A Pesky Garden Problem in Creatures 1
I meant to post a new video update of Artemiidae last week, only my microphone cord disappeared. Some silly Norn must have stolen it! I finally located it, literally in plain sight. So we’ll be back to Artemiidae this week! In the meantime, I spent some more time working on the carrot variant updates. I went through and annotated the CAOS statements behind bouncing not long ago, which was the start of a whole lot of testing in Creatures 1. This test subject, named Foxglove, certainly couldn’t complain about his job: Eating carrots! The only trouble I had was finding the bouncing carrots among the usual ones, yet I think this will make for a fun surprise in the end.
Foxglove and I quickly ran across an issue with the carrot variant, and he wasn’t afraid to show his displeasure. The carrot should take 8 bounces before coming to a stop. If a Norn waits for the bouncing to end, the carrot can be eaten normally. However, Foxglove enjoyed grabbing the carrot in mid-air after it had only bounced a couple of times. The result was that he made the eating motion, but nothing happened. I fixed this by adding the CAOS command setv actv 0 to the script for picking up a carrot, which seems to have done the trick. Is there a better method? This one has worked without fail so far, thankfully!
Another major consideration for the carrot variant is what it will do to those around. I decided against giving any stimuli when it is dropped, because this would otherwise teach Norns that dropping any food item should result in a decrease in some drives. Instead, it will now reduce boredom and need for pleasure (NFP) to those who witness it bouncing. The trick is figuring out the concentration of these chemicals, and it’s not an easy decision! I tested this out with 5 units of boredom decrease and 5 units of NFP decrease. The graph barely moved, until I bumped these values up to 10 units each. The small blips in purple and blue (hidden behind the purple) indicate the carrot bouncing around with the values of 10 units. Why so low? Multiple bounces typically happen, and this isn’t meant to be a major drive reducer.
The results can vary widely depending on the starting drives of the Norn. Above, Foxglove had decently high drives in both areas. I noticed that NFP decrease builds up in the system when it’s not needed, similar to other drive reducers. In this case, I had rewarded him previously for eating. The bouncing carrot built up this chemical much quicker. On the other hand, the boredom decrease was used up almost immediately to reduce boredom. These results may look like a lot, but the carrot bounced around a lot! Norns typically will pick it up after just a couple of bounces, often eating it and taking away the chance to continue reducing these drives. What do you think? Does this seem too extreme? I’m pretty happy with where I am, but feedback is always appreciated!
I’m glad you’re having fun with the bouncing carrots, and that you were able to fix their problem so easily.
According to the ‘Cyberlife genes’ section at Muppetboy’s Geatville, female Forest Norns already get a bigger reward than what you’re proposing for simply looking at objects. I’m glad that it’s well and truly less of a pleasurable reaction than eating the carrot – the last thing anyone would want would be for norns to learn that looking is a substitute for doing! :)
Wow! I hadn’t realized how extreme those stimuli were. I guess I understand the reasoning behind the genes, but they seem to be a little too much. Maybe that’s the reason why some of my Norns tend to stare at random things rather than doing anything!
From my tests, the main cause of bouncing usually comes from me. Most Norns simply pluck any carrot from the garden and immediately eat it. Sometimes it gets dropped and bounces, though. I’m thinking this will provide a very small decrease to boredom and NFP, although it will give some relief even with one bounce. This one might be up for beta testing soon, only because I’m doing some stuff with CAOS I haven’t done before… Definitely want to double-check that I’m not adding any new problems into the mix!
Thanks for that information: Now I feel like a genetic makeover is another thing on my list! Ha ha!
Don’t forget to check out the CAOS section as well – there’s a lot of good information there!
I definitely will! CAOS resources, especially for Creatures 1, can be a little difficult to come by. I’m enjoying the learning process, even if I’m moving along at a snail’s pace. Ha!
I just knew this game. it is said that the life of the norns in the computer is real because it artificially replicates true living things on earth. so im a little bit excited. do you have a link where i can download this game FREE. with no virus. you knew its a 1998 game. so it should be free. XD.
Hey Jack, I believe Fishing Cactus currently owns the license to the Creatures games, and have made no indication of releasing them for free. However, you can pick up 1 & 2 for six dollars USD on GoG.
It works on modern versions of Windows (at least up to 8, no idea about 10), and will have no viruses~
Actually, Gameware Europe still owns the licenses to the Creatures games… Which I personally think is a safer bet! I’ve heard conflicting stories about the games working on Windows 10, but GOG does offer refunds if a game absolutely won’t work. Definitely worth a try, especially considering the low price!
Oh, okay! I guess I was just confused :)
No worries, Dylan! The whole thing is pretty confusing, especially with Fishing Cactus not responding to any communications and Gameware Europe being very quiet. At least someone owns the license to the games!
The game is still owned by Gameware Europe, so there is nowhere to download it for free. However, GOG has the Creatures games available at very reasonable prices! You can purchase Creatures: The Albian Years and/or Creatures Exodus. They work on most newer operating systems, and are completely DRM-free! Enjoy!
AWW man I want a ron norn so bad. GoG said they had the kit it was included in but I have no idea how to get it, same with the santa norn. Any ideas?
These Norns are indeed included with the GOG version of the game! A male and female are included as exported Norns, named Foxy and Vixy. You should be able to locate these files in Documents\Creatures\Creatures 1, called Foxy.exp and Vixy.exp. These Norns can be imported from the in-game menu.
Alternatively, you can use the Genetics Kit to hatch new Ron Norns. I highly recommend downloading the Updated C1 Genetics: This includes fixes for all breeds, including the Ron Norns! Hope this helps you out!
THANK YOU, I needed this sooo bad, same with the santa norns I presume?
You’re very welcome! The Santa Norns are a little trickier, mainly because the game only includes one life stage for the males. Not exactly the greatest experience! There are also two different types of Santa Norns for C1. I can look this up in more detail for you, and you’re welcome to use the contact form if that makes things any easier! But as a quick answer, you can find an adult male Santa Norn called “santa.exp” in that some location. Enjoy!
I dont have any .exp files, dont know why but thanks anyway!
It actually depends on where you install the game. If you choose Program Files, the install will actually be split in Documents and Program Files. Makes for one very annoying time! So you might find those files in a directory in Program Files. They do come with Creatures: The Albian Years, though. I guess it’s just a bit of fun (or frustration) trying to find where they are! There’s always the Genetics Kit route, though, which I actually prefer and find to be simpler.
Nevermind sorry for the confusion I was able to get it!
No problem: I’m glad it worked out!