User Guide

Creating

Creatures, continued...

Sample creature

To help you understand how a creature is combined and why, let’s look at a sample creature

and why its abilities might be useful.

THE SCENARIO

We want to attack a nearby encampment enclosed by bramble fences and protected by slow-

moving creatures.

WHAT DO WE NEED?

The creature should be quick and have the ability to destroy brambles with immunity to thorns.

HOW DO WE FIND SUCH A CREATURE?

Use the Zoo screen to search for a hybrid creature with the abilities we need. If none exists,

use the Animal Selection screen to nd two stock animals that have the desired abilities and

then use the Combiner to join them into a single hybrid. Once we’ve found or created a hybrid,

use the Army Builder to enlist its blueprint into our army.

WHAT DID WE CHOOSE?

In our scenario, the scorpion and the cheetah were combined

into a creature called a Cheetion. We chose the scorpion for its

tail and claws so our creature would have a stinger and pincers.

We chose the cheetah for its front and back legs so our creature

would possess high speed and leap ability.

Result: The Cheetion

WHAT WERE ITS STRENGTHS?

The pincers give our creature the ability

to destroy fences, as well as immunity

to the effects of brambles. The stinger

can be used to debilitate enemy units

in close combat. The creature’s ability

to run fast helps it get out of the way

of an attack quickly, and, if needed,

can use its leap ability to strike rst in

close combat. The cheetion would be

good for hit-and-run attacks.

Note:

For this exercise we addressed only the creature’s combat abilities. When choosing

two animals to combine, it is also important to consider health, sight radius, cost, research

level, and size.

WHAT WERE ITS VULNERABILITIES?

Neither the cheetah nor the scorpion is a very big animal, lessening its ability to sustain attack.

Neither has good sight radius nor is able see long distances. Therefore, the Cheetion would

not be a good scout. It would be at risk to ranged units that could quickly take it out from a

distance before it could react. It lacks the power or toughness to make a front-on assault.