Hello all. I haven't posted before now, but I wanted to share a new shelled domestic animal I've been working on, and get some input on how to proceed further.
During my testing, I discovered what is probably an error in the raws: in b_detail_plan_default, the tissue layer SHELL for exoskeleton body plans is made of CHITIN instead of SHELL. That's probably why cave lobsters don't leave shells in this version. In order to get my critters (and maybe cave lobsters, I haven't tested it) to leave shells, you'll need to find [BODY_DETAIL_PLAN:EXOSKELETON_TISSUE_LAYERS] and underneath it change [BP_LAYERS:BY_CATEGORY:SHELL:ARG1:100] to [BP_LAYERS:BY_CATEGORY:SHELL:SHELL:100]. After backing up your original, of course!
On to the critter itself: I wanted to make a domestic animal with a shell for use in strange moods. I liked the dwarven pig idea, but they cost a crap-ton of embark points, which is justified given their power, of course. So I made the less military but much cheaper honey beetles, which can also be "milked" to produce "dwarven honey". Some things are better left vague...
Here's the raw:
[CREATURE:BEETLE_HONEY]
[DESCRIPTION:A large beetle useful for its carapace and tasty secretions.]
[NAME:honey beetle:honey beetles:honey beetle]
[CASTE_NAME:honey beetle:honey beetles:honey beetle]
[CREATURE_TILE:'b'][COLOR:7:0:1]
[PETVALUE:100]
[BIOME:SUBTERRANEAN_CHASM]
[UNDERGROUND_DEPTH:1:2]
[NO_SLEEP]
[NOPAIN][NOSTUN][NOEMOTION]
[LARGE_ROAMING][FREQUENCY:75]
[POPULATION_NUMBER:10:20]
[CLUSTER_NUMBER:3:6]
[NATURAL][MEANDERER][PET][BENIGN][COMMON_DOMESTIC]
[PREFSTRING:hard carapace]
[PREFSTRING:docility]
[NOBONES]
[BODY_SIZE:0:0:500]
[BODY_SIZE:1:0:8000]
[BODY_SIZE:2:0:16000]
[BODY:INSECT:2EYES:HEART:GUTS:BRAIN:MOUTH:SHELL]
[ATTACK:BITE:BODYPART:BY_CATEGORY:MOUTH]
[ATTACK_SKILL:BITE]
[ATTACK_VERB:bite:bites]
[ATTACK_CONTACT_PERC:100]
[ATTACK_FLAG_EDGE]
[ATTACK_PRIORITY:MAIN]
[ATTACK_FLAG_CANLATCH]
[BODY_DETAIL_PLAN:CHITIN_MATERIALS]
[USE_MATERIAL_TEMPLATE:SHELL:SHELL_TEMPLATE]
[BODY_DETAIL_PLAN:CHITIN_TISSUES]
[USE_TISSUE_TEMPLATE:SHELL:SHELL_TEMPLATE]
[BODY_DETAIL_PLAN:EXOSKELETON_TISSUE_LAYERS:CHITIN:FAT:MUSCLE]
[SELECT_TISSUE_LAYER:HEART:BY_CATEGORY:HEART]
[TL_MAJOR_ARTERIES]
[BODY_DETAIL_PLAN:STANDARD_HEAD_POSITIONS]
[BODY_DETAIL_PLAN:SHELL_POSITIONS]
[USE_MATERIAL_TEMPLATE:SINEW:SINEW_TEMPLATE]
[TENDONS:LOCAL_CREATURE_MAT:SINEW:200]
[LIGAMENTS:LOCAL_CREATURE_MAT:SINEW:200]
[HAS_NERVES]
[USE_MATERIAL_TEMPLATE:ICHOR:ICHOR_TEMPLATE]
[BLOOD:LOCAL_CREATURE_MAT:ICHOR:LIQUID]
[CREATURE_CLASS:GENERAL_POISON]
[GETS_WOUND_INFECTIONS]
[GETS_INFECTIONS_FROM_ROT]
[USE_MATERIAL_TEMPLATE:PUS:PUS_TEMPLATE]
[PUS:LOCAL_CREATURE_MAT:PUS:LIQUID]
[USE_MATERIAL_TEMPLATE:MILK:MILK_TEMPLATE]
[STATE_NAME:ALL_SOLID:crystallized dwarven honey]
[STATE_ADJ:ALL_SOLID:crystallized dwarven honey]
[STATE_NAME:LIQUID:dwarven honey]
[STATE_ADJ:LIQUID:dwarven honey]
[STATE_NAME:GAS:boiling dwarven honey]
[STATE_ADJ:GAS:boiling dwarven honey]
[DISPLAY_COLOR:6:0:1]
[PREFIX:NONE]
[MILKABLE:LOCAL_CREATURE_MAT:MILK:40000]
[USE_MATERIAL_TEMPLATE:CHEESE:CREATURE_CHEESE_TEMPLATE]
[STATE_NAME:SOLID:dwarven honey wafer]
[STATE_ADJ:SOLID:dwarven honey wafer]
[STATE_NAME:SOLID_POWDER:honey powder]
[STATE_ADJ:SOLID_POWDER:honey powder]
[STATE_NAME:LIQUID:melted dwarven honey wafer]
[STATE_ADJ:LIQUID:melted dwarven honey wafer]
[STATE_NAME:GAS:boiling dwarven honey wafer]
[STATE_ADJ:GAS:boiling dwarven honey wafer]
[DISPLAY_COLOR:6:0:1]
[PREFIX:NONE]
[BODY_APPEARANCE_MODIFIER:LENGTH:90:95:98:100:102:105:110]
[BODY_APPEARANCE_MODIFIER:HEIGHT:90:95:98:100:102:105:110]
[BODY_APPEARANCE_MODIFIER:BROADNESS:90:95:98:100:102:105:110]
[MAXAGE:10:20]
[CHILD:1]
[GENERAL_CHILD_NAME:honey grub:honey grubs]
[ALL_ACTIVE]
[HOMEOTHERM:10040]
[SWIMS_INNATE][SWIM_SPEED:2500]
[CASTE:FEMALE]
[FEMALE]
[CASTE:MALE]
[MALE]
[SELECT_CASTE:ALL]
[SET_TL_GROUP:BY_CATEGORY:ALL:CHITIN]
[TL_COLOR_MODIFIER:BROWN:1:RUSSET:1:PALE_BROWN:1:TAUPE_GRAY:1:TAUPE_SANDY:1:GRAY:1:ASH_GRAY:1:SLATE_GRAY:1:COPPER:1:OCHRE:1:SILVER:1]
[TLCM_NOUN:chitin:SINGULAR]
[SET_TL_GROUP:BY_CATEGORY:EYE:EYE]
[TL_COLOR_MODIFIER:BLACK:1]
[TLCM_NOUN:eyes:PLURAL]
It's worth noting that both sexes can be milked, but only half as often as a cow. They're much smaller, after all, so they produce less "milk".
Notice that the dwarven honey can be turned into dwarven honey wafers via cheesemaking. I was forced to do that because the honey is technically milk, and if I didn't specify what cheesemaking did to it some weird stuff would happen. Specifically, the milk would turn into an unusable and inedible chunk of chitin that was stored in the food stockpile. Go figure.
Does anyone know if it's possible to disable the cheesemaking labor for this one kind of "milk"?
The other thing I'd really like to do is find a way to ferment the honey into dwarven mead. I could create a new reaction at the still, but then it would be a separate order from Brew Drink. Not the most elegant solution. Any ideas?