After the Eruption

Today I noticed that somewhere along the way I picked up a follower. I have no idea when this happened. I wasn't paying attention because I kind of didn't think anyone would actually want to read this! I probably should have put a little more thought into the URL if it's going to turn into a real blog. But thank you if you're visiting, and especially thanks to ArchDragon of The Arch for following!

Anyway, on to Creatures 2!

You can see just from looking at the Hatchery that C2 has a very different aesthetic than C1. Personally I prefer the warmer-toned steampunky look of the first game to the more sterile machinery that dominates in the second, but both games are lovely, especially for their time.

All six of these eggs contain Norns based on JayD's 10-Hour Nova Subterra genome and were created with Egg Maker. Unlike my first generation Norns in C1, I'm not editing their genetics aside from their appearance genes. There are a male and a female of each of the three base C2 breeds (Types H, I, and J). Their pigment and pigment bleed genes have been semi-randomized, so their colors will be a surprise!

After some deliberation, I decided to start with a female. I choose the plainest egg, the second from the left, to hatch first. After a few moments in the incubator, out popped a Creature far less plain than her egg, a little magenta Hebe with lime green eyes! I fell in love with her coloration the moment I saw her. I'm especially fond of her striking eye color. Unlike C1 Norns, C2 Norn eyes can vary drastically in color due to the effect of their new pigment bleed genes (although there is no specific gene for eye color).

Starting a very different naming trend than in my C1 game, I named the new Norn Darwin. I thought it was an appropriate choice! I led Darwin to the verb computer, and she proved to be a very quick learner, grasping all the verbs with only a couple repetitions. She was also a bit distractible, but who could blame her with a whole new world to explore? Her attention was stolen away several times by the various fruits and foods lying around the incubator area, a good sign for her future! As in C1, it's important to get your Creatures eating early in their life so they develop good habits.

Another major source of frustration in both games is convincing Norns they also need sleep, and I think that getting Norns to sleep is especially hard in C2. This was the reason I chose the Novas over the more popular Canny Norns. Both breeds are good and much, much smarter than the default Norns, but I find that Novas tend to be somewhat better sleepers (but worse breeders) than the Cannies. After some tossing and turning, Darwin managed to settle down for a nap. Hopefully she will keep this up well into adulthood!

Begin at the Beginning, Again

I haven't been playing Creatures much lately. School has started back up, for one thing, but I've also been reluctant to play because I know that some of the older first generation Norns will probably pass away soon. I know that nature must take its course, as always, but perhaps taking a break from C1 will soften the blow when the inevitable arrives.

Creatures 2 is sort of the black sheep of the franchise. Graphically, it's a definite improvement, although honestly I have to say I prefer the old-timey look of the C1 world to the more sterile machinery that dominates large portions of C2. The C2 world is also much bigger and more varied, with rougher terrain and actua physics. C2 expanded on the concept of lifecycles for non-Creature objects, as introduced in the add-on Beelecanth Flower and Cloud Layer Butterfly for C1. A good portion of the plants and animals in the world grow, reproduce, and die, although many are also stationary to avoid catastrophic extinctions. There are seasons and a day/night cycle, but, unfortunately, the visual changes associated with those cycles are limited due to the technology of the time.

Gameplay-wise, there were also a few improvements. For one, "push" and "eat" are separate verbs. The vocabulary in C2 borders on being too large for my tastes, as I never get around to teaching any individual Creature all the words, but it's much smaller and more intuitive than in C3. Also, there's now a computer to teach Creatures emotion words without resorting to cheats. Creature genomes are more complicated and code for actual organs, which have their own life forces and can suffer damage individually. Also, the digestive system is much more complex and realistic. A Norn's life no longer depends almost solely on its glycogen level.

However, there was one enormous problem with C2 as it was shipped: the Norns were horribly broken. Due to a number of genetic bugs, the Norns would suffer from "One Hour Stupidity Syndrome," which caused them to suddenly become, well, stupid as they aged. By default, they also live shorter lives than in C2 -- about five hours as opposed to nine or ten. Even after an official update became available, most C2 players prefer to use a third-party genome. The two most commonly used genomes are the Canny Norns and the Nova Subterras.

Even with a new genome, C2 is the hardest of the three games. I've never been able to get into it quite like the first game, but it's never too late to try again! I'll be using the 10-Hour Nova Subterra genome by JayD and the Creatures Albian Years version of the game available from GOG.com. C2 is notorious for being the only Creatures game that won't run on Vista or Windows 7 in its original form, but I have been able to run the GOG version under Windows 7 with no problems by switching to 16-bit color before launching the game. By the way, when I run C1, I must run it as an administrator for it to work properly, but if I do that with C2, it just crashes, so make sure you try different combinations of settings when you're trying to get it to work.

Genetics Discussion: Wood Norns

The Wood Norns are a third party breed created years ago by legendary community member Frimlin. They can still  be found at Treesprite's Creatures Grove if you'd like to have them in your game. In addition to their cute new appearance, these Norns have some genetic changes as well. Below is a comparison of Wood Norn genetics (top) and default hatchery Norn genetics (bottom).

Brain Lobes

121 6 0 Emb B MutDup Lobe #= 7 State Rule: state PLUS type0 <end> <end> <end> <end> <end>, WTA= 1
121 6 0 Emb B MutDup Lobe #= 7 State Rule: state PLUS type0 PLUS type1 <end> <end> <end>, WTA= 1

This is the same error present in the attention lobe of the Purple Mountain Norns. This should mean that the attention lobe fails to take into account information from the noun lobe, making the Norn incapable of making a connection between nouns spoken by the hand and objects they should look at in response. However, this error is corrected by the game executable itself and has no actual effect on the Creature. The Wood Norns were probably based on the hatchery Norns that shipped with the original UK version of the game, where this error originated.

Receptors

321 44 0 Sen B Creature, Somatic, die of old age, chem=Ageing, thresh=5, nom=117, gain=255, features=Inverted Digital
326 45 0 Emb B Creature, Circulatory, floating chem 2, chem=Glycogen, thresh=0, nom=0, gain=255, features=Analogue

These two new receptors are also present in the Life Kit breeds. The first is the die of old age gene, and the second is part of the updated hunger system in those Norns.

Emitters

327 28 0 Emb B MutDup Creature, Circulatory, floating chem 2, chem=Hunger, thresh=0, samp=5, gain=2, features=Inverted Analogue

Like the receptor genes, this new emitter is also a Life Kit gene. It goes with the glycogen receptor above and causes Norns to become hungry when their glycogen is low.

Reactions

71 13 0 Emb B MutDupCut 1*Pain-- + 1*Pain => 2*Reward + 1*<NONE>; half-life = 8.
71 13 0 Emb B MutDupCut 1*Pain-- + 1*Pain => 1*Reward + 1*<NONE>; half-life = 8.

72 14 0 Emb B MutDupCut 1*NFP-- + 2*NFP => 2*Reward + 1*<NONE>; half-life = 8.
72 14 0 Emb B MutDupCut 1*NFP-- + 1*NFP => 1*Reward + 1*<NONE>; half-life = 8.

73 15 0 Emb B MutDupCut 1*Hunger-- + 1*Hunger => 2*Reward + 1*<NONE>; half-life = 8.
73 15 0 Emb B MutDupCut 1*Hunger-- + 1*Hunger => 1*Reward + 1*<NONE>; half-life = 8.

74 16 0 Emb B MutDupCut 1*Coldness-- + 1*Coldness => 2*Reward + 1*<NONE>; half-life = 8.
74 16 0 Emb B MutDupCut 1*Coldness-- + 1*Coldness => 1*Reward + 1*<NONE>; half-life = 8.

75 17 0 Emb B MutDupCut 1*Hotness-- + 1*Hotness => 2*Reward + 1*<NONE>; half-life = 8.
75 17 0 Emb B MutDupCut 1*Hotness-- + 1*Hotness => 1*Reward + 1*<NONE>; half-life = 8.

76 18 0 Emb B MutDupCut 1*Tiredness-- + 1*Tiredness => 2*Reward + 1*<NONE>; half-life = 8.
76 18 0 Emb B MutDupCut 1*Tiredness-- + 1*Tiredness => 1*Reward + 1*<NONE>; half-life = 8.

78 19 0 Emb B MutDupCut 1*Sleepiness-- + 1*Sleepiness => 2*Reward + 1*<NONE>; half-life = 8.
78 19 0 Emb B MutDupCut 1*Sleepiness-- + 1*Sleepiness => 1*Reward + 1*<NONE>; half-life = 8.

79 20 0 Emb B MutDupCut 1*Loneliness-- + 1*Loneliness => 2*Reward + 1*<NONE>; half-life = 8.
79 20 0 Emb B MutDupCut 1*Loneliness-- + 1*Loneliness => 1*Reward + 1*<NONE>; half-life = 8.

80 21 0 Emb B MutDupCut 1*Crowdedness-- + 1*Crowdedness => 2*Reward + 1*<NONE>; half-life = 8.
80 21 0 Emb B MutDupCut 1*Crowdedness-- + 1*Crowdedness => 1*Reward + 1*<NONE>; half-life = 8.

82 22 0 Emb B MutDupCut 1*Fear-- + 1*Fear => 2*Reward + 1*<NONE>; half-life = 8.
82 22 0 Emb B MutDupCut 1*Fear-- + 1*Fear => 1*Reward + 1*<NONE>; half-life = 8.

84 23 0 Emb B MutDupCut 1*Boredom-- + 1*Boredom => 2*Reward + 1*<NONE>; half-life = 8.
84 23 0 Emb B MutDupCut 1*Boredom-- + 1*Boredom => 1*Reward + 1*<NONE>; half-life = 8.

85 24 0 Emb B MutDupCut 1*Anger-- + 1*Anger => 2*Reward + 1*<NONE>; half-life = 8.
85 24 0 Emb B MutDupCut 1*Anger-- + 1*Anger => 1*Reward + 1*<NONE>; half-life = 8.

86 33 0 Emb B MutDupCut 1*SexDrive-- + 1*SexDrive => 2*Reward + 1*<NONE>; half-life = 8.
86 33 0 Emb B MutDupCut 1*SexDrive-- + 1*SexDrive => 1*Reward + 1*<NONE>; half-life = 8.

All of these genes say basically the same thing: Wood Norns receive twice as much reward as regular Norns for reducing their drives. My two Wood Norns, Zelos and Seles, are both very cheerful as well as good eaters and sleepers. Zelos in particular tends to have an abnormally high life force. These genes may explain their behavior.

308 51 0 Emb B Mut 1*Hunger-- + 1*Hunger => 1*<NONE> + 1*<NONE>; half-life = 32.

This is a Purple Mountain gene. Like in the PMNs, this reaction is present in addition to the regular hunger reduction reaction. Their combination should mean that hunger decrease reduces the hunger drive more efficiently overall, but this gene doesn't produce any reward.

Stimuli

91 2 0 Emb B Mut 'Pointer pats me' causes sig=32 GS neu=0(I've been patted) int=255, , , Sensed Even When Asleep => 64*NFP-- + 16*Pain-- + 16*Loneliness-- + 30*Reward
91 2 0 Emb B Mut 'Pointer pats me' causes sig=32 GS neu=0(I've been patted) int=255, , , Sensed Even When Asleep => 64*NFP-- + 16*Pain-- + 16*Loneliness-- + 16*Reward

This is similar to the above reaction genes. When patted, Wood Norns gain almost twice as much reward as regular Norns. All of this together means that Wood Norns should learn good behaviors more quickly, although their punishment genes have been left unaltered.

Instincts

163 8 0 Ado B MutDupCut Drive i/ps SexDrive + General Sensory i/ps IT is opposite sex + (Lobe/Cell=0/0) and I Push => 207*Reward
163 8 0 Ado M MutDupCut Drive i/ps SexDrive + General Sensory i/ps IT is opposite sex + (Lobe/Cell=0/0) and I Push => 207*Reward

164 9 0 Ado B MutDupCut Drive i/ps SexDrive + General Sensory i/ps IT is opposite sex + (Lobe/Cell=0/0) and I Pull => 112*Reward
164 9 0 Ado M MutDupCut Drive i/ps SexDrive + General Sensory i/ps IT is opposite sex + (Lobe/Cell=0/0) and I Pull => 112*Reward

This is a very interesting change. This portion of the gene dictates whether it is sex-linked. In the standard Norn genome, only the males have the "courting" instinct to initiate mating. Wood Norns, however, are equal-opportunity kisspoppers, and either sex may court the other.

307 19 0 Emb B Attention seek o/ps Food + Drive i/ps Hunger + (Lobe/Cell=0/0) and I Push => 255*Reward
307 19 0 Emb B Stim source i/ps Food + Drive i/ps Hunger + (Lobe/Cell=0/0) and I Push => 255*Reward

This part of an instinct gene concerns the criteria that need to be met for the reward or punishment to be delivered. This gene normally relates to the stimulus source lobe. Cells in this lobe are fired by the presence of nearby objects. In the Wood Norn genome, however, this has been changed to the attention lobe, which is how Norns look at and recognize objects in their world. Wood Norns are rewarded if they look at food while hungry and then push (eat) it. Judging from the write-up on instinct genes at the Creatures Developer Resource, this is a more effective way to structure this instinct, as the stimulus source lobe is not a "perceptible" lobe and has no actual impact on the instinct gene. "Perceptible" lobes have their information copied to the perception lobe.

322 22 0 Emb B MutDupCut Drive i/ps Boredom + (Lobe/Cell=0/0) + (Lobe/Cell=0/0) and I Push => 129*Reward
323 23 0 Emb B MutDupCut Drive i/ps Boredom + (Lobe/Cell=0/0) + (Lobe/Cell=0/0) and I Pull => 156*Reward

These two new instinct genes reward the Norn for activating (pushing or pulling) when bored, encouraging them to do something instead of sitting around being bored.

324 24 0 Emb B MutDupCut Attention seek o/ps Food + (Lobe/Cell=0/0) + (Lobe/Cell=0/0) and I Push => 255*Reward
325 25 0 Emb B MutDupCut Attention seek o/ps Food + (Lobe/Cell=0/0) + (Lobe/Cell=0/0) and I Pull => 225*Reward

These final two instincts resemble gene 307 mentioned above, except without the condition of being hungry. Wood Norns are rewarded for pushing or pulling food even when they aren't hungry.

An Unexpected Egg and Other News

Although I've been forced to separate her from the others in the past, lately Seles has been doing very well socially! She still slaps more frequently and with more enthusiasm than is necessary, but she and Marta were able to pick and eat almost all the lemons on the lemon vine together in peace.

She was even present for the laying of Marta's egg, and seemed at least as surprised about the whole thing as the actual mother. I peeked at the genetics of the Norn inside, and, like all the second generation eggs aside from the first one, found no mutations that look worrying. Since most mutations are neutral at best, it's generally a relief to see that a Creature has no mutations that will affect its quality of life.

A short time later, I was surprised to see a new pregnancy listed in the Observation Kit, and even more surprised when I saw that the mother-to-be was Seles! I had almost given up on her, since her slapping has a tendency to kill the libido of any Norns in her company! I quick check with the D-DNA analyzer confirmed my suspicions that placid Emil was the male who was patient enough to withstand her attitude.

I missed the actual egg-laying, but later I found Seles's shiny blue egg in the garden! This brings the total number of second-generation eggs to twelve, with at least one egg by every first-generation Norn save one.

Meanwhile, Lloyd was out adventuring. Since he hasn't been hanging around the other Norns, he's missed out on playing a big role in the recent updates. With his tendency to travel when bored and hyperactive boredom emitter, he rarely spends an extended period of time in one place. He's spent quite some time playing with the mover below the garden and now is moving on to the area above the still.

Luckily, it looks like Lloyd's loner days are coming to a close, as he's met up with several of the female Norns near the wishing well. Elder females often retain some fertility, so there's always a chance some new eggs will come of this meeting! Also, as you can see, I've recently installed Freya's bridge cob. I'm hoping this will help my Norns travel around this area a little more efficiently.

Genis is the youngest first generation Norn and the only one who has yet to produce any eggs. The hatching of the first generation was quite widely spaced, and Genis is not quite three hours old, so there's still plenty of time. He has been hanging around in the same vicinity as Lloyd and the girls, but he seems to prefer amusing himself by playing with the lift in the lookout tower to playing with the others.

Genetics Discussion: Ron Norns

"Ron-Norns have not been seen in Albia since Earth Year 1995. Ron was the original Norn, and amazingly the genetic code has survived and mutated since the original Ron. As with the Forest Norns, the male and female are different:

"Male: Ron-Norns have been around for a while, and have developed advanced 'fight or flight' genetic codes, giving them the edge against Grendel attacks.

"Female: The female Ron-Norns have a tendency to get very angry when surprised or frightened."

The Ron Norns were the final genetically differentiated breed included with the C1 Life Kit. They are based on the original Norn design. As mentioned in their blurb, this is also supposedly where they got their name, after the first Norn. (Admittedly, it seems even more mundane than Adam.) As you may have noticed, none of my Norns have Ron sprites. They look perfectly fine in-game, but I simply prefer the other breeds' appearances. However, what really makes Rons unique is a suite of genes that give them a "fight-or-flight" (ForF) response to encounters with other Creatures. I find these especially interesting and have commented in previous posts on the variations present in my Norns and my observations of their effects.

Anyway, this post is organized slightly differently than the other breed discussions. Instead of dividing the changes by gene type, I've categorized them as "fight," "flight," or other genes. The Ron genes are listed above the equivalent gene from the standard hatchery genome. Genes listed singly are new to the Ron breed.

Non-Fight-or-Flight Genes

Like the other Life Kit Norns, the Ron genome includes reactions for the dancing chemical and the poison geddonase. Ron Norns also share their altered hunger production system (the hunger emitter/glycogen receptor pair) with the Forest Norns. They have the same new instinct (regarding weeds and herbs) and altered stimulus (regarding being patted, seeing objects, and hearing new words) genes as the Forest Norns. Again like other Life Kit Norns, they are rewarded for sleeping when sleepy, instead of only when they are tired.

In addition, there are two more altered genes I'd like to point out:

62 6 0 Emb B MutDupCut 1*Tiredness++ + 1*<NONE> => 1*Tiredness + 1*<NONE>; half-life = 8.
62 6 0 Emb B MutDupCut 1*Tiredness++ + 1*<NONE> => 1*Tiredness + 1*Punishment; half-life = 8.

64 7 0 Emb B MutDupCut 1*Sleepiness++ + 1*<NONE> => 1*Sleepiness + 1*<NONE>; half-life = 8.
64 7 0 Emb B MutDupCut 1*Sleepiness++ + 1*<NONE> => 1*Sleepiness + 1*Punishment; half-life = 8.

Do these genes look familiar? They should -- they were also present in the Forest Norn genome. These changes mean that Ron Norns are not punished for getting tired or sleepy, which is logical because, unlike drives like pain, they have little control over these. Why am I reprinting them? Because these are the only two drives altered in the Ron genome. In Forest Norns, the reactions for need for pleasure (NFP), boredom, and hunger increase have been altered similarly. I find it puzzling that Ron Norns lack those three changes, but not the two above.

The half-life gene of the Ron breed is slightly different from that of the Forest, but not meaningfully so: the chemical numbers concerned are all unused.

Fight Genes

336 65 0 Emb B MutDupCut 1*Fear + 1*Turnase => 1*Anger + 1*<NONE>; half-life = 32.

This is the reaction for one of the two new chemicals that govern the ForF response. Turnase is a catalyst that converts fear into anger. When Turnase is produced, the Norn becomes less frightened and more angry. Coupled with the below reactions, this turns fleeing into fighting.


95 6 0 Emb B Mut 'It is approaching' causes sig=82 GS neu=10(IT is approaching) int=255, , ,  => 31*Turnase + 0*<NONE> + 0*<NONE> + 0*<NONE>
95 6 0 Emb B Mut 'It is approaching' causes sig=82 GS neu=10(IT is approaching) int=255, , ,  => 0*<NONE> + 0*<NONE> + 0*<NONE> + 0*<NONE>

97 8 0 Emb B Mut 'I bump into wall' causes sig=0 GS neu=2(I've bumped a wall) int=255, , , Sensed Even When Asleep => 25*Pain++ + 127*Turnase + 0*<NONE> + 0*<NONE>
97 8 0 Emb B Mut 'I bump into wall' causes sig=0 GS neu=2(I've bumped a wall) int=255, , , Sensed Even When Asleep => 25*Pain++ + 0*<NONE> + 0*<NONE> + 0*<NONE>

These two altered stimulus reactions govern the production of Turnase. The first causes turnase to be produced when a Creature -- a potential threat -- approaches the Norn. The second actives when the Norn wallbonks, or walks into a wall. This is how the Norn determines it's been cornered and the reason that Norns with the ForF genes slap more frequently in closed spaces.

333 31 0 Emb B MutDupCut Drive i/ps Anger + General Sensory i/ps IT is a creature + General Sensory i/ps IT is approaching and I Stop => 255*Reward
334 32 0 Emb B MutDupCut Drive i/ps Anger + General Sensory i/ps IT is an object + General Sensory i/ps IT is approaching and I Push => 255*Reward


These two instinct genes are the actual "fight" genes. When the Norn is angry, it is rewarded for pushing objects and hitting other Creatures, which may be the source of its frustration.


96 7 0 Emb B Mut 'It is retreating' causes sig=36 GS neu=11(IT is retreating) int=255, , ,  => 3*Fear-- + 3*Anger-- + 0*<NONE> + 0*<NONE>
96 7 0 Emb B Mut 'It is retreating' causes sig=36 GS neu=11(IT is retreating) int=255, , ,  => 0*<NONE> + 0*<NONE> + 0*<NONE> + 0*<NONE>

This gene causes fear and anger to be reduced when the other Creature retreats, either because it was scared off or because it spotted something more interesting. This, coupled with the fact that moving around reduces stress, fear, and anger, causes the Norn to "cool off" after the ForF reaction is engaged.

Flight Genes

337 66 0 Emb B MutDupCut 1*Anger + 1*Collapsase => 1*Fear + 1*<NONE>; half-life = 32.

This is the reaction for the other new chemical, the especially-oddly-named Collapsase. Collapsase is exactly the inverse of Turnase, converting anger to fear. This provokes the flight response.

335 127 0 Emb B Mut 'I have retreated' causes sig=0 GS neu=255 int=0, , ,  => 127*Collapsase + 0*<NONE> + 0*<NONE> + 0*<NONE>

This is the novel stimulus gene that causes Collapsase to be produced. Interestingly, this only happens when the Norn itself is retreating, and not at other times one may expect -- like when it is slapped or injured.

332 30 0 Emb B MutDupCut Drive i/ps Fear + General Sensory i/ps IT is approaching + (Lobe/Cell=0/0) and I Run => 255*Reward

As above, this is the actual "flight" gene. This instinct gene encourages the Norn to flee when frightened.


All Norns become frightened and angry when slapped. The ForF genes, taken together, form a system where a Norn may go from one to the other according to their circumstances. However, I suspect there is a flaw in this system, and that Rons are biased toward fighting, perhaps by design as that is a very conspicuous behavior. Notice that there are more genes concerned with fighting, and, most importantly, that there is only one stimulus that produces Collapsase, and that stimulus (retreating) is called by the Norn's actions, not an external source (like another Creature). Anecdotally, I will report that, while several of my Norns have these genes, and the only one in whom I have observed an obvious tendency to flee from others is Emil, who lacks all the genes listed above in the "fight" section.

The "I've been slapped" stimulus gene, by default, creates more fear than anger, which is one possible reason for this setup. Having the stimulus also produce Collapsase may be overkill, skewing the reactions in the other direction. As it stands, I think the production of Turnase may have a tendency to swamp out Collapsase. Something to investigate.

I suspect this system could be better balanced by the inclusion of the pain drive in the equation, possibly in a way similar to Zelos's novel emitter, which produces Turnase when pain levels increase above a certain level. With an emitter like this, it seems like the production of Collapsase in response to slapping may be more viable, because it would be balanced (and eventually overwhelmed) by the eventual production of Turnase when pain levels reach that threshold.

You know, in retrospect, I wish I'd been an adult when this game was first released! Discussing this at the height of the Creatures Community would have been great.

I have one more point to make: as in the Forest breed, none of the new or altered genes are sex-linked. Therefore, male and female Rons should not be any more systemically different from each other than males and females of other breeds.

Update on the Aged

Lately, Mithos has been spending a great deal of time with some of the Norns in the area near the cannon. I've found him to be, if anything, more obedient than my Norns, which is surprising as Grendels lack instincts to obey the hand. I'm trying to keep a closer eye on him using the Grendel Selector, as his age and the fact that he doesn't appear in the Observation Kit are cause for concern.

In my game, I've replaced the default Grendel genetics. Mithos and other Grendels born in my Albia are able to breed and have several genes from the Ron Norn breed, including the flight-or-fight genes and the new instincts. They also have the die-of-old-age gene. They are based on the many-colored Grendel genetics created by Slink.

Things have been peaceful for the elders of Albia recently. Kratos and Regal, the two firstborn of this generation, seem to have retired permanently to the island, specifically the middle level where it's easiest to watch the sealife. Regal makes occasional trips across the sea in the cart to visit the other Norns, but he always returns to the quiet of the island in the end.

Of course, Kratos has already spent most of his life on he island! At almost ten hours old, his health has started to worry me. Elder Norns often become stubborn eaters. This is made even more frustrating by Kratos's ever-present reluctance to listen my suggestions to eat and sleep. My paranoia is exacerbating my growing dread that the oldest first generation Norns will soon pass on.

But none of the elders are showing any sign of slowing down! Here are Raine and Presea in the latter's favorite spot between the outlook and cliff. Although they are both elders, notice how much Raine has shrunk! The Life Kit breeds become smaller in their old age, which can make mixed-breed elder Norns look a little odd. Raine seems to have been a good influence on Presea, who is finally eating on occasion before her life force drops into the 50s.

Norns with the die-of-old-age gene live about ten to twelve hours. Although I consider myself a generally logical and scientifically-minded person, I can't help but get attached to my little digital pets. Although they aren't literally alive,

Gen 1 Genetics Overview: Females

This is a continuation of my discussion of the genetic changes made to the first generation Norns in my current game of C1. The males were discussed here.

Presea has a few genetic changes that, I think, must have contributed to her loner nature. Upon closer inspection of this picture, I feel compelled to mention that I don't think there are genes for getting cheese stuck to you! I wish she would eat it instead of getting it glitchily (?) attached to her legs!

140 9 0 Emb B MutDupCut Creature, Sensorimotor, Crowdedness, chem=Loneliness, thresh=0, samp=22, gain=2, features=Inverted Analogue
140 9 0 Emb B MutDupCut Creature, Sensorimotor, Crowdedness, chem=Loneliness, thresh=0, samp=18, gain=5, features=Inverted Analogue

141 10 0 Emb B MutDupCut Creature, Sensorimotor, Crowdedness, chem=Crowdedness, thresh=0, samp=71, gain=59, features=Analogue
141 10 0 Emb B MutDupCut Creature, Sensorimotor, Crowdedness, chem=Crowdedness, thresh=0, samp=75, gain=51, features=Analogue

The changes made to Presea's emitter genes follow the same pattern as Lloyd's, but with different drives. Presea becomes lonely more slowly than normal and crowded more quickly.

Raine is a completely normal, unaltered Forest Norn. I have actually found her to be a worse eater than some of the others, although she is basically always obedient when I tell her to eat. Still, I find it surprising that the Forest Norn genes don't seem to stand out more in the game.

Sheena looks like a Purple Mountain Norn, but don't be fooled. Her genetics are actually completely Ron Norn. This means that she has the Ron ForF genes as well as the altered glycogen/glucose/hunger system from both the Life Kit breeds. She is exceptionally cheerful and has always been a good eater and sleeper. She slaps a little more than is necessary, but I suspect that's a combination of the ForF genes and the small spaces that make up a great deal of Albia.

Colette, meanwhile, is a Horse Norn with several changes to reflect my first generation theme.

249 36 0 Chi B MutDupCut Creature, Sensorimotor, angry, chem=Anger, thresh=136, nom=0, gain=223, features=Analogue
249 36 0 Chi B MutDupCut Creature, Sensorimotor, angry, chem=Anger, thresh=128, nom=0, gain=239, features=Analogue

Colette has to reach a high threshold of anger before she expresses it. However, C1 Norns almost never express their anger as it is.

71 13 0 Emb B MutDupCut 1*Pain-- + 2*Pain => 1*Reward + 1*<NONE>; half-life = 8.
71 13 0 Emb B MutDupCut 1*Pain-- + 1*Pain => 1*Reward + 1*<NONE>; half-life = 8.

In Colette's system, pain decrease reactions with 2 pain instead of 1, reducing pain more effectively.

112 26 0 Emb B MutDup 1*Punishment + 1*<NONE> => 1*Reinforcement + 2*PunishmentEcho; half-life = 16.
112 26 0 Emb B MutDup 1*Punishment + 1*<NONE> => 1*Reinforcement + 1*PunishmentEcho; half-life = 16.

A Norn's learning is governed by the Reward and Punishment chemicals. These chemicals are very short-lived. They decay into Reward Echo and Punishment Echo, which are longer-lasting. Colette receives twice as much Punishment Echo for the amount of Punishment in her system than normal. I thought she may learn not to do bad behaviors more quickly than normal, but since she's basically always good, I don't think this change has influenced much.

90 1 1 0 Emb B Mut 'Disappointment' causes sig=0 GS neu=255 int=0, , ,  => 16*Boredom++ + 16*NFP++ + 8*Anger++ + 0*<NONE>
90 1 0 Emb B Mut 'Disappointment' causes sig=0 GS neu=255 int=0, , ,  => 16*Boredom++ + 16*NFP++ + 16*Anger++ + 0*<NONE>

93 4 0 Emb B Mut 'Pointer slaps me' causes sig=32 GS neu=1(I've been slapped) int=255, , , Sensed Even When Asleep => 75*Pain++ + 32*Fear++ + 8*Anger++ + 16*Sleepiness--
93 4 0 Emb B Mut 'Pointer slaps me' causes sig=32 GS neu=1(I've been slapped) int=255, , , Sensed Even When Asleep => 75*Pain++ + 32*Fear++ + 16*Anger++ + 16*Sleepiness--

94 5 0 Emb B Mut 'Creature slaps me' causes sig=128 GS neu=1(I've been slapped) int=255, , , Sensed Even When Asleep => 80*Pain++ + 32*Fear++ + 8*Anger++ + 16*Sleepiness--
94 5 0 Emb B Mut 'Creature slaps me' causes sig=128 GS neu=1(I've been slapped) int=255, , , Sensed Even When Asleep => 80*Pain++ + 32*Fear++ + 16*Anger++ + 16*Sleepiness--

These stimulus changes all go together. Colette becomes less angry than normal when disappointed or slapped, either by the hand or another creature.

Seles is our current problem child! No, actually, she hasn't been much of a problem lately. She does much better in open spaces, like the garden, and I keep her away from Norns that I want to breed. Maybe having a Norn like Seles around could be an effective form of population control?

As I've said before, Seles is a normal Wood Norn with the "fight" ForF genes from the Ron genome.

Marta is the final first generation female.

91 2 0 Emb B Mut 'Pointer pats me' causes sig=32 GS neu=0(I've been patted) int=255, , , Sensed Even When Asleep => 96*NFP-- + 16*Pain-- + 16*Loneliness-- + 16*Reward
91 2 0 Emb B Mut 'Pointer pats me' causes sig=32 GS neu=0(I've been patted) int=255, , , Sensed Even When Asleep => 64*NFP-- + 16*Pain-- + 16*Loneliness-- + 16*Reward

92 3 0 Emb B Mut 'Creature pats me' causes sig=80 GS neu=0(I've been patted) int=255, , , Sensed Even When Asleep => 80*NFP-- + 16*Loneliness-- + 31*Crowdedness++ + 8*<NONE>
 92 3 0 Emb B Mut 'Creature pats me' causes sig=80 GS neu=0(I've been patted) int=255, , , Sensed Even When Asleep => 48*NFP-- + 16*Loneliness-- + 31*Crowdedness++ + 8*<NONE>

101 12 0 Emb B Mut 'Heard creature speak' causes sig=16 GS neu=6(Creature has spoken) int=175, , , Sensed Even When Asleep => 48*Boredom-- + 32*Loneliness-- + 12*Crowdedness++ + 0*<NONE>
101 12 0 Emb B Mut 'Heard creature speak' causes sig=16 GS neu=6(Creature has spoken) int=175, , , Sensed Even When Asleep => 16*Boredom-- + 16*Loneliness-- + 16*Crowdedness++ + 0*<NONE>

Marta gets considerably more pleasure out of interacting with others than normal. Actually, I'm sort of surprised that I made these changes so huge. I must have gotten click-happy in the Genetics Kit. Maybe that explains why her personality is so noticeably different in-game!

328 20 0 Emb B MutDupCut Drive i/ps Boredom + General Sensory i/ps IT is a creature + (Lobe/Cell=0/0) and I Come => 128*Reward

This is a new instinct that rewards Marta for approaching other Creatures when bored. So, not only does she get more enjoyment out of being around others, she prefers social interactions to other activities when bored.

There's also a bit of exciting news to report! I played a short time in order to take these pictures, and right before I closed the game, I was alerted to a pregnancy by the Observation Kit! I found Marta and Emil in the kitchen -- she'd gone back to her nap, and he was doing his best to look innocent! There had been such a long lull in egg laying that I'd started encouraging my Norns to breed, something I generally don't find necessary, but these two were unsuccessful... until I turned my back for ten minutes! They weren't even together last I'd seen them!

Gen 1 Genetics Overview: Males

Since I'm always talking about the various special genes my first generation Norns have, I decided to document more clearly exactly what changes were made.

There are a few genes all the Norns have in common. They all have the "updated" drive reactions from the Forest Norn genome, meaning they don't get punished for silly things like getting hungry. They also all have a gene that causes them to die of old age. Finally, they have an extra stimulus gene that reduces their sex drive when they are slapped.

Kratos, who is still fascinated by sealife, is a Purple Mountain Norn, meaning he is vulnerable to geddonase and has the "purple mountain alcohol" genes. However, he has a Forest Norn concept lobe AND the Ron fight-or-flight (ForF) genes.

Regal always seems to be asleep when I go to take a picture of him. He is completely boring and normal with no special genes at all. His genome is an unmutated hatchery genome, plus the universal changes detailed above.

 Zelos has a more interesting genome. It is based on the Wood Norn genome (which I think I'll look at more closely in the near future) plus the ForF genes from the Ron genome (which I'll also examine later on). In addition, he has one altered reaction and one new emitter. His genes are listed first, followed by the Ron genes.

Note that none of these changes account for his perpetually high life force, which hasn't dropped below 86 since he became an adult.

335 65 0 Emb B MutDupCut 1*Fear + 1*Turnase => 1*Anger + 1*<NONE>; half-life = 24.
336 65 0 Emb B MutDupCut 1*Fear + 1*Turnase => 1*Anger + 1*<NONE>; half-life = 32.

The numbers are different, but this is the same gene. This is the Turnase reaction, which converts fear into anger. It triggers the "fight" response. In Zelos, this reaction occurs more quickly. He may start out fleeing, but changes more quickly to fighting than a normal Ron.

337 29 0 Emb B MutDupCut Creature, Drive Levels Pain, chem=Turnase, thresh=80, samp=16, gain=8, features=Digital

This is a novel gene. Zelos produces Turnase when in pain. So, being attacked makes him angry. However, I haven't noticed much difference in his behavior due to to this. He and the other ForF Norns seem to slap a little more than the others, especially when confined, but that's all.

Lloyd has several changes that cause him to become bored more easily and make him more likely to travel. All Norns like playing with lifts, but I do think Lloyd is more attracted to movers and such than normal, especially since he's a little ADD. As always, his altered and new genes are listed first, and the equivalent gene from a hatchery Norn is listed second.

130 4 0 Emb B MutDupCut Creature, Sensorimotor, I'm Asleep, chem=Boredom, thresh=0, samp=20, gain=12, features=Inverted Digital
130 4 0 Emb B MutDupCut Creature, Sensorimotor, I'm Asleep, chem=Boredom, thresh=0, samp=25, gain=8, features=Inverted Digital

136 5 0 Emb B MutDupCut Creature, Sensorimotor, I'm Asleep, chem=NFP, thresh=0, samp=58, gain=16, features=Inverted Digital
136 5 0 Emb B MutDupCut Creature, Sensorimotor, I'm Asleep, chem=NFP, thresh=0, samp=64, gain=10, features=Inverted Digital

287 23 0 Emb B MutDupCut Creature, Drive Levels Boredom, chem=Adrenaline, thresh=232, samp=30, gain=7, features=Analogue
287 23 0 Emb B MutDupCut Creature, Drive Levels Boredom, chem=Adrenaline, thresh=232, samp=25, gain=7, features=Analogue

312 27 0 You B MutDupCut Creature, Sensorimotor, I'm Asleep, chem=Boredom, thresh=0, samp=42, gain=16, features=Inverted Analogue
312 27 0 You B MutDupCut Creature, Sensorimotor, I'm Asleep, chem=Boredom, thresh=0, samp=47, gain=8, features=Inverted Analogue

Most of these genes say basically the same thing: Lloyd gets more bored more quickly than normal. "Samp" refers to the sample rate, or how quickly the chemical is released into the system. "Gain" affects the amount released. Gene 287, however, is a little different: Lloyd gets stressed about being bored more slowly than normal. I wasn't sure how huge these other changes would be, and I didn't want to cause him undue stress and the consequential rapid aging and infertility just for my genetic experimentation!

103 14 0 Emb B Mut 'I've Activated1' causes sig=0 GS neu=255 int=0, , ,  => 3*Tiredness++ + 22*Boredom-- + 0*<NONE> + 0*<NONE>
103 14 0 Emb B Mut 'I've Activated1' causes sig=0 GS neu=255 int=0, , ,  => 3*Tiredness++ + 16*Boredom-- + 0*<NONE> + 0*<NONE>

104 15 0 Emb B Mut 'I've Activated2' causes sig=0 GS neu=255 int=0, , ,  => 3*Tiredness++ + 22*Boredom-- + 0*<NONE> + 0*<NONE>
104 15 0 Emb B Mut 'I've Activated2' causes sig=0 GS neu=255 int=0, , ,  => 3*Tiredness++ + 16*Boredom-- + 0*<NONE> + 0*<NONE>

These two stimulus genes come into play when a Norn "pushes" or "pulls" an object. Lloyd gets more boredom decrease from these activities than average. He also has the Forest Norn gene that makes hearing new words more interesting. So, while he gets bored more quickly, he can also satisfy his boredom easier.

The following genes were directly inspired by similar genes in one of the genetically modified Norns available from the Norn Underground before it closed.

134 4 0 Emb B MutDupCut Drive i/ps Boredom + (Lobe/Cell=0/0) + (Lobe/Cell=0/0) and I Stay => 188*Punishment
134 4 0 Emb B MutDupCut Drive i/ps Boredom + (Lobe/Cell=0/0) + (Lobe/Cell=0/0) and I Stay => 177*Punishment

Lloyd suffers a bit more punishment for doing nothing when bored.

325 33 0 Emb B Mut Cut General Sensory i/ps I am in a vehicle + Stim source i/ps Mover + (Lobe/Cell=0/0) and I Come => 127*Reward
326 34 0 Emb B Mut Cut Drive i/ps Boredom + Stim source i/ps Lift + (Lobe/Cell=0/0) and I Come => 255*Reward
327 35  0 Emb B Mut Cut Drive i/ps Boredom + Stim source i/ps Red + (Lobe/Cell=0/0) and I Push => 127*Reward
328 36 0 Emb B Mut Cut   Drive i/ps Boredom + Stim source i/ps Mover + (Lobe/Cell=0/0) and I Come => 255*Reward

These genes are all new and encourage Lloyd to use movers, buttons, and lifts, especially when bored.

Emil is primarily a normal Forest Norn, with a few modifications. As I've mentioned before, these have a surprisingly strong effect on his in-game personality.

The first change made to Emil's genome is the addition of the "flight" ForF genes. This half of the gene suite converts anger to fear and causes him to flee from things he considers dangerous, stressful, or frightening. Without the "fight" genes, he rarely chooses violence in such a situation. In addition, he has the following altered and new emitter genes.

141 10 0 Emb B MutDupCut Creature, Sensorimotor, Crowdedness, chem=Crowdedness, thresh=0, samp=75, gain=60, features=Analogue
141 10 0 Emb B MutDupCut Creature, Sensorimotor, Crowdedness, chem=Crowdedness, thresh=0, samp=75, gain=51, features=Analogue

336 29 0 Emb B MutDupCut Creature, Drive Levels Crowdedness, chem=Fear, thresh=160, samp=49, gain=8, features=Digital

Emil becomes more crowded than a normal Norn. In addition, when he is very crowded, he becomes fearful. At best, he dislikes crowds, and at worst he has a phobia of them. This certainly hasn't crippled him when it comes to interacting with others, but he is definitely a loner by comparison.

Genis is the youngest male Norn in Albia. After the last few, it's a relief to say that Genis is almost complete unaltered! He is just a White-Haired Pixie Norn with a Forest Norn brain. Like Kratos, I can't say I really see a difference in his intelligence level compared to the others.

This discussion is continued with the females here.

A Few Elders and a Perfect Egg

At very nearly nine hours old, Kratos has become an elder. I've always felt a little sorry for male Purple Mountain Norns when they age to elder and go bald! At least they can't get any grayer. Kratos has become more stubborn about eating and sleeping in his old age. He is still reluctant to leave his island and spends most of his time staring at the food I bring him.

Regal and Raine, on the other hand, have both gone party or completely gray! Presea may be a little nervous about her impending transition to elderhood. Elder Pixie Norns are almost identical to adults, save for a few wrinkles. Her terrible eating also seems to have spread to her companions. Regal in particular, who I've never had trouble convincing to eat or sleep, has become less interested in food.

There have been exciting developments from the younger Norns! Zelos and Colette -- who, for some reason, have taken to hanging out in the still area, even though neither of them seems very interested in those little green bottles -- have an egg on the way! I was starting to think my world may be broken, as there have been a lot of kisspops lately that came to nothing! I was very surprised when I opened the Breeder's Kit and saw the telltale countdown, as I'd completely missed the pregnancy in the Observation Kit.

I was very happy, because I expect their genes will go together nicely. Colette soon laid a perfect little blue egg in the elevator shaft. I've put off discussing mutations since the first couple eggs, but this one has no mutations at all!

The youngest group of Norns haven't been as successful. Genis eventually abandoned his peers in favor of the bees and their hives. He and Sheena spent some time together, but no eggs came of it. I'd rather like to introduce him to Presea before she gets too much older -- White-Haired Pixie Norns are my favorite C1 breed, and, while Presea laid two eggs when she was considerably younger, I'd like more of them in the next generation. How's the saying go? You can lead Norns to lifts, but you can't make them breed! Or eat, for that matter.

Or maybe not.

Emil, meanwhile, seems content to hang out near the learning computer. Marta comes and goes -- her special instincts tell her to seek out others when bored, so I think she uses him mainly for entertainment when the toys in the garden area just aren't engaging enough. I have been hoping they would produce at least one egg, but there's still time!

Emil, Genis, and Lloyd have all spent time with Seles off and on, but she still shows little interest in becoming a mother. Her favorite pastime is still slapping! Remember that she has the "fight" genes, but not the "flight" genes, from the Ron Norn genome. I had expected her to be a bit grumpy, but she seems completely intent on destroying the libido of anyone she comes across! I've been keeping her separate from Emil and Marta, hoping that would increase their chances of having an egg, but I feel a bit guilty for giving her the genes I did. She seems happy though -- nothing puts a grin on her face quite like, well, slapping.

Genetics Discussion: Forest Norns Part 2

Continued from here.

Half-Lives

1 1 0 Emb B MutDup NFP 248 Hunger 248 Sleepiness 248 Glucose 248 Glycogen 248 Hexokinase 248 Dancing 48 Activase 48 Turnase 56 Collapsase 56
1 1 0 Emb B MutDup NFP 88 Hunger 144 Sleepiness 255 Glucose 128 Glycogen 176 Hexokinase 56 Dancing 255 Activase 255 Turnase 255 Collapsase 255

Forest Norns have some changes to their half-life gene. Mostly, this adds half-lives for previously unused chemicals like dancing and Activase. The preexisting drive chemicals need for pleasure, hunger, and sleepiness have different half-lives -- all of them have been set to 248, which is close to the maximum value of 255. Glucose and glycogen also have higher half-lives. This means that these chemicals decay more slowly, except sleepiness, which hasn't actually changed because the Genetics Kit sees half-lives of 248 and 255 identically. I suspect the developers wanted the half-lives of the drive and energy chemicals to be meaningless on the scale of our short-lived Creatures -- a chemical with a half-life of 248 would take 52 years to reach zero. 

Stimuli

92 1 3 0 Emb B Mut 'Creature pats me' causes sig=80 GS neu=0(I've been patted) int=255, , , Sensed Even When Asleep => 48*NFP-- + 16*Loneliness-- + 31*Crowdedness++ + 8*<NONE>
92 3 0 Emb B Mut 'Creature pats me' causes sig=80 GS neu=0(I've been patted) int=255, , , Sensed Even When Asleep => 48*NFP-- + 16*Loneliness-- + 16*Crowdedness++ + 8*SexDrive++

Forest Norns react differently to being tickled by another Creature. They experience a lower increase in crowdedness and no increase in sex drive compared to other Norns. Maybe this was an attempt to reduce the "breed like rabbits" syndrome!

98 9 0 Emb B Mut 'Object comes into view' causes sig=255 GS neu=255 int=0, Modulate Using Sensory Signal, ,  => 12*NFP-- + 12*Boredom-- + 12*Loneliness-- + 3*SexDrive--
98 9 0 Emb B Mut 'Object comes into view' causes sig=255 GS neu=255 int=0, Modulate Using Sensory Signal, ,  => 0*<NONE> + 0*<NONE> + 0*<NONE> + 0*<NONE>

99 10 0 Emb B Mut 'Unrecognized word' causes sig=16 GS neu=8(Audible event) int=128, , , Sensed Even When Asleep => 12*NFP-- + 12*Boredom-- + 12*Loneliness-- + 3*SexDrive--
99 10 0 Emb B Mut 'Unrecognized word' causes sig=16 GS neu=8(Audible event) int=128, , , Sensed Even When Asleep => 0*<NONE> + 0*<NONE> + 0*<NONE> + 0*<NONE>

Forest Norns react to seeing a new object or hearing a new word by becoming less bored and lonely. They also experience a decrease in sex drive, possibly because they are really, really easily distracted by shiny things.

Forest Norns also have a couple other stimulus changes that are part of the Ron Norn fight-or-flight package. Without the associated reactions, I don't believe these have any effect on the Creature, so I'll be discussing those when I get to the Rons. 

Instincts

328 20 0 Emb B MutDupCut Stim source i/ps Herb + (Lobe/Cell=0/0) + (Lobe/Cell=0/0) and I Come => 127*Reward
329 21 0 Emb B MutDupCut Stim source i/ps Weed + (Lobe/Cell=0/0) + (Lobe/Cell=0/0) and I Come => 127*Punishment

Forest Norns have two additional instincts involving herbs (good plants) and weeds (poison plants). The "herb smells good" gene rewards them for approaching herbs;  the "weed smells bad" gene punishes them for approaching weeds.

330 22 0 Emb B MutDupCut Stim source i/ps Food + (Lobe/Cell=0/0) + (Lobe/Cell=0/0) and I Come => 255*Reward
331 23 0 Emb B MutDupCut Drive i/ps Sleepiness + (Lobe/Cell=0/0) + (Lobe/Cell=0/0) and I Rest => 255*Reward

These last two new instincts should make Forest Norns better eaters and sleepers than normal Norns. The first rewards them for approaching food. By default, Norns are only rewarded when they eat the food. The second rewards Norns for sleeping when sleepy. Normal Norns are only rewarded for sleeping when tired.

And... that's all for the Forest Norns! Did you notice anything strange about every one of these changes? I pointed it out with the brain lobe gene, but it goes for all of them. None of these genes are gender-specific! Despite the way the official description tells it, Forest Norns are no more sexually dimorphic on a genetic scale than regular Norns. This one goes in the rumor pile right alongside the myth that Grendels are evil!

Genetics Discussion: Forest Norns Part 1

"Forest Norns are a new breed of Norn, related to the Purple Mountain Norns. The male and female are quite different:

"Male: New genes provide the male Forest Norns with a curious dreamer appearance. They tend not to react harshly, and prefer instead the simple, peaceful solution to problems.

"Female (Nancy): Female Forest Norns have larger concept lobes in the brain than any other Norn. Their neuron dynamics are quite different, leading to increased intelligence and bigger memories. Stress ages female Forest Norns rapidly, so it should be avoided."

This is an overview of the genetic differences between Forest Norns and regular hatchery Norns. Once again, the Forest genes are listed first, followed by the equivalent gene in the normal genome.

In addition to the changes described here, Forest Norns also include the genes for geddonase poisoning and dancing described in the discussion on Purple Mountain Norns.

Brain Lobes

122 7 0 Emb B Mut Lobe #= 8 at X=11 Y=5 is 42 neurons wide and 18 neurons high.  Perflags=0. Dendrite Type 0: Input Lobe=0, Min#=1, Max#=5, Spread=1, Fanout=2
122 7 0 Emb B Mut Lobe #= 8 at X=12 Y=6 is 40 neurons wide and 16 neurons high.  Perflags=0. Dendrite Type 0: Input Lobe=0, Min#=1, Max#=3, Spread=3, Fanout=2

Whew! There's a lot going on in this gene! Let's start with the simple things. The X and Y values determine the location of the brain lobe, and the height and width determine its size. This is the "expanded concept lobe" touted by the description. Notice, however, that the gene is still marked "B," which means it is expressed in both males and females.

The Forest Norn concept lobe also has a higher "Max" value. This is the maximum number of dendrites that connect the concept lobe to its source lobe, the perception lobe. That means that a Forest Norn can make more connections between these two lobes and should be able to learn concepts better.

The "Spread" value describes how dendrites are able to make connections between the lobes. In normal Norns, this is set to the "waS" pattern, while in Forest Norns, it is set to "normal." Unfortunately, even after extensive Googling, I'm still not sure what is means beyond that fact that, in Forest Norns, the perception and concept lobes are wired up slightly differently. Perhaps I'll come back to this at a later time.

Receptors

325 44 0 Emb B Creature, Circulatory, floating chem 2, chem=Glycogen, thresh=0, nom=0, gain=255, features=Analogue
327 45 0 Sen B Creature, Somatic, die of old age, chem=Ageing, thresh=5, nom=117, gain=255, features=Inverted Digital

These are two novel genes in the Forest genome. The first of these is a receptor that stores the level of glycogen in the Norn's system. This will come into play below. The second is the "die of old age" gene. This causes the Norn to die when its level of ageing chemical reaches a certain point. All of my Norns have a variation of this gene. It may be counter intuitive, but many people consider the inclusion of this gene kinder than its exclusion. The original hatchery Norns could only die of starvation or poisoning. They would "die of old age" when they grew old and refused to eat.

Emitters

326 28 0 Emb B MutDup Creature, Circulatory, floating chem 2, chem=Hunger, thresh=0, samp=5, gain=2, features=Inverted Analogue

This is another new gene, and the other half of the way hunger is controlled in Life Kit Norns. This emitter releases hunger based on the level of glycogen in the Norn's system. Remember that glycogen is the long-term energy storage chemical in C1 and the chemical that determines a Norn's life force. Life Kit Norns become hungry when their glycogen is low and don't become hungry when their glycogen is high.

Reactions

58 2 0 Emb B MutDupCut 1*NFP++ + 1*<NONE> => 1*NFP + 1*<NONE>; half-life = 8.
58 2 0 Emb B MutDupCut 1*NFP++ + 1*<NONE> => 1*NFP + 1*Punishment; half-life = 8.

59 3 0 Emb B MutDupCut 1*Hunger++ + 1*<NONE> => 1*Hunger + 1*<NONE>; half-life = 8.
59 3 0 Emb B MutDupCut 1*Hunger++ + 1*<NONE> => 1*Hunger + 1*Punishment; half-life = 8.

62 6 0 Emb B MutDupCut 1*Tiredness++ + 1*<NONE> => 1*Tiredness + 1*<NONE>; half-life = 8.
62 6 0 Emb B MutDupCut 1*Tiredness++ + 1*<NONE> => 1*Tiredness + 1*Punishment; half-life = 8.

64 7 0 Emb B MutDupCut 1*Sleepiness++ + 1*<NONE> => 1*Sleepiness + 1*<NONE>; half-life = 8.
64 7 0 Emb B MutDupCut 1*Sleepiness++ + 1*<NONE> => 1*Sleepiness + 1*Punishment; half-life = 8.

68 11 0 Emb B MutDupCut 1*Boredom++ + 1*<NONE> => 1*Boredom + 1*<NONE>; half-life = 8.
68 11 0 Emb B MutDupCut 1*Boredom++ + 1*<NONE> => 1*Boredom + 1*Punishment; half-life = 8.

These reactions all describe how the drive raising chemicals (ex. hunger increase or hunger++) increase the actual drive chemicals. Regular Norns are punished for an increase any of their drives, but Forest Norns are a little more logical: they aren't punished for raising drives that go up on their own over time, like hunger and tiredness. Notice that the pain/pain increase reaction isn't included in this list, so Forest Norns should still learn to avoid situations that cause them pain. ("Should" being the operative word -- all Norns love bees.)

142 27 0 Emb B MutDup 1*Starch + 1*<NONE> => 2*Glucose + 1*Hunger--; half-life = 64.
142 27 0 Emb B MutDup 1*Starch + 1*<NONE> => 2*Glucose + 1*<NONE>; half-life = 64.

144 28 0 Emb B MutDup 3*Glucose + 1*<NONE> => 1*Glycogen + 1*<NONE>; half-life = 56.
144 28 0 Emb B MutDup 3*Glucose + 1*<NONE> => 1*Glycogen + 1*Hunger--; half-life = 56.

145 29 0 Emb B MutDup 1*Glycogen + 1*<NONE> => 3*Glucose + 1*<NONE>; half-life = 64.
145 29 0 Emb B MutDup 1*Glycogen + 1*<NONE> => 3*Glucose + 1*Hunger; half-life = 64.

This series of reactions improves the way digestion influences hunger in Forest Norns. Here, the conversion of starch to glucose prompts a decrease in hunger. Starch is the main energy source found in food in C1. The original C1 Norns didn't derive a hunger decrease from consuming starch. In addition, the conversion of glucose or glycogen and vice versa no longer affects hunger in Forest Norns -- that relationship is controlled by the receptor/emitter pair described above.

146 30 0 Emb B MutDup 1*Glucose + 2*Hexokinase => 4*CO2 + 8*Activase; half-life = 24.
146 30 0 Emb B MutDup 1*Glucose + 2*Hexokinase => 4*CO2 + 1*<NONE>; half-life = 24.

This reaction controls the byproducts of movement and energy use. In Forest Norns, this creates an additional chemical, Activase, which shows up in other Life Kit genes.

292 50 0 Ado B MutDupCut 4*Adrenaline + 1*Ageing => 1*<NONE> + 1*<NONE>; half-life = 128.
292 50 0 Ado B MutDupCut 1*Adrenaline + 1*<NONE> => 1*<NONE> + 1*<NONE>; half-life = 88.

In the regular genome, this reaction simply causes adrenaline to leave the system. In Forest Norns, adrenaline has a nastier effect: it breaks down the ageing chemical, accelerating, well, ageing. Adrenaline is produced when the Norn is stressed, hence why stress ages Forest Norns quickly.

332 64 0 Emb B MutDupCut 8*Adrenaline + 1*Activase => 1*Fear-- + 1*Anger--; half-life = 32.

This novel gene causes Activase, which we saw is produced when energy is used by muscle activity, to react with adrenaline to decrease fear and anger. Moving around reduces stress and calms the Norn down.

This discussion will be continued in a later post!

Uneventful Albia

Albia saw its first elder this time! Mithos has aged gracefully and, thanks to the fan-made Grendel sprite expansion, is now sporting a silver curl of hair. I'm surprised he was the first to age to elder, as he's about 20 minutes younger than the oldest Norn, Kratos, who at 8 hours and 50 minutes still has a full head of hair.

Regal made his way from the island to the wishing well area, where he met Presea. They had a bit of a romance some time ago; he is the father of both her eggs. He seems worried about her, and rightfully so, as her health hovers consistently around the 50% mark due to her refusal to eat. I was able to convince her to eat a single carrot recently, but that was only after much coaxing. Maybe the presence of another Norn will encourage her.

Meanwhile, some of the younger Norns have congregated in the garden and temple area. Here Emil is desperately trying to escape Marta's affections by taking the lift to the treetops. These two still have very distinct personalities: Emil dislikes crowds and flees after too much time around others, while Marta actively seeks out the company of other Creatures. Considering that some of the other Norns have genetic changes of a similar scale that have little effect on their behavior, I'm surprised at how entertaining these two are to be around. I had almost excluded them because I wasn't sure I could care for so many Norns at once. Now I'm glad I changed my mind!

Emil fled all the way to the island, where he was finally able to get a nap. He later took the submarine back to the mainland without even seeing the island's usual inhabitants, Kratos, Raine, and Mithos. Maybe he realizes there's more room to run away from others on the mainland.

Seles and young Genis took a nap in the kitchen. Seles is another Norn with a very striking personality, literally: she's clearly the most slap-happy of everyone in Albia, and she often does it with a huge smile on her face. I think she must think slapping is a game! I'm concerned that she might never breed -- remember that these Norns have an altered Conservative Norn gene that reduces sex drive when they are slapped.

Genis took the teleporter to the garden, where he was promptly stung by a bee and turned right around to head back to the safety of the incubator area. On the way, however, he was distracted by the bright yellow lemons growing on the trellis near the boabab. It never occurred to me before, but I'm pretty sure lemons don't grow on vines in real life. Apparently Albian lemons are different.

Surprisingly, there have been no new eggs for quite some time now. Usually an overabundance of eggs and kisspopping is the problem! I take back what I said about these Norns breeding easier than expected! Until now I haven't been encouraging them much, but I may need to start in order to ensure a healthy supply of second-generation eggs.