Whatever Happened to Generation Six?

Work on the next Creatures 1 round of updates has commenced, although I realized that it felt like a really long time since I really played the game. Testing fixes counts as playtime to a certain extent, yet I was struck with the thought that I had put the next generation on hold for a long time. Remember the days when I followed a generation of Norns and Grendels very closely, weaving stories out of their lives? Well, I took the time to find out when the fifth generation ended. The final deaths were sad, but it all ended on a bittersweet note. In June of 2015. I had to do a double take when I saw the date! Almost a whole year?!

I put a hold on hatching the sixth generation so I could work on some projects. Although I finished up some important food updates, I certainly didn’t get as much done as I wanted to. Those eggs have been waiting a very long time! As much as I would love to have the entire game fixed up by the time the Norns and Grendels pop out of their shells, that would mean a much longer wait. I remember the days when it seemed like I had too much time on my hands! Not so much anymore, and my Creatures time is more limited as I work in other hobbies.

I miss playing with my Norns and Grendels. They can be annoying, stubborn, and the absolute worst… Yet I miss those moments, and all the good ones in between. I have a feeling that getting back to raising the furry little critters will motivate me to get these updates done sooner! I imagine it will feel like I’m fixing things that will make a difference in their lives right after the final version is completed.

There are 29 Norn genomes and 4 Grendel genomes for this generation. Not all will be hatched, and I’ll likely mix in at least one first generation Norn or Grendel to vary the gene pool and keep mutations in check. However…

There have been some pieces of genetic coding I’ve learned along the way, and there seem to be a few opportunities to improve the genomes. I still love being able to trace these Norns and Grendels back to their ancestors, so I’m not too keen on starting from scratch with an entire population of first generation Creatures. Would it be considered cheating if I updated each genome, leaving the mutations intact? I actually did that in the fourth or fifth generation, when I made some fixes prior to hatching everyone. Personally, I see it as a bit of engineering done before birth… In essence, none of these Norns and Grendels have been hatched, so any genetic changes will take effect on a Creature who hasn’t yet been born. All mutations will stay the same, and I’ll simply be giving everyone a better base genome before they head out into Albia. What do you think? Is this tainting the gene pool, or does it seem fair enough?

Just a few minutes in the game, and I’ve spotted so many little things I haven’t really seen in over a year! One thing about Creatures 1 that I adore is the complexity with breeding. The timing has to be just perfect, and even then it sometimes comes down to random chance. The fertility bar in the Breeders Kit is one thing that always baffled me… It never goes above the first few ticks! Yet the joy of celebrating impending parenthood with my Norns and Grendels always made the wait worth it. Yes: I need to play Creatures 1 and get back into documenting some lives! Generation six will be on its way, and it can’t arrive soon enough!