A Social Experiment in C3/DS

It took a bit more planning and thinking, but I was soon ready to put my C3/DS world concept to the test! I had originally planned on a very different writing style for these entries, as compared with my Creatures 1 world. However, something miraculous occurred: I began to get somewhat attached to the Norns! Although there will be a decidedly experimental overtone and I will not be following Norns throughout their lives, this world might not seem as terrible as I first pictured it. I also have a feeling that I will not kill any Norns on purpose: Perhaps they will instead find their way through the Warp, or as downloadable files!

The stage was finally set, and I chose four females to begin this world with. Although limited, recall that new first generation females will be introduced from time to time to keep the gene pool varied. These little eggs looked so peaceful in the Norn Meso, where they were surrounded by virtually everything they could possibly need. I planned on playing an invisible role, or the role of the watcher. These Norns would have to fend for themselves in order to survive. Yet in this environment, they had little to worry about early on in their lives! I waited patiently for the eggs to hatch and unleash the loveable chaos.

To my sheer surprise, one of the Norns decided that learning was of the utmost importance: She visited the Holistic Learning Machine directly after she popped out of her egg! All of the Norns introduced into this world will have CFE genomes. Norns are at a disadvantage at the best of times, and any helpful genetics can certainly be of the greatest help! I should also note that I use the Modified HLM created by Sgeo, which limits each Norn to using the machine once during their lifetime. In a few test runs, I have witnessed Norns use this over and over again, while the real benefit only occurs the very first time. Since all of the young females will spend their lives here, this patch should certainly come in handy! It prevents some Norns from hogging the Holistic Learning Machine from others.

Here are the very first Norns to hatch in my world, which I’ve named Remniova! On the left is a female Harlequin Norn named Lamna. Beside her is a female Magma Norn, whom I call Seyon. She was the one to use the Holistic Learning Machine, and ended up being the only one. Seyon showed an aptitude for a lot early in life: She was the first to use the lift, and the first to explore all the levels of the Norn Meso. Could this be the first Alpha Female? Lamna struggled at times, although she also ventured forth to the other levels of the room.

Notice the funny symbols above their heads? This is an agent in development by the amazing Amaikokonut of Naturing :: Nurturing. These are the marks, although there is also a series of auras. They basically help distinguish one Norn from another, and they also allow players to mark specific Norns with ease. My main use for these will be to clearly mark the Alpha Male and Female, as well as their offspring. I figured it would be rather nice to use the marks with the females, though, as it helps me remember who is who a little more easily! I assigned the bell to Seyon, and felt a little guilty afterwards. Being a Magma Norn, she often shivers since the Norn Meso is a little on the cold side for her. Each time she does so, her bell moves about like it’s ringing!

Is there another reason for the marks? Maybe so… It’s easy to distinguish each Norn in still photos, but what about in another media format? I might have a little surprise up my sleeve! Moving on…

The other two females were quite close at birth, and it was difficult to separate them enough to capture their images! The napping female Bengal Norn is Aurianna. Her partner in crime is a female Siamese Norn known as Nevorria. Note that these names have no meaning, and came from the recesses of my mind. As odd as it is, naming Norns can sometimes hold me back from jumping into a world. At least I was pleased with the ones I chose! Everyone seemed to agree, thankfully. Naming schemes can be as random as made-up words, or as ordered as a specific theme.

I allowed the females to live for about ten minutes before I hatched the Alpha Male. This will ensure that they are all fertile by the time they are introduced to him. In theory, this should give them all an equal chance at becoming the Alpha Female. In moments, I welcomed a male Zebra Norn in Remniova: This is Brenlee! He was an active creature from the moment he hatched, which was a good sign. He was an excellent eater, and an even better sleeper. Perhaps he had an inkling of what his role would be! I chose a male Zebra Norn because the males and females are quite different in appearance. And who doesn’t like striped Norns?! He was adorable from the moment he started looking around his new environment.

Brenlee became obsessed with the Blue Intelligence Core! This agent is part of the Portal Pack created by Ghosthande for the CCSF 2011. Suffice to say I have most of the items scattered about: They’re quite amazing! Clearly, Brenlee agreed. He learned his vocabulary very easily in this way, but still took the time to eat a balanced diet in the Norn Terrarium. Part of me feels like he might suffer from separation anxiety when he moves to the C1toDS meta room! Never fear: One of these is located in the region, and perhaps Brenlee will be able to find it. Yet again, it’s about time he left it alone. Get on with it, Brenlee!

Just for reference, here is a quick rundown of the starting Norns and their marks:

  • Lamna: Female Harlequin Norn (Green Feather)
  • Seyon: Female Magma Norn (Yellow Bell)
  • Aurianna: Female Bengal Norn (Red Spiral)
  • Nevorria: Female Siamese Norn (White Star)
  • Brenlee: Male Zebra Norn (Blue Sword)

The females will be moved to the C1toDS meta room as they reach the youth life stage. Brenlee will be introduced to the room after he has become either a youth or an adult: Still need to decide! Recall that I have edited the chances of multiple births so that Norns have a very high chance of producing “litters.” The chance of twins is 80%, and each subsequent birth has a 60% chance of occurring. There is a maximum size of six Norns in each litter, but my test run revealed that two to three babies at one time is most typical. I also reduced the chances of identical sets to just 20%: The idea is to have genetic diversity amongst each litter, although identical Norns will still be possible. These parameters may change as I continue through this experiment: We shall see!

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