Thread:Dinoman9877/@comment-25809355-20141119024426/@comment-25809355-20141121013134

Well Drodo, keep in mind this takes heavy influence from some other games, and you can see I made the last edit a few hours ago. Also, this will be a long explanation, so you may want to get comfortable or read this in spurts.

I had this idea where what would have been a miracle cure quickly turns into a nightmare infestation.

My idea was that there is a species of single-celled organism that undergoes frequent genetic mutation, more frequent than most other cells, due to an evolved ability to steal the DNA of most of what they consume. Because of this ability, they would also evolve the ability to create, repair, and destroy chromosomes as well, since sometimes they would eat something that doesn't agree with them and they have to take care of it or be this half dead ball of goo. They would also be able to share these created DNA strands with others of their species and help repair those that were in a really bad way. A microorganism of sorts.

The ability to repair DNA would be what caused the random Empire I pulled from thin air to use it as a miracle cure, simply splicing it (Which, yes, would only work for a short time) to identify problem cells as their own species, and thus help repair the DNA. Cure to a lot of cancers right there. They could also be used to destroy those pesky incurable diseases.

But the cells need to be flushed from the system by way of medication, lest they begin to reproduce, and lose their falsified relationship to identify with the patient's cells. This is where it starts. One patient, a pet no less, would refuse to take the medicine or the owners didn't care. So the cells began to reproduce, and would mutate away from identifying with the host cells.

So eventually, they would begin to attack the body of the host, absorbing the genetic code of the cells they feed on. This is where the trick kicks in. Since the chromosomes of a cell identify it to be a certain type of cell, such as blood cells, skin cells, brain cells, etc. The invasive cells start becoming more like those cells, until finally you get the beginnings of a little organism.

So as the cells go along through the host's system, they absorb cells that would identify to each part of the body: organs, limbs, sensory organs. Until eventually (and not within a year.), you get this almost perfect clone of the creature they've been feeding on. But I may have indulged into the primal natures a bit too much, so that the new creature won't act like a big puppy dog.

So the host gets sick, gets taken to a vet, and this clone creature bursts out (In my head, literally. From the stomach.) and gets out into the wild. I also decided, for the sake of fun, to make it so that this new creature kept the whole DNA absorption thing, and kept the reproduction asexual. That's the basis of the idea.

So this first creature goes out, and kills and eats something. It reproduces, those babies have new traits.

So you go along this line, until eventually we get to the main point. Maybe one of these creatures managed to infiltrate the nest of a colonial creature, maybe one that had a bad place to live in for their species or didn't get off the ground, but the main point is that they're some sort of ant-like thing, and the creature got maybe just a nibble off of the leader.

Well that's all she wrote. The next creature can lay eggs and control them. This is the basis for my idea. A bunch of different castes, all under the control of a powerful leader.

And then they turn their primal rage to the resident empire which, unprepared for an infestation from creatures like this, will eventually be forced off the planet. There would be those that didn't get away, and would be entered into this conglomeration of DNA.

Thus it gives me an excuse to make the creatures capable of basic problem solving and thought, and more so in the monarchs, to the point that they could be reasoned with.

So here you have a colony of aggressive creatures that could be engaged in diplomacy. I also decided that genetic mutation would be individualized. There would be a basal form which could metamorphose into a more advanced form later.

And they spread in the way you would expect they would: A creature that is small and inconspicuous that could hide on Spaceships, get off at the next planet, metamorphose into one of the monarchs, and the cycle starts again.

Or maybe there's a way for them to control spaceships, if only for a short time. Who knows? I haven't gotten that far yet.

So I already have a pretty good idea of what I want to make, but I don't know what will and will not go for the fiction universe. Moreover, I doubt too many people want to deal with these mutants while they're in the middle of their universe-wide or whatever wars. The whole 'infestation' thing, I assume, would go against the random declaration of war part of the rules as well.

So there's a few bugs I need help getting worked out.