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Author Topic: Random Creature Generator  (Read 50831 times)

darkflagrance

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Re: Random Creature Generator
« Reply #15 on: March 20, 2011, 01:25:52 pm »

An interesting idea might be a "random raw file generator". Basically, this would generate a bunch of random creatures and put them into a raw file automatically.

This might be useful if a player wants to encounter a ton of random creatures but wants to be surprised. Then, all he would have to do would be to specify the parameters (biomes, appearance, difficult) of the creatures, generate the file, drop it into the raws, and then play.
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Girlinhat

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Re: Random Creature Generator
« Reply #16 on: March 20, 2011, 01:33:43 pm »

I've added beaks to the list already, mouth-pincers would fix the other ideas there.  The thing is, a lot of these are just a difference of teeth.  "mouth" does not define anything, except for "a hole in the head" and then you add teeth to make "a hole in the head with teeth".  When you imagine creatures as the raws make them out to be, it's pretty terrifying.  So, a lamprey mouth would simply be a mouth with a few sharp teeth and a strong bite that can latch on easily.  I've basically already got circular mouths just by naming them a bit different.

Biome variants - This should hopefully do that pretty well.  If you've every played a JRPG (japanese RPG), Tales of Symphonia comes to mind, you'll notice a basic wolf, then a beige desert wolf, then a blue scaled ocean wolf.  This should do similar things, except not so explicitly.  It makes random critters, so each one is unique, but let's assume that it happened to generate 2 wolves, but in different biomes.  The tundra wolf would have thicker fur and fat, while the desert wolf would be smaller and faster.  Instead of throwing out creatures, it will attempt to adjust them according to their biome.  Most of the time this is invisible, but you should notice that arctic creatures have more "bruising the fat" wounds and badlands creatures have more "chipping the bone" types.

Random creature maker - That's exactly what this is, really, but a bit smaller scale.  It makes one creature in its own file, and then you just move that file to the game folder.  It will also tell you about it, like "this creature has 4 arms, a tail, and lives in the arctic" but if there's enough desire, I could expand it to make creatures in batches, and populate around a dozen creatures per file, separated by area like the vanilla raws are.  This would be very easy, I'd only need to tell the program "repeat the process again" before exporting.  Very simple.

ThrowerOfStones

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Re: Random Creature Generator
« Reply #17 on: March 20, 2011, 01:35:05 pm »

i am the kind of guy that's really bothered by llamas and kangaroos in my game, it's not that i'm europocentric, it's just that if you're using european mythology it's only fair to use european fauna, and having kangaroos cohabitating with pandas and creatures from completely unrelated ecosystems is just absurd, so for several times i tried to make a mod where i would replace all the animals in df with sane counterparts, then i would be faced with a scarcity of creatures, eventually i came up with an idea to populate the strangest parts of the world: i'd have a list of basic creatures to which i would apply variations acording to the biome they'd live in, so one could have wolf, bears, eagles, vultures, ravens, deer, etc. in their natural biomes, then we'd have mountain bears and highland wolves in the mountains, black eagles and carrion deer in evil lands, frost boars and white wolves in tundra, etc.
i never managed to complete that mod, so i'm highly looking forward to this

So because there are minotaurs and hydra and werewolves, there cannot be panda bears and capybara and cougars?

Each DF world is obviously not a replica of our world. I don't think it's ridiculous to have species cohabitating as long as they potentially could in real life. Cougars and panda bears could cohabitate in real life, they simply don't because nobody has introduced a breeding population of cougars into China (or bamboo and pandas into North America).

I mean, I can sort of understand why you'd want only "European" animals, but DF has so many crazy and wild things going on I think this is sort of the least of the dissonating things.
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Girlinhat

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Re: Random Creature Generator
« Reply #18 on: March 20, 2011, 01:50:22 pm »

Updated original post, and will continue to update as the list grows.  Keep the ideas coming ^^

arzzult

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Re: Random Creature Generator
« Reply #19 on: March 20, 2011, 02:04:30 pm »

Maybe a 4 arm w/ 2 claws & 2 hands. Flying jellyfish with tentacles. Do you have some creatures getting syndromes where applicable such as when they have stingers? Multiple heads for cerberus like critters.
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Girlinhat

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Re: Random Creature Generator
« Reply #20 on: March 20, 2011, 02:06:25 pm »

No multi-heads, right now everything has 1 head, but would be easy enough to change about.  No syndromes yet, simply because I haven't gotten there yet.  I'm still working on body shapes and biomes, and haven't gotten into behavior and flavor yet.

Askot Bokbondeler

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Re: Random Creature Generator
« Reply #21 on: March 20, 2011, 02:11:33 pm »

how hard would it be to make this a creature creation application? something like a UI where you could select all those parameters individually instead of having them selected randomly


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ThrowerOfStones

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Re: Random Creature Generator
« Reply #22 on: March 20, 2011, 02:13:52 pm »

Decorative crests, frills, and shields, ala Parasaurolophus, Triceratops, and Stegosaurus.

Thumb spikes, ala Iguanodon.

Tail Clubs and Spikes, ala Anklyosaurus and Stegosaurus.

External Gills, ala Axolotl.

Bi-wings, ala microraptor.

Extended dew claws, ala Dromaeosaurids.

False thumbs, ala pandas.
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ThrowerOfStones

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Re: Random Creature Generator
« Reply #23 on: March 20, 2011, 02:16:41 pm »

Also, I think you should add the possibility for any tentacled creature to have a few hundred barbed suckers added to its tentacles, like the Humboldt Squid: http://www.datelinezero.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/HumboldtSquid.jpg
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Girlinhat

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Re: Random Creature Generator
« Reply #24 on: March 20, 2011, 02:54:34 pm »

Controlled creation - I had this idea, actually.  I have NO idea how to make a GUI, but a simple command-console UI, I could do with a bit of effort.  It would basically run you through the options of what you want by allowing you to pick body parts from a list, and then define some basic behavior, attack types, value, and material composition.  It'd be a bit more of a challenge, but not outside my ability.

Dinosaur stuff - Lots of good ideas, many of these can be grouped up as "fins" simply enough.  A non-flying wing is just a misplaced fin, and a frill is a fin on the head or back.  Shield types can be better defined using material templates for the head or other body part.  A head of stone is the closest the raws will give you for shield crests.  Tail clubs, I'll add.  Gills, not really applicable, it'd be a bit of useless fluff the game has to track.  Bi-wings, I assume you mean the leg-wing-things?  Possible, just add the [FLIER] token to the legs and add feathers.  This would be cool for mountain or forest creatures, will add it.  Dew claws, are those the "trigger" claw things?  Not entirely applicable with DF's setup...  Same with false thumbs.  Not really useful.

Few hundred barbed suckers - You want the game to track a few hundred pieces of creature?  I can add a tentacle (or several) and give the creature natural wrestling skills and a viscous shaking attack, but that can be done from one tentacle.  I'll add tentacle clusters for legs, quads, and arms.

I'm also going to add 2 and 4 wings to the list.

Girlinhat

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Re: Random Creature Generator
« Reply #25 on: March 20, 2011, 07:45:49 pm »

Preliminary run, still needs a lot of polish but I'm getting things set up one bit at a time!

Spoiler: raws, incomplete (click to show/hide)
You can see that I'm using my own body tokens, it looks like it's easier to do this than figure out how to use the default tokens.

UristMcDwarf

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Re: Random Creature Generator
« Reply #26 on: March 20, 2011, 07:52:47 pm »

Make Naga-esqu Serpent bodys for legs
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Girlinhat

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Re: Random Creature Generator
« Reply #27 on: March 20, 2011, 07:55:46 pm »

Already got it, but there's 7 upright leg types and 5 quadruped leg types.  Check the first post for a list of what's included and/or planned.

ThrowerOfStones

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Re: Random Creature Generator
« Reply #28 on: March 20, 2011, 07:59:17 pm »

Trunks and prehensile (grasping) tails should be included.

Maybe also prehensile tongues. That'd be really cool.

Casques, like on Veiled Chameleons? Probably just another fin, but with a different name.
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Girlinhat

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Re: Random Creature Generator
« Reply #29 on: March 20, 2011, 08:08:37 pm »

Grasping added to all tails.  My version of "tail" is more like a naga/lamia, not like a monkey.  I may add small monkey-style tails that may or may not grasp.  Do note though, that it's perfectly possible to have a "furry snake" with a tail, two arms, and thick fur.

You already mentioned frills!
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