Yrb player, if you direct the Borak, we can melt the psionically resistant herbivore into slag (we may want to study it first, though).
Continue investment into the psionic caste (how many more points do I need?). Attempt psionic communication with the Yrb, Mother Worm, Mother Worm's Eggs, and muggle species.
You have 2 out of 8 points invested to create a full-powered psychic caste.
Out of the relatively meager abilities you have,you can sense vague emotions and impulses. The Yrb are a slowly pulsating network of emotion, feelings crawling across the mats of moss over minutes. The Mother Worm is mostly calm, with an underlying current of anxiety. It seems aware of your new abilities. The eggs are a complete maelstrom of thought, with no obvious patterns. Luckily, it seems contained by the shells, with only small amounts of the energy escaping. Most creatures are completely blank, with no psychic emissions.
This game remains really interesting.
Locate additional nest sites near the pillar. If necessary, explore nearby overland for new caves, but going only minutes on the surface at a time. If our various food sources are not in evidence in our new locations, bring some from our original nest site.
Evolution: (may I reserve an evolution point for a round. I have questions)
I'm thinking of differentiating between farmers/explorers/and flyers(i.e.dirigid riders) I am not sure if this rises to the level of Caste though.
Here is what I think I know about Castes: It costs one pint to make a single caste, and evolution points spent after that change somewhat as a result, in this manner: a change that affects both Caste and Original has heightened cost. A change affecting one or the other but not both has standard cost. A change that affects the Caste in a way directly related to the Caste has reduced cost. Castes are not a separate species, but like with bees, you have queens, kings, warriors, and drones, all part of the species, but different.
Actually, if this is correct, Evolution: Caste - Dirigid Riders. Caste evolves to closely interact with dirigids, flying, communication, and care.Flexibilty, grip, size, radiation resistance, and senses will tend to reflect this symbiosis.
(Please include your species name with your actions, it makes my job easier.)
[Special Event: 5/5(Dirigid/Ixid Bond) reached]
The close cooperation with the Dirigids from the nest is creating a new caste inside the Ixid species. With thinner bones, a tighter grip, and increased radiation resistance, they will bridge the last barrier to interspecies flight, with only two Dirigids needed per Dirigid Rider.
With this latest evolutionary push, the bond between the Ixid and the Dirigids has grown beyond simple external contact. What was once passing contact became two species nesting, hunting, and living with each other. The end result is as unprecedented as it's cause; the species have begun to evolve in unison, with their genetic adaptations merged.
RESULT: The Ixid can now invest half the original cost of a trait they have evolved to cause it to evolve in the Dirigids, and the Dirigids have the same ability regarding the Ixid. Both species may now communicate freely, as if talking to a member of their own species.
The above-ground remains totally inhospitable, even in the shadow of the pillar. Even the hardiest species have died once brought to the surface; maybe a plant may evolve to withstand the radiation, but you cannot locate a species hardy enough inside the cavern.
You locate a few shallow caves above-ground, most not connected with the planet's extensive tunnels. You discover, however, that these shallow caves can indeed shelter plants enough to allow growth, acting as an oasis in the solar-bleached sand.
Dirigids: send a small group of Dirigids (without Ixid) to the surface to explore. Look very carefully for any signs of life.
Remaining Dirigids, continue to bond with the Ixid and create more offspring.
Evolution: continue greater size (2/4)
(Going a little out of order because it makes more sense this way)
3/4 points towards a medium-size body.
Your species, through continual contact with the Ixid, has evolved a deep genetic connection with them, possibly the first instance of this occurrence under the planet. As a result, you may communicate with them as if they were a member of your own species, and you may spend half the cost of an adaption to share it with them.
Your species has spread throughout the cavern, although you still take heavy losses from various predators. Your increasing size makes said losses harder to recover from, although your cooperation with the Ixid helps you avoid the largest predators and fend off the smallest ones.
Instead of actively hunting, set traps to circle prey.
Evolution: Camouflage to blend in with the environment
Next Evolution: A layer of strong bone on the front of our foreheads and forelegs.
(Please include your species name with your actions. Thank you.)
You have one out of four evolution points needed to develop working camouflage, effective inside the jungle only.
You find greater success as ambush predators. Most of the jungle species rely on speed to escape, and are helpless against a well-staged ambush. However, not all your packs are successful.
You find an entire pack of ambushers ripped in half, their bones and blood splattered across the tunnel walls. Strangely, they were cut from their undersides outward, rather than from the front. The loss is overall insignificant, but danger is present.
Yrb
Evolution: Complete Psychic Receptor.
All Yrb: With the gradual adaptation of the duplicate broadcaster 'organ' complete, Yrb could now receive the same signals they could broadcast. Finally the basis of a way to communicate had evolved between patches that did not require a direct connection. Use the broadcasters and receptors to communicate simple information between patches of Yrb at distance. Also, get a feeling for the 'character' of each of the major species living near Yrb colonies or in symbiosis with it, based off passive readings from the receptors.
Kuyeth: Life was good, and the symbiosis proved fruitful in the upper caverns. Always hungry for more heat and space and energy, the Yrb patches took to attempting to corral and induce heart attacks in likely creatures for additional nutrition. Continue with the previous strategy of aiding preferential consumption of rival plantlife. Attempt to corral and induce [fear] based heart attacks in predators of Yrb and Kuyeth to acquire more nutrients from corpses.
Plant-Eater Colony: In a species with no muscles, there is no need to develop pain, so the Yrb did not feel pain as parts of it were voraciously devoured. It did, however, feel loss. Pieces of flesh, broadcasters and linkages all disappeared into the maw of the beast. Instead these hotward Yrb called upon the strategies of the coldward cousins - they created pulls of [attraction]-[aversion] ripples to draw searing Boraks from the lower caverns by the great Worm, then enraging them with [aggression] once they reached the predator. "Scan" the hostile plant eater with the new broadcasters, try to get readings off its unusual neurology. Then employ Boraks to surround and kill.
Worm Colony: For now the mats would listen and learn with their newfound 'ears', while developing a closer relationship with the creatures that had brought them there. Using similar strategies to the coldward colonies, use low-intensity [attraction] to make the Borak at the Worm nest more comfortable and pliable, enhancing the species mutualism. 'Listen' to the great worm's eggs and pay attention to the worm when its psychic power spikes.
(For my own reference.)
Distributed biology, transient organs. Take the form of brownish-white mats. At sufficient growth, capable of supporting psychic pseudo-organs.
Sessile: Incapable of movement, only spreading.
Psychic Broadcaster - Can provide impulses of [aversion], [attraction], [aggression] and [fear] to nearby creatures with brains or neural nets.
Psychic Receptor - (?) Perceives impulses of [aversion], [attraction], [aggression] and [fear] from its surroundings?
(Your actions are, as always, both a joy and a labor to respond to. Thanks for going into such detail.)
The psychic receptor operates somewhat differently than you expected. Most living creatures are psychically 'blank', with their thoughts entirely internal-you have no ability to sense what these creatures are thinking. A few creatures are psychically 'positive', with their thoughts being emitted outside of their minds, allowing you to sense their thoughts. Usually this is with the intent of influencing the behavior of other creatures; however, there are a few animals that simply have broadcasted thoughts without any ability to influence other animals. An even smaller number of creatures are like your herbivore; they are psychically 'negative'. These creatures emit thought patterns that counteract other thought patterns, creating a safe-zone around their mind. While their abilities are not unlimited in capability, the effect is stronger closer to the emission point, giving them a powerful ability to protect their own minds. Such creatures often supplement this ability with a skull designed to absorb psychic energy, acting as a mute on it's effects.
The attempt to induce heart-attacks in animal life is unsucessful. It seems to simply not be a practical tactic. However, the intense fear does make many of the creatures easy prey for the Kuyeth, and in that way at least you succeed.
The herbivore is clearly psychically negative, as any signals sent towards it do not return to the Yrb colony. The attempt to kill the creature with controlled Borak fails, as they move out of the Coldward Yrb's range upon entering the jungle. You are only able to contact the Coldward colonies due to the presence of specialized broadcasters and receptors on both ends.
Your colony around the Great Worm is flooded with new information after their adaptation. You can feel the thoughts of the developing psychic Borak caste, as they pursue their daily lives. You can feel the wild storm of power within the Worm's eggs, kept at bay by the psychically negative eggshells. You can sense a few of the thoughts of the Great Worm as it moves about the earth, although the vast majority of them are simply too complex for your primitive neural net to understand. Their is one signal you can understand, however.
The massive psychic emission of the Worm is finally revealed for it's true nature. The signal's intense energy is apparently only intended to allow a great range, as the message itself is incredibly simple, with only three pieces of information.
Location: [18473.63, 19183.79, 21.48]
Status: Stable, Young Developing
Ship: Improperly Destroyed, Help Requested
The message is sent at an angle both Coldwards and to the west.
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Thank you for your patience. Now that school is over, and I have had time to recover, I will be updating(hopefully) every day.
I will finish everyone's posts in the morning. Thank you, and goodnight.
Author
Topic: Dawn of Evolution [Multiplayer] (Read 18799 times)