[WIP] [1.0] Alpha Animals

[SargBjornson]

Alpha Animals is a mod adding awesome creatures to the game. They were drawn by A_Friend, aka SentientLine and coded by milon, Skullywag and kaptain_kavern, but the mod wasn't kept updated mainly due to RimWorld updates constantly messing up with certain features of the mod (original thread: https://ludeon.com/forums/index.php?topic=17087.0)

Well, since I have experience with Genetic Rim and some spare time, I asked Skullywag for permission to take care of the mod, to see if A_Friend's creations could finally see release in B19. In this thread I'm going to detail the progress I'm doing every day

The challenge is that A_Friend envisioned his creatures as adding something new to the game beyond purely the animal's graphics, so I'm trying to add new concepts and mechanics that make every creature unique, as well as a great threat or opportunity if properly exploited.

I'll also try to keep the thread built in a similar way as the original one, because it looked cool. I'm updating and tweaking things by alphabetical order, though.

Implemented creatures

Aerofleet for Non-extreme biomes

A small, floating gelatinous creature. Propelled by the hydrogen it collects from water and various plant matter, these squishy creatures wander the lands, aimlessly bouncing off objects in their path.
One of the few rare creatures around here that strangely isn't out for human blood. Well, isn't that nice?
Aerofleets are genderless, and reproduce by strobilation, a form of asexual reproduction.

New mechanics and cool things: Asexual reproduction, Event (colossal aerofleet passing by, similar to Thrumbo migration), Explodes on death, custom blue meat (this last thing is SUPER game changing. It's BLUE!!!).

Arctic Lion for Cold Biomes

These large descendants of the now almost extinct lion were specifically engineered as ambush units by the navy for extreme low temp environments. Its fur is prized throughout the black market for its unique light reflecting ability and its tough leather provides surprisingly high thermal insulation.
Even though its danger and capabilities are common knowledge; many still attempt to bag its head. Those who try usually end up losing theirs.
New mechanics and cool things: Event (A stealthed Arctic Lion stalks your colonists)

Barbslinger for Arid Biomes

A large genetically-modified scorpion. Unrelated to the insectoid species, no one really knows where they came from. But judging by its capability to rip apart living things within reach and shish kebab those outside of it; it's no stranger to combat.
New mechanics and cool things: Venomous creature with a ranged attack that throws barbs

Blizzarisk for Cold Biomes

Someone once thought that creating supersized spiders for hyperweave-webs production was a good idea. Their home planet is now reduced to a Marble World; a world completely purged by atomic fire. The Blizzarisk is a mutant variation of the Feralisk that has adapted to extremely cold climates.
Blizzarisks attack by throwing spider webs at their prey. These huge webs both stun and freeze anyone they touch, allowing the Blizzarisk to close in and finish the kill with their fearsome venom laced fangs.
New mechanics and cool things: Venomous creature with a ranged attack that throws webs that stun and freeze. Event (a clutch mother appears and starts laying eggs. Grey goo scenario!)

Bouldermit for All biomes

A large genetically-engineered crab which uses a boulder for a shell. It is alternatively known as the Atlas Crab throughout various colonized planets. These massive creatures sport incredible strength and are commonly seen carrying giant boulders that would normally crush living things and machinery alike. Legends tell of one such creature that has grown so large and so powerful that it had entire mountains for a home.
Despite first impressions, it is quite peaceful. Preferring to ignore any form of assault it may receive. Its predators are more likely to die of old age than to take down such an armored creature.

New mechanics and cool things: Periodically can be "mined" to get random rock chunks. Event (a gargantuan Bouldermit will cross the map, and it will just crush almost everything on its path unless stopped. It feeds on your tears. Sweet, sweet tears)

Cactipine for Arid Biomes

In an effort to make deserts more viable for colonization, scientists introduced a variety of genetically modified creatures that are made to survive the melting heat and provide food to those who wished to live in such harsh conditions. One such creature is the Cactipine. Despite its name, it is actually a giant rat infused with the DNA of a cactus. It resulted in the specimen gaining sharp medicinal quills, hardened green skin, and a funny tasting "meat" that confused vegetarians and carnivores alike.
New mechanics and cool things: Produces a meat that is actually vegetable, produces medicinal quills, Event (a terraforming drop pod filled with hostile cactipines lands and starts spawning them every few hours).

Devilsheep sold by Traders
Male

Female

A genetically engineered sheep capable of producing extremely strong and valuable red wool. Some see a simple livestock; others, a demonic entity of corruption. Don't listen to its whispers.

Dunealisk for Arid Biomes

Someone once thought that creating supersized spiders for silk production was a good idea. Their home planet is now reduced to a Marble World; a world wiped clean by atomic fire. The Dunealisk is a mutant variation of the Feralisk that has adapted to extremely hot climates. Dunealisks attack by throwing spider webs at their prey. These huge webs stun and burn anyone they touch, allowing the Dunealisk to close in and finish the kill with their fearsome venom laced fangs.
New mechanics and cool things: Venomous creature with a ranged attack that throws webs that stun and burn.

Feralisk for Non-extreme biomes

Someone once thought that creating supersized spiders for silk production was a good idea. Their home planet is now reduced to a Marble World; a world wiped clean by atomic fire. Feralisks attack by throwing spider webs at their prey. These huge webs stun anyone they touch, allowing the Feralisk to close in and finish the kill with their fearsome venom laced fangs.
New mechanics and cool things: Venomous creature with a ranged attack that throws webs that stun.

Frostmite for Cold Biomes

A large parasite usually found in cold places. They sweep the cold barren lands in search of corpses buried in the snow. Eating the preserved flesh and leaving a ravaged skeleton in its place; devoid of their former identity.
New mechanics and cool things: Feeds on corpses. Digs frozen corpses when hungry. This is either very messy, or a lifesaver, depending on how cannibal-y you are feeling.

Gallatross (Legendary) for All biomes

Throughout every world,
Flow the tale of old,
A creature with untold might
And an immeasurable height.
Strength that machines can't copy
Power that so-called gods call heresy.
Beware, beware would-be foes
Beware, the wrath of the Gallatross.

New mechanics and cool things: Throws rocks as a ranged attack. Event (gallatross wandering).

Groundrunner for Non-extreme biomes

A hybrid between a bear and mole, Groundrunners originally came from Cave Worlds. They were used as walking heavy tools by the locals when they hit parts that plasteel can't break, and for hauling large boulders that their owners can't lift.
Due to their domesticated origins, they are surprisingly docile and easy to tame. Their incredible strength and sharp claws allows them to break rocks with relative ease. But out here in the Rim, those claws are usually reserved for ripping power armors apart along with their wearers.
New mechanics and cool things: Groundrunners will happily help your colonists mine rocks and minerals. They are however quite lazy and get distracted easily.

Ironhusk Beetle sold by Traders

Ironhusk beetles were genetically engineered by one of the miriad mining companies operating on the Rim. It's a peaceful farm animal that occasionally sheds metallic husks that can be smelt into steel, thus negating the need for heavy machinery in mining operations. As a downside, the beetle consumes a huge amount of wood from live trees.
Sadly, the mining company that created the Ironhusk beetles didn't account for this, and several planets on the Rim are now a barren ecological disaster.
New mechanics and cool things: Farm animal bought from vendors that produces steel chunks.

Lockjaw for wet biomes

A very large animal native to this planet's tropical regions. Nicknamed Lockjaws both for their incredibly strong bite force and for the disease they transmit, which afflicts its victims with a moderate facial paralysis that makes eating extremely uncomfortable. Despite having a guillotine for a mouth, the Lockjaw does not seem to be an overly aggressive creature; Preferring to prey on the local wildlife rather than the local populace.

New mechanics and cool things: Trasmits the Lockjaw disease.

Mammoth Worm for Arid Biomes

An extremely large, genetically-engineered worm. Despite its incredibly intimidating size and arsenal, these huge creatures are rather quite peaceful. It was once part of the worker caste of an artificial ecosystem of insectoids designed to fight mechanoid invasions. It carried and moved things that its little cousins cannot.
While generally peaceful, if provoked, it becomes a terrifying force that can rival those of mechanoid Centipedes.
Originally, the Mammoth Worm was specifically bred as a living siege engine to destroy mechanoid structures, and as such it can be extremely effective.
New mechanics and cool things: Siege mechanics, extra damage against walls. These will be part of the Black Hive faction

Meadow Ave for Non-extreme biomes

A large flightless bird with colorful feathers. Mostly found in the plains eating fruits and berries, Meadow Aves naturally attract the eyes and hands of those who wander by. Many forget that underneath the majestic feathery coat is a wild animal with a razor sharp beak and claws to match.
New mechanics and cool things: Unlike the Ford Model T, comes in many colours, except black. Alsoooo, probably future Giddy Up integration to make them the perfect mount. Yeah, it is a Chocobo.

Megalouse for Non-extreme biomes

A large genetically engineered pillbug. These creatures once served as the frontline skirmishers of an insectoid hive; A collection of genetically modified insects made as a weapon against Mechanoid invasions. Their job consisted of reducing lone Mechanoid infantry to swiss cheese; And they were good at it. Even the mighty Centipede was no match against the swarm of spikes.
Nowadays, they can be found roaming in packs that are a joke compared to their former numbers and with killer instincts that yearn to be reawakened once more.
New mechanics and cool things: These will be part of the Black Hive faction.

Needlepost for Arid Biomes

A cactus genetically modified to give it sentience. The first iteration of this creature was supposed to be a stationary tactical deterrent (the Whip Cactus), but having no intelligence or mobility crippled its effectiveness. With a little genetic engineering, it was given a mobile body, an infantile intelligence, and toxic barbs for good measure. The result backfired as commands proved ineffective. The facility was promptly overrun by the experiments; and a horde of angry cactuses escaped into the wilderness.
Needleposts can derive nutrition from very small amounts of rotting vegetables, but they need a huge amount of sunlight (or equivalent) over anything else. Nights won't affect them, but a solar eclipse is usually fatal to them.
New mechanics and cool things: Ranged attacks, light sustenance.

Nightling for All Biomes

A sleek predatory beast with rows of quills on its back. The Nightling is a purely nocturnal hunter, hence its name, and isn't at all shy to prey on much larger animals, or people, than itself. Apart from its strong jaws, nighlings can throw the quills on their backs to overpower their prey.
New mechanics and cool things: Ranged attacks, nocturnal creature that only sleeps during the day.

Raptor Shrimp for wet biomes

A large genetically modified creature, its origins unknown. They are known to make homes in tropical regions. Instilling fear among the local inhabitants as those who pass through its territory are often reported to go missing; their bodies never found.
The few that survived an encounter with these monsters report bullets being shrugged off, limbs of their companions being torn apart, and the statement "The grass has eyes"
New mechanics and cool things: Impressive regeneration abilities.

Tetraslug (Legendary) for All biomes

These massive slugs are a common sight among Glitterworld controlled territories; Lumbering about as glorified power plants. Outside of it, they are deployed as a mobile power source for Glitterworld research expeditions. It is rare to see one without the iconic power cores that protrude from their backs, as their unique bodily chemical composition is capable of outputting power that far surpasses any known natural sources. Thus they are widely valued by every technologically developing civilization throughout the galaxy.
While a gentle giant that would prefer to run away instead of fight, modified slugs come armored with plasteel shells, quad cores that can act as Tesla cannons, and a Tactical AI inserted within the brain that takes over and makes no hesitation to use all of its armament to obliterate any perceived threat within vicinity.
New mechanics and cool things: Ranged plasma attack. Slowly recharges nearby batteries.

Wildpods for wet biomes

This lumbering mass of apparently decomposing plant matter is a Wildpod, a sentient mycoid creature native to some jungle infested planet on the Rim. The Wildpod is almost impervious to gunfire, with bullets simply being absorbed into its mass without doing much damage, but very weak to fire. Interestingly, it reproduces asexually by releasing clumps of spores every few weeks.
New mechanics and cool things: Can't be damaged easily by guns. Prepare your molotovs!

The Black Hive for All biomes

All insectoid were created to fight mechanoids. The Black Hive were the best of the best, an insectoid hive so vicious and so terrifying that any mechanoids with half a brain would just flee when encountering them. That, however, was many years ago. Nowadays remnants of the black hive roam in the RimWorlds, a latent menace to anyone using advanced technology.
New mechanics and cool things: The Black Hive periodically starts raids using Megalice, Mammoth Worms, and black versions of the three base insectoids that use ranged attacks. This can be deactivated using Mod Options, for those who think it is too much of a challenge.

General updates

• Custom body types for many creatures
• Custom skeleton

Extra things

I'm also toying with adding some new things to the mod, once ALL the original creatures have been added. This will take some time, specially because I'd have to draw them in the same style as A_Friend, which is different from mine. Here is an example: a Dunealisk, a desert variant of the Feralisk.

[Jackalvin]

Will this be on steam? This is too good.

[SargBjornson]

Of course! I don't want to set an ETA, but I'd say around a month is reasonable

[SargBjornson]

The Boudermit is now implemented in the mod

[Roolo]

Cool! This mod couldn't be in better hands!

[SargBjornson]

Thanks! Question, though, is there anything that could be added to an animal to make it a better riding animal for Giddy-Up? Since I'm trying to add cool things to each animal it would be awesome if one of them was the perfect cavalry beast

[bigheadzach]

A not-at-all trademark-infringing giant chicken often used in races!

[SargBjornson]

It comes in several colours too, like cars! XD

Damn, now I'm tempted to texture one like a Nascar race car...

[Mosser]

Damn, now I'm tempted to texture one like a Nascar race car...

Please, do it!

[Roolo]

Thanks! Question, though, is there anything that could be added to an animal to make it a better riding animal for Giddy-Up? Since I'm trying to add cool things to each animal it would be awesome if one of them was the perfect cavalry beast

Cool that you're creating a cavalry beast. Looking forward to the result. Speed is of course important, and it should be able to take a beating. Then the minimum level required to tame it determines how much bonus colonists with high animal handling can get for speed and accuracy penalty reduction.

[SargBjornson]

Cool that you're creating a cavalry beast. Looking forward to the result. Speed is of course important, and it should be able to take a beating. Then the minimum level required to tame it determines how much bonus colonists with high animal handling can get for speed and accuracy penalty reduction.

All those options make the animal better without Giddy Up, though What I was wondering is if there would be anyway to make an animal that would become better specifically when mounted. Probably C# side. A specific comp class, maybe?

[SargBjornson]

The Cactipine is now implemented in the mod

[SargBjornson]

The devilsheep, dunealisk and feralisk have been implemented ingame We are halfway there!

[milon]

Awesome! I'm really glad this mod is being worked on again!

[Roolo]

Cool that you're creating a cavalry beast. Looking forward to the result. Speed is of course important, and it should be able to take a beating. Then the minimum level required to tame it determines how much bonus colonists with high animal handling can get for speed and accuracy penalty reduction.

All those options make the animal better without Giddy Up, though What I was wondering is if there would be anyway to make an animal that would become better specifically when mounted. Probably C# side. A specific comp class, maybe?

There's nothing like that implemented right now, but I could easily add a mod extension you could hook into if you have any specific requests.