Race Well, What's Missing?

I'd imagine that such large arthropods from alien worlds would possess lungs as advanced as ours instead of the respiratory systems found on Earth's arthropods.

 

No chances are they just have an oxygen rich atmosphere, or metabolize using a different gas. Part of what makes an Arthropod is that they don't have a circulatory system with a heart, hence their respiratory system is primitive as well.

Teleportation, 3D printer using a material called pixels and the FTL drive rely on technology we don't understand yet. Hence I take no issue with them. Furthermore we don't know how many planets sustain life in the Universe and I'm amused that you think this is somehow an absurd aspect of the game.

It always boils down to this argument. We know arthropods have several limitations and these are all well established, why go out of your way to defy these limitations when there are several other directions you can go in?

Be unique, think of a new form of life, don't just go 'Oh arthropods because those are familiar to me and we don't have an arthropod species yet.'

 

I actually just read about your race suggestion, the Arkans, and I honestly just thought, "Oh, they're faceless bags of deadly amorphous stuff. Like the Novakid." I mean no offense, honestly. It's just that imo, they look the same in concept.

To me, the distance between Novakids and Arkans is much more like the distance between Cat-people and the Apex, because they are both based on mammals. On the other hand, Hylotl are very different from the Apex because they developed in a totally different environment and no doubt have radically different physiology. Plus, if you want me to get philosophical on you I can start to talk about how the distinction between organic and artificial shouldn't actually separate life from non-life (Short version: I consider the Glitch to be "alive" just as much as any other races, even if they aren't fleshy, since organisms are basically just computers made of meat).

My race has eight appendages, but four of the limbs became vestigial as they evolved. Now four of the limbs are small and limp, without digits for manipulating objects, and are basically useless. They are situated around the chest and neck. Here is an image:

 

See that seems pretty contradictory to what you say here

So the fact that Arkans are made of anti-matter and didn't evolve at all and have a completely different physiology from all other current races means nothing? I don't see how you can apply the above logic to my race and then disregard that same logic for all other races. If I were to go by your logic, the Hylotl, Apex, Human and Avians are all the same because they're all considered animals. This is an inherently flawed argument, reconsider the way you perceive the various races, apply the same logic to the Novakids as you would to the other races.

Heres the definition of life.
Noun

1. The condition that distinguishes animals and plants from inorganic matter, including the capacity for growth, reproduction, functional...
2. Living things and their activity: "some sort of life existed on Mars".

The difference between the Glitch and other races is that they're built. They don't grow or reproduce. I wouldn't consider them 'life' until they fit the definition. But lets not get into it.

Your race is interesting, however I'll use the logic you applied to my race. (I didn't take offense, I'm trying to prove a point though) "After looking at this race I honestly just thought 'Oh, they're anthropomorphic animals, like the Apex/Avians/Hylotl.'" See the flaw there?

EDIT: I feel I need to clarify something.

Anti-matter is literally the opposite of matter, in that it is made of the same particles just with the opposite charge. Anti-matter life could still be carbon based, and thats what the Arkans are, they're anti-matter jellyfish in a sense. The Novakids are bags filled with ionized gases, which is completely different to all forms of life, including anti-matter based life.

 

And giant arthropod physiology relies on biology we don't understand yet. Hence you should not take issue with it. And we actually do have rough estimates about life sustaining planets based on statistical projections from what we know about the small fraction of the universe that we have observed, and they are most likely very few.

It isn't going out of your way. You can just ignore it and say "they are alien, and somehow evolved something that works". The developers probably won't be going out of their way to explain how the Glitch have to breath and eat food. Maybe, maybe Demanrisu will write something about it in the lore, but chances are it will be done in a funny way, not taken very seriously.

Be unique, think of a new form of life, don't just go "Oh antimatter is cool and that's familiar to me and we don't have an antimatter species yet!"

 

I'm amused that you keep going back to my species suggestion. Also, how the hell would anti-matter life be familiar to me, we've never observed anti-matter life before, we don't even know if it exists. You have observed arthropods before, you know they exist. You've applied flawed logic here, and it is starting to get annoying.

 

I didn't even use logic. I didn't even make an actual argument. I just quoted your exact words, and changed a few parts.
Besides, when you accuse someone of using faulty logic, you should actually say which logical fallacy they are using!

If I actually did make an argument, it would have been more like "antimatter life is about as familiar to you as giant athropod humanoids are to me." After all, nobody's seen a giant arthropod humanoid before, and we don't even think it's possible IRL. Antimatter life is at least hypothetically real, and is a natural consequence of many of our assumptions about antimatter.

The scientific definition of life is outmoded. It doesn't allow for artificial organics like the Glitch. They do reproduce by building a new robot, and they grow by upgrading themselves.

Well, I asked much earlier what you think a plausible alternative would be. Since you made the Arkans thread, you probably think they would be a plausible alternative. I would disagree with that, and I actually think an Arthropod race is a better alternative (especially since the Arkans are also anthropomorphic animals, they're just made of antimatter).

 

"Just made of anti-matter." As though that isn't a major factor, amusing. But anyway I can see you're really into the arthropod suggestion but go nuts, I wasn't suggesting they were bad, I was suggesting that you should try something more unique. The fact remains that if I were to compare races as you compare my Arkans with Novakids then nothing would be a good alternative as everything would already have been done. Anywho, abandoning this thread, have fun.

 

I legitimately think that there are very few things missing from Starbound at the moment.

Like a few details maybe, but nothing big. Except maybe the Mid-East, that seems pretty big.

I mean, if I was a Muslim extremist, I'd be fucking offended if there wasn't any Mid-Eastern race. After all, Starbound is like the most important thing ever to have happened, even in Kyrgyzstan. Besides, how awful would it be if some Caliph sent suicide bombers to destroy Chucklefish just because they didn't include my idea?! LOL I don't know whether to laugh or cry.

 

I said I was abandoning but one more thing out of interest. You'd be surprised, a lot of Muslim Extremists actually detest games that depict any form of Islamic culture, regardless of if its portrayed in a positive light. Its less a case of "everyone needs to be like us" as it is "everyone other than us needs to die".

 

The arthropod (?) idea is actually rather awesome! And I do enjoy the Mid-Eastern theme, since as many people have stated it's one of the only big areas that the themes of the races haven't covered. I do like the clothing you mocked up, looks good. The sprites could use some work but you already said that, I do hope that the Devs add in a Mid-East themed race. It'll bump it up to an even eight and cover the majority of the world themes.

Tiy actually said he didn't want it to become Furrybound. BLASPHEMY! Lawls, joking. I find that kinda funny but I agree with him on that, I would be a bit off-put if all there was for species was a bunch of Mammalian-humanoids. I personally adore the Novakid and Hylotls.

I was trying to think of a race myself, and may try for it later, modding it in that is. Just the base species is a bit hard for me, but I was thinking maybe going for a pirate/nautical theme, but eh. Was thinking a mineral race. Bleh. It's so hard to find something that hasn't been done before and fits with the sprite and feel of Starbound.

 

I know! The sprite is probably one of the most challenging parts.

By the way, for those who are unsure of what an arthropod is, it's an invertebrate that has an exoskeleton on the outside of their organs and muscles. It includes insects, spiders, scorpions, and crustaceans. All other animals either have no skeleton at all (like Jellyfish and Octopuses), or they have a skeleton on the inside that is surrounded by all their fleshy organs and muscles (like Mammals, Birds, Reptiles, and Amphibians).

 

Yeah. I'll figure it out, just need to figure out a decent idea to work with first. =P

Okay. That's why I put the question mark, I was unsure if I was spelling it right.

 

So I have some new sprites in the OP, mostly updated clothing for both genders.
I also decided on a new concept for the race: Their mouths are on top of their heads, almost like a poptop.

Basically, in ancient times the ancestor species walked on all eight legs much like the arachnids here on Earth. However, eventually one species developed the ability to run on their rear four legs so that they could move more quickly away from potential predators. This new position gave them greater visibility from behind, as well. Eventually this developed into the primary way the species traveled, and their eyes began to shift (because normally their vision would be upside-down). Their forward legs began to deteriorate due to disuse and became vestigial organs, shriveling up into four small bumps on their upper backs. Soon, they began to move on two legs instead of four, and they began to use their arms to manipulate basic tools. The two legs they walked on slowly shifted positions to be closer to the ground, giving them more control and stability while walking.

What was once their back has become their front. Behold the wonders of life!

Evidence of this evolutionary path was found in an ancient cave painting found in one of their lost temples:


Though crudely drawn, the evidence is clear. Also, the colorful mark on the belly (used to be their backs) is used to attract mates and ward off predators. The race has a complex caste system that once was based on the color and pattern of their markings. Over time, different castes bred with each other and the markings were no longer reliable for determining caste or rank. Instead, the current system is based on the profession of the family that is passed down from generation to generation, though some markings are more common in some castes than in others.

The evolution of the species is occasionally mentioned in their religious and philosophical texts. It is considered to be symbolic of the transition from common sense to higher wisdom, and how brilliant ideas are sometimes considered "backwards" by people who simply don't understand their genius. Critics retort by saying it is more like how as a child we lie on our backs and look to the skies, but as elders we hunch forward and stare at the ground. This conflict between exploration opposed to tradition is repeated often in their ancient history.

 

GOD DAMNIT! I knew I shouldn't have looked up camel spiders! Are they native to North America? My arachnophobia prevents me from viewing the wiki page.

 

They aren't actually spiders, and they're found in Iraq.

 

Not going to lie.. but i crapped my pants when i searched up camel spider. Only thing that would make them scarier is if they had wings. *shudders*

 

...What demonic entity would make such a horrid beast? No wonder Iraq is such a powder keg, everyone is trying to flee from camel spiders. Which aren't actually spiders...

 

From Wikipedia: "Solifugae generally inhabit warm and arid habitats, including virtually all warm deserts and scrublands in all continents excepting Antarctica and Australia."

They are indeed not actually spiders-- They are more closely related to scorpions.

 

My new source of ideas originates from this thread.