[DEVBLOG#253] Lycans! (Patreon)

Hello everyone and welcome to a brand new development blog, this time focusing on the upcoming Vanilla Races Expanded - Lycanthrope mod.

In this post, I'd like to talk to you about what sort of genes Lycans will benefit from, but please remember that this is all very much work in progress.

At the end of this development blog I also have a little teaser for a new mod that will pop on the roadmap soon.

Vanilla Races Expanded - Lycanthrope is one of our long-time-in-development mods. We actually planned it out before Biotech DLC even came out - as soon as I knew I will be working on Biotech, I wanted to add something to rival the Sanguophages.

This mod has proven to be quite a challenge, technologically speaking. That's why it was shelved for almost a year, but hey, we're developing it now, and it will be out in not too far future!

We're using this mod as an opportunity to add quite cool new genes that should make your Lycans feel like actual werewolves. Not only that, thanks to the Morph archite gene, you will be able to make your own changelings!

Before we proceed, here's one thing you need to know: This mod doesn't add one new xenotype, but technically two!

WOLFMAN

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Description Short:

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Wolfman is a baseliner-like xenotype added by this mod. They have some wolf-like characteristics, and can turn into lycans every night.

Wolfmen have following genes guaranteed:

Assorted:

Gene implanter

Morph: Lycan

Nocturnal Morphing

Pack Mentality

Darkvision

Nocturnal

Cosmetic:

Chestfur

Only Sideburns

12 Complexity, 0 Metabolic efficiency, 1 Archite

Wolfmen are very much just a slightly different baseliner. They feel similar to baseliners, but enjoy working through the night more than through the day. Visually, they come with chestfur - which is just a really hairy chest, and cool new selection of sideburn beards.

LYCAN

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Description Short:

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Lycans are the ‘changed form’ of Wolfmen. Wolfmen change into Lycans, and Lycans change into Wolfmen.

Lycans have following genes guaranteed:

Assorted:

Gene implanter

Morph: Wolfman

Nocturnal Morphing

Pack Mentality

Superior Darkvision

Warhowl

Territorial

Nocturnal

Extremely Fast Runner

Speech Inability

Improved Dodge

Light Sensitivity

Superfast wound healing

Aggressive

Strong melee damage

Cosmetic:

Canine nose

Canine ears

Furskin

Wolf tail

21 Complexity, -1 Metabolic efficiency, 3 Archite

Wolfmen become Lycans during the night, thanks to Nocturnal morphing gene. Lycans are quite a bit more extreme than baseliners - they are very, very fast, rapidly heal wounds, deal a lot of melee damage and have a new ability called Warhowl, which makes all nearby pack members much stronger. They do suffer from quite a big drawback though - they are sensitive to light, and they cannot communicate at all. If you have some prisoners, perhaps you will want to do your wardening during the day, when Lycans turn back to Wolfmen.

Let's take a look at some of the genes!

MORPH: [XENOTYPENAME]

Carriers of this gene have the extraordinary archite-powered ability to rapidly morph into a [NameOfXenotype] xenotype at will. They will inherit all the genetic abilities and drawbacks of that xenotype, but they will be able to morph back at any time.

ExcludeTag:

Complexity: 3Metabolism: 0Archites: 1

This should be a template generated gene, similar to drug resistances etc. This means that there should be one Morph: [Xenotype] gene for every xenotype present in the game.

Warning: Do not account for Androidtypes. Noone should be able to morph into an android.

What is morphing?

When player morphs their pawn, their xenotype changes depending on what Morph gene they had. A pawn with Morph: Hussar will have their pawn turn into a hussar. This means:

The pawn will have all their genes changed to hussar genes.

A pawn will have their xenotype changed to hussar.

A pawn will have a new Morph: [Xenotype] added to them, with the xenotype they were before, allowing them to morph back into whatever they were.

What we need to consider?

There may be dozens of edge cases here that we need to consider. We should test how Morph works with all the base game xenotypes, as well as what happens to various genes. The list below is not comprehensive but it should give us some starting ground:

What happens with deathrest stat when pawn morphs into a deathrest xenotype? What happens when they morph back?

What happens to hemogen stat when pawn morphs into a hemogenic xenotype? The hemogen level should be remembered, so players can’t cheese it to get free hemogen.

What happens if a pawn is pregnant? What xenotype will the baby be?

Morph gizmo

Pawns with the Morph gene have a gizmo always present on them, that allows them to morph into whatever xenotype they have on their Morph: [Xenotype] gene.

The gizmo should use the same graphic as the gene.

NOCTURNAL MORPHING

Carriers of this gene undergo a morphing process every night. It cannot be stopped or prevented. They will only morph back come morning.

ExcludeTags: MorphCondition

Complexity: 1Metabolism: +2

Morph gizmo is no longer available.

Instead, this pawn always morphs at 6 PM, and then morphs back at 6 AM.

Make sure to account for pawns being in caravans, and in cryptosleep caskets etc.

ADULTHOOD MORPHING

Carriers of this gene undergo a morphing process when reaching adulthood. It cannot be stopped or prevented. They will never morph back.

ExcludeTags: MorphCondition

Complexity: 1Metabolism: +2

Morph gizmo is no longer available.

Instead, this pawn always morphs when reaching the age of 16 years. Then, they never morph back.

SEASONAL MORPHING

Carriers of this gene undergo a morphing process on 1st of Septober, and then morph back on 1st of Aprimay.

ExcludeTags: MorphCondition

Complexity: 1Metabolism: +2

Morph gizmo is no longer available.

Instead, this pawn always morphs on 1st of Septober and morph back on 1st of Aprimay.

DAMAGE MORPHING

Carriers of this gene undergo a morphing process when badly wounded, and will only morph back when almost fully regenerated.

ExcludeTags: MorphCondition

Complexity: 1Metabolism: +2

Morph gizmo is no longer available.

Instead, this pawn always morphs when HP reaches below 40%. Morph back happens when character reaches 80% HP again.

These Morph condition genes are not required by the Morph gene. Without them, you morph whenever you want by pressing a button. These conditions do however provide some metabolism to offset the loss of control over the morphing process. Wolfmen and Lycans use the Nocturnal morphing, for example.

PACK MENTALITY

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Complexity: 1Metabolism: -1

Adds a brand new relation called ‘pack member’.

Pack member can be added on top of other relations, so a lover can also be a pack member. Only pawns with Pack Mentality can be pack members. This means that if someone doesn’t have pack mentality, they will not be a pack member.

Whenever two pawns with pack mentality have a social fight, they are guaranteed to form a pack afterwards.

Pawns also have 20% chance to become pack members upon deep talk social interaction.

Pack member def:

Label: pack member

diedThought: PackMemberDied

killedThought: KilledPackMember

lostThought: LostPackMember

soldThought: SoldPackMember

opinionOffset: 50

PackMemberDied

Label: pack member {0} died

Description: My pack member died. The pack is weaker.

baseMoodEffect: -10

KilledPackMember

Label: killed pack member {0}

Description: I had to put down a pack member.

baseMoodEffect: -10

LostPackMember

Label: pack member {0} lost

Description: We lost a valuable pack member. Can they survive without their pack?

baseMoodEffect: -5

SoldPackMember

Label: pack member {0} sold

Description: We have just sold off a pack member. Can we really call ourselves a pack?

baseMoodEffect: -25

Increasing mood buff

Pack mentality provides an increasing mood thought for every member of the pack.

Label: pack mentality

Description: Our pack grows stronger. The bigger the pack, the more comfortable we will feel.

baseMoodEffect: +1 for each pack member.

SUPERIOR DARK VISION

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Complexity: 1Metabolism: -2

Same effects as Dark vision, with following additions:

GlobalWorkSpeed in darkness increased by 5%

MoveSpeed in darkness increased by 10%

PawnAccuracy in darkness increased by 10%

MeleeHitChance in darkness increased by 10%

MeleeDodgeChance in darkness increased by 10%

WARHOWL

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Complexity: 1Metabolism: -2

Ability title: Warhowl

Ability description: Emit a loud war howl that increases stacking combat capabilities of pack members nearby.

Grants a new ability to perform a war howl. It provides a stacking hediff to all pack members in close proximity, increasing their combat related stats:

Hediff provides following effects:

Description: Increase to combat capabilities caused by the warhowl ability.

MeleeHitChance +1

MeleeDodgeChance +1

MoveSpeed +0.1

IncomingDamageFactor -0.05

The effect lasts 3 hours.

It can stack up to 10 times.

The ability has a 24 hour cooldown.

This essentially means that 10 pawns can cast warhowl around each other for maximum effect, making them extremely strong in combat for 3 hours.

TERRITORIAL

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Complexity: 1Metabolism: +1

Mental breaks are less likely to occur on colony map, but much more likely to occur when outside of the colony map, including during caravan travels.

NOCTURNAL

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Complexity: 1Metabolism: 0

Forces trait: Night Owl

EXTREMELY FAST RUNNER

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Complexity: 2Metabolism: 0Archites: 1

ExcludeTag: MoveSpeed

Move Speed: +0.6 c/s

Not slowed down by difficult terrain

SPEECH INABILITY

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Complexity: 1Metabolism: +3

Talking: x0.0

IMPROVED DODGE

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Complexity: 1Metabolism: -1

MeleeDodgeChance: x1.15

SUPERIOR DODGE

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Complexity: 1Metabolism: -2

MeleeDodgeChance: x1.30

DODGE DISABLED

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Complexity: 1Metabolism: +2

MeleeDodgeChance: x0.0

LIGHT SENSITIVITY

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Complexity: 1Metabolism: +2

When in light of any kind (when on a tile while light levels from either the sun or artificial lamps are 11% or more):

Move Speed ×90%

Mood: Light Sensitivity: −2

INTENSE LIGHT SENSITIVITY

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Complexity: 1Metabolism: +3

When in light of any kind (when on a tile while light levels from either the sun or artificial lamps are 11% or more):

Move Speed ×80%

Mood: Light Sensitivity: −6

PHOTOPHOBIA

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Complexity: 1Metabolism: +5

When in light of any kind, the carrier of this gene enters a new mental break where they will run towards the dark. The mental break ends as soon as they escape the light.

0.1 day mtb chance of "Fleeing light" mental break.

−10 Afraid of light moodlet when ‘Fleeing light’ mental break occurs.

CHEST FUR

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Complexity: 1Metabolism: 0

ExcludeTag: Fur

A new hair layer that appears on the chest. Should render under clothing, but shouldn’t ‘disappear’ when clothing is worn - aka if a shirt has a hole in the middle, the hair should be visible.

Minimum Comfortable Temperature: −5 °C

ONLY SIDEBURNS

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Complexity: 1

ExcludeTag: BeardStyle

Male carriers of this gene grow only sideburns-tagged beards, which are also added by this mod.

CANINE NOSE

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Complexity: 1

Cosmetic wolf nose gene. Makes the character have a wolf-like nose.

Non-wolf jaw romance chance: x0.2

CANINE EARS

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Complexity: 1

Carriers of this gene will grow canine-like cosmetic ears.

WOLF TAIL

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Complexity: 1

ExcludeTag:

Carriers of this gene will grow a smooth, wolf-like tail that slightly increases their movement speed.

Adds an aesthetic only tail to the pawn's sprite

MoveSpeed: +0.05c

We are also in the process of looking how to actually introduce them to the game. I'm thinking about adding a new quest where you host a group of refugees, that turn out to be lycans in disguise. 

Let me know what you think about what we have planned. I think this mod will allow you to have way more fun with different xenotypes. Imagine a Saurid that turns into an Yttakin in winter, or a Highmate that turns into a Lowmate at night... Yeah, I'm loving this.

Oh, and the teaser?