Lest we forget: SPORE

[MidnightVoyager]

Is anyone else finding the game characterized by constant violence?

Mostly.

I have no idea how you could possibly do tribal stage nonviolently, as rival tribes are out to get you from moment one, and I haven't seen any way to turn a prehostile tribe to a neutral stance. I fail at this level. I really, really fail, and kept getting my entire tribe wiped out. Tips would be appreciated.

Oh, that's easy. You give them gifts. In social mode, right-click on their food... area... blanket thing... and a group of your guys with flowers and such will bring a wrapped gift basket.

Do this as fast as you can. Really. If they attack your tribe beforehand and get truly pissed off, they might well attack anyway. Then you can do the music thing. This is randomly harder for some creatures, mainly carnivores. I had a group of carnivores attack to the point where I (and some of my allies who happened to be wandering by while gathering) had to wipe them out, wait for their chief to respawn, and THEN bring them a gift. But that does actually work.

You can also domesticate animals, who will lay eggs that you can harvest. ...I domesticated a Darwin. Lulz ensued.

Always leave at least one person at home, though. Bastard wild animals keep trying to steal food. Also, someone has to be there to accept any gifts that allies might bring.

While we're at the tips, bring as many musicians as you can, divided up evenly between every instrument you have access to. Larger tribes seem harder to impress, and having more people playing music helps.

[Zazazu]

Oh, that's easy. You give them gifts. In social mode, right-click on their food... area... blanket thing... and a group of your guys with flowers and such will bring a wrapped gift basket.

Oh doi. Totally forgot about that.

Do this as fast as you can. Really. If they attack your tribe beforehand and get truly pissed off, they might well attack anyway. Then you can do the music thing. This is randomly harder for some creatures, mainly carnivores. I had a group of carnivores attack to the point where I (and some of my allies who happened to be wandering by while gathering) had to wipe them out, wait for their chief to respawn, and THEN bring them a gift. But that does actually work.

My evolved creatures, the Dodoki, are masters of instruments. They quickly befriended one tribe of creatures that I had made with the creature creator, a sort of ape/frog hybrid, after being told that they would enjoy maracas. The triffids, however, wanted to kill me dead, closely followed by some random EAxis creature.

You can also domesticate animals, who will lay eggs that you can harvest. ...I domesticated a Darwin. Lulz ensued.

I had issues with this. When I went tribal, I had three group members of different species (easter egg to unlock by doing that). They appear in my pen. I tried domesticating a group of other creatures, and they adore the Dodoki, but I had the message that I had too many domesticated creatures. I guess I need to let go of the ones I inadvertently have.

Always leave at least one person at home, though. Bastard wild animals keep trying to steal food. Also, someone has to be there to accept any gifts that allies might bring.

Blasted other tribes, too.

Will have to retry. I'm hellbent on getting all the possible parts in both the cellular and creature stages. I came close on both before. Plus, I want to figure out being an omnivore, eating fruits and already dead animals.

[J. M. Pescado]

Oh, that's easy. You give them gifts. In social mode, right-click on their food... area... blanket thing... and a group of your guys with flowers and such will bring a wrapped gift basket.

Well, I know the HOW, but the problem is that they ATTACK me. When I am subsequently forced to kill them and burn their village to the ground to make the constant unprovoked attacks stop, it is self-defense!

Do this as fast as you can. Really. If they attack your tribe beforehand and get truly pissed off, they might well attack anyway. Then you can do the music thing. This is randomly harder for some creatures, mainly carnivores. I had a group of carnivores attack to the point where I (and some of my allies who happened to be wandering by while gathering) had to wipe them out, wait for their chief to respawn, and THEN bring them a gift. But that does actually work.

Why would you kill them and THEN give them a gift? That doesn't make a lot of sense. If they attack you, they are your enemies. You don't give gifts to enemies. Plus, if you killed them already, what'd be the point?

You can also domesticate animals, who will lay eggs that you can harvest. ...I domesticated a Darwin. Lulz ensued.

Yeah, I got the entire animal domestication thing. Took a bit to figure out that you did not have to feed them or slaughter them for meat to get food.

Always leave at least one person at home, though. Bastard wild animals keep trying to steal food. Also, someone has to be there to accept any gifts that allies might bring.

I love it when they do that. Saves me the bother of having to hunt an animal down if it will just come to me! OM NOM NOM NOM!

While we're at the tips, bring as many musicians as you can, divided up evenly between every instrument you have access to. Larger tribes seem harder to impress, and having more people playing music helps.

You mean my one instrument, right? The game gave me one instrument.

[Zazazu]

When you befriend a tribe, you may get additional instrument creation stations as a benefit. I got the ability to make digger-whattas (that aboriginal instrument) from befriending the apefrogs. They also brought me some food, right before the dang triffid war started.

[Milhouse Trixibelle Saltfucker III]

You mean Didgeridoos?
(No, I have nothing of value to say beyond that.)

[MidnightVoyager]

(easter egg to unlock by doing that).

Easter Egg? You mean, er, the actual eggs, or...? I domesticated quite a few and I don't recall seeing anything.

Well, I know the HOW, but the problem is that they ATTACK me. When I am subsequently forced to kill them and burn their village to the ground to make the constant unprovoked attacks stop, it is self-defense!

Why would you kill them and THEN give them a gift? That doesn't make a lot of sense. If they attack you, they are your enemies. You don't give gifts to enemies. Plus, if you killed them already, what'd be the point?

I was going for a peaceful, hippy, religious society, just to see how it goes. They're vegetarians and everything.

And... Well, the chief comes back after a while, then the tribe repopulates, assuming you didn't smush their buildings. You can often get them to stop attacking with a gift, but they hit me first, so I was forced to butcher the hell out of them. And then we gave them gifts. They decided that they preferred the happy music and trading to being butchered.

My next creature is going to be a terribly cute death machine that destroys everyone who opposes.

[Zazazu]

You mean Didgeridoos?
(No, I have nothing of value to say beyond that.)

Yes. However, that word is hard for me to say. It is going to remain digger-whattas.

Midnight Voyager, a lot of my creations I have are like that. I haven't actually played them, though. I have a few that closely resemble frogs, and one that has these huge tentacles from its head that make it look like some sort of bush/octopus hybrid. It's so pretty when it hops around and the tentacles spin. Under the tentacles, however, is hidden a tiny creature with two of the highest bite-rated mouths and loads of spikes.

[cwieberdink]

You mean Didgeridoos?
(No, I have nothing of value to say beyond that.)

Yes. However, that word is hard for me to say. It is going to remain digger-whattas.

Midnight Voyager, a lot of my creations I have are like that. I haven't actually played them, though. I have a few that closely resemble frogs, and one that has these huge tentacles from its head that make it look like some sort of bush/octopus hybrid. It's so pretty when it hops around and the tentacles spin. Under the tentacles, however, is hidden a tiny creature with two of the highest bite-rated mouths and loads of spikes.

We should start a creature swap!

[BastDawn]

You mean Didgeridoos?
(No, I have nothing of value to say beyond that.)

Yes. However, that word is hard for me to say. It is going to remain digger-whattas.

Didge-er-ie-doo!  It's a fun word you shouldn't miss out on.   
Got any screenshots to share?

[Solowren]

I finally gave in and am torrenting this. I've told myself it's just to test the game out, but I know what'll really happen: I'll get hooked on it and forget all about my poor Sims. Sadface.

It seems like a lot of fun already.

[Faizah]

Okay, I have another question. When you play, does it start out as a cellular thingummy, or something? Can you evolve into one you've already created in the editor without re-making the whole creature all over again in the game?

[Zazazu]

You mean Didgeridoos?
(No, I have nothing of value to say beyond that.)

Yes. However, that word is hard for me to say. It is going to remain digger-whattas.

Didge-er-ie-doo!  It's a fun word you shouldn't miss out on.   
Got any screenshots to share?

I think it's the transition between the first two syllables that gets me. I couldn't say "recognize" until I was 17, either, and finally had to master it for a skit I was doing in a British accent for Speech Club. It took a really long time for me to be able to move between the first and second syllables.

I have some screenshots. Unfortunately, I'd tried to printscreen the videos, which are the cutest thing ever, just to find that they come out as masses of blackness. I may have to get one of those external screenshot programs all the cool kids are talking about.

EDIT: Here we go. Clicky on the picture below for a link to the album.

The Dodoki (far left) with his three buddies.

[jfade]

You mean Didgeridoos?
(No, I have nothing of value to say beyond that.)

Yes. However, that word is hard for me to say. It is going to remain digger-whattas.

Didge-er-ie-doo!  It's a fun word you shouldn't miss out on.   
Got any screenshots to share?

I think it's the transition between the first two syllables that gets me. I couldn't say "recognize" until I was 17, either, and finally had to master it for a skit I was doing in a British accent for Speech Club. It took a really long time for me to be able to move between the first and second syllables.

I have some screenshots. Unfortunately, I'd tried to printscreen the videos, which are the cutest thing ever, just to find that they come out as masses of blackness. I may have to get one of those external screenshot programs all the cool kids are talking about.

EDIT: Here we go. Clicky on the picture below for a link to the album.
SNIPThe Dodoki (far left) with his three buddies.

It wants a password. Sadcakes.

[Zazazu]

Fixed. Photofuckit was being confusing.

[squish]

Is anyone else finding the game characterized by constant violence?

If nothing else, I find it easier to be violent than to make friends. You just go in and destroy everything just like that, whereas making friends, you need to fuck around around a lot with instruments and showing off and such.

[cwieberdink]

Well, now after having made it to the tribal stage, I'm getting sick of it.  It is like JM says, just too much violence.  There is no way to avoid it and it gets tedious after a while.  The creature creator was fun for the first few plays, but I'm sick of that now too.  Back to Sims!

[kewian]

Im having a bit of trouble figuring out how to make them leave the tribal area.. or do they only go out when meat is low?

[Zazazu]

Click and select around your tribe. This will set them as a group for commands. You can then click on the ground to move them about or on action-objects like fruit bushes.

[Ryslin]

I find myself enjoying this game entirely too much. Starting from cell and only letting them have what they come across has made some interesting messes of creatures.

My sadness is no underwater/flight from creature phase. I see a expac with all that in there.
Try the poison on the cell phase, you don't have to fight at all.

The question about how you start..First load of game requires you do the previous level to access the next. This means you must have done cell/tidal pool to get to critter, critter to get to tribal so on. From that point on you can create something "at that level" and play it one level beyond what you got to. The downside of this is they do not get their evolutionary powers, which can change the way things are going quickly. The first species I got any distance came into Tribal phase with this rain that heals, and a firework that raises those that watch it's relationship to the tribe.

I am finding depth in odd places and empty holes that imply content might be forthcomming. My thought for the underwater is if you do for some reason swim out into water as a critter you will get chomped.


Last but not least, omnivores rule. If it lives , we can eat it.

[cwieberdink]

I've played the cell stage twice and neither time could I find the omnivore jaw!  I got all the parts except that one.

[Zazazu]

How did you get an omnivore from cell stage? It always tagged me as one or the other and then all the mouths I could find were of that type. My last run as a creature called the Macard (a pretty normal-looking bird), I got all parts but the omnivore and carnivore mouths.

I noticed some other creatures in a group catching fish. Every once in a while you see them hopping in the water.  You can sort of fly with the right wings. I couldn't get the Macard to do much more than a very short glide, but his body was slightly awkward. I saw quite a few EAxis creatures flying full-out (and one altercation where they were dive-bombing another nest).

[Roxxy]

I have made a few omnivore critters, and couldn't unlock the right piece so initially I gave it both mouths.   I then ate plant and meat matter, after doing this and evolving all my creatures but one have been omnivore.  Not sure about the other one or what I did different.

I have evolved a few to Space stage and they have been mostly passive civilisations that dominate via religious or economic means, it's been awesome.

[IAmTheRad]

I want more stuffs in spore. I'll buy it, and suffer the consequences of suck-u-rom to have the game automatically grab content for me.

[Heinel]

I've played the cell stage twice and neither time could I find the omnivore jaw!  I got all the parts except that one.

See that green pear-like thing that can charge forward really quick and pierce other cells while draining their fluids? That's the cell stage omnivore mouth.  You can also suck plants with it.

[IAmTheRad]

The easiest way to get to omnivore anyways is with the carnivore mouth and herbivore mouth in cell phase. It makes finding food a whole lot easier in creature phase (not that it was hard to begin with) and it makes finding food trivial in tribal phase. Sure, you can use the omnivore mouth after you get it, but usually the time you unlock it you're already in either the carnivore or the herbivore paths and can't get out of it.