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Design / Re: Alien Design: The Gaak
« on: June 24, 2012, 02:20:42 am »
Hi, I'm bored, so here's a translation.
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At the head of the complex caste system are the queens. The queens produce eggs from which diverse caste members develop. Furthermore, a queen has a big brain structure, which controls a complex pheromone-neurotransmitter system, as well as psionic, bioelectrical fields. A colony can include multiple thousands of queens who are linked together to one shared consciousness via air-bound neurotransmitters as well as direct telepathic contact. The Gaak are the dominant species on Hader 7d. A big colony can thus reach a CQ (consciousness quotient) of 7*10^19 (human: 1). Whenever a queen dies, she is immediately replaced. The consciousness as a whole is preserved, only individual 'brain cells' are replaced. Therefore, a quasi-immortality is achieved.
The sensor caste has a relatively big brain and highly sensitive sensors, which are used to monitor the colony. They also regulate the pheromone flow within the colony. Squads of multiple thousands of this caste can reach a level of perception which surpasses even the biggest technological telescopes.
The regulator caste possesses a tiny forebrain, some sensors and a big spongelike body, which is riddled with groups of muscles. Members of this caste occupy the ventilation shafts of the colony. The cave systems of such a lair span thousands of kilometers under the earth. They regulate temperature and humidity and enable selective redirection of pheromonal orders into different sections of the colony by feedback to the queens and sensors. Their spongelike bodies draw in the air from the corridors, manipuilate it and then systematically pass it on.
The gardener caste cultivates and harvests algae and fungi.
The transporter caste can be further differentiated. The water transporter caste possesses a huge stomach which is used to store water to supply the colony with. These castes likewise possess only a tiny forebrain and are controlled directly by the queen [sic] and the sensors. Flying transporters have six pairs of wings, which enable them to carry heavy loads.
Workers are equipped with a diverse set of tools for tunnelling, material collection etc. They are the biggest caste in terms of numbers.
Soldiers are equipped with sharp biting- and stinging implements. They include diverse poison glands as well as a flinging organ which enables them to catapult capsules filled with poison or explosive chemicals over several hundred meters.
The diplomats ('antennae bugs') have a relatively big brain and several organs to create sound, light, pheromones and psionic fields. The function of this caste is communicating with other species.
Generally, a drone can only receive orders within its colony. Should a drone leave its colony, it is only able to execute its current order until it returns to the colony. A diplomat cannot deviate from its predefined orders. It is not possible to dissuade a drone from executing its order, since it does not have an independent consciousness. It is further impossible to contact a drone or the whole colony, since foreign individuals are not perceived by the colony as such. Unauthorized entry into the colony usually leads to immediate aggression. They cannot discern friend and foe in such a situation.
Communication is only possible, when a diplomat is programmed for communication by the collective consciousness, which means the only the colony can initiate it. Due to their polycorpal [polycorporal?] physiology (one consciousness across many bodies), their intellectual world is xenomorph, meaning so unfamiliar that communication with beings without compatible psionic abilities seems impossible.
When a diplomat drone is linked to the collective during negotiations, the colony adapts to the other party by regulating the influx of pheromone neurotransmitters and the type of psionic fields, thus creating a compatible adapter to lower levels of consciousness. During communication, the drone receives direct orders from the collective's data stream. A well developed colony perceives unicorpal [see above] individuals (one body, one consciousness) about the same as we would perceive a mite.
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Okay, that's it. I left some comments in square brackets.
Is this, like, an overview for this species you designed? Or an actual part of some book/story? Because there are some .. unsatisfactory gaps in this text. Honestly, it doesn't really look very well thought out, just like a bunch of ideas written down in the order you got them.
Sorry, just my opinion.
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At the head of the complex caste system are the queens. The queens produce eggs from which diverse caste members develop. Furthermore, a queen has a big brain structure, which controls a complex pheromone-neurotransmitter system, as well as psionic, bioelectrical fields. A colony can include multiple thousands of queens who are linked together to one shared consciousness via air-bound neurotransmitters as well as direct telepathic contact. The Gaak are the dominant species on Hader 7d. A big colony can thus reach a CQ (consciousness quotient) of 7*10^19 (human: 1). Whenever a queen dies, she is immediately replaced. The consciousness as a whole is preserved, only individual 'brain cells' are replaced. Therefore, a quasi-immortality is achieved.
The sensor caste has a relatively big brain and highly sensitive sensors, which are used to monitor the colony. They also regulate the pheromone flow within the colony. Squads of multiple thousands of this caste can reach a level of perception which surpasses even the biggest technological telescopes.
The regulator caste possesses a tiny forebrain, some sensors and a big spongelike body, which is riddled with groups of muscles. Members of this caste occupy the ventilation shafts of the colony. The cave systems of such a lair span thousands of kilometers under the earth. They regulate temperature and humidity and enable selective redirection of pheromonal orders into different sections of the colony by feedback to the queens and sensors. Their spongelike bodies draw in the air from the corridors, manipuilate it and then systematically pass it on.
The gardener caste cultivates and harvests algae and fungi.
The transporter caste can be further differentiated. The water transporter caste possesses a huge stomach which is used to store water to supply the colony with. These castes likewise possess only a tiny forebrain and are controlled directly by the queen [sic] and the sensors. Flying transporters have six pairs of wings, which enable them to carry heavy loads.
Workers are equipped with a diverse set of tools for tunnelling, material collection etc. They are the biggest caste in terms of numbers.
Soldiers are equipped with sharp biting- and stinging implements. They include diverse poison glands as well as a flinging organ which enables them to catapult capsules filled with poison or explosive chemicals over several hundred meters.
The diplomats ('antennae bugs') have a relatively big brain and several organs to create sound, light, pheromones and psionic fields. The function of this caste is communicating with other species.
Generally, a drone can only receive orders within its colony. Should a drone leave its colony, it is only able to execute its current order until it returns to the colony. A diplomat cannot deviate from its predefined orders. It is not possible to dissuade a drone from executing its order, since it does not have an independent consciousness. It is further impossible to contact a drone or the whole colony, since foreign individuals are not perceived by the colony as such. Unauthorized entry into the colony usually leads to immediate aggression. They cannot discern friend and foe in such a situation.
Communication is only possible, when a diplomat is programmed for communication by the collective consciousness, which means the only the colony can initiate it. Due to their polycorpal [polycorporal?] physiology (one consciousness across many bodies), their intellectual world is xenomorph, meaning so unfamiliar that communication with beings without compatible psionic abilities seems impossible.
When a diplomat drone is linked to the collective during negotiations, the colony adapts to the other party by regulating the influx of pheromone neurotransmitters and the type of psionic fields, thus creating a compatible adapter to lower levels of consciousness. During communication, the drone receives direct orders from the collective's data stream. A well developed colony perceives unicorpal [see above] individuals (one body, one consciousness) about the same as we would perceive a mite.
---
Okay, that's it. I left some comments in square brackets.
Is this, like, an overview for this species you designed? Or an actual part of some book/story? Because there are some .. unsatisfactory gaps in this text. Honestly, it doesn't really look very well thought out, just like a bunch of ideas written down in the order you got them.
Sorry, just my opinion.
Only thing I can nag about is that your artist decided to put dollar signs into the food stands at that terror mission. I doubt that's a good idea, since the tiles are probably supposed to be used for terror missions all over the world and not only on US territory, no? 
) page, only so called stable releases are published. This is pretty much standard in open source projects.