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.