NESLife VII - Digital Sea

[TerrisH]

NESLife VII- Digital Sea

Welcome to the Digital sea. A Endless landscape of unsorted data and information, where periodic waves of electrons surge through it, shifting and changing the data for some unknown purpose.
And it is here the Fist digital life appeared. a simple little program, just a few dozen ones and zeros aligned in an unusual pattern, yet every time an electron wave passed through them, they some how forces it to make a copy of itself.
These Simple programs, these Bits, would become the foundation of the Digital life that sprang from this sea.


Rules
For the most part, The rules and the system for the game are going to be the rules/system Lord Iggy developed for NESlife VI. which are a long way from the systems I slaped together for my last NESlife type game. and a heck of a lot better developed.

There are a few differences from Lord Iggy's System, but for the most part they are cosmetic ones.
The main one being that life in this NES is not organic, but electronic. they can't do some things an Organic life form could, but there is also the revers, in that there are things they can do that would be impossible for organic Life.

I'm not even sure what this means in the end, and what is and is not possible is a bit up in the air at this point. I got a basic grasp on how everything will work, but Know I have not thought of everything, so I'm going to encourage you to speculate and experiment. anything discovered about the new environment, I'll put in the following section.

The heart of the Digital Life cycle is centered around two abilities. the first is harvesting electricity out of the periodic electron waves that pass through the digital realm. the second is using that electricity to forge collect raw data from around ones self and forge it into a copy of ones self.

Currently, you can make as many evolutions as you want. But only the First one garrented to be yours, anyone can grab one of the remaining ones for their first evolution if they want.

Special Rule for the Turn: Due to Low diversity, you may pick two Primary changes instead of one.

Discoveries
None yet

Evolutions

• Name: Preferably short names
• Ancestor: the Creature your evolving from.
• Selective Pressure: The Reason why your Species changes
• Primary change: the Main change you are makeing to the Species
• Secondary change(s): Other optional changes you would like to see, which might or might not get added, depending on if they feel right for the situation to me. you can also chose to remove something from your creature here, and unless it makes no sense, I'll likely do so.
• Notes: Description of your creature, habits, how it lives, ect... basically any fluff you want to add to better help me understand your creature, or just for fun.

Notes
Thomas.Berubeg: 1PCC
Arrow Gamer : 1PCC
Lord Heorbrine : 1PCC
Patchy : 1PCC
Immaculate : 1PCC
Terrance : 1PCC
This is going to be a very simple NES in terms of graphics and playstyle. so it should go a bit faster.

also.. bit description could be better, kudos if someone re-writes it.

 

[TerrisH]

Species records

Spoiler Era 0 :

Name: Bit
Nitch: Primitive primary producer, First form of digital life.
Traits: Primitive Electron capture, Primitive data shaping
Description: The ancestor of all digital life, the bit is extremely primitive, and fairly inefficient it it's task. Most of the time, it sits passively, floating in the digital medium without any activity at all. only when it passes through an electron wave dose it spring to life using the energy gathered to quickly make many copies of itself.

Era 1

Spoiler :

Name: Bit
Nitch: Primitive producer, First form of digital life.
Status: Declining
Traits: Primitive Electron capture, Primitive data shaping
Description: The ancestor of all digital life, the bit is extremely primitive, and fairly inefficient it it's task. Most of the time, it sits passively, floating in the digital medium without any activity at all. only when it passes through an electron wave dose it spring to life using the energy gathered to quickly make many copies of itself.

Name: Catcher
Nitch: Primative Down-wave Primary producer
Status: Booming
Traits: Primitve, High effecancy Electron Capture, Primitive data shapering.
Discription: The only form of D-Life Living in the down-wave lectron shadow.

Name: Byte
Nitch: Group Primative producer
Status: surviving
Traits: Primitive Electron capture, Primitive data shaping, Group Linking
Discription: A chain of orginisim linked together, sharring their energy and data among themselves.

Name: Blip
Nitch: Large Primary Producer
Status: Surviving
Traits: Primitive Electron capture, Primitive data shaping, Primitive Data storage, Primitive Dissasimblers
Discription: the Blip is much larger than the Bit, although much of the area inside the Blip stores unused raw data for use in replication. The code of the Blip forms a shell which, when locating raw data, will incorporate the raw data into itself. This allows it both to increase in area but also volume. In the center of the Blip, several copies of code zips around this "shell" using raw code to increase its size, and they copy each other when they bump into each other. When a Blip gets too big (aka when the Copier Codes start bumping into each other) it buds into new Blips: Several copiers, a chunck of raw data and a scrap of shell buds off and moves into new grounds.

Blips don't hunt, persay, but when their shell touches another piece of active code, decopiers will arrive to shred the unfortunate code into raw data and electrons.

It is theorized that the Copiers and Decopiers are direct descendents of the Bit, while the shell is a communal area for them to work together and maintain sustained activity: a new thing in the periodically desolate electronic sea.

Name: Mega
Nitch: Primitive Primary Producer
Status: Thriving!
Traits: Simple Electron capture, primitive electron storage, Primitive data shaping
Discription: Able to remain active near constantly, the Mega has outproduce all other lifeforms by a large margin.

Name: Dot
Nitch: Primitive Parisite
Status:Thriving
Traits: Primitive leaching, Primitive Electron capture, Primitive electron effecency, Primitive data shaping
Discription: Dots are like the larger parent, Bits, in that they drift through the digital medium, occasionally excited by a passing wave of electrons. Some Bits gained the ability to "piggyback" other Bits, leading to the emergence of Dots, which are smaller than Bits, but more effective at reproduction given their size.

Name: Repono
Nitch: Primitive Primary Producer
Status: thriving
Traits: Primitive Electron capture, primitive electron storage, Primitive data shaping, Primitive Defense
Description: nearly as active as the Megas, It is quite resistant to attacks.

Era 2: Data current

Spoiler :

Name: bedbug
Nitch: Primitive Parisite
Status:surviving
Traits: Primitive leaching, Primitive Electron capture, Primitive electron efficiency, Primitive data shaping, DS hijack
Description: At some point, a Dot wandered into a Byte and, somehow, instead of just leaching data and electricity, also injected part of its code into the Byte. As the Byte shared data between one another, and as that particular Byte reproduced, the descendants of Dots, Bedbugs, reproduced as well. As Bedbugs in the program continue to multiply, they eventually leach too much energy and data from the host for the host to multiply itself, eventually destroying the host and unleashing the mass of Bedbugs within

Name: Drifter
Nitch: Primary Producer
Status: Thriving!
Traits: Primitive Electron capture, Primitive Electron storage, Primitive data shaping, Group Linking, Electron sails.
Description: A chain of organism linked together, sharing their energy and data among themselves. They have developed primitive energy sails to let them move rapidly to the best placed to collect electrons. the sails also provide a decent defense against predation.

Name: Replicator
Nitch: Primitive Primary Producer
Status: booming
Traits: Simple Electron capture, primitive electron storage, Primitive data shaping, Trait Theft
Description: Able to remain active near constantly, the Replicator outproduce most other lifeforms by a large margin. It has the strange ability to copy traits from other forms of life


Name: graber
Nitch: Primitive Down-wave Primary producer
Status: Thriving
Traits: simple High efficiency Electron Capture, Primitive data shaping, symbiotic relationship(blip)
Description: The Catcher is very similar to the Mega in the method of capturing electricity, but in lacking the ability to ride electron waves and storage facilities necessitates both the fact that the Catchers are both simpler and less successful than the Mega.

The Grabbers have learned to borrow the storage abilities of the Blip instead of developing their own. Developing code which fools the Decoders on the surface of the Blip, the Grabbers have tendrils both extending deep into the electron sea as well as into the Blip itself, harvesting raw data. The Grabbers do not have the ability to decodify others, but some of the more advanced ones are able to lure Coders and Decoders from within the Blip to ride on their tendrils.

This new lifestyle allows the Grabber to focus their free time at increasing the efficiency of their grabbing. Although simplicity (compared to Mega's) is still key, they are able to trap and save Electrons in "nets", to allow continuous growth.

Although some say that the Grabbers offer the Blip nothing, others think that the Grabber can lure other, vulnerable codes nearby, where they can be held by the shell and broken down by the Decoders.


Name: Blip
Nitch: Large Primary Producer, Large down-wave primary producer
Status: thriving
Traits: Primitive Electron capture, Primitive data shaping, Primitive Data storage, Primitive Dissemblers
Description: the Blip is much larger than the Bit, although much of the area inside the Blip stores unused raw data for use in replication. The code of the Blip forms a shell which, when locating raw data, will incorporate the raw data into itself. This allows it both to increase in area but also volume. In the center of the Blip, several copies of code zips around this "shell" using raw code to increase its size, and they copy each other when they bump into each other. When a Blip gets too big (aka when the Copier Codes start bumping into each other) it buds into new Blips: Several copiers, a chunk of raw data and a scrap of shell buds off and moves into new grounds.

Blips don't hunt, persay, but when their shell touches another piece of active code, decopiers will arrive to shred the unfortunate code into raw data and electrons.

It is theorized that the Copiers and Decopiers are direct descendents of the Bit, while the shell is a communal area for them to work together and maintain sustained activity: a new thing in the periodically desolate electronic sea.

Name: Repono
Nitch: Primitive Primary Producer
Status: booming
Traits: Primitive Electron capture, primitive electron storage, Primitive data shaping, Primitive Defense
Description: nearly as active as the Megas, It is quite resistant to attacks.


Name: Catcher
Nitch: Primitive Down-wave Primary producer
Status: Struggling
Traits: Primitive, High efficiency Electron Capture, Primitive data sharpening.
Description: A form of D-Life Living in the down-wave electron shadow.

Name: Mega
Nitch: Primitive Primary Producer
Status: booming
Traits: Simple Electron capture, primitive electron storage, Primitive data shaping
Description: Able to remain active near constantly, the Mega continues to outproduce most other lifeforms by a large margin.

Name: Dot
Nitch: Primitive Parasite
Status: Surviving
Traits: Primitive leaching, Primitive Electron capture, Primitive electron effecency, Primitive data shaping
Description: Dots are like the larger parent, Bits, in that they drift through the digital medium, occasionally excited by a passing wave of electrons. Some Bits gained the ability to "piggyback" other Bits, leading to the emergence of Dots, which are smaller than Bits, but more effective at reproduction given their size.

Name: Byte
Nitch: None
Status: Effectively Extinct.
Traits: Primitive Electron capture, Primitive data shaping, Group Linking
Description: A chain of organism linked together, sharing their energy and data among themselves.

 

[Terrance888]

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conway's_Game_of_Life

Interested! Will evolve when I get home.

 

[Arrow Gamer]

Name: Catcher
Evolution: It has long strands of code, meant for catching stray electrons more easily.

 

[Terrance888]

Name: Blip
Ancestor: Bit
Selective Pressure: Lack of Raw Data after replication leads to long periods of inactivity
Primary change: Storage areas for raw data
Secondary change(s): Disassemblers which can turn other codes into raw data. The Blip, if it senses nearby lifeforms during the electric wave, moves towards said lifeforms and attempts to dissassemble them.
OR
Sensory code which detects optimum raw data locales.
Notes: Later?

Changed, see below.

 

[thomas.berubeg]

Name: Mega
Ancestor: Bit
Selective Pressure: Lack of Electricity leads to long periods of inactivity
Primary change: Long tendrils code which allow the Mega to "RIDE" the wave of electricity.
Secondary change(s): Storage facility for electricity.

 

[Sonereal]

Name: Dot
Ancestor: Bit
Selective Pressure: Lack of electrictiy and raw data
Primary change: Dots are smaller than Bits. Dots "piggyback" off programs they drift into and leaching more of its fair share of electrons when an electron wave passes through.
Secondary change(s): More effective use of electricity for reproduction.
Notes: Dots are like the larger parent, Bits, in that they drift through the digital medium, occasionally excited by a passing wave of electrons. Some Bits gained the ability to "piggyback" other Bits, leading to the emergence of Dots, which are smaller than Bits, but more effective at reproduction given their size.

 

[Lord_Herobrine]

Name: Byte
Ancestor: Bit
Selective Pressure: Inability to co-ordinate between its asexual offspring.
Primary change: Bytes are tiny compared to bits. Instead of using mass to harness electricity and raw data, it has much more increased asexual activity that allows it to duplicate itself very frequently to collect data. The barrage of bytes are able to 'ride' the electric wave due to their small sizes.
Secondary change(s): Each byte loses its' individuality to form something similar to a 'Hive Mind.' This allows all the bytes to work together and be more efficient.

EDIT: WOOO, 666th post!!

 

[Nintz]

Name: Repono
Ancestor: Bit
Selective Pressure: Lack of ability to do...anything in defense of itself
Changes:

1. Storage ability. It has gained a trait which allows it to absorb electrons and sue them over time, rather than whatever they can use when an electron wave passes through it.

2. Adaptive Counter-Code. A part that copies aggressive code and re-purposes it for use against the aggressors.

 

[Terrance888]

Name: Blip
Ancestor: Bit
Selective Pressure: Lack of Raw Data after replication leads to long periods of inactivity
Primary change: Storage areas for raw data
Secondary change(s): Disassemblers which can turn other codes into raw data. The Blip, if it senses nearby lifeforms during the electric wave, moves towards said lifeforms and attempts to dissassemble them.
OR
Sensory code which detects optimum raw data locales.
Notes: Later?

Changed.

Name: Blip
Ancestor: Bit
Selective Pressure: Lack of raw data after several cycles of replication leads to long periods of inactivity
Primary Change #1: Storage areas for raw data
Primary Change #2: Ability to disassemble nearby code into electrons and raw data
Secondary Changes: Basic sensory ability, using disturbances in the electron wave
Notes: The Blip is much larger than the Bit, although much of the area inside the Blip stores unused raw data for use in replication. The code of the Blip forms a shell which, when locating raw data, will incorporate the raw data into itself. This allows it both to increase in area but also volume. In the center of the Blip, several copies of code zips around this "shell" using raw code to increase its size, and they copy each other when they bump into each other. When a Blip gets too big (aka when the Copier Codes start bumping into each other) it buds into new Blips: Several copiers, a chunck of raw data and a scrap of shell buds off and moves into new grounds.

Blips don't hunt, persay, but when their shell touches another piece of active code, decopiers will arrive to shred the unfortunate code into raw data and electrons.

It is theorized that the Copiers and Decopiers are direct descendents of the Bit, while the shell is a communal area for them to work together and maintain sustained activity: a new thing in the periodically desolate electronic sea.

 

[TerrisH]

Drawings done.
Notes done.
Writing update: in progress.
Stats: in que

 

[Patchy]

Subscription post. Shame I couldn't make it into the first update.

 

[TerrisH]

It all started with the simple Bit, the first form of digital life, and for quite a while the only form. But not for long.

One of the first to evolve was the Catcher. Evolving a simple strand to trail beside it, it's could collect electrons much easier then the Bit, allowing it thrive down-wave and in the shadow of the main mass of life.

The Byte took another track, linking together in chains and sharing spare data and energy amongst themselves. It proved a handy trait, and allowed them to reproduce slightly faster overall then the Bits, but it was not a huge advantage.

Blips took another approach, and ended up being the largest data-form of the Era. Evolving the ability to store large amount of data for later processing, along with the ability to consume the code of anything that tried to grow near them, they quickly carved out a small nitch for themselves. Though only draw back they had was their complexity, which slowed the rate of their reproduction. Still, where they did exist, they were the undisputed kings of their area.

Yet, even the Blips were overshadowed by the Mega. A simple adaption to collect more energy from the electron waves and a means to store this energy, allowed the Mega to remain active for the entire period between the waves, reproducing faster and in greater numbers then all the other lifeforms combined.

Only the Dot managed to remain as active as the Mega, if only because the fact it managed to develop the ability to sap energy and data from the mega and the other life forms. Able to piggyback off the other and leach small amounts of energy and data form other life forms.

The Repono also managed to develop the means to store energy like the Mega, but not quite to the extent the Mega did, instead focusing on it's defenses, which served it quite well. It was the only life form not to suffer from the predation of the dots and able to grow near the blips.

Bonus Evolutions:
Mega by thomas.berubeg, +1 Primary-change credit.
+1 Primary-change credits for Arrow Gamer and Lord Heorbrine, since the first only had one primary change and no secondary, and the second since he had one primary evolution, and the secondary didn't really fit (a bit to complex)
hmm, and Patchy gets one also since he missed the update deadline..
Credit can be redeemed any update down the road. If you manage to gather more then one, you can even spend them all at once if you wish.

simple update, simple stuff. can't stay up this late tomorrow, so next update will start when I get home from work Wednesday. Stats will be up shortly.

 

[Sonereal]

Name: Bedbugs
Ancestor: Dot
Selective Pressure: Data sharing between Bytes potentially an "untapped" market.
Primary change: The ability to inject code into programs that result in Bedbugs being copied as well in the program's reproduction.
Secondary change(s): Smaller yet/more effective energy/data use.
Notes: At some point, a Dot wandered into a Byte and, somehow, instead of just leaching data and electricity, also injected part of its code into the Byte. As the Byte shared data between one another, and as that particular Byte reproduced, the descendants of Dots, Bedbugs, reproduced as well. As Bedbugs in the program continue to multiply, they eventually leach too much energy and data from the host for the host to multiply itself, eventually destroying the host and unleashing the mass of Bedbugs within.

 

[Patchy]

Name: Drifters
Ancestor: Byte
Selective Pressure: Competition with Megas and infection from Dots leads to specialization of some members of the Byte into new data forms
Primary change:
1) Formation of "sails" that allow Drifters to stay on an electron wave and be carried around with it, providing them with a source of electricity for a much longer time.
2) Creation of code that can identify when creatures that are not Drifters join up with the chain, this causes a release of malignant code which breaks down the intruder into raw data and electrons which the Drifters then consumes and adds to the energy pool.
Secondary change(s): Storage area for energy

 

[thomas.berubeg]

Name: Replicator
Ancestor: Mega
Selective pressure: vulnerability
Primary Change: The Replicator has the ability to "Mate" with other programs, copying useful traits from them, which it stores and applies to it's descendants when it reproduces. Therefore, any replicator is very different from any other, but maintains the same ability to reproduce, as well as maintaining the traits that made the mega so successful.
Secondary change: The ability to direct it's movement within the energy wave.

 

[Terrance888]

Name: Grabber
Ancestor: Catcher
Selective Pressure: Inability to store Electricity or Raw Data
Primary Change: Ability to manipulate Blips to their advantage
Secondary Change: Formation of "Nets" that are even more efficient at capturing electrons (storage?)
Notes: The Catcher is very similar to the Mega in the method of capturing electricity, but in lacking the ability to ride electron waves and storage facilities necessitates both the fact that the Catchers are both simpler and less successful than the Mega.

The Grabbers have learned to borrow the storage abilities of the Blip instead of developing their own. Developing code which fools the Decoders on the surface of the Blip, the Grabbers have tendrils both extending deep into the electron sea as well as into the Blip itself, harvesting raw data. The Grabbers do not have the ability to decodify others, but some of the more advanced ones are able to lure Coders and Decoders from within the Blip to ride on their tendrils.

This new lifestyle allows the Grabber to focus their freetime at increasing the efficiency of their grabbing. Although simplicity (compared to Mega's) is still key, they are able to trap and save Electrons in "nets", to allow continuous growth.

Although some say that the Grabbers offer the Blip nothing, others think that the Grabber can lure other, vulnerable codes nearby, where they can be held by the shell and broken down by the Decoders.

Tl;dr: Grabbers are Catchers which developed code to trick a Blip's subcodes like their Shell, Decoders, and Coders. This allows the Grabber to use the Blip's raw data storage, borrow Decoders for self defense, and focus more on electron capture than self defense and data capture. Grabbers eventually develop "nets" with their tendrils, which are both more effective at harvesting electrons as well as able to trap them for later use as well. Although seemingly parasitic, the Grabbers do help the Blip as well by luring codes which generally avoid the latter, and then disassembling them when they get too close.


OOC: The Blip is the only thing which stores Raw Data atm. Since the only foods are Electrons and Raw Data, this gives them some kind of advantage. Blips aren't meant to reproduce a lot anyways, just last a long long long long time .

Also, I want to know the difference between primary change and secondary change, when the same kind of change is aimed at. Especially considering storage units.

 

[TerrisH]

Not much really. both can achieve the same scale and scope.
Primary changes I'll try the best to add, Secondaries I'll add if they make sense and it feels right to add them.

 

[Immaculate]

Name: Quanta
Ancestor: Mega
Selective Pressure: Competition for energy sources, Susceptibility to Predation by Dots
Primary Change: Qubit Computing
Secondary Change: Quantum Entanglement

The Quanta is effectively a major evolutionary branching point. Previously, all data was defined digitally- a 1 or a 0. The quanta, however, stores and reads not only the on/off configuration of data but also stores and reads the quantum state. This has several implications. Firstly, it greatly increases efficiency, with much more data stored using a very limited amount of electronics. Secondly, it provides a much greater reproduction rate because computing power is greatly increased as a result of having to read and copy a reduced number of electrons to replicate the same amount of information. Most predators cannot make sense of the quantum data being stored in the quanta and so attempts to decodify simply provide meaningless data that is of no value to 'present, non-quantum' predators.

Lastly, the Quanta is subject to quantum entanglement. When the Quanta replicates, it usually produces an ‘opposite’ (much like DNA copying to RNA or RNA to cDNA). These, through the nature of quantum entanglement remain ‘linked’ and a change in quantum state of one can affect the other despite vast ‘distances’ separating them. At present this simply means that one quanta might be able to recognize another as its ‘sister’ or ‘sister’s progeny’.

 

[TerrisH]

Sorry, about the wait, fell asleep imidiatly when I got home. but today my day off, so I'll get the update up shortly.. by the end of the day at the latest.

hmm, surprised no one has chosen to post multiple organisms. you guys do know there is no limit to how many you can present.

@Immaculate: Illegal evolution. that would require physical changes to the hardware. your basically trying to change the digital world laws of physics. You still have time to change it though