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Pressure-Based (Vacuum/Hydraulic)

Filaments (Standard)

[kaian-a-coel]

It wouldn't be a weapon, as much as a superpressured jet of water that goes Psssssheeeeeeew!! and blasts the other cell out of contact range (for pseudopod attacks and such). A direct stream would be less effective than a slightly out of focus jet blast for your standard amoebous blob. Maybe there is some way of clamping on with a pseudopod+silicon grappling claw and firing a super-concentrated blast of water at point blank range? That would be an effective weapon for ripping into a cell's wall or separating armor plates. Of course, then you would have to have another manipulator to function as a "mouth"/proboscis jaw thing. Heheheh. So fun.

you mean, like That?

I agree with the improvement of nucleus and data-processing unit.
Then, grow. Grow in a disc/ flat dome form rather than in a spherical form. All the exterior is covered with silicon spiked armour. between plates, cilias. On the under side, add a hole that can open and close, wich lead to a small cavity. The cavity is covered with little cells specialized in absorbing nutriments (like amino acids, fat, glucose...). The sides of the opening bear blades of silicon, called teeth.
Concentrate the flagellum on the side of the disc, and pseudopods on the underside. The upper side is heavily armoured.
Ensure that we can generate enzym-filled bags in the cavity (known as "mouth") and then throw them on preys.

[Armok]

I agree with the improvement of nucleus and data-processing unit.
Then, grow. Grow in a disc/ flat dome form rather than in a spherical form. All the exterior is covered with silicon spiked armour. between plates, cilias. On the under side, add a hole that can open and close, wich lead to a small cavity. The cavity is covered with little cells specialized in absorbing nutriments (like amino acids, fat, glucose...). The sides of the opening bear blades of silicon, called teeth.
Concentrate the flagellum on the side of the disc, and pseudopods on the underside. The upper side is heavily armoured.
Ensure that we can generate enzym-filled bags in the cavity (known as "mouth") and then throw them on preys.

Seconding.

[ashton1993]

It wouldn't be a weapon, as much as a superpressured jet of water that goes Psssssheeeeeeew!! and blasts the other cell out of contact range (for pseudopod attacks and such). A direct stream would be less effective than a slightly out of focus jet blast for your standard amoebous blob. Maybe there is some way of clamping on with a pseudopod+silicon grappling claw and firing a super-concentrated blast of water at point blank range? That would be an effective weapon for ripping into a cell's wall or separating armor plates. Of course, then you would have to have another manipulator to function as a "mouth"/proboscis jaw thing. Heheheh. So fun.

you mean, like That?

I agree with the improvement of nucleus and data-processing unit.
Then, grow. Grow in a disc/ flat dome form rather than in a spherical form. All the exterior is covered with silicon spiked armour. between plates, cilias. On the under side, add a hole that can open and close, wich lead to a small cavity. The cavity is covered with little cells specialized in absorbing nutriments (like amino acids, fat, glucose...). The sides of the opening bear blades of silicon, called teeth.
Concentrate the flagellum on the side of the disc, and pseudopods on the underside. The upper side is heavily armoured.
Ensure that we can generate enzym-filled bags in the cavity (known as "mouth") and then throw them on preys.

Thirded although how about combining this with the contact toxin psuedopod idea and starfish style digestion.

[kaian-a-coel]

my idea have no compatibility problems with pseudopods-enhancement projets. Mine just talking about moving them around the mouth.
For the starfish-style, i propose to enhance it by throwing a bag of enzymes (like previously), rather than spitting enzymes wild. Efficiency gained i think.

[ashton1993]

Okies did some more crappy 2 minute drawings so first top view:



Red is propulsion flagellum's
grey is silicon armour
Green is spikes
Blue is photoreceptors

And the side showing the psuedopods

Red can spray toxins and/or deliver them on contact like a jellyfish
Green is spikes

hopefully these can kill prey

Then for underneath I guess we just have movable silicon plates which cover a stomach where membrane eating enzymes can be sprayed in a contained area

[Ibid Straydrink]

That is one sleek organism. I don't even need to read the specs- just give me one of those sexy, futuristic jellyfishes.

[Hubris Incalculable]

That is one sleek organism. I don't even need to read the specs- just give me one of those sexy, futuristic jellyfishes.

I can't tell- are you being sarcastic or not?

[woose1]

Second that design, with the addition of some cells with chloroplasts covering the surface of the top armor, for a slow, steady source of energy from photosynthesis. We're a bit small right now to implement the water-gun design, but the overall idea sounds fucking awesome.

[RAM]

It is far too bisymmetrical for my tastes, replace the second spike on the left side with another pseudopod and make the tiny flagellum on the right accurately scaled...

[ashton1993]

It is far too bisymmetrical for my tastes, replace the second spike on the left side with another pseudopod and make the tiny flagellum on the right accurately scaled...

I did say it was a two minute drawing 

[RAM]

Exactly, I am assuming that the red dots are not currently to scale. I want their current scale used regardless, so that an extra pseudopod will be balanced by larger flagella.

[Tidal]

Turn 21

     You hunger for what may be above. Among other things. For now, you need to sate your more mundane hunger as you travel. On the journey to the light above, you expend a total of 57 Energy. As you swam, you hunted, finding 32 Protein, 11 Glucose, and 5 Fat. Some of these new proteins are immediately dumped into improving the nucleus and data-processing organelle (-20 Protein). You are now smarter, and have a higher rank of sentience. You can also better process information, letting you upgrade any sensory organelles, if you wish. You modify your cytoskeleton into a better shape, a kind of semi-ovoid dome with a flat bottom- kind of like a jellyfish. Armor is concentrated on the top of the dome and flagella along the edges. Manipulators are concentrated in a ring around a hole leading into a cavity inside the body, called a mouth. The cavity is to be called a stomach, and is lined with cells specializing in storing and releasing enzymes and absorbing the resulting mixture. Enzyme injectors are placed along the manipulator cells and silicon blades are put on the tips.

     The mouth-stomach cavity is useful for another thing as well. Using motor proteins along the cells' edge, the mouth-stomach can be pulled into a larger size, sucking in water, prey, or nutrients from around the mouth. Expelling water at high speeds uses up a lot of Energy, but would be useful for deterring predators or moving around other organisms. With your new data-processor, you know that the warm light above is probably full of Energy, but you don't have any way to access the warmth. Perhaps something exists out there that can harness the power of this light? Not that you would be able to find it- you can barely see anything with these photoreceptors.

Jellyfish Cross-Section:

Spoiler: Creature Status (click to show/hide)

Common Name: Lifespark
Scientific Name: Vitascinti basus
Sentience: Rank 2: Amphipod (10/20)
Cell Types:
- Armor Cell (Spiked Silicon Plate)
- "Brain" Cell (Central Nucleus, Central Data-Processing Unit, Cell Wall)
- Factory Cell (Enzyme Producer, Many Ribosomes)
- Manipulator Cell (Regular Pseudopod - Silicon Blade, Enzyme Injectors)
- Mouth Cell (Closable Opening, Silicon Teeth)
- Propulsion Cell (Flagella)
- Sensory Cell (Cilia)
- Sight Cell (Photoreceptive Patch)
- Stomach Cell (Nutrient Harvester, Enzyme Storage, Contractile Vacuole)
- Storage Cell (Glucose<->Glycogen, Protein)
- Buffer Cell (Data-Processing Subunit and Conduits)
Energy: 17

Spoiler: Materials (click to show/hide)

DNA: 7
RNA: 4
Protein: 31
Fat: 14
Glucose: 78

Spoiler: Cell Organelles (click to show/hide)

Basic -> Improved -> Complex

Basic
Cell Wall: Outside the membrane, provides a stiff wall to keep threats at bay. Found in plants and fungi, for the most part.
Contractile Vacuole: Removes or adds water to and from the cell and its outside.
Cytoskeleton: Structures and moves the cell when the cell lacks any other propulsion.
Enzyme Injector (Basic Organelle, Basic Membrane, Basic Cell Wall): Injects enzymes into other cells. Right now, it has very little penetration force.
Nutrient Harvester (Extracting: Silicon): Takes water brought into the cell and extracts useful nutrients from it for use.
Photoreceptor: Patch of light-sensitive proteins that can detect light. Highly unfocused. No color.
Sensory & Chemical Cilia: Detects changes in the water, both chemical and physical. Also provides some degree of additional mobility.

Improved
Data-Processing Organelle (with Labeling System): Processes input from the cilia and photoreceptors as well as managing the cell's data flow. Labels enzymes so they don't activate inside the cell without priming; however, it also labels foreign genetic material for packaging.
Membrane: The most elemental part of the cell- the phospholipid bilayer that keeps out unwanted material and holds the entire cell together.
Nucleus: Stores all of the cells genetic material. Allows for more advanced *NA.
Ribosomes: Produces all sorts of enzymes and proteins, helps in organelle construction. The cell's "factory." Moderately complicated production.

Complex
Cytoplasm: The goop that fills the cell, transports materials, and stores many things.
Flagellum: A tube of protein that spins like a corkscrew to move the cell. Very fast.
Mitochondria: Provides aerobic respiration in order to harness glucose to the max. Used in synthesis of Energy (or ATP for all you geeks).
Silicon Armor: The armor that protects the cell. It is somewhat self-repairing and is extremely tough. Spiked. Comes in a plate, each attached to a special cell.

Spoiler: Nearby/To-Do List (click to show/hide)

Location:
A field of ice chunks; light above, dark below.
Visible:


To-Do List
1. Improve Mineral Extractor.
2. Possible Ink/Pheromone Mixture with Spike/Pseudopod Detectability?
3. Photosynthesis (Need to obtain Chloroplasts)

[ashton1993]

Well for now wipe the to-do list as that may be getting irrelevant now now as time's past, instead lets try to just float arround looking for food and try to work out a way to reproduce

[Tidal]

I just added photosynthesis. What do you propose wiping?

[ashton1993]

I just added photosynthesis. What do you propose wiping?

Well just all 3 of the things on there because I think they were made a decent while, rather than having them as top priorities at the top of the list I think just wandering arround for a bit would be a good idea, mostly as we've made a lot of radical changes to our organism recently