/v/ - Video Games

I always wanted to pick these up as a kid whenever I went to target but ended up getting shittier games instead. That's all I have on them.

>>13738740

I used to years ago. I remember it was hilarious when Norns would end up someplace you assumed they wouldn't be able to reach. You figure they're "contained", but as soon as you look away, one of them called the elevator, rode it to the right floor, opened the door, rode a second elevator, activated the teleporter, etc.

>>13738775

they're available on GOG.

>>13738740

I played the first one a long time ago when I was a kid, but I never got the hang of it. I've been meaning to pirate them, and finish a playthrough, but never got around to it. I don't remember much.

I started on 3 the other day. Is it worth playing them all first or are they mostly iterative?

I've only ever played the second one, which is still installed on my PC. The game is generally self explanatory assuming you have a general understanding of science, which I didn't as a kid. It didn't help that there are some systems that have absolutely no documentation or explanation anywhere, even today. Mainly, those systems are the manual neuron firing capability with the advanced science kit or whatever, and the capability of injecting literally any chemical that exists in the game, many of which have no description. Some of them are even as ambiguous as "substance/chemical 18" or whatever. So sure, you can have any amount of lassez-faire or micromanagement approach as you like, but if you try to go the mad scientist playing-God route, there's a good chance you'll tear your hair out because half the time things are completely unexplained or don't do what you expect.

>>13748448

you can micromanage your creatures if you want to, down to the chemicals in their bodies and the neurons firing in their brains. On a basic level you can corral two creatures of the same species and opposite sex together and give them aphrodisiacs. On a more advance level you can meddle more surgically. You can't literally genetically engineer their DNA directly, although you can splice two creatures together, even if they're different species.

The game actually does model DNA as accurately as the developers could back when they made the game, so the boxart saying "digital DNA within" isn't really wrong. Creatures inhabit genes from their parents; sometimes this gives them good things like better understanding and higher intelligence, sometimes it gives them genetic mutations that have negative effects, like being born with only one lung. So, if you want to play God, well, that's sort of the point of the game. You can try and breed a race of uber-Norns if you so desire, with the goal of getting Norns to educate their own children without your usual intervention, and intelligent enough to master the machinery and the world they live on.

*inherit, not inhabit

fucking thing, you know what I meant

>>13748512

That sounds pretty cool.

>>13748512

but can you make them look less gay?

>>13748320

>>13748093

The games are available in packages on GOG.

Creatures - The Albian Years (1 and 2)

Creatures - Exodus (3 + expansion)

>>13748093

so, i think the difference is this:

Creatures 2 - improved genetics, more stuff in the world, more features

Creatures 3 - much larger world, more gadgets, but almost no science tools to monitor your creatures in-game.

I'm just getting back into the game after years so I'm trying to figure out how everything works. There are still some old websites with great explanations.