Because 'fuzzy' is apparently not a dwarfish word.
I read through Nonanonymous' New World: Beastiary thread today and it inspired me to spend the rest of the day learning how to make a creature. I can finally understand most of the features, and I have produced a creature.
SARAMASTSHETHEL (The Great Fur-Serpent)
creature_SARAMASTSHETHEL
[OBJECT:CREATURE]
[CREATURE:SARAMASTSHETHEL]
[NAME:Saramastshethel:Saramastshethel:Fur-serpentine]
[TILE:'&'][COLOR:11:6:0]
[BIOME:TUNDRA:GLACIER:FOREST_TAIGA:ANY_TEMPERATE]
[BENIGN][SAVAGE]
[LARGE_ROAMING][MEANDERER]
[SPEED:1200]
[PET_EXOTIC][PETVALUE:18]
[GRASSTRAMPLE:0]
[FREQUENCY:5]
[BLOODTYPE:C]
[EXTRACT:Antifreeze:3:0:1]
[EXTRACT_VALUE:20]
[EXTRACT_SIZE:2]
[NO_SUMMER]
[CLUSTER_NUMBER:1:3]
[CAN_LEARN]
[PREFSTRING:fuzziness][PREFSTRING:length][PREFSTRING:warmth]
[BODY:SNAKEY:2LUNGS:THEMOUTH:FINGERTEETH:BRAIN]
[NARROW][STOUT]
[DAMBLOCK:1]
[SIZE:10]
[MAXAGE:100:110]
[ATTACK:MAIN:BYTOKEN:THEMOUTH:engulf:engulfs:5:10:BLUDGEON][ATTACKFLAG_CANLATCH]
[ATTACK:SECOND:BYTYPE:GRASP:wrap:wraps:2:5:BLUDGEON][ATTACKFLAG_CANLATCH]
[CHILD:1][liTTERSIZE:2:6]
[CHILDNAME:Astshethel:Astshethels]
[NOEMOTION][NOEXERT][NOSTUCKINS]
[FAT:2][NOBONES]
[ALL_ACTIVE]
[COLDDAM_POINT:9600]
[HEATDAM_POINT:1085]
[BOILING_POINT:10100]
[LAYERING:65]
[SWIMS_LEARNED][SWIM_SPEED:1200]
[NATURAL]
[STANDARD_FLESH]
[LOOSE_CLUSTERS]
[VIEWRANGE:10]
[EXTRACT_BOILING_POINT:10100]
[EXTRACT_FIXED_TEMP:10015]
[EXTRACT_SPEC_HEAT:100000]
[EXTRACT_PERMANENT]
body_SARAMASTSHETHEL
[OBJECT:BODY]
[BODY:SNAKEY]
[BP:UB:upper body][UPPERBODY][GRASP]
[BP:LB:lower body][CON:UB][LOWERBODY][GRASP]
[BP:TAIL:tail][CON:LB][GRASP]
[BP:HD:head][CON:UB][HEAD]
[BP:UGUTS:upper guts][CONTYPE:UPPERBODY][GUTS][INTERNAL]
[BP:LGUTS:lower guts][CONTYPE:LOWERBODY][GUTS][INTERNAL]
[BP:TGUTS:tail guts][CONTYPE:TAIL][GUTS][INTERNAL]
[BP:HEART:heart][CONTYPE:LOWERBODY][CIRCULATION][INTERNAL][SMALL]
[BODY:THEMOUTH]
[BP:THEMOUTH:the mouth][CONTYPE:HEAD][MOUTH][EMBEDDED][APERTURE]
[BODY:FINGER_TEETH]
[BP:R_NUB1:first right finger tooth][CONTYPE:MOUTH][DIGIT][INTERNAL]
[BP:R_NUB2:second right finger tooth][CONTYPE:MOUTH][DIGIT][INTERNAL]
[BP:R_NUB3:third right finger tooth][CONTYPE:MOUTH][DIGIT][INTERNAL]
[BP:R_NUB4:fourth right finger tooth][CONTYPE:MOUTH][DIGIT][INTERNAL]
[BP:R_NUB5:fifth right finger tooth][CONTYPE:MOUTH][DIGIT][INTERNAL]
[BP:L_NUB1:first left finger tooth][CONTYPE:MOUTH][DIGIT][INTERNAL]
[BP:L_NUB2:second left finger tooth][CONTYPE:MOUTH][DIGIT][INTERNAL]
[BP:L_NUB3:third left finger tooth][CONTYPE:MOUTH][DIGIT][INTERNAL]
[BP:L_NUB4:fourth left finger tooth][CONTYPE:MOUTH][DIGIT][INTERNAL]
[BP:L_NUB5:fifth left finger tooth][CONTYPE:MOUTH][DIGIT][INTERNAL]
Since the best way to learn is the hard way I went and tried to make a snake, that lives in climates from glacial to temperate (but dies in tropical or higher), has an extract with interesting properties, and has a mouth with 10 fingers instead of teeth.
My current hurdle is finding an easy way to test it. I have no idea whether it is working or not and I would very much appreciate some guidance.
I've tried adventure mode but the animal density was just too low to be practical (I did have fun going toe-to-toe with a sturgeon that pulled my swimming hammerdwarf into the river though). I'm currently running a fortress in a nice tundra that is also devoid of non-vermin life, but since it starts in spring I have to wait until autumn before there is even a chance of a new spawn ([NO_SUMMER]).
Since it's my first creature I also need a lot of help on specific values.
He is big, slow, non-aggressive, the NARROW, CAN_LEARN and SWIMS_LEARNED are just for fun. He is supposed to hit like a brick and cling with any/all body parts, but I don't know what good damage values are. Oh, I keep forgetting but he is supposed to produce really good leather but I didn't find any tag for that in the wiki.
I will try to organize my questions a little better here.
How should I set the FREQUENCY so that he actually exists? Lots of spawning is fine since I don't think many things live in his preferred habitats.
Is 1200 SPEED slow enough?
Is having a body full of GUTS a little too fragile?
I intentionally took off a lot of SMALL tags, both for emphasis and out of curiosity, has this caused any of you problems?
I don't know how the game handles digits (neither does the wiki apparently, so asking might be moot). Will they assist the MOUTHs attacks as they are and if not, can you suggest a better way?
Is STANDARD_FLESH some kind of requirement? The wiki has a blank there and it seems everything (modded or vanilla) has it somewhere.
My COLD/HEAT/BOILING values are all just rounded off around the areas I want. Do they make sense? Ooh, I just found a mix-up there, fixing... 1085 is a bit cold to be taking heat damage, changed to 10085.
LAYERING is at 65 because I skimmed a post that suggested 50 was the max if you wanted desert-dwellers. Would even higher be better for him?
Does anyone use VIEWRANGE? Will it work if he has no eyes?
Someone else already asked about laying eggs (not possible right now) so I'll just say it would be neat.
About the extract: I basically read through the whole tag list and selected what I wanted and when I saw the temperature properties I knew what I had to do. It's all there on the tin, Antifreeze. It's probably useless right now but I made a fluid that maintains a temperature above freezing with an extreme heat capacity that in hindsight will probably do more warmth-sucking than providing on anything other than a glacial map in winter but it's a neat idea. EXTRACT_PERMANENT is there in case it's possible (or becomes possible) to apply it to things and melt ice or make permanently warm (err, not-freezing) items.
I've finally run out of newb-gas so I will end my first post with a Thank You in Advance.