Stimulus
A stimulus is the message that an agent or COB sends to a creature, usually because the creature is interacting with it. The stimulus tells the creature that an event has just occurred (such as I have played with a toy or I have been tickled by the pointer), alters predefined chemicals by a specific amount, and in the later games, can prompt the creature to react in a certain way. Stimuli form one of the major ways that a creature experiences the world, and instincts are geared to help guide creatures towards pleasant stimuli and away from painful stimuli.
Stimulus genes within the creature's genome are responsible for determining which chemicals are raised or lowered when a stimulus is received, and how much, and how the creature may be prompted to respond. Unlike an instinct gene, which suggests which action a creature should perform to get a certain result, a stimulus gene describes the outcome of performing an action.
C3/DS stimuli list
Number | Name | Description | Effect |
---|---|---|---|
0 | Disappoint | Issue to disappoint (punish) a creature for a pointless action (eg. failed to activate) | Boredom, punishment, disappointment (in grendels, also causes anger). Stronger boredom in ettins. |
1 | Pointerpat | User has patted creature | Reduces anger, fear and loneliness. Gives reward. In ettins, no reduction of anger, and fear reduction is much less than in norns or grendels. |
2 | Creaturepat | Another creature has patted you | anger reduction, crowdedness added, loneliness reduction, fear reduction. In ettins, crowded added, fear reduction. |
3 | Pointerslap | User has slapped creature | fear, pain, punishment, wounded (in grendels, anger, fear, pain, punishment)(in ettins, no wounded) |
4 | Creatureslap | Another creature has slapped you | anger, fear, pain, wounded - in ettins, crowded rather than anger |
5 | Approaching depreciated | Object is approaching | Boredom reduction, loneliness reduction, slight crowded addition. In ettins, fear addition instead of loneliness reduction. |
6 | Retreating depreciated | Object is retreating | Crowded reduction, slight loneliness addition, fear reduction. In ettins, no loneliness effects. |
7 | Bump | Wallbonk - Creature has hit a wall. "I've hit a wall". Unused by any scripts in-game. | Pain, fear, wounded. |
8 | Newobj depreciated | New object has come into view | |
9 | Gobbeldygook | Heard unrecognised speech | |
10 | Pointerword | Heard user speak | |
11 | Creatureword | Heard creature speak | Slight crowded++, loneliness--, fear--. In ettins, crowded++, and fear++. In grendels, crowded++, loneliness-- and slight anger--. |
12 | Quiescent | Emit PERIODICALLY while quiescent - "I am Quiescent (Periodic)" | Slight boredom, slight coldness, slight hunger for starch, and slight decrease in pain. For ettins, slight fear-- instead of coldness++. |
13 | Activate1 | Push - Emit AFTER activation - "I have pushed" | Slight boredom--, slight coldness--, slight tiredness, slight hunger for protein. In ettins, hunger for starch instead of protein. |
14 | Activate2 | Pull - Emit AFTER activation | |
15 | Deactivate | "I have stopped" | slight boredom--, slight increase in tiredness, slight hunger for fat and protein. In ettins, greater hunger, less emotional relief. |
16 | Approach | Emit PERIODICALLY while watching (after approach phase over) - "I have approached" | Boredom--, crowded++, loneliness--, hunger for starch. In ettins, boredom--, crowded++, fear++. |
17 | Retreat | Emit AFTER retreat - "I have retreated" | Crowded--, loneliness++, fear--. In ettins, tiredness++ instead of loneliness++. In grendels, anger-- instead of fear--. |
18 | Get | Emit AFTER get - "I have gotten" | slight boredom--, slight tiredness, slight hotness, slight hunger for protein. In ettins, slight coldness--, slight reduction in fear. |
19 | Drop | "I have dropped" | Boredom, tiredness--, hunger for protein. No hunger for protein in ettins. |
20 | Expressneed | Emit AFTER say need | Anger--, Crowded--. Not present in ettins. |
21 | Rest | Emit after resting but before falling asleep - "I have rested" | slight boredom, slight hunger for starch, slight sleepiness, slight tiredness--. |
22 | Sleep | Emit PERIODICALLY while sleeping (later in REST action) - "I am sleeping" | slight sleepiness--, slight crowded--, slight tiredness--, slight boredom. In ettins, no crowded--, replaced by a slight hunger for starch. |
23 | Traveastwest | Emit PERIODICALLY while walking west OR east - "I am travelling" | slight boredom--, slight tiredness, slight coldness--. In ettins, coldness--, hotness++, tiredness. |
24 | Push | Emit AFTER being pushed | |
25 | Hit | Emit AFTER being hit - "I've been hit" | Pain, fear, wounded. In grendels, anger instead of fear. |
26 | Eat | Emit AFTER eating | Slight boredom--, coldness-- and tiredness++. In ettins, coldness-- and tiredness++. |
27 | Ac6 | Been teleported - DS only. Associated with 'portal'-genus objects. | Sharply reduces pain, crowded, and boredom in chichis and their clones, and the mall breeds. In banshee grendels, also sharply reduces anger. In treehuggers, also sharply reduces fear. |
28 | Invol0 | Flinch in pain | reaction to pain |
29 | Invol1 | Lay egg | reaction to laying an egg - removes comfort chemical, slight lowering of progesterone, causes pain and sleepiness. Comfort--, pain++, sleepiness++ and hotness++ in ettins. Pain, sleepiness, hunger for protein and hotness in grendels. |
30 | Invol2 | Sneeze | Reaction to sneezing - pain, tiredness and hotness. Also fear in ettins. |
31 | Invol3 | Cough | Pain and tiredness. In ettins, hotness too. |
32 | Invol4 | Shiver | Hotness, tiredness, coldness-- |
33 | Invol5 | Sleep | Slight reduction in sleepiness and tiredness, slight increase in boredom, sleepase. |
34 | Invol6 | Languish | In grendels, increases hunger for starch. |
35 | Invol7 | Die | |
36 | Approaching edge depreciated | Emit AFTER moving towards an edge object | |
37 | Retreating edge depreciated | Emit AFTER moving away from an edge object | |
38 | Falling depreciated | Emit whilst falling under gravity | Pain, fear, wounded |
39 | Impact | Emit after a collision | |
40 | Pointeryes | Emit after user spoken verb YES | |
41 | Creatureyes | Emit after creature spoken verb YES | |
42 | Pointerno | Emit after user spoken verb NO | |
43 | Creatureno | Emit after creature spoken verb NO | |
44 | Aggression | Emit after performing a HIT - "I have hit" | Anger--, Crowded--, Tiredness, Boredom--. In ettins, crowded increase, Tiredness, Boredom--, Fear. |
45 | Mate | Emit after mating | sex drive--, libido lowerer. Slight decrease in loneliness, slight increase in tiredness. In ettins, sexdrive--, tiredness++, crowded++ and sleepiness++. |
46 | Oppsex tickle | A tickle from a member of the opposite sex. | Arousal potential, slight reduction in crowdedness and loneliness. Not present in ettins. |
47 | Samesex tickle | A tickle from a member of the same sex. | |
48 | Go nowhere | ||
49 | Go in | Large amount of Enter | |
50 | Go out | Large amount of Exit | |
51 | Go up | Large amount of Up | |
52 | Go down | Large amount of Down | |
53 | Go left | ||
54 | Go right | ||
55 | Reached peak of smell0 | Sound | |
56 | Reached peak of smell1 | Light | |
57 | Reached peak of smell2 | Heat | |
58 | Reached peak of smell3 | Atmospheric water | |
59 | Reached peak of smell4 | Nutrients | |
60 | Reached peak of smell5 | Bodies of water - lakes, oceans, etc. | |
61 | Reached peak of smell6 | Protein | |
62 | Reached peak of smell7 | Starch | |
63 | Reached peak of smell8 | Fat | |
64 | Reached peak of smell9 | Flowers | |
65 | Reached peak of smell10 | Machinery | |
66 | Reached peak of smell11 | Creature egg - used by grendels to locate eggs to steal | |
67 | Reached peak of smell12 | Norn | In norns, loneliness and boredom--. |
68 | Reached peak of smell13 | Grendel | |
69 | Reached peak of smell14 | Ettin | |
70 | Reached peak of smell15 | Norn home | In norns, large amount of comfort--, small amount of boredom |
71 | Reached peak of smell16 | Grendel home | In grendels, large amount of comfort--, small amount of fear reduction |
72 | Reached peak of smell17 | Ettin home | In ettins, large amount of comfort--, smaller amounts of fear--, pain--, slight amount of boredom. |
73 | Reached peak of smell18 | Gadget - used by ettins to locate gadgets to steal | |
74 | Reached peak of smell19 | ||
75 | Wait | Large amount of Wait | |
76 | Discomfort | In grendels and ettins, increases the comfort chemical. | |
77 | Eaten plant | Used by seeds | Hunger for starch and fat--, starch and fat. |
78 | Eaten fruit | Used in fruit and Yule Booze - "manky". | Hunger for starch and protein--, starch and protein. |
79 | Eaten food | hunger for protein and fat--, protein and fat. | |
80 | Eaten animal | hunger for protein and fat--, protein and fat. | |
81 | Eaten detritus | Pain and glycotoxin. | |
82 | Consume alcohol | Not used in C3 medicine maker "potions". Used in CL's Yule Booze - "manky". | Pain--, boredom--, alcohol. |
83 | Danger plant | Playing with a dangerous plant | Pain and injury in norns, pain and wounded in grendels. |
84 | Friendly plant | Playing with a friendly plant | Loneliness-- in norns. |
85 | Play bug | Boredom--, loneliness-- | |
86 | Play critter | anger--, loneliness--. In grendels, just loneliness--. | |
87 | Hit critter | Not used in pests | In grendels, slight reduction of anger and boredom. |
88 | Play danger animal | Used in pests and beasts | In norns, pain and fear. In grendels, pain and anger. |
89 | Activate button | Slight boredom--. | |
90 | Activate machine | Used in machinery, DS dispensers, and gadgets | Boredom--, hunger for fat. In ettins, boredom--, fear--. |
91 | Got machine | Used in machinery and gadgets | Boredom--, hunger for fat. In ettins, large amount of boredom--, large amount of comfort--, slight crowded--. |
92 | Hit machine | Used in machinery, cheese dispenser, and gadgets | In grendels, boredom reduction. No effects on a Civet Norn. |
93 | Got creature egg | In norns and ettins, slight boredom--. In grendels, reduces comfort significantly, reduces boredom signficantly, slight coldness. | |
94 | Travelled in lift | removes up, down and wait chemicals | |
95 | Travelled through meta door | removes exit and wait chemicals | |
96 | Travelled through internal door | removes enter chemical | |
97 | Played with toy | Used in push scripts, and more rarely, pull scripts. In some toys such as the high-bounce rubber ball, used in the hit script, too. | Boredom-- |
A note on the global scripts
The cos files DS creatureDecisions.cos / creatureDecisions.cos contain "global scripts" which stimulate creatures with the Quiescent, Activate 1, Activate 2, Deactivate, Approach, Retreat, Get, Drop, Expressneed, Rest, Sleep, Traveastwest, Push, Hit and Eat stimuli. Creatures run these scripts when they perform the relevant action, which then trigger individual objects' scripts if applicable (such as an eat script or a drop script). Therefore, it is never relevant to stimulate creatures with these handful of stimuli in agent scripts, as the global scripts will do the job, and you would just be giving it twice.
See Also
- General sense lobe - the lobe which creatures use to sense their world.
- Source lobe - the lobe which determines which object a creature focuses on.
- STIM SHOU - CAOS command which sends a stimulus to all creatures within earshot of an object.
- STIM SIGN - CAOS command which sends a stimulus to all creatures who can see an object.
- STIM TACT - CAOS command which sends a stimulus to all creatures who are touching an object.
- STIM WRIT - CAOS command which sends a stimulus to all creatures who are using an object.
External Links
- CDR - Creatures Stimulus
- Instinct and Stimulus Genes gene editing tutorial by Lis Morris
- Notes on the C3/DS Stimuli, with a general list of effects on a Civet Norn.
- GEN File Format - Stimuli at the CDN