[Creatures] Mapping Out the Constellations

Cheesy title is cheesy.
But enough of cheese! I have figured out what I was doing wrong: using the Genetics Kit to try to decipher the genes. Instead, I used the Gene Compare tool, thus allowing me to not only read what was going on, but to also see how different a Norn is from their parents or how much they've deviated from their original breed!

Genetics Study: Constellation

What I have done for my first study is this: I took Constellation's genes and compared them to those of a basic Fimbul Norn. Aside from discovering that she becomes mildly bored when hit by a Norn and mildly cold when patted by a Norn, I have learned the cause of her Chronic Homesickness Disorder.

Reached peak of smell 15 (70) causes sig=0 GS neu=0 int=0, ,,,48 => -124*Comfort + 5*Boredom + 0*<NONE> + 0*<NONE>

Smell 15 is identified as "Norn home smell". When she identifies it, it makes her intensely uncomfortable, it seems. (and a little bored, too.) When a Norn is uncomfortable, that makes them homesick, but when she identifies her home, it makes her more uncomfortable, and the miserable cycle continues. I'm not sure if there's a way to help her with it. Maybe keeping her constantly distracted will help matters?

Back from the Dead

Updates on Creatures

My original Wolfing Run contains, according to its World file, 128 Norns, getting up to the 9th Generation. At least 58 of those Norns are in eggs. I estimate that it's got around 48 hours of playtime on there. (not all in one sitting, of course) It takes up 22 MB of space; 3 MB of this is purely Norn genetics.


It also crashes upon opening and could need to be deleted.
I am not sure why this is. It's certainly not the amount of Norns--Docking Station was made 12 years ago, and compared to how some runs can get, 70 Norns is a tidy little world.



I'm diving into the more complicated world of Creatures: genetics! With more knowledge of Creatures genetics, I can learn more about why they do the things they do. Norn mutations vary greatly, and pretty much everything about them can change--they can react in pain from hearing a certain word, develop allergies, become infertile, remain fertile for their entire life (coughcough Betty coughcough), feel rewarded when slapped and punished when tickled when normally it's the other way around, feel more lonely around other Norns, become angered by starch (maybe not but I wouldn't be surprised)--the list is supposedly endless.

I'm going to start with the case of a Norn who has baffled me for some time. You remember Constellation, right? Probably not. Anyway, she is a generation 3 ChiChi/Fimbul Norn. Her problem is this:

No, not the colors. That's just one heck of a pigment mutation.

 She stands around, unmoving, and complains of her intense homesickness. But why? And is there anything else amiss?

Keep in mind that I will likely be very, very off. This is the first time I've tried to pick at a Creature's brain.

--15 minutes later--