0000640: why do alligators have babies? - Dungeon Crawl Stone Soup Tracker

Notes
(0001907) jpeg (manager) 2010-01-31 22:12	You know, I've been wondering that myself... Is it just the name that bothers you (so grizzly and bear are okay?) or the fact that they are the same monster with different stats, same as many other monsters in the game? I haven't met either in-game or even wizard mode, so I've no idea how much they differ.

(0001915) OG17 (reporter) 2010-02-01 00:48	Why does it follow that if one monster type is accompanied by monsters with a specific flavor, other monsters need to have the same? And do you envision a player trekking through an unlivable hivemind dungeon into a multi-floor subterranean swamp and having his illusion of disbelief shattered by a bunch of lizards? This is a ridiculous hang-up - alligators don't raise questions concerning the consistency of Crawl's ecosystem because Crawl doesn't pretend to have anything resembling an ecosystem in the first place. Baby alligators exist to get in the player's way, just like every other aspect of the game. Besides, what works better for alligator pack monsters than alligator young?

(0001917) due (developer) 2010-02-01 01:11	I like the idea of war puppy myself! But really, I personally feel that this is a non-issue. I may be biased because I coded them. They provide an interesting flavour: pack monsters (babies plus an adult), they are different from adult alligators (they are faster, but do less damage) and they don't have the same attacks as the adults (no tail-slap). There was the intent to make alligators a "timid" type of creature that only picked an enemy/foe when said foe attacks them, gets too close, or attacks their young (if in a band). This probably won't make it into 0.6, but it will provide even more "interestingness" in 0.7.

(0001921) dpeg (administrator) 2010-02-01 01:36	I am late to this, but note that there are larvae in the game. My opinion is this: no, in general we don't want young versions of all monsters (neither old ones, for that matter). However, if it helps for distinctive gameplay (e.g. AI), then it's okay. Jude is trying to achieve this with the alligators, so that's completely fine with me. It may happen that alligators won't work out as intended (once the planned AI changes are in), but than can always happen. There is no need to deduce a general trend to babies from this. Closing.

Issue History
Date Modified	Username	Field	Change
2010-01-31 18:21	Lemuel	New Issue
2010-01-31 19:26	Lemuel	Description Updated
2010-01-31 22:12	jpeg	Note Added: 0001907
2010-02-01 00:48	OG17	Note Added: 0001915
2010-02-01 01:11	due	Note Added: 0001917
2010-02-01 01:11	due	Assigned To	=> due
2010-02-01 01:11	due	Status	new => assigned
2010-02-01 01:11	due	Operating System	=> Other
2010-02-01 01:11	due	Console or Tiles	=> Both
2010-02-01 01:11	due	Product Branch	longterm planning (0.7+) => 0.6 development branch
2010-02-01 01:11	due	Fixed in Branch	=> 0.6 development branch
2010-02-01 01:36	dpeg	Note Added: 0001921
2010-02-01 01:36	dpeg	Status	assigned => closed
2010-02-01 01:36	dpeg	Resolution	open => done

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