---
# System prepended metadata

title: 'Xenobiology Rework - Design Document [WIP - Typo edishun: Featuring shallow ideas]'
tags: [Retired]

---

![](https://i.imgur.com/5rEcEvN.png)

# Xenobiology Rework - Design Document [WIP - Typo edishun: Featuring shallow ideas]

::: success
[toc]
:::

## Statement of Intent
::: info
> Here's our main driving 'intention'. This should serve as a basis for ideas, rather than something that stands by itself.
:::

The main intention is to create a job that focuses on a high replayability value through procedural & player driven content. This acts as a replacement to the existing xenobiology module, while still maintaining choice references to certain items & effects.

::: info
> Wow that's a little broad. We'll drill down into what that culminates to, in terms of an actual intellectual idea. However, understand that it's the underlying base for judgement.
:::

New xenobiology, from now foward refered to plainly as xenobiology, although still themed around slimes, now focuses harder into the aspect of breeding / combining species of slime to produce new unique instaces and subsequently managing them. Slimes are catergorized into individual species and can be actively cross-bred to produce completely unique instances. This is accompanied by species traits & behaviours that emphasize the next aspect- 
Xenobiology at its core is about xeno-husbandry, taking care of the unique demands of alien species, including diet & environment. This yields output however, and can be greatly rewarding. Specialized species can be made with the intention of extracting a specific output as effectively as possible, selectively breeding the offspring to produce the ~~most preformant~~ ultimate lifeform. 

Slime species, and their respective traits & behaviours, are constant between rounds on a daily basis, effectively keeping that area of content fresh, without the agression of a per-round solution. Slime species can be appended to a reserach database scientists can access between rounds, to make notes about observed traits & behaviours of a given species, helping those in the future & themselves in later rounds. As said before, slime species / database is based on a daily rotation, at the end of every day all information about slime-species is reset and fresh samples are randomly generated.

#### Department interactions & oppurtunities
::: info
> A large part of the main intent is to encourage, or rather provide, interactions between departments, rather than having players sit inside a box all round.
:::

- **Cargo**: Listed below is a further in-depth look at how exactly this works(*see research listing console*). Essentially, an emphasis is put on science exporting resources in exchange for designs, funds and research.

- **Service**: Also listed and explain further below (*See slime-mood*). Service can contribute / aid science in producing food / items for xenobiology that is used to improve the output / process.

- **Engineering / Atmos**: Also listed and explain further below (*See slime-diet*). Engineering, and atmos especially offer xenobiology a similar increase to output & process effectivness, like service.

::: info
> That's the general idea. It should have room for your own as-well as interpretations. However, further in-depth explorations of these ideas are presented below. 
:::

## Components Checklist

> As elements are introduced they will be appended here.

- [ ] You're looking cute.
- [x] You're looking spooky.

<hr/>

## Components Details
### Slimes

:::info 
> Slime interactions are generally intended to feel like you're looking after something living without the demanding attention / chore-like dedication of botany's plants.
:::

- **Slime Species**: Slimes typically don't fall under a single type, rather every slime belongs to its own unique species. Slime species are named, primarily based on visuals features, as this is easy to discern than traits & other characteristics. Slime species can be combined to create new ones in the *slime combinator*, this tool gives players a little more agency over this aspect, helping them create their perfect slime. Slimes species inherit visual aspects from their parents, only occasionally mutating. Each slime species can be scanned for discovery points, although slimes species can be scanned between rounds, bonus points are awared for the first time a species is discovered.
    ::: info
    > Let's break down how a slime's species name / genus is strucutred.
    
    ![](https://i.imgur.com/5ZtxsNJ.png)
    ![](https://i.imgur.com/I5FvdFY.png)
    :::
    - **Slime Shape**: The shape of a slime is its most obvious, and first, indicator of type. However, it is rare to see a slime with a different shape, like many traits these different shapes have categories of rarity.
    
    ![](https://i.imgur.com/PfSjrVB.png)
    Holy shit he's animated :0
    ![](https://i.imgur.com/xv3JnOR.gif)
    ![](https://i.imgur.com/et7reAg.png)
    ![](https://i.imgur.com/HuOGVCp.png)

    - **Slime Color**: The second factor of a slime's type is its color. Although slimes may simply be ``purpura`` a.k.a purple, they will also have orange and sea green as backup colors, since they are complementary. However, some rarer colors, like ``medica`` have designated backup colors, to better fit a theme.
    ![](https://i.imgur.com/Pb2jMdQ.png)
    ![](https://i.imgur.com/el31VsJ.png)
    
    - **Slime Texture**: The third factor, slime textures dictate how colors will be distributed. These are will randomly scroll and warp, a feature unique to each slime, regardless of species. The default texture slimes start with, roundstart slimes, only utilizes the primary color of a slime, however rarer textures can utilize up to three different colors.
    ![](https://i.imgur.com/6qG0xwr.png)
    ![](https://i.imgur.com/UNXXc43.png)
    ![](https://i.imgur.com/wFKdKut.png)

    - **Slime Sub-Shape**: The last, and optional, factor of a slime is the sub-shape. The sub-shape dictates wether the slime has any special accessories that contribute to its shape. These are rare and most slimes wont have them.
    ![](https://i.imgur.com/Y266pA2.png)
    ![](https://i.imgur.com/AOyVlt3.png)
    ![](https://i.imgur.com/tibJpQZ.png)

- **Slime traits**: Each slime species has a random set of two traits, a regular trait and a behavioral trait. Regular traits dictate a slimes product & ability, this can be something typical, like producing an edible or radioactive product at full hunger-saturation. Behavioral traits dictate certain abstract actions a slime will do, like abosrbing live prey or glowing in the dark.

- **Slime mood**: Slimes have feelings too, and keeping them saturated with plasma, amongst their friends, or feeding them their favourite food makes them very happy! Happy slimes will produce slime-products often when fed and of slightly higher qaulity / qauntity. When slimes are left unfed or amongst their enemies they become unhappy. Unhappy slimes wont produce slime-products often, and when they do it will be of a slightly lower qaulity. Additionally, when slimes are unahppy, they will become rabid, attacking everyone, including other slimes. Rabid slimes will eventually die.

    - **Slime Diet**: Slimes have prefered foods & gasses. When saturated by their prefered gas, typically plasma, slimes will increase in mood & hunger-saturation, absorbing it. When slimes see a food they like they will attempt to eat it, increasing their hunger-saturation & mood, better than gas. This preference is unique between species. When a slime is at full saturation it will typically produce a slime-product, although this is dependant on their traits.

::: info
> Those glass-barries are temporary sprites for the Gelatin containment field, they only stop slimes!

> Some happy slimes!
![](https://i.imgur.com/sdkdFU3.png)

> Some sad slimes...
![](https://i.imgur.com/MeFpyON.png)
:::

<hr/>

### Tools & Machines

- **Slime-Combinator**: This machine is used to simulate the combination of two different slime species. However, this can't be done haphazardly, and requires a level of thought. Once a sample has been produced to the player's liking they can spend plasma, and some other resources, to clone their simulated beauty.
    
    ::: info
    > Here's some big images to show how it works!
    ![](https://i.imgur.com/8UT9xMC.png)
    ![](https://i.imgur.com/GK5Ecos.png)
    ![](https://i.imgur.com/h6zXicD.png)
    ![](https://i.imgur.com/YPqjNlU.png)
    ![](https://i.imgur.com/2vAL9Qd.png)
    ![](https://i.imgur.com/ETJhIpe.png)
    :::
    
<hr/>
    
- **Slime-Cloner**: Eventually someone will come across a slime they really like, and want more of them. Instead of making them continuosly breed the same poor slimes players can clone their favourite child! Cloning, like combining, costs plasma, among some other resources.

<hr/>

::: info
> The slime database acts as a way of effectivelly allowing players to 'learn' xenobiology throughout a day, before it resets. This has the added benehfit of prompting some interesting, almost RP, scenarios when scientists make reserach notes about a given species.
:::

- **Slime Databse**: When a slime species is scanned, it will be added to a persistent database, although slime species are persisten regardless. Players can append notes to certain species within this database that also remains persistent. When a new species is discovered nothing from the outside suggests its traits or behaviours, prompting players to reserach the specimen, and hopefully write down their discoveries. Players can use this to share information between rounds.

<hr/>

::: info
> This is intended to disolve the xenoarchaeology listing console. However, each sub-department will have access to their own, for the sake of convenience.
In terms of xenoarchaeology obtaining artifacts without the console ``We'llFigureItOut™``. Possibly just ship something goofy or implement actual archaeology in a dependant PR.
:::

- **Research Bounty Console**: With this console science can take on different requesistions for each of their sub-departments, this console lists requesistions for each sub-department. A requesistion is a request that can be satisfied in exchange for reserach points, discovery points, money, designs or items related to the respective job. After accepting a requesition and producing the required items, players can bring the items to cargo, in a requesistion crate, to satisfy the condition and recieve their rewards. This will realy on a subsystem that handles each sub-departments bounties, this will allow for special cases, like xenoarchaeology always needing access to some way to sell artifacts.

::: info
> Have a shitty mockup.
> The items required are listed, accompanied by some dialogue. Ignore the green button.
![](https://i.imgur.com/A8apUd8.png)
:::

:::info
> In the context of xenobiology this may be a set of slimes species that resemble a pattern or have rare markings. Robotics may need to produce cyborgs, with provided brains, or assemble mechs. Toxins could be required to design a bomb that reaches, or surpasses, a certain threshhold of destruction. Xenoarchaeology might need to find an artifact with a specific trait, or two.
:::

<hr/>

**Slime Storage**: With all this combining and cloning, players will eventually be forced to house a plethora of objectively useless slimes. Instead of having the player kill them, they are offered the alternative to put their slimy friends into storage. Slime Storage units can hold up to ``put a number here`` each, meaning more will need to be constructed as time goes on.

<hr/>

::: info
> [Legal bruh moment #1](https://slimerancher.fandom.com/wiki/Slime_Rancher_Wiki)
:::

**Slime Gun**: The slime gun is used to move slimes between environments safely & interface slimes with machines. Slime guns can be slotted into the various machines discussed previosuly, such as the cloner & combinator. The slime gun only works inside xenobiology, unless emagged, otherwise it can only store slimes, not deposit them.

<hr/>

::: info
> [Legal bruh moment #2](https://slimerancher.fandom.com/wiki/Slime_Rancher_Wiki)
:::

**Gelatin Containment Field**: The GCF is a device used to contain slimes in a given area by projecting a wall around it. Anything can pass through this barrier, excluding slimes & gasses. These machines use large amounts of power to stay operational.

::: info
> I'm not a huge fan of the existing slime-console design, where players sit on an in-game computer the entire time they interact with the department. It's probably a better design to have players moving through the department physically interacting with manual equipment, moving slimes around, and feeding them, that way.
:::

::: info
As said before, the sprites for the containment fields are a temporary solution.

![](https://i.imgur.com/3u2tfgF.png)
:::

<hr/>

**Slime Toys**: Slime toys are items, tiles and structure that can be implemented into a slime's environment to increase their mood. These are primarily acquired through research bounties, however, some can be found as loot, bought from cargo or made by other departments. A simple example of these are plushies, when standing next to a plushie, slimes will be slightly happier. Other examples may include arcade or grass tiles.
