Creatures 1: Albia

I'm spending the Easter weekend at home with my parents, so I'm without my computer and therefore without my usual batch of Norns and addons. But there's a spare laptop at home which I've been able to use and install Creatures on. I can continue raising a new Norn or two, then email them to myself and add them to the batch on my home computer.

So I do have another Norn, who goes by the name of Heartly. He's a friendly pixie Norn who eats and sleeps well. Currently I don't have access to my usual set of tools, so I'll do a full diagnostic of his genetics in the next few days, as well as finishing off Tabby's.

In the mean time however, I thought we could take a little time to smell the digital roses.

It's been said by many, many people that Creatures 1 has some of the most beautiful scenery of all the games. Personally I'm more drawn to the graphics in Creatures 2, but there's no doubt the game has some beautiful art, and it seems, an amazing amount of detail. Now everyone who's played the game knows of the major features, such as the giant statue under one of the oceans, but I thought we could take a moment to notice some of the smaller details. Theses are the subtleties that may not always be noticed, but they are the details that make a world believable.



Everyone will have noticed the paintings on the walls under the incubator room, but have you looked closely at the one spot without a painting? Mushrooms! Everyone likes mushrooms!



Mostly trees are just trees and Albia is littered with them. But taking a close look at the trees, I think this is the only one with a birds nest sitting in it. Pictured right in the background; now that's an eye for details.



Speaking of details in trees, has anyone noticed the kite stuck in this one? I guess this is why there are no kite toys in the game. Someone lost the last one.



Looks like earth isn't the only planet with pirates. Perhaps some of the ancient Shee felt the need to hide treasure chests. Why, who knows? Perhaps it's filled with gold and riches. Or even better, a spare kite?



There's a couple of temples and shrines littered around Albia, and odds are you've noticed this one. But have you looked really closely at it? Notice the animal heads lovely carved into the stone? That looks like a bear on the right. And perhaps deer on the left. I've no idea what the ones on the top are. I guess erosion will do that to you. And...is that a monkey on the ground to the left!



The background of Albia holds all sort of secrets. What are these temples here? Relics of the past? What did the hold? Do they still hold anything? Do they, dare I say it, perhaps have another kite?



Everyone knows of the giant statue in the ocean between the island and the overhang with the cannon. But have you stopped and taken a close look in the other ocean? It seems the Shee must have been into voyages before they left for greener pastures. Perhaps whoever owned the ship also lost their treasure.



I'm sure everyone has noticed the cobblestone in the background here, but have you taken a good long look at it. That piece to the right there looks like a parapet, the topmost part of a castle. Why is there a run down castle in the middle of Albia? Who used to live there? And why did they plant a carrot garden out the back?



The final little nugget I found a while ago. This one definitely perplexes me. Is that, Trident? The god of the ocean? He's a tad smaller than I envisaged.

Albia is full of secrets. What ones have you found? And don't feel the need to limit yourself to Creatures 1. The other games have beautiful, albeit very different artwork. What other secrets have our Shee friends been hiding?