Creatures 1 Gen2: Update

Feels like forever since I last picked up Creatures. I'm sure it's only been a week, maybe two, but work has been pushing me to do some long hours so I haven't had the energy to be posting and therefore haven't wanted to play. Any free time I've had has gone into playing Bioshock (got it just after Xmas really cheap on Steam). Mindless fragging takes a lot less brain cells than Norn care.

I managed to snap this lovely photo a week or so back last time I played. It doesn't show all the Gen2 Norns, but I managed to get most of them! Unfortunately it's the last time I'll be able to get such a large group shot for Gen2. As you probably expected, there's been a few additional deaths.

I was ecstatic to get this photo of Bonza. Although most of the Norns haven't been eating as well in old age they do periodically have a good feed and a snooze and end up with big smiles. Although surrounded by musical instruments, Bonza hasn't been playing for quite some time. Thankfully though it hasn't done anything to his anger drive and he's remained quite placid in later life. He passed away at around 11 and a half hours.

I was also quite happy to snap the happy face of Bonza as it was to be the last I would take of him while he was still with us. Bonza passed away shortly after from old age. As far as I could tell he was quite content in his last moments.

Sadly Bonza wasn't the only Norn to leave Albia in my last stint of playing. Beatrice, the youngest of the Norns passed away at almost the exact same time. Although she clearly struggled in her later years, the last half hour or so of her life she picked up on her eating habits and even wore a smile on several occasions. Beatrice died at a rather young 9 hours and 50 minutes.

Amazingly, once again at almost the exact same time, I noticed a pregnancy indicator. Despite being around 11 hours old Totem still had some fertility left in him and managed to get dear Causty pregnant.

Moments before I had been tracking Causty and counting her age timer. I managed to catch a screenshot just as she hit a whooping 12 hours!

Keeping tabs on her Ageing chemical in the Science Kit I'd noticed the chemical was down as far as it could visually be represented and I knew she couldn't possibly have much time left. Seeing Bonza die moments later (his Ageing chemical had been at the same level) I was extremely worried she wouldn't survive the pregnancy.

Regrettably, although she continued to eat and sleep well Causty age got the better of her. At 12 hours and 23 minutes (a record I'm sure!) and 7 'months' pregnant, Causty's body finally gave in and she passed away amongst the apples. I'm fairly confident the pregnancy didn't push her over the edge and it was simply her time.

Unfortunately I can't find a way to extract Totem and her final egg, despite finding an egg extractor COB on the Creatures Wiki (it only works on selected Norns and the injector kit vanishes upon selecting a deceased Norn).

I currently have the game paused with Causty's body still in the world on the odd chance someone can suggest something. Sadly I expect this egg will be lost.

With only Trillo, Stephanie and Totem remaining the third generation is just around the corner. Although if Causty and Techie were anything to go by I may still have another hour or so with these Norns.

Strangely I haven't noticed the Starch glitch recently, although it may well still be there. Regardless I intend to quickly hatch the 3rd generation eggs and collect their genetic information before exporting them and starting a new world. If any glitches are still present I'll uninstall the game and restart by creating the 3rd generation again through the Genetics Kit rather than importing the Norns.

Get ready for some difficult choices in the near future. I have 17 eggs and at least one or two accidentally hatched Norns and only 8 will be permitted to enter the next generation. With the great performance I've had from the Gen2 Norns I'm sure I'll need some help picking out Gen3.