Creatures Caves

Yme wrote:
Why do the Norns need this? Is it just for fun, or does it have a function in them?

Yeah, it was basically just an experiment for fun with the Evos, since I was looking at how their brains produce random thoughts, and I thought, hmm, what if I copied those rules that they already have which naturally add randomness to their verb/noun lobes, and put them on their visual input tracts, would they actually act like they are seeing random things, and look around? or would they focus on other random things of that category anywhere on the ship? and how would they try to interact with them, or could they even?

It was mainly about seeing how this tract works and how they perceive things and focus their attention... Their brains are pretty mysterious, and not really well documented anywhere. I didn't know exactly how it would affect them, and I didn't want them to be affected all the time or too badly, so I thought it made sense to make the magnitude of the random factor controlled by the level of a new chemical they wouldn't have naturally.

People have found it fun to mess with though, and it doesn't seem harmful to them... someone even made a plant agent that makes the chemical, so it kind of made sense to keep that effect along with the brain tweaks that make them more curious. Besides, I kind of like the idea of norns who have more realistic brain chemistry and can even possibly mutate to have an overabundance of neurotransmitters and get the same kind of mental conditions people are subject to under the same circumstances...

I think experimenting with it has actually come up with something useful and helped me figure out something new about the DS Eat Elevator bug, and given me a good idea how I might figure out a genetic fix for it (this fix could have a side-effect of making them slightly resistant or at least able to eventually snap themselves out of mind control like the Creatures Remote Control and the orders given by some of the Magic Words... Brainwashing-resistant Creatures to fight the Evil Entity)

Dragoler wrote:
Maybe you could rig them to produce it when they sleep, and reduce it when awake. Let the creatures dream

The game engine already makes them dream when asleep, and it is key to their learning... Pretty much, when they are asleep, the game paralyzes them, and sends random hypothetical situations to their brains by firing random neurons in some of their lobes and watches their response... (again, this is pretty much what happens in real animals and people when they dream... there is a paralysis effect, and random established neuron connections in parts of your brain get stimulated, including parts like your visual and auditory cortex, and your speech cortex, and your pre-frontal cortex)

The responses that match those in any of its instincts will get rewarded (or punished) just how the instinct promises, letting them connect that situation with that concept... This is how their instincts get processed and learned. I always find it amazing every time I delve into the engine and their biochemistry and brains just how sophisticated they are and how much realistic detail is built in there.

But all in all, probably a bad idea to have them make it when asleep... I think having them always seeing even OTHER random things while they are dreaming would probably not be too good for their instinct processing.