be entertaining.

So in a way, I'm looking at this like a game designer and not a biologist. I have a vision in mind for what I'm looking for with RAS and thinking hard about what will and won't help me reach it. If that means sacrificing realism here and there, so be it.

There's also my motivation to consider, too. Just how far can I push this while not burning out? How much testing and tweaking the same set of genes over and over again can I do without just getting frustrated? I already ran into that wall once; it's partially why I decided to restart RAS from a CFE/Gizmo base instead of pushing onwards with the 2017 base.

So with all this in mind...let's take a look at what I have so far, what I know I still want, and the things in CFF and beyond I haven't incorporated and might want to.

As of this writing, here's the full list of everything I've incorporated into RAS 2.0 thus far:

• The base, as I've already stated, was Darcie's Gizmo Norn genome. I plan on keeping most of this base as intact as possible, albeit with some changes here and there.
• I've incorporated almost all of the CFE edits, barring what conflicted with the Gizmo edits. The major thing I left out was the elevation lobe as that doesn't actually work, as noted in my last post.
  
• From the CFF:
• I've added in the Hunger Overwhelmsion organ (leaving it at the end of the genome this time to avoid compatibility conflicts).
• I've also added in the Lactate Cycle in its entirety this time; I did some testing with the 2017 norns versus norns that didn't have it, and decided that it was a preferable alternative to the issue of drowning to just making RAS 2.0 amphibious regardless of whether the breed was meant to be aquatic or not. Also, lactate-based mutations are very common due to lactate being chemical 1, and pre-CFF creatures have no way of getting rid of lactate whatsoever, so a lactate-based mutation more often than not winds up killing the muscles and results in permanently-limping creatures.
  
• I also added in the reproductive changes; I like the pace 2017 breeds at, so I kept it for RAS 2.0.
  
• And from the 2017s and TWBs I've added in the new hunger system that's based on nutrient levels rather than the old one that's based on permanently-active emitters and arbitrary stimuli. This way they're much less prone to eating themselves out of house and home.
  
• A new organ called the "Enhancement Gland" was created and put below the Hunger Overwhelmsion organ and used to hold all the CFF genes that originally were dumped in the brain, and will be used to hold any other genes . The name is a reference to the Enhanced ChiChi Norn, who have a very similar organ and who I've also been referencing quite a bit (I've been thinking about making a post breaking down their genome at some point).
  
• As opposed to going with an Activase-based system like the 2017s and TWBs/TCBs to help build muscle tissue, RAS 2.0 fixes the vanilla Anabolic Steroid emitter so that it actually functions.
  
• And anything that was unable to mutate in the original version of RAS is unable to mutate here.
  
• Based on some research done in the Norn Nebula Discord, RAS 2.0 has an instinct to return home when lonely, and the loneliness/other drive drop provided by the "Found company/Reached peak of <Species Smell>" stim has been silenced. With any luck, the combination of the two will help solve the problem of lonely creatures never thinking to go find each other when they're the same species; something that turned out to be a problem with C3/DS creatures in general and not just the 2017s like I originally thought.
  

And here's everything I know I'm going to implement at some point.

• While there's no need for Activase anymore, I still plan on adding the TWB's system of activity-related stims consuming a small amount of glucose. This is to serve the goal of making RAS 2.0 fun to watch and to better balance their hunger drives.
• I'm also re-adding the TWB/TCB facial expressions. They were helpful and also pretty charming.
  
• Rather than sticking with the base Gizmo's muted boredom instincts, I'm adding in a wide variety of boredom-related instincts ala the 2017s and TWBs/TCBs instead. This includes the 2017's tendency to use teleporters as well as portals (which are two separate things; DS's teleporters are classed as "teleporter" while the Warp Portals are classed as "portal").
• In a similar vein, I also plan on adding the 2017's wider variety of instincts in general, to help encourage more varied behaviors.
  
• I'm also adjusting the Gizmo's life stages as they feel a little wonky to me (for one, they effectively skip the Youth stage and age to Adult immediately after adolescence, and they spend a lot longer in the old/ancient stages than I'd like).
  
• Any original RAS edit that wasn't specific to the way 2017s handled things is also making the jump to RAS 2.0.
  

So that leaves the other things CFF and beyond added that were perceived as fixing errors. Let's take a look at that list again, and also this list of features across the common base genomes. Some of these, particularly requiring glucose for antibody production, might be interesting to have but will also take a while to test out for something that doesn't feel entirely necessary for what I'm aiming for (I never play with bacteria anyway, so the chances that'll be relevant for me personally are pretty low). Some of it also probably wouldn't matter that much in the long run but also wouldn't take much effort to implement. And some of it (the alcohol variants in particular) just feel outright extraneous.

So ultimately, I think my time's best spent implementing and balancing the features I know I absolutely want for right now. Once that's done, I'll see how I feel about adding in anything else.

Until the next one, folks.

A New Base Genome: Back to Zero

 While I was still waffling on whether or not to continue to try and make the 2017 genome fit my needs, I decided to just go ahead and start prepping the Gizmo genome as a new starting point. Said prepping involved converting it to a CFE genome, since Vampess's guide on how to do that is (as of this writing) still available via the Wayback Machine. 

(I am aware Kezune did a conversion already; I opted to make my own just for the sake of knowing exactly everything that's going into my version.)

I also decided to ask what parts of the Creature genome don't work because of engine bugs over on the Norn Nebula discord (random aside: I've updated my contact information on the left hand sidebar with my new username and Discord username). Verm, one of the most knowledgeable people I have ever known, replied with this list:

• Organ values always start out with maximum lifeforce regardless of their life force start value in the Genetics Kit.
• Mutation chance and mutation degree effectively do nothing (always a 0 or 1 chance out of 255).
• Neuroemitters don't work (and even if they did they wouldn't work like how you'd expect from the Genetics Kit).
• The brain organ doesn't actually exist (all genes below the brain are actually considered part of the muscles, or whatever organ it's immediately below). 
• The "Reaction" value in Stimulus genes does nothing.
• Which is because the Intensity value does nothing (it always returns 0).
  
• The "Modulate using sensory function" switch also does nothing.
• Also worth noting is a reference to a unused lobe marked "elvn," which you may recognize as the Elevation Lobe in CFE-based creatures. However, it needs an (unreleased, as of this writing) external script to actually function, so it doesn't actually work in the CFE and beyond.
  

The exact technical reasons behind all these is beyond my understanding. But did I mention C3/DS suffer a lot from "Had to rush it out the door" syndrome? Fortunately, none of this is vital, can be worked around, or both (even if both the neuroemitter and stimulus bugs are mighty unfortunate as far as a gengineer's toolkit goes).

However, you might notice that something I did call an engine bug once actually isn't one. Specifically, the emitter locus "Muscle Energy Used." In a past post I noted that it almost never fired. Well, Verm corrected me on this one, too. It DOES work; specifically, it triggers whenever the creature's skeleton updates (that is, things like changing poses, position updating, and collisions). The actual issue is that the values on it were set way too low. 

So I tweaked and tested until I got muscle tissue levels similar to what I was getting out of the Activase system in the 2017-based genome, and much more reliably at that. So...one of the biggest reasons to keep trying with the 2017s is gone. 

Between that and the Gizmo's other biochemistry changes making it so I no longer have to futz about with trying to balance that stuff as I talked about in my last post, my desire to stick with the 2017s is basically at an all-time low. But nevertheless, there's a new obstacle in my way: the fact that the Gizmos, as a pre-CFE breed, don't have all the edits the CFF and beyond introduced.

And it's a long list. And that's just the CFF, to say nothing of the 2017s and TWBs/TCBs.

But...I believe it may be an effort worth making, even if the majority of what I wind up doing is just adding genes from the CFF/2017s/TWBs/TCBs. Because I have the new option of implementing these changes in a way that suits me better. For example: I'd prefer to create a new organ to store any new receptors, emitters, etc. rather than do as the CFF did and leave them in the Brain organ (actually the Muscles, as noted in the list above). And I can do some futureproofing as well, like having this new organ be underneath the Hunger Overwhelmsion organ as opposed to the other way around; a convenient spot to put new genes without having to worry so much about compatibility. 

(Both organs would still be at the bottom of the genome this time, though. My previous base genome had the Hunger Overwhelmsion organ grouped with its related organs higher up in the genome, which probably was a big reason why that genome had so many compatibility issues.)

So the journey continues. Until the next one, folks.

A New Base Genome: I CAN'T STAND IT!!! I THINK I'M GONNA HAVE A [[HeartAttack]]!

I have very mixed feelings on the gene that damages the heart when adipose tissue gets too high in CFF-derived genomes. 

On one hand, I don't think it's a terrible idea. It might in fact be a great way to punish creatures who eat themselves out of house and home, as vanilla creatures are known to do. On the other hand, it absolutely SHOULD NOT be the number one cause of death.

Unfortunately, the latter was the case for the testing feral run for my base ettin genome. Way too often they'd get caught up in hanging around sources of food, seeing no reason to abandon that spot, and not generating enough activase even with the disappointment stim constantly triggering from their failed attempts to push food (WHY they were constantly trying to push food in the first place is another extremely frustrating mystery I've yet to solve). As a result, ettin after ettin after ettin dropped dead of heart attacks. 

Eventually, I decided enough was enough. This wasn't something that's unique to the ettins; the fundamental flaw leading to it's also in my norn genome. So it was back to the norn genome to figure out a better way of balancing it. 

The first order of business before editing anything was hatching a norn of my base genome and watching it go about its business on a mostly-vanilla version of the Capillata. To my great dismay, I found my earlier observation about the disappointment stim being triggered constantly was flawed. The norn barely generated any activase and was constantly low on muscle tissue.

Based on this, my first thought was to throw out the 2017 Activase system entirely and replace it with the TWB's. And that's what I started doing...before I realized that the two systems didn't necessarily have to be mutually exclusive. With that thought in mind, I added the TWB version of the Anabolic Steroid emitter (which triggers when muscle tissue gets low) and tested it out. 

Working in tandem with the existing 2017 activase system, the results were actually pretty good. So I was free to ditch the activase from the disappointment stim and move on to the next step: properly balancing the adipose tissue. 

For this, I referenced Darcie's Gizmo Norns quite a bit. My old base genome took their digestive system edits wholesale, but I wasn't about to do that this time. This time around I tested what I felt was most relevant to what I wanted: for adipose tissue to build up slower and break down faster. As it turned out, I was getting good results only from tweaking the reaction that converted adipose tissue back into triglyceride (it was originally 1 adipose -> 8 triglyceride, I dropped it to 1 adipose -> 6 triglyceride).

Even more surprising was the good results I was getting from making the reactions that had activase consume glycogen and adipose tissue dormant. In my initial tests I'd assumed muting those would result in a lot of norns dead from heart attacks, but it didn't happen. In fact it seemed like the risk was significantly lower. My best guess is that since creatures are getting less hungry in general they're less inclined to overeat.

I ultimately left the adipose tissue reaction dormant, while changing the other reaction so that glucose was consumed instead of glycogen, mirroring how the TWB version of the Activase system had movement stims consume a little bit of glucose in addition to generating activase. Feeling satisfied with this outcome, I added a batch of the new norns to my norn testing feral run....

...And wound up failing a major fundamental goal in making creatures that are interesting to watch. As it turns out, it's possible to make creatures who are TOO good at taking care of themselves. These new norns had zero reason to leave their hatching area because they never got hungry and none of their other drives got high enough to warrant it. Out of the four I hatched, only one eventually did. 

I also eventually decided that now they had too little adipose tissue, in that the only way they'd have a heart attack was if I forced them to do nothing but eat food via CAOs. Otherwise, they simply never ate enough to even get close to having one, regardless of how fat-heavy their diet was. I solved the heart attack problem, but I still had the problem of creatures who didn't do much. 

Back to the drawing board it is, and if I'm honest I'm starting to get a little frustrated with this project. I'd very much like to be at the part where I've gotten all this stupid tweaking and testing and balancing done and am making cool new breeds like the ones I talked about in my last post instead. But nope; it just feels like for every problem I've solved another one or two raise their ugly heads, and that goal gets even further away.

It's for that reason I'm giving serious thought to just abandoning working with the 2017 genome altogether and restarting with a different one. In particular, I hatched a Gizmo Norn to observe its nutrient levels with the X Ray to get a feel for how they looked, and as I went about tweaking my base genome that Gizmo Norn took care of itself and died of old age in a manner that's pretty unusual for non-CFE creatures. So the Gizmo genome feels promising for such a task...if I don't mind having to add all the stuff CFE and beyond added that the Gizmos don't have, that is. 

Sigh.

A New Base Genome: Miscellaneous Musings

 Progress on my base ettin genome has been a little iffy, as I briefly touched upon in my last post. I've been making changes, even figuring out a couple things I've since backported to my norn genome, and some of them seem to be working out. Others, not so much. In particular I've been having a lot more problems with heart attacks than during the testing of the norns, and also having problems getting them to approach each other and thus breed, even when they get lonely (to a lesser extent this has been a problem with the norn genome too; it's something Arnout noted was a problem even in the original 2017 genome). 

One part of me wants to keep pushing forwards with the ettin genome, another part of me's wanting to put the ettin genome on the backburner for now and move on to the grendel genomes...yes, grendel genomes; I'm planning on making two versions, which I'll detail the how and why of in a future post. And then there's a third part that's saying "All this activase and these heart attacks and these dumb creatures that won't approach when lonely are annoying; let's throw everything out and restart with the CFE instead of the 2017s." Maybe it's just the tiredness as I write this speaking. 

 In the meantime, I'm just going to dump a ton of miscellaneous thoughts and future plans I hope to accomplish. Will any of it happen? Not making any promises. I know me. 

• First and foremost: aquatic creatures. 2017s, and thus RA Standards, have a gene that gives a creature that's underwater an increasing desire to go up (that is, call an elevator to go up), and like their CFF ancestors possess a stimulus gene that makes them afraid when they start drowning (as I briefly touched on in my last post). Fortunately, it's not difficult to make them amphibious and happy underwater; it's just a matter of muting the aforementioned up drive gene and setting the air emitter to permanently active, after which they're as happy underwater as any non-CFF based amphibious creature. 
• Swimming, however, is another matter. Previously I just took the easy route for swimming creatures and set an emitter to always emit chemical 63, plus adding the swim bladder edits to allow female creatures to lay eggs. However, thanks to Lurhstaap's musings about his Abyss Dragons, I've hit on the idea of making the production of 63 tied to the creature's nutrient intake, particularly of muscle tissue (which tends to be in excess in 2017-based creatures). On top of the realism factor, it's also a nice way of circumventing the issue with swimming creatures having trouble interacting with things; if a swimming creature is having enough trouble that it can't feed itself, it'll stop producing 63 and thus eventually stop swimming. Then it can interact with things as normal, and hopefully get full enough to start swimming again. The issue is balancing the consumption of muscle tissue with the activase system, since RAS creatures generally produce less of it than their 2017 ancestors. 
• Of the future breeds I'm hoping to make, I must give special mention to Jesseth's and CosmiSynthetic's remastered conversions of the C2 Bulbous and Boney Grendels, and also the Worker Ettins. They have some goobers here and there, but all in all they simultaneously scratch my itch for C2 aesthetics in C3/DS while matching C3/DS's style much better than the previous conversions. The Bulbous Grendels in particular have been something of a mainstay during my RAS feral runs; I added Bulbous Grorns to the norn run while the grendels proper make for good "dither" grendels (that is, grendels that can bring out defensive behavior while being mostly harmless, taken from the aquarium hobby term dither fish) for the ettin run. Naturally, they're all getting RAS versions, and I'm also thinking I might even use them to convert some C2 genetic breeds like Frimlin's long-lost Amphibigrendels and my own Great White Shark Grendels (which I'm going to rename "Shark Boney Grendels"). 
• Other breeds whose general aesthetics I greatly jive with are Dragoler's Basilisk Norns (who I keep wanting to call "Uglee Norns," probably confusing them with the grendel breed that uses their sprites) and PapuBuntu's Carna Norns. Both of these breeds have TWB/TCB-based genomes at the moment, though the Carna Norns also have a CFE-based version at last report. So I'm also hoping to give them RAS versions, though they might not be exactly like the original versions (for the RAS Basilisks at least, I'm planning on giving them the ability to "eat" creature eggs by picking them up, similar to how my Metallophagus Grendels V1 "ate" gadgets and machinery by hitting them). 
• Also on the list: Cyborg's Angler Grendels. Despite their problems (adult females crash the game without a Bigger Sprite Allocation patch and are also too big to fit in the Swimming Agent's vehicle), they're a breed I've absolutely fallen in love with. They already have a 2017-based genome, but I'd like to give them a RAS version that doesn't require the Sensorimotor Lobe script. I'd likely give my version the name "Ceratoid Grendels," after one of my older ideas for a similarly behaving grendel breed.
  
• Then there's revamps of older genetic breeds, whether they're my own or not. One big plan are a sort-of revamp of Trix's Shark Grendels; the originals are just colorful, amphibious jungle grendels right down to the "children make you old" gene, but nevertheless I remember enjoying them a lot in the days before I started gengineering myself. My planned revamp would combine them with my own Shark Grendel breed to become colorful, aquatic predators based off the Rainbow Sharkling...which is confusing because I've ALREADY made a breed based off rainbow sharklings, via screwing around with CRAG all that time ago. As it turns out it is possible to make a CRAG based creature capable doing things other than sit there, as Verm's Nurse Bots and GAIA prove, but I don't think that's something I want to mess around with right now. So the new Rainbow Sharkling Grendels would be a typical genetic breed that uses the C3 grendel sprites like the original Shark Grendels, but I'm hoping they'll be fun anyway.
• I'm also thinking of redoing the Potamogeton Grendels/Pond Weed Grendels V3. Knowing what I do know, I'm thinking I could do some fun stuff with their genome to make them even more plantlike. 

 Until the next one, folks.