Mild Trouble in the World of Albia
Journeying across Albia can be a difficult task, especially for an older Norn. Pfeffablel wasn’t about to let old age slow her down! She actually had a trick up her sleeve when it came to the underground cart, and it involved food. She first used a carrot to guide her around. Once it was done pointing in the right direction, she gobbled it right up! Pfeffablel decided to try this strategy with a honeypot. It proved to be a step up, in that it didn’t immediately disappear and it was pretty much always correct in the way it pointed… Because, of course, it didn’t actually point anywhere! Maybe this whole Norn senility thing was really just a problem with me and my awful sense of humor. Ha!
There was a new member to be inducted into the population of old Creatures, and that was Dahloi. As the lone Grendel, he really made sure to prove how friendly his species was. I expected him to grow old pretty quickly, but it was still a slight shock to see him looking a little faded. He was very much aware of how much he looked like the radio! And although it was very farfetched, the spinning top was close by. Dahloi found it, and I thought it reminded him of Nildeleer. Her life had been cut far too short, yet I felt like it wouldn’t be fair to her to hatch a new Grendel. Dahloi would never get over Nildeleer.
Life in the garden was pretty terrible, as evidenced by Thrennion! Although I will miss playing Creatures 1 on a regular basis after this generation ends, I can’t wait to devote some real time to fixing all of the sprite and body data issues with the Norns. Just look at those feet, and that midsection! The sad part is that Thrennion is far from the worst example. Some Norns look like they’re missing their bodies when they face forward, and others just have body parts in the wrong places. Thrennion was also very upset over the carrots: He stared at one from the time it was a seedling, and then forgot how to eat after all the confusion. Trouble is that I can’t seem to locate a Scriptorium for Creatures 1…
One other rather strange behavior in Creatures 1 was illustrated perfectly by Preetar and Zelroo. They both were fairly nice Norns in general, yet one gene specific to males made Preetar a very rude Norn. There is an instinct present in male Norns called the courting instinct. It rewards a male Norn who has a high sex drive and interacts with a female Norn… By slapping her. Zelroo and I were not impressed! Unless I’ve completely misunderstood the genetic rule and my own observations, it seems like an unnecessary act of violence. Preetar looked pleased, although he personally wasn’t responsible. Bad genetics, bad!
