The Creatures Hive Video Question 4
Life got a little busy for me lately, but the Creatures Hive is back in action with another question and answer! It’s been really interesting so far to find out what sorts of subjects others would like to hear about. Many have been about Discover Albia and some of my own personal ideas about Creatures, yet I still hope that these are helpful! There are still about five questions in the queue right now, and I’m sure there will be more submitted over time. At the very least, something funny or unique usually happens in the videos!
Today’s question came from Leporidae, and got me thinking about just how long I spend in each of the Creatures games. Perhaps the answer will be surprising, considering how much I write! It might even give you some new ideas about playing styles, although my favorite thing about Creatures is how it can be played in so many different ways. The good news is that the Creatures Hive videos are all still under five minutes each, unlike some of the marathon videos I made in the past. Have a couple of laughs, learn a little bit, and think about submitting your own questions to the Creatures Hive!
You noted that there’s not a lot of things for the hand to do in 3. I’ve only ever really played 3/DS. (Never tried 2 due to all the bugs, and never gotten 1 completely working so I’ve hardly touched it.) I’m curious, could you explain the interactions that are possible in 1 but not 3?
By interactions, I meant the level of connectedness in the game. For instance, I’ve found that talking with C1 Norns is pretty simple since they have such a limited vocabulary. I talk to them quite often, in fact! In C3/DS, talking with them can lead to the dreaded “me like/dislike” loop, and doesn’t feel as interesting.
Additionally, C1 Norns seem genuinely interested in the hand: They often focus on it when it comes on screen, talk about how they want to “push hand” (which means they want to tickle it), and seem like they want it around! It’s actually very endearing, and makes C1 Norns seem much more connected with the player. I’ve never found C3/DS Norns to have much interest in the hand… Occasionally they will, but they don’t act like they want anything to do with it pretty regularly.
I apologize if I wan’t too clear in the video Hopefully this answers your question and clears things up a bit!
The “not liking the hand” thing in C3/DS bugs me as well. It is rare that a Norn seems to like my company, even if they say they love me. They usually ignore me completely, or only pay attention to me when I have food in my hand.
I think that might be where the removal of need for pleasure (NFP) really hurt C3/DS. C1 and C2 Norns often learn that the hand is there to help reduce that drive, and is generally a good thing. They might get distracted from time to time, but they really seem to enjoy having the hand around! Perhaps that’s one of the reasons why I feel closer to my C1 Norns… It’s less a matter of just watching them, because having the hand around actually makes them happy!