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.

Genetics Discussion: Purple Mountain Norns

"Down from the mountains of Albia, these purple Norns have developed differently. Indeed, these Norns even have some new genes."



The Purple Mountain Norn (PMN) was the first official breed to have a distinct genome from the original three breeds. (Although the original Santa Norn was infertile, he didn't have any novel genes to discuss.) Those changes were later carried over to the Life Kit breeds, the Forest and Ron Norns. Purple Mountain Norns were available as a download from Cyberlife's website, and some later copies of the game (like mine) came with them as part of the hatchery. The second Norn I ever hatched was a PMN named Aaron, by the way.

Below are excerpts from the output of a dDNA Analyzer comparison of a PMN genome (top) to a default Norn (bottom).

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 a change to the seventh brain lobe, the attention lobe. Those commands are the State Variable Rules (SVRules) that affect how that lobe functions. As I understand it, the normal Norn's braid combines information from both type 0 and type 1 dendrites, while the PMN uses only type 0. Dendrites, connections between brain lobes, store information. In the attention lobe, type 0 dendrites connect to the stimulus source lobe, which identifies external stimuli (ex. "that is a Norn"), while type 1 dendrites connect to the noun lobe, which stores words the Creature has learned. By default, a PMN is therefore unable to make the connection between a word spoken by the hand and that it should look at the associated object. As described on the Creatures Developer Resource, this is a mistake made in very early copies of the game! Apparently, the executable itself was modified to work around this, which is why Sheena and Kratos don't have any trouble understanding when I want them to pay attention to the food I brought them, but the gene persists!

274 40 0 Emb B MutDupCut Creature, Sensorimotor, stagger, chem=Dancing, thresh=86, nom=0, gain=173, features=Analogue
274 40 0 Emb B MutDupCut Creature, Sensorimotor, stagger, chem=Alcohol, thresh=106, nom=0, gain=255, features=Analogue

This is an altered receptor gene that makes PMNs react to a new chemical -- chemical 80, "Dancing," also known as "Purple Mountain Alcohol." As you can see, it replaces the normal alcohol receptor. Like regular alcohol, it causes PMNs to "stagger" -- however, in these Norns, "stagger" has been replaced with, you guessed it, dancing. This also necessitated several changes in pose genes. The dancing concept was carried over into C2 through the Golden Desert Norns and Boney Grendels.

The following reaction genes are all novelties in the PMN.

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

This gene, labeled "Hunger Reaction from Purple Mountain Norns" in the Genetics Kit, is present in addition to the regular hunger-reducing reaction, which goes 1 Hunger Decrease + 1 Hunger => 1 Reward. The two genes together mean that hunger decrease reduces the hunger drive more efficiently without triggering the release of any more reward than in a normal Norn. I suppose the same effect could have been achieved by altering the existing gene -- I can't really think of a good reason to have an entirely new gene.

321 60 0 Emb B MutDupCut 5*Geddonase + 5*Glucose => 5*Geddonase + 1*<NONE>; half-life = 72.
322 61 0 Emb B 2*Geddonase + 3*Glycogen => 1*Geddonase + 1*<NONE>; half-life = 88.

This is a very dangerous set of reactions, and the reason I've refrained from adding the cave fly cob to my world. Geddonase is a poison that has no effect on normal hatchery Norns; in PMNs, however, it reacts with both glucose (suger) and glycogen (long-term energy storage and the chemical behind a Norn's life bar). This makes geddonase quite dangerous, but luckily I believe there are no non-cob sources of geddonase in C1. Geddonase is also present in C2 -- it's injected by those irritating red gnats from one of the biodomes -- but, due to the more complex digestive system of C2 Norns, it's far less dangerous. Note also that the geddonase-glycogen reaction is set to be immuatable, un-duplicatable, and un-deletable.

323 62 0 Emb B 1*Dancing + 1*NFP => 3*Dancing + 1*<NONE>; half-life = 128.
324 63 0 Emb B 1*Dancing + 2*Boredom => 1*Boredom + 1*<NONE>; half-life = 112.

These two genes make dancing fun! It reacts to reduce need for please and boredom.

1 Half-lives 1 0 Emb B MutDup Dancing 48
1 Half-lives 1 0 Emb B MutDup Dancing 255

This is a change to the half-life gene. This gene describes the half-lives all the chemicals in the game will have in that particular Norn. A half-life is exactly what is sounds like: the time it takes for half of the amount of the chemical to decay. In real life, half-lives come up most frequently when radioactive materials are being discussed. That's how carbon dating and other radiometric time proxies work -- by measuring the relative amounts of different radioactive chemicals and working backwards to find out how much time it would take for them to decay that much. Impromptu science lesson! Anyway, in PMNs, this gene includes a half-life for the dancing chemical. Since chemical 80 was unused in the original Norns, it simply had the default value of 255 in them.

And that's it! Those are all the genetic changes made to the Purple Mountain Norns. The other two genetically modified official breeds, Forest and Ron Norns, have more complicated changes that maybe I'll address at a later time.

The Last of Gen 1 and an Illness

Kratos may have isolated himself from the other Norns on his island, but that hasn't saved him from Albia's many diseases! I think he's gotten sick more often than any other Norn so far -- but saying that is almost certainly asking for trouble. This disease caused Kratos's health to fluctuate oddly. Just when his glycogen returned to normal and his status in the Observation Kit would switch to "Healthy," his life force would start dropping and he would go back to being sick.

Here you can see the oddly irregular fluctuations the level of Antigen 0 took in Kratos's system and the speed at which he built up Antibody 0. I suppose the troughs of that line may have dipped below the amount required to qualify as "Sick" to the Observation Kit, but I hadn't considered what the threshold could be until now. Something to keep in mind -- the Observation Kit is useful, but not to be trusted completely!

Luckily, the disease didn't seem to be contagious, as Mithos has apparently avoided infection, and with a bit of extra attention Kratos was able to fight it off permanently.

 In the midst of all this, the youngest of all the first generation Norns hatched. This little white-haired Norn is Genis! He is almost completely normal except for his improved Forest Norn brain. Because I was distracted with Kratos, I wasn't able to fuss over him as much as I would have liked before he reached childhood. He was perfectly content to stay near the learning computer and watch the bees, though!

Genis eventually made his way to the temple area, where he met Seles, Emil, and Marta. However, he didn't seem terribly impressed by the older Norns and soon retreated to the garden with his bees. Why are Norns so interested in bees? You'd think they would eventually learn to stop getting stung.

Now that all twelve first generation Norns have hatched, I hope to make future updates more detailed. So far, each has covered about an hour of playtime on average. I'd like to shorten that to 30 to 40 minutes. If I write it here, maybe I'll actually do it instead my usual "Oh, five more minutes won't hurt!"

Like Night and Day

Albia saw two new additions this time! These are some of the last first-generation Norns -- thankfully, since the world is starting to get a bit crowded! C1 Norns are generally quite self-sufficient, but caring for 11 Norns is still getting to be a bit of a stretch.

Our first newcomer is Forest Norn Emil, shown here with Mithos, his first contact with other Creatures! In addition to the regular Forest genes, Emil has the "flight" half of the Ron Norn fight-or-flight genes. He also has an addition emitter that causes him to become frightened when very crowded. I'm curious how this will affect his personality. Will it cause him to avoid getting stressed over crowding, or just make him a loner?

Our second baby Norn is Marta, a Banana Norn who arrived with an enormous smile. The first Norn I ever hatched was a female Banana Norn (named Kay), so I have a special attachment to them. Marta has a few little genetic tweaks that make her more of a people-person -- or a Norn-Norn, I suppose. She becomes crowded slowly and has an extra instinct gene that encourages her to seek out others when bored. I wonder how she and Emil will get along?

After a short time with Marta and Seles, Emil had to go take a rest on his own. He goes off alone more frequently than the other young Norns. After leaving them to check up on the others, I often return to find he's gone to the garden or kitchen to get away from it all. He doesn't seem very interested in adventuring much beyond the temple. His personality definitely reflects his genes!

I was glad to see that Emil was able to get along with others, at least in small doses. The Forest Norn expression really suits him -- he looks so uncertain about this situation! Should he run, or would that offend her? On an unrelated note, look at those adorable little pointed ears of his!

Marta, too, acts much like I'd expected based on her genes! You can barely see him, but here she's cornered Emil in the garden area. She was very pouty before this, but when she found someone to play with, she perked up immediately! (Seles, meanwhile, had the good sense to escape to the treetops.)

Here's one last picture of these two. As you can see, Emil is a tad older. That doesn't stop Marta from bossing him around. He seems tolerant of it -- I'm glad he's able to smile even while running away!

Behavioral Observations

 A miracle has occurred! For the first time since childhood, Kratos left the island, completely on his own! I was very surprised to find him out for a walk in the jungle. He is now over seven hours old -- at least six of those hours were spent on an extended island vacation! Unlike many of the other first generation norns, Kratos doesn't have an unique genes that would discourage or encourage him from spending time with the others. I guess it's just his personality! Not all Norn behavior can be chalked up to genetics, after all. Maybe he just learned that I would bring him all the carrots he could eat while he was there.

Speaking of odd Norn behavior, Presea is one of the worst eaters I've ever had in C1! Her life force regularly drops into the low 60s or even the 50s, but she always comes around and eats before she would starve. Presea has also turned into quite a loner, spending all her time between the wishing well and cannon. She doesn't even seem interested in the lift or any company aside from the goldfish in its bowl. Remember that she has a genetic alteration that makes her become lonely more slowly than normal, but I didn't expect her to be a hermit!

Raine made her way to the island, where she met up with Mithos. Unlike Kratos, Raine seems to be smart enough not to munch on weeds every few minutes! Maybe it's her Forest Norn genetics at work -- her breed has some additional instincts that make herbs seem attractive and weeds repulsive. Purple Mountain Norns and the three breeds that came with the game all lack these instincts, although I have tried to teach everyone that weeds are bad news!

Seles also has a tendency to keep to herself, although she spent some time with Raine, riding the boat back and forth between the island and dock, before the later got seasick and returned to land. She seems to like the area around the Great Tree the best -- I hope she's smart enough to avoid the deathcap mushroom at its base. Seles does seem slightly more inclined than the average Norn to slap, but she isn't exceptionally violent at all. She has yet to show any interest in boy Norns though -- maybe it's for the best for now, if she's a tad slap-happy.

On his way through the caves under the music room, Kratos encountered Zelos, and the two seemed to be sizing each other up. Zelos even stood as tall as possible, no doubt trying to make himself look tough! Kratos had no need for such showiness and soon moved on. Notice the copious amounts of cheese at their feet -- I was experimenting with cobs and ending up with a ridiculous surplus of it! I have no doubt all these hungry Creatures will eat it up sooner or later. Zelos and Colette in particular are excellent eaters and have been hanging around in this area.

Kratos completed his circumnavigation of the world... and ended up right back on his island! Luckily he brought some company this time, in the form of the second-oldest Norn, Regal. The two of them took ill shortly after arriving in the island caves. Luckily, they had already quarantined themselves! They both recovered quickly enough that I'm not even sure what illness they had.

Sheena has been hanging around the beehives for some time. She often gets company from Lloyd, Colette, and most frequently Zelos. She still slaps him on a regular basis, but it seems to make her happy and doesn't discourage him at all! Note that his life force still hovers around 90%. There's no genetic reason for it. Seles, the other Wood Norn, shares almost all of his genes and has a normal life force. Is he just that good at taking care of himself?

It wouldn't be Albia without another birth (egg?) announcement! Colette laid her first egg, fathered by Lloyd. It has a very cute red and yellow shell, like its father, but unfortunately I didn't take a picture of it! Colette's life force didn't drop below 75% the whole time she was pregnant, and then only dipped into the high 60s after she laid her egg. I was very impressed, as the other girls -- especially Sheena and Presea -- suffered much more from their pregnancies.

I had to separate Lloyd and Colette so they could get some sleep. They are constantly distracting each other when they're together! Lloyd spend his nap time in what I'm sure he thought was a better way, playing with a ball in the music room. He did eventually try out the harp, but he didn't seem as enthused as he was over the ball! As expected, Lloyd does seem to be more distractable and easily amused than the other Norns. It's both annoying and endearing.