Unexplained Mysteries of Creatures 1

It was just about time to hatch another second generation egg! Out of this tiny egg popped out little Husby. She is the daughter of Arik and Eydis, and she represents the final Norn from this couple. Husby is also the last Norn from Arik. It was interesting to see how many mutations came from the couple, even though their genomes were very close to the standard Norn genome. Husby was absolutely adorable from the start, and she seemed to bring together the appearances of her parents quite well. I was also very happy to see that the numbers of males and females were similar: It can be very challenging when the male-to-female ratio gets thrown out of whack! Husby had not escaped the genetic mutations, though: She had an interesting couple of her own. Note that I excluded some mutations that have no effects, and would require extensive explanations.

Reactions

Chemical reactions define rules for individual chemicals and chemical combinations. These genes can also state the rules for how chemicals are used up, and each reaction has a defined half-life to determine how often it occurs.

111 Emb B MutDup 1*Reward => 1*Reinforcement + 1*PunishmentEcho; half-life = 16.

This reaction is related to learning associated with reward. In a standard Norn, reward results in reinforcement and RewardEcho. These two latter chemicals remain in the system for some time and continue to reinforce and echo the positive action. Husby has almost the opposite: Rather than receiving RewardEcho, she will receive PunishmentEcho when she is rewarded. This could be very detrimental to her learning process, since she will be punished in the long-term. Reward leaves the system almost instantaneously, but it might be possible that these short bursts of positivity would be enough to teach her some basic activities, such as eating.

Stimuli

Stimuli genes define the chemicals that a Creature expects to receive in response to an action. These actions can range from interactions with the hand to involuntary actions like coughing or sneezing.

311 Old B Mut ‘I am traveling’ causes sig=0 GS neu=255 int=0, , , => 23*Tiredness++ + 16*Boredom- + 32*Sleepiness

Many of the stimuli genes are fairly straightforward. This gene controls the chemicals that will be released in old age when a Norn travels, or moves about. Husby has a very minor mutation, where she will receive 23 Tiredness Increase, rather than the standard 22 Tiredness Increase. In effect, traveling will tire her out faster in old age.

Nothing about Husby seemed to be very different, though! She readily used the learning computer, and a couple of cautious tickles appeared to work out. Her pose made me laugh when she spoke the next word, since it looked like she really was asking about what was going on! Funny how Norns and Grendels rarely, if ever, use the word “what” in their conversations. They do answer the question quite willingly, though!

The desert island had turned out to be the hot spot for the young adult Norns of Albia! I missed the actual moment that it happened, but the very first third generation Norn was soon on the way! Erikstad had been waiting for a female to reach adulthood, and he hung around Bolga quite a lot once she grew a little bigger. I had a sudden nightmare as I thought of Ranulf and his insane luck with impregnation. Hopefully Erikstad would be a little less lucky, and a lot more picky with kiss popping! Dalselv stood nearby, and it looked like she might be the next in line, so long as she grew into adulthood soon. Fortunately, Erikstad was tired and headed off for a little nap!

What a happy mother Bolga was! She rested up during her pregnancy, and ate every morsel of food that came her way. Some female Norns just seem more suited to motherhood than others: Considering that “motherhood” really only encompasses the incubation of an egg, most Norns fare relatively well. It was a welcome treat to see Bolga with a smile on her face, though. Egg laying is a painful ordeal! Still, she was honored to be the first Norn to pass along her genes to the next generation. I was also happy, since it meant that Arik and Eydis would be solidified in the next generation. Such a pretty egg to mark the occasion, too! However, an odd thing would soon happen.

One very odd event in Albia surrounded Forvika. For some very strange reason, she was stuck in an endless loop of a random pose. She could not walk away, although she was capable of laying down to rest. I could not interact with her directly, since she was located on the boat. Also, her mutation meant that punishing her would be useless until she reached adulthood. I made sure to place plenty of food on the boat, which Forvika happily ate. She also played with the ball while floating across the water. Other Norns came and went, yet little Forvika was stuck on the boat, in an endless dance. She was not in pain, and even got to interact with anyone traveling across the ocean. Was this another wonderful Creatures 1 glitch? Or did she simply want to be the oceanic crossing guard?

A glitch seemed to be exactly what happened to the egg of Bolga. I waited and waited, yet it never grew. There also was not an egg indication on the status bar. Fortunately, the genome had immediately been created upon conception. I would be able to create a new egg through the Genetics Kit. It was still odd to see a tiny little egg that would never be moved. Perhaps this world would be littered with non-growing Norn eggs! I suppose each world has its own unique glitch.