Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[Repseki]

So what are the chances you will recreate this entire thing, if the science pans out, when the new update eventually brings more persistent worlds?

[wierd]

Dunno.. if the raw science holds out, then the whole experiment need not be recreated, just a combination of phases 1, 2 and 5. 

The location of secretchambers isn't anything super special that would be of interest in adv mode, other than having a whole necromancer's tower contained inside it.

For the persistent world recreation of the experiment, I would pick a more interesting, and probably more sinister locale.

[Thuellai]

Wierd, you need to test something

Namely, whether dwarven inheritance is Darwinian or Lamarckian.

Lamarck felt that traits directly passed down, in other words, trained attributes as well, rather than the modern understanding of these things

Therefore, I propose you take some initially weaker dwarves and find some measure of training their attributes (giant armadillo wrestling, maybe?)

Then see if their children inherit their weaker traits or their newfound strength.

[wierd]

I would say it is probably lamarkian.  From my observations so far, it looks like it does something similar to this:

Each attribute (toughness, disease resist, etc) is on a sliding spectrum between two extremes. Whe a child is born, the values from the parents are taken, averaged, then a random skew within an undefined tolerance is applied to get the child's attribute score for each attribute.

This is how a child can spontaneously develop disease resistance, from parents that sit at 0 on the slider.  The average of the parent's scores is 0, then the random skew bumps the attribute up, giving the kid the resist attribute.

I intend to look at the attributes of all individuals to track what the degree of skew is in standard deviations, and track how the weighing of the averages of the parents play into the decisions the game engine makes.

By artificially culling all random skew in the downward direction, by eliminating offspring with negative traits, the averaging mechanic should cause the skew factor to trend upwards.

It may however, require me to institute additional culling rules if offspring have ultradwarven parents, and come out merely ordinary from downward skew, but it isn't enough to make the traid negative. 

Getting this kind of information is what this little experiment is all about.

I say it is probably lamarkian, because the actual values of the parent's attribute on the slider can change due to activity, which would have the same effect as altering their genetic makeup when the new averages are taken for later children.

Given that groupQ has consistently produced lemons, perhaps I should put both parents to work turning screwpumps attached to nothing, to increase their strength and muscle mass. Perhaps then their offspring won't be inspirations for birth control.

[Thuellai]

Give it a shot, report results.

Take chances, make mistakes, get messy!

[Deepblade]

I suppose the dwarven equivalent of the Magic School Bus would be a ☼«☼Adamantine Minecart☼»☼. All of a sudden I have the incredible urge to load up a bunch of children in a minecart and have someone with a high Teacher skill ride the minecart across magma.

[wierd]

The Magic Minecart visits the HFS!

Mrs. Sizzle:
Ok children, has everyone met Urist's cousin Keshan?

(Children in unison, dripping derision)
Yes Mrs. Sizzle....

Mrs. Sizzle:
Good! Now everyone turn in your permission slips!

Keshan:
You know Urist, at MY school, we only fill out permission slips once at the beginning of the year! It saves so much time!

Urist:
Can it Keshan, nobody wants to hear about your school anyway.

Rikod:
No kidding Keshan, why don't you go play in GoblinClaus's magic sack, and save us all the misery of your company.

Keshan:
"HRMPH!"

Mrs. Sizzle (oblivious as usual):
Ok Kids! Everyone into the cart!

Urist:
Where are we going? I forgot to pack my plump helmets!

Mrs Sizzle:
Well now Urist, that would spoil the surprise, now wouldn't it! Ok boys, Open it up!

(Two very burly dwarves with expressionless faces pull the levers that open the double foodgates leading down the "very special" minecart track.

Ducim:
Are you sure our parents actually knew where we were going when they signed our permission slips?

Mrs. Sizzle:
Oh don't worry about it dear, everyone goes down here, *eventually*, there's NOTHING to worry about!

Keshan:
At MY school, we already WENT on this field trip!

Mrs Sizzle:
Well then Keshan, don't spoil the surprise for everyone else! Now buckle up! Safety first!


*sorry, but that's all the more I want to entertain that particular road to madness tonight... why is it I have no problems at all imagining this?

[krenshala]

Talent?

[Sutremaine]

Given that groupQ has consistently produced lemons, perhaps I should put both parents to work turning screwpumps attached to nothing, to increase their strength and muscle mass.

...Do you have a biome that spawns giant armadillos?

I've used screw pumps to build up dwarven stats before. You get about 200 Endurance in six months, and something like 50 Strength. Getting them to spar consistently would be better, I think, as that raises more attributes. You don't need anything fancy -- plop a barracks down in the middle of the food and drink storage area, put some individual bedrooms nearby (you can cut the tiles for the beds out of the stockpile. Dwarves don't mind what's in their bedroom space, so long as they have those little blue 'X'es all to themselves), and give the dwarves waterskins. They'll never move further than the food, drink, or bedroom, and the only major time sink will be sleeping.

[callisto8413]

Do you plan to have one goal?  Super-Dwarfs?   Or many goals?  Dwarfs bred for mining, Dwarfs bred for war, Dwarfs bred for hauling?

[wierd]

General purpose ultradwarves.

Physical characteristics, like layers of fat, can have significant impact on their usefulness as military units. (I remember reading elaborate machinations to subject UristMcFatty to magma dips to melt his fat off, making him fire proof from then on, as well as issues with bleeding to death from torn fat. This experiment is mostly for raw data collection. It's the dirty work that sets the grounds for more directed experiments. It is also the kind that in the real world, is the most valuable, and also gets the LEAST funding.) --YET still have no measurable impact on other aspects of dwarven life. (Bearing "Untold amounts of fat" wont stop UristMcFatty from working the forges in an expedient manner, if his agility is ultradwarven.)

[InfinityOrNone]

Question: as this project already has all the markings of inherent, abhorrent, blasphemous evil, will you go the extra mile and selectively breed for blond hair and blue eyes?

[Deepblade]

Your color choices for hair are Amber, Auburn Black Brown, Buff, Burnt Sienna, Burnt Umber, Charcoal, Chestnut, Chocolate, Cinnamon, Copper, Dark Brown, Dark Chestnut, Dark Tan, Ecru, Flax, Gold, Golden Yellow, Goldenrod, Light Brown, Mahogany, Ochre, Pale Brown, Pale Chestnut, Pumpkin, Raw Umber, Russet, Saffron, Sepia, Tan, Taupe Dark, Taupe Gray, Taupe Medium, Taupe Pale, Taupe Sandy.

For Skin we have Brown, Burnt Umber, Cinnamon, Copper, Dark Brown, Dark Peach, Dark Tan, Ecru, Pale Brown, Pale Chestnut, Pale Pink, Peach, Pink, Raw Umber, Sepia, Tan, Taupe Pale, Taupe Sandy.

and the Eyes can be Amethyst, Aquamarine, Brass, Bronze, Cobalt, Copper, Emerald, Gold, Heliotrope, Jade, Ochre, Raw Umber, Rust, Silver, Slate Gray, and Turqoise.

Depend on the age of the world some or many of those choices may be non existent. But, if we're also throwing in the side project of super dwarf coloration...I vote for Rust Eyes, Raw Umber Skin, and Charcoal Hair. Blond Hair and Blue Eyes are so last year.

[Thuellai]

Your color choices for hair are Amber, Auburn Black Brown, Buff, Burnt Sienna, Burnt Umber, Charcoal, Chestnut, Chocolate, Cinnamon, Copper, Dark Brown, Dark Chestnut, Dark Tan, Ecru, Flax, Gold, Golden Yellow, Goldenrod, Light Brown, Mahogany, Ochre, Pale Brown, Pale Chestnut, Pumpkin, Raw Umber, Russet, Saffron, Sepia, Tan, Taupe Dark, Taupe Gray, Taupe Medium, Taupe Pale, Taupe Sandy.

For Skin we have Brown, Burnt Umber, Cinnamon, Copper, Dark Brown, Dark Peach, Dark Tan, Ecru, Pale Brown, Pale Chestnut, Pale Pink, Peach, Pink, Raw Umber, Sepia, Tan, Taupe Pale, Taupe Sandy.

and the Eyes can be Amethyst, Aquamarine, Brass, Bronze, Cobalt, Copper, Emerald, Gold, Heliotrope, Jade, Ochre, Raw Umber, Rust, Silver, Slate Gray, and Turqoise.

Depend on the age of the world some or many of those choices may be non existent. But, if we're also throwing in the side project of super dwarf coloration...I vote for Rust Eyes, Raw Umber Skin, and Charcoal Hair. Blond Hair and Blue Eyes are so last year.

My vote goes to copper eyes, copper skin, copper hair.

They will wear copper armor and use copper weapons and confuse the hell out of their foes.

[callisto8413]

I was wondering if you were planning to make a save of this 'game' available?  Others could also work on it.  One person testing out Dwarf eugenics is interesting.  Many people working on it and comparing notes is epic.