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.

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!

Three Smiling Babies

First, there are a couple new introductions to make! It's about time I got around to these two. This is Lloyd, a red Banana Norn. He gets bored more quickly than your average Norn, but to counter this, he gets more enjoyment out of pushing and pulling objects. He also has additional instincts that encourage him to travel and use lifts when bored. He gave me such a huge grin when he popped out of his red and yellow egg! It took several seconds to get his attention, he was so focused on smiling for the camera.

The second newcomer is happy little blonde Colette! She also has several minor genetic changes. First, when slapped, she gets less angry than other Norns. In addition, in her system, pain decrease reduces pain more effectively. Finally, her reward/punishment system has also been slightly tweaked -- she converts the chemical "punishment" (short-term learning) into more "punishment echo" (longer-term). Will this make her learn better, discouraging her from bad behaviors more quickly? I teach mostly though tickles, not slaps, so in practice, this will probably affect very little!

Regal fell sick yet again while I was teaching Colette, forcing me to leave her alone for several minutes. He recovered quickly and the disease didn't spread. Luckily, Colette didn't prove very adventurous, choosing to stay near the computer and play with the top! Maybe she likes the way it spins and spins and spins.

Raine laid two more eggs around this time, one fathered by Kratos and one by Regal. She has since moved into the garden area and taken to playing with the youngsters! She may be disappointed her eggs won't hatch soon, but she seems to enjoy playing the role of mentor. I'm still surprised she isn't more self-sufficient, as she's a Forest Norn. She eats when told, but frequently needs to be reminded to do so, especially when other Creatures are around.

Regal, too, has taken to hanging out with the youngest Norns. He currently has three eggs by two mothers. I had hoped to control their breeding a bit more carefully -- not their choice of partners, which I've influenced very little, but the number of offspring produced. All of these Norns include a gene based on one from the Conservative Norns that reduces sex drive when they slap each other, but seems to have slowed their reproduction only slightly.

At this point, Sheena is slightly behind in the competition for the title of Champion Egg Layer with two eggs, both fathered by Zelos. These two are the most cheerful Norns in Albia right now, with rarely a frown on their little faces. (Except when Sheena feels "gaa" over laying an egg!) However, Sheena had a little rendezvous with the youngest male in Albia, Lloyd, and is currently pregnant again, so she may pull ahead yet!

Zelos seemed surprised to find a little almost-clone of himself in the temple area! This is yet another new first-generation Norn, Seles, who is also a Wood Norn. Seles is sort of an experiment because she has only the "fight" half of the Ron Norn fight-or-flight genes. I find this suite of genes especially interesting, hence why I've included them (or modified versions of them) in several of my Norns. How will they pass down? Will Seles have a mean streak and/or be unlikely to run from danger?

Speaking of Zelos, have a look at his life force. When he hit adulthood, it seems to have shot up to around 90 and stayed there! 76-78% is far more normal for a Norn without one of several immortality-granting mutations. Could it be some trait of the Wood Norn genome? We'll have to see if Seles turns out similarly. Notice also that Presea's life force is unusually low; she continues to eat poorly, even when offered Slink's Strained Carrots, which I've used to get stubborn Norns to eat in the past.

I've now hatched nine of the twelve Norns I intended for the first generation. Caring for many Norns at once is challenging, and it means that each individual gets less attention. I've spaced out hatching new Norns by about 40-50 minutes instead of the recommended 20-30, which I think has helped me get to know them a bit better, even though there are now nine of them. Mostly, they seem to care for themselves effectively and keep their drives low. Hopefully things will continue to go well as the last three first generation eggs hatch!

A Tsundere Norn

Kratos and Mithos have now spent multiple hours on the island and show no sign of wanting to leave. Every so often Kratos will take a bite of the ampanula weed and scare me by showing up as "sick" on the Observation Kit for a few minutes. He never learns! But then again, he never learned to sleep well either!

Unlike Kratos, Regal is an excellent sleeper! In fact, I've repeatedly been worried that he's gotten into something containing sleep toxin, he sleeps so often. However, he too hasn't proven himself to be too adventurous, preferring to stay in the area around the lighthouse. I sometimes catch him quietly watching the fish in its bowl.

Of course, things couldn't remain quiet for too long! This is Zelos, one of two new additions to Albia. Zelos is a Wood Norn, a third-party breed by Frimlin available, once again, from the amazing Treesprite's Creatures Grove. The Wood Norn genome has some tweaks to their drive chemical reactions, which Zelos maintains.

He also has the fight-or-flight genes, which some small changes. In his system, the Turnase reaction occurs slightly more quickly than normal. Recall that Turnase converts fear to anger and is produced when a Creature is cornered. He also has an extra emitter that produces Turnase when his level of pain gets high. Theoretically, I think this means he will run from danger until actually attacked, in which case he'll quickly become angry and fight back. He doesn't seem very prone to anger, though! While I was off worrying over Raine and Presea, he was exploring the garden and cellar. Judging by that adorable grin, he was having a great time!

 The next first generation Norn to be hatched was another Purple Mountain Norn, a female named Sheena. She has slightly altered temperature-related emitters -- she gets hot more slowly than the average Norn, but is more susceptible to the cold. In addition, like Zelos, Sheena has the complete set of fight-or-flight genes. However, hers are unaltered. In fact, other than those small changes, she has a Ron genome.

After they both grew up a bit, I let Zelos and Sheena meet in the temple area. Can you guess how Sheena reacted?

She slapped him!

I couldn't make this stuff up. It didn't really seem to faze him at all, though, and they started to get along a bit better after that rocky start. I'd like to take this opportunity to point out that, while I may be theme-naming my Norns, they make their own decisions, especially about interacting with each other.

Presea has finally come out of her bout of depression and begun eating again! She also laid another egg, this one also fathered by Regal, and recovered far more quickly from this pregnancy! Hopefully, we won't have another scare like that with her. Like her first egg, this one also appears to have no mutations! Compared to the confusing mutations detailed in my last entry, no mutations is a pleasant surprise.

First of Many?

I'm using the C1 Genetics Kit to inject genomes into my game as eggs. This bypasses the hatchery, which by default contains only the three original breeds and allows for mutations to occur. Because I've made some edits to these genomes, I'd like to avoid that for my first generation. The little guy in this purple egg also has some additional genes. I never had the Life Kit breeds as a kid, so I incorporated some of their genes into my first Norn. His brain is that of a Forest Norn, which will hopefully improve his memory. He also has the fight-or-flight suite of genes from the Ron Norns, which make use of two new chemicals to regulate a Norn's behavior. Collapsase converts anger to fear and encourages a Norn to run away. Turnase is the opposite, turning fear to anger, and is produced when a Norn is cornered.

He also has his pigment genes altered to make him unusually and adorably dark colored! People often recommend naming your Norns alphabetically to keep track of generations, but I always run out of A names, so this time I'm doing theme naming for each generation. This little Purple Mountain Norn is called Kratos! He started pacing in excitement immediately upon leaving his egg.

After easily mastering all the verb concepts taught by the computer, Kratos developed a fascination with the red and white ball. He would push it, then stare at it for several seconds, as if daring it to make its move. Teaching him that food, herbs, and toys were good was simple, but he proved to prefer drinking from the coffee mug to sleeping -- not that I can blame him, as there are far too many interesting things to do to be wasting time on sleep!

Kratos did eventually get to sleep, but I'm worried he may be a little bit stubborn. If you've never played Creatures, here's the scoop: Norns make their own decisions. You can give them commands and teach them good behaviors, but you can't force them to do something. They rely on a combination of instincts and learning to make decisions, just like a real animal.

If you don't teach your Norns well, they won't be able to survive when you turn your attention elsewhere. However, Kratos seems to be sleeping and eating fine. When he reached childhood, his focus switched to lifts and movers -- he's now made it all the way to the island!