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!
Showing posts with label new world. Show all posts
Showing posts with label new world. Show all posts
Monday, October 10, 2011
Thursday, August 11, 2011
The Beginning
When I was about ten years old, I was nuts for any virtual pet I could get my hands on. I wasn't deprived of pets -- we had cats, dogs, and fish at home -- but something about a computer program that seemed alive fascinated me. I had Tamagotchis and other hand-held pets, I had a Neopets account, I played Pokemon and watched Digimon, and I had all of P.F. Magic's Petz games. It was my copy of Catz 2, I think, that came with an ad for a new game -- Creatures 2, which advertized itself as a game that was really alive and capable of evolution.
Welcome -- or welcome back -- to Albia, home of the Norns and others, abandoned by their creators and left in the care of the player. It's a world of fun and danger, joyous meetings and sorrowful partings, whimsey and realism. Here is the first egg to be hatched in my new world -- are we ready to meet the little creature inside?
I was a rather spoiled child, so when I saw the first Creatures in the bargain bin some time later, I got it. It's been over ten years, but I've played it on and off ever since. I even grew up to be an evolutionary biologist! I also play C2 and C3, but the first game will always be my favorite. The creatures themselves may be simpler, but I think C1 strikes the best balance between scripted behavior, playability, and realism. Right now I'll be focusing on C1, but I may get around to the others eventually!
Here I'll be recording what happens in my current game of Creatures. While this blog is mainly for myself, I hope anyone who comes across it will enjoy it too. I am playing the Windows 7 compatible version from GOG.com. I highly recommend them, as they have many classic games for reasonable prices available for download. The Norns I'm using have been slightly edited, incorporating a few of the improvements made in later official breeds. My first generation Norns also have little individual tweaks -- but I'll discuss those as they hatch!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)