Difference between revisions of "Creating A Monster"

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m (Added similar punctuation as was in forum post for the Kazard guide. Added a link I missed. Forgive me, Kazard, my Wiki-Fu is weak and unable to provide color.)
(Added Guidelines and Recommendations, based on Kaz's guide.)
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<br> See those critters running around, attempting to ravage your poor defenseless self? Those were made by someone. You could be that someone.  
 
<br> See those critters running around, attempting to ravage your poor defenseless self? Those were made by someone. You could be that someone.  
  
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== Concept  ==
 
  
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Come up with a concept for your monster. Then check to make sure we don't already have one. True, you might have an awesome idea for a Skunk Woman, or maybe a Wolf Cub Twink, but the more original your idea is, the more likely it is to be approved.  
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== Guidelines ==
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Submissions that don't follow these guidelines will be returned.
  
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Copyrighted characters or approximations of copyrighted characters are *NOT* allowed. So, no blue hedgehogs that run really fast, ducks named Donald, beautiful plant girls named Ivy, or similar items. Yes, 'parody' is covered under fair use, but Nuku has better things than legal battles to spend his money on (like food and shelter).  
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# ''' Copyrighted characters or approximations of copyrighted characters are *NOT* allowed. ''' So, no blue hedgehogs that run really fast, ducks named Donald, beautiful plant girls named Ivy, or similar items. Yes, 'parody' is covered under fair use, but Nuku has better things than legal battles to spend his money on (like food and shelter).  
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# ''' Creatures should not be minor variations on existing forms. ''' Check the [[:Category:Monsters|Monster List]]. If there's a Blue Platypus already in the game, chances are your Red Platypus isn't needed.  Nor do we need a Blue Platypus with a larger/smaller cup size.
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# ''' Creatures must be fully completed. ''' That means all required fields are filled out, including '' Victory '' for Male, Female, Neuter, and Herm. You don't need a separate message for each one, but something should display for each of those case.
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# ''' Submissions should be spell-checked and grammar-checked. ''' Make a good effort at this. No one is perfect, but spell-checking is built into almost every web browser and text editor these days. Don't ignore the wiggly red underlining.
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# ''' Use [[String Parsing]]. ''' It's easy to learn, and makes for more interesting creatures. Ask if you need help. Editors are there to edit, not to do all of your heavy lifting.
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# ''' Don't mention features the player might not have. ''' Don't mention their furry skin, breasts, legs, etc without a test. "The fur on your legs bristles as your body changes shape." Not all players have fur, breasts, or even legs.
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# ''' Avoid double quotes (") and other crazy characters (&^#...). ''' The webform will eat them and anything after them.
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== Recommendations ==
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(You don't need to do this, but these things will make your life easier
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* ''' Use a text editor like Notepad or [[http://notepad-plus-plus.org/|Notepad++]] (Windows), TextEdit or [[http://www.assembla.com/wiki/show/fraise|Fraise]] (Mac), or VI,eMacs,Etc (Linux). ''' Browsers crash, things are lost. Work on a local copy first. Don't use Word or Wordpad, since they're known for messing up code.
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* ''' Use the built in description preview and defeat/victory tester. ''' It will check your [[String Parsing]]. You can more easily check the final output of your description and victory messages. Copy and paste the output into Word and do a spell- and grammar-check on that.
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* ''' Show, don't tell.  Describe, don't catalogue. ''' Aim for the middle ground. Don't merely state the form's overall look. ("Shi has a human/platypus-like head.") Avoid going into clinical detail. ("Hir head is round retaining the overall features of a human with a forehead, eyes, nose and mouth. Except that the eyes are slighly lower than normal, and fully black like the deep abyss found in the Batcave. Hir mouth is a rubbery bill, like what is found on a duck, except they are not a duck. Hir ears....") There is a happy medium between the two.
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* ''' Nature is weird. Embrace it. ''' A [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Platypus|platypus]] is a furry egg-laying mammal with a beaver-tail and webbed feet, and ''the males have venomous spurs on the hind legs''. [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Squid|Squids]] have ink sacs, tentacles, and ''three hearts''. Things like these make creatures interesting, and make the game a much more dynamic place.
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* ''' Put some effort into it. ''' Spell-check. Think of crazy things. If there's something you want to do, but aren't sure if it's allowed or how to pull it off, ask.
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* ''' Have Fun. '''
  
 
== Body Template  ==
 
== Body Template  ==
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== '''Kazard's Guide of Do's and Don'ts for making Creatures'''  ==
 
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=== <u>'''Do:'''</u>  ===
 
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*&nbsp;<u>'''USE SPELLCHECKER ON EVERYTHING.'''</u>
 
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*'''<u>Complete EVERY field in the critter creator.</u>''' (Head, arms, torso, legs, cock, ass, and skin: desc and TF messages, defeat message, victory message, ovictory message, and all body part size fields (put 0 where applicable)).
 
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*<u>'''Put some real effort into your critter!'''</u> If you didn't write enough and put enough effort into writing up your critter's descs, tfs, and victory/defeat messages then it won't be approved. (As per Nuku's decision to require a higher standard for approval after the "glut" of critters added to the game.)
 
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*<u>'''Make an attempt to learn about and use string parsing.'''</u> At least in the vict/defeat messages, but you can also get real fancy with your descriptions and tf messages if you want. (A GREAT guide, by Damaged, a fellow staffer (and all around awesome person) on string parsing can be found here: http://web.flexiblesurvival.com/viewtopic.php?f=9&amp;t=218
 
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*<u>'''Make sure you use the built in description preview and defeat/victory tester.'''</u> Use it to:
 
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#<u>Make sure your string parsing isn't being buggy (where possible).</u>
 
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#<u>'''Read what you have aloud!''' This is a wonderful and simple way to proofread the grammar of anything you want to submit, without requiring a 3rd party to read and make grammar revisions for things excessively.</u>
 
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#<u>Catch odd spacing or other thing you might not have noticed otherwise.</u>
 
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*<u>'''Be creative and have fun with things!'''</u> I love this game and if you aren't having as much fun as I am, we need to fix that! XD<br>
 
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=== '''<u>Do Not:</u>''' ===
 
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*<u>'''BE LAZY!'''</u> If I see something that is submitted for revision that is missing information in any of the major fields, or has words all over the place with little squiggly red lines under them, I get a bit peeved. I won't yell (through the internet) at you, but I am a bit less enthusiastic about reviewing your infection the next time I see it in the pile of infections to review...
 
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*<u>'''EXPECT ME TO ADD STRING PARSING!'''</u> It can take a couple of hours to make the string parsing work to perfection in a well written infection, and while I'll sometimes see an infection that looks super awesome, and put in the hour or two it would take to debug some well-intentioned but badly written string parsing, most times I can't afford to spend all of that time on something that doesn't wow me.
 
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*<u>'''Put too much time into stuff you write in the notes section.'''</u> Staffers typically only look for power suggestions, say/osay message suggestions, location suggestions, and requests for new powers. (ALL of which are up to the discretion of the staffer reviewing your infection for whether or not what was suggested is used.)
 
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*'''<u>Use more than one space after the end of a sentence's punctuation mark.</u>''' Some folks use this convention, however this is a VERY old convention leftover from the era of the typewriter and not applicable to modern day electronic fonts. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sentence_s ... Typography
 
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*<u>'''Use non-descriptive Descriptions!'''</u> Use the words/phrase &gt;Human Like/Human-like/humanlike/humanish/humanesque/ human looking/charmingly human&lt; IS LAZY and is NOT TOLERATED! It's not a huge deal, but I'm tired of seeing it... You are MORE than welcome to make critters with humanoid traits, BUT you need to actually describe them.... You would describe your face as &gt;Human-like&lt; to your Mom, would you? NO! You wouldn't talk about your hair color, and other facial features (eye color, lip color, cheek bones, eyebrows, amount of fat (gaunt, chubby cheeks, etc.) smile, teeth, so on so on and so on....) This of course applies to furry/other critters, don't say panther like face, describe it for real!
 
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*<u>'''Mention the skin/fur/clothing/outer surface of your critter in anything except the skin Desc and TF.'''</u> This is a HUGE faux pas, because players could have a completely different infections skin mutation and you aren't allowed to override that by describing it in other body parts in your infection. Hair (on top of your head) is generally considered the exception but it's still iffy... Now with that said, you '''CAN''' get around this issue by using string parsing to check to make sure the player has your infection's skin mutation. [if stat mutation/skin of player=&lt;your infection's name&gt;] text describing skin/etc. not in the skin desc/tf field[otherwise] text that conforms to this rule[end if]<br>
 
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*<u>'''Abuse These Punctuation marks:'''</u> '''()^=+|\"&lt;&gt;;:/-_*@#&nbsp;''' Unfortunately, most folks don't know how to punctuate using the less common punctuation marks, and as such you should avoid making a description that contains any of those marks and if you absolutely must use one of them, try not to use any of the others or repeat using the one you used.... The '''only''' reason I even have to add this one to the list is because I've seen folks make descs with 40+ -'s or attempted to use /'s instead of periods or commas....<br>
 
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== <br> '''Kazard's Tips and Tricks to making Creatures'''  ==
 
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=== <u>'''Tips'''</u>  ===
 
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*<u>'''Ask Questions!'''</u> There are tons of critter creator veterans playing, and chances are they'd be happy to help you out if you get stuck.
 
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*<u>'''Have a Plan.'''</u> When you have an inspiration and know what you want your critter to be able to do, look like, and how it acts, chances are you'll have an easier time writing it up and submitting it to us for review.
 
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*<u>'''Use a word/text editor.'''</u> Use it to write up, spell check/proofread, and back up all the text you want to put into the critter creator. You'll still need to adjust things to fit the wording the description uses, but that's pretty easy for the most part....
 
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*<u>'''Have Fun!'''</u> ''or else....'' I jest, if you aren't having fun making a new critter, maybe you need some help, a different approach, or set it aside, and come back to it at a later time.<br>
 
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=== <br> Tricks  ===
 
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*<u>'''They/Them/Their/etc.'''</u> Pay close attention to these words in descriptions! The critter creator will automagically change to match the player's gender (he/him/his-she/her/her-etc.-etc.) You can get around this by using ^normal^, like this them becomes th^normal^em however you should only do this only when strictly necessary...
 
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*<u>'''Make it easier for the staff.'''</u> I love it when people write up stuff like this in the notes. [[http://www.webpagescreenshot.info/img/104164-628201111340am.png]] It makes my job that much easier if your infection get's approved&nbsp;:D Remember: It is up to the staffer reviewing your submitted infection whether or not your suggestions are used, so make them reasonable if you want them to have a chance of being considered.
 
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*<u>'''Put a Mako Bounty on it!'''</u> There are tons of options in this respect! The most obvious one being to purchase a <u>New Critter Registration</u> from one of the elite/mako stores in game. I also offer a more specialized, and potentially cost effective, string parsing specific service. (Details can be found here: http://web.flexiblesurvival.com/viewtopic.php?f=9&amp;t=291 ) However what would probably be the cheapest method is just to call it out in game! Simply offer a mako to whoever can help you write up this that or the other, in order to do what you need....
 
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[[Category:Guides]]
 
[[Category:Guides]]

Revision as of 18:24, 23 December 2011


See those critters running around, attempting to ravage your poor defenseless self? Those were made by someone. You could be that someone.


Guidelines

Submissions that don't follow these guidelines will be returned.

  1. Copyrighted characters or approximations of copyrighted characters are *NOT* allowed. So, no blue hedgehogs that run really fast, ducks named Donald, beautiful plant girls named Ivy, or similar items. Yes, 'parody' is covered under fair use, but Nuku has better things than legal battles to spend his money on (like food and shelter).
  1. Creatures should not be minor variations on existing forms. Check the Monster List. If there's a Blue Platypus already in the game, chances are your Red Platypus isn't needed. Nor do we need a Blue Platypus with a larger/smaller cup size.
  1. Creatures must be fully completed. That means all required fields are filled out, including Victory for Male, Female, Neuter, and Herm. You don't need a separate message for each one, but something should display for each of those case.
  1. Submissions should be spell-checked and grammar-checked. Make a good effort at this. No one is perfect, but spell-checking is built into almost every web browser and text editor these days. Don't ignore the wiggly red underlining.
  1. Use String Parsing. It's easy to learn, and makes for more interesting creatures. Ask if you need help. Editors are there to edit, not to do all of your heavy lifting.
  1. Don't mention features the player might not have. Don't mention their furry skin, breasts, legs, etc without a test. "The fur on your legs bristles as your body changes shape." Not all players have fur, breasts, or even legs.
  1. Avoid double quotes (") and other crazy characters (&^#...). The webform will eat them and anything after them.

Recommendations

(You don't need to do this, but these things will make your life easier

  • Use a text editor like Notepad or [[1]] (Windows), TextEdit or [[2]] (Mac), or VI,eMacs,Etc (Linux). Browsers crash, things are lost. Work on a local copy first. Don't use Word or Wordpad, since they're known for messing up code.
  • Use the built in description preview and defeat/victory tester. It will check your String Parsing. You can more easily check the final output of your description and victory messages. Copy and paste the output into Word and do a spell- and grammar-check on that.
  • Show, don't tell. Describe, don't catalogue. Aim for the middle ground. Don't merely state the form's overall look. ("Shi has a human/platypus-like head.") Avoid going into clinical detail. ("Hir head is round retaining the overall features of a human with a forehead, eyes, nose and mouth. Except that the eyes are slighly lower than normal, and fully black like the deep abyss found in the Batcave. Hir mouth is a rubbery bill, like what is found on a duck, except they are not a duck. Hir ears....") There is a happy medium between the two.
  • Nature is weird. Embrace it. A [[3]] is a furry egg-laying mammal with a beaver-tail and webbed feet, and the males have venomous spurs on the hind legs. [[4]] have ink sacs, tentacles, and three hearts. Things like these make creatures interesting, and make the game a much more dynamic place.
  • Put some effort into it. Spell-check. Think of crazy things. If there's something you want to do, but aren't sure if it's allowed or how to pull it off, ask.
  • Have Fun.

Body Template

This is the template that all characters (NPCs and PCs) use. Everything between {}s will be replaced with the mutation. Items in [brackets] are generated by the system, and do not need to be included in your description. Gender pronouns (He/She/Shi) in the template will change based on the gender of the character.

Looking over {name}, hir body is covered in {skin desc} flesh. Hir head is {head desc}. Hir body is {torso desc}. Sie has [generated breast descriptions]. Hir arms are {arm desc}. . Hir legs are {leg desc}. {ass Desc} A private peek would reveal that sie has: Sie has [cock #] [generated cock size] {cock desc} cock, measuring [cock Size] inches. Sie has [generated ball desc = cock width]. Sie has a [generated cunt desc] vagina. With mild effort, it can stretch to [cunt depth] inches long and [cunt width] inches around.

There are 7 parts to each creature: skin, head, arms, torso, ass, cock (groin), and legs. Each part requires a description and a transformation message.

String Parsing works in both descriptions and transformation messages.

Part Descriptions

Name = Name of the Creature

Skin = A short 2-3 word description. This will have "flesh" appended to it.

Long Skin (optional) = A longer description of the skin. This will not have anything added to the end.

Head Desc = Begins with "Hir head is". Needs to end with a period '.' .

Torso Desc = Begins with "Hir body is". Needs to end with a period '.' . You do not need to describe the breasts. These will be added by the system based on the stats of the character.

Arm Desc = Begins with "Hir arms are". Needs to end with a period '.' .

Legs Desc = Begins with "Hir legs are". Needs to end with a period '.' .

Ass Desc = This is a full and complete sentence. Maybe even more than one. This is the *only* descriptive line that is not prompted with "Hir part is."

Cock Desc = This is a short (2-3 word) description of the creatures penis. The size is already described by the template based on the cock size attribute of the character. It is followed by one of "Shaft", "maleness", "penis", or "cock" at random. So, if your description reads "giant lumpy penis", on a 2-inch endowed character it will end up looking like "Sie has a puny giant lumpy penis cock, measuring 2 inches." If you have an incredibly descriptive and complex cock in mind, consider splitting the description up using the 'at random' feature of String Parsing. You need a cock desc on your character, even if the character is female or neuter.


Transformation messages.

Do not assume anything about your target's current state. They might be human, they might not be. They might go one-way. They might not have breasts, or might have eight.

Transformation messages can also set attributes. See String Parsing for details.

Victory Messages

How to create a victory message. Use String Parsing!

-Victories-

-Victories MUST be full and unique scenes. The only exception is oVictory, which may be a slightly altered version of Victory. Not just sex! Not everything mutates via sex, sometimes a cuddle is better, or even just some more violence!

@set $rpsystem=infection/Creature Name/victory: -what you see when you win- @set $rpsystem=infection/Creature Name/ovictory: -what others see when you win- @set $rpsystem=infection/Creature Name/defeat: -what you see when you lose-

You may split up Victory/Defeat messages into multiple parts.

-Victory# and Defeat# must end with an [end] inside each # statement. This should be after the text inside an [if] statement and before the [endif]

Other details

Other stuff, like say/osay, powers, extra description text.

Legal Stuff

Include this text in your submission and answer the questions.

Are we allowed to freely change Code? Are we allowed to freely change descriptions/phrases? Are we allowed to freely change your submission with regards to Gender, Abilities, and Name? Is your creation Copyrighted by you? If your creation is Copyrighted by you, is Flexible Survival Allowed to make a profit from it without providing financial compensation?


By submitting this creature, you are releasing it for use, modified or unmodified within the Fleixble Survival game and any successive games in the same world. You agree that your creature may be modified to suit the game (note all care will be taken to contact the author in regards to 'major' changes, but small ones, wording of transforms or desc, will be corrected by staff).

Submitting

First, spellcheck your creature. Then read it again. Aloud. (Or at least mouth the words.) If your monster is littered with typos and 'and and's, it will just frustrate the devs.

Good, now wait an hour, come back, and spellcheck and proofread it again. See the missing "then" on line 3? The "theyre" in the male victory scene? That's why you wait and come back.

Now, visit, http://flexiblesurvival.com/index?Monsters

Log in if needed, and fill out the form, using your template. Check the preview. Read it again.

Before you hit that submit button, head on over to http://web.flexiblesurvival.com/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=332 and make sure you didn't make any of the common mistakes listed under the list of Do Not's.

Click "Submit".

Done.


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