EPTAnatomy of Starcraft - Page 16
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CrazyF1r3f0x
United States2120 Posts
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Ponera
Canada596 Posts
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Ponera
Canada596 Posts
Thanks for your patience! I haven't even played starcraft 2 in weeks, thanks to work and borderlands...Strangely, I will try to cover the anatomy of some of the aliens in borderlands as well, once I get back on track with starcraft. Starcraft is my first free-time priority (no, I don't count my addiction to a new video game as 'free' time as I'm sure you all don't either T_T) I also plan on expanding my series "Learn to draw." If you are a subscriber you saw that I put my artistic abilities to the test, in one take, and posted it on youtube. I am taking requests, but I do have a few backlogged so if you lovely people want to see a specific thing (doesn't have to be zerg) and how to draw it easily, quickly and without a silly amount of talent/software, then PLEASE let me know! It feels a lot to me like I've lost a bit of momentum with this, as I'm sure a few of you can identify with. No worries! River and I still plan on handling the protoss morphology as a whole and Desc (the lovely chap that made the terran counterpart to this project of his own awesome accord) has let me know that we can work together in the future, whatever that may look like! Az, the fungal growth expert, is in regular contact as are several other academics interested in contributing, so stay tuned: "Shit is about to get EXTRA real!" | ||
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tablet
Finland116 Posts
+ Show Spoiler + celebrated cerebrate anuses teehee hee | ||
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Ponera
Canada596 Posts
Video material: (Why video game developers should hire me) (Learn to draw) versus post material: EVERYTHING ELSE well no, this isn't a strict adherence that is planned. For example: (fungal growth discussion) I also find that various visuals are better left for a decent video, but other things are better left for a decent ability to write. So I am learning! | ||
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Ponera
Canada596 Posts
![[image loading]](http://www.teamliquid.net/staff/Waxangel/hots_anaheim/Zerg_SwarmHost.jpg) The Swarm Host is a rather unique creature in the starcraft 2 universe. It is, however, not that unique when compared to life on Earth. They have a very hydralisk-like head, with the derp jaws included. They have a large cephalic (head) shield, presumabily protecting the soft neck and thorax. The limbs are really interesting. Clearly designed for burrowing, they have a very lumbering gait which is awkward at best. This isn't unheard of on Earth, but they do have a strange angle coming off the shoulder where the arm dips down then comes back up to the elbow region. There are random spikes at the wrist, projecting upwards, which really are not necessary. If anything, they should have armour projecting upwards to protect the apparently softer upper arms. I must say that I really like how they walk. It is clearly off balance a bit with the heavy structure on their back end. Now I am going to talk about what we all think of when we think about swarm hosts. Yes, that's right, the hydralisk derp jaw. Naw, the structure on its back is what we all think. It's actually clearly a hybrid of what you see with the frog Pipa pipa: ![[image loading]](http://scottthong.files.wordpress.com/2007/03/surinam_toad_eggs2.jpg) You can see it carries eggs on its back.Later on in the development, they actually go inside the skin and then hatch out. It's rather neat. Belostomatidae also does it: So realistically, it's not that weird. Basically the swarm host would hatch out with a compliment of sperm. Sperm storage is exceedingly common, as some animals mate once and lay eggs for their entire life. Or they could simply do parthenogensis, where they effectively provide bother sets of chromosomes. They could also just provide one set of chromosomes, as it's not like the locust is going to be actually doing anything but damage and die. ![[image loading]](http://images3.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20120912130203/starcraft/images/8/8e/Locust_SC2_Head1.jpg) The locust is a really neat little friend. It seems like the whole face opens up to shoot out the projectile. This makes me think that the limitation on the lifespan of the locust is because they never actually eat- what they hatch with is what they get. This would allow for their entire gut structure to be reworked to basically becoming an assembly line for producing the projectiles. What that might look like is anyones guess. ![[image loading]](http://images2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20120609192954/starcraft/images/e/e2/Locust_HotS_Game1.JPG) You can see here that the bloated aft-end of the locust is supported by some spindly legs. This would be why it doesn’t move very fast. It also has heavy appendages on its front end, with the vestigial (and celebrated) anus coming off the back end. All said, this is an awkward creature mass produced in a hurry to mass produce projectiles and shoot them. | ||
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Ponera
Canada596 Posts
Well maybe hives give off some sort of repressive pheromone to prevent them from developing into full adults kind of similar to what queen bees do. The queen in the nydus network level seemed like she was laying eggs. Unless they were just eggs transferred down? Also I still think Locusts maybe Symbiots or parasites like the Mutalisk glaive wurms. I would think it would actually be easier to do it the other way: the Hive would need to provide the proper stimulus, rather than an inhibitor. The queen in the nydus network actually was hatching the eggs, I don't recall that she was actually laying them. I don't think Locusts are true parasites, unless you count mammalian foetuses or various eggs as parasitic (which I absolutely do.) They are no more a parasite though than a fertilized chicken egg, but the leech on resources is still there. A symbiont actually has to provide something in return; even then, there are not true examples of truly egalitarian symbiotic relationships. It is always skewed, even slightly, in ones favour. This can be really subtle, like the viral DNA that permanently incorporated itself into a song birds genes. The benefit for the virus is that it doesn't have to do anything for its genes to propagate at the cost of having no ability to adapt on its own (the virus is extinct except for its whole genome incorporated into the birds.) This can be thought of as hyperspecialization, so you are very successful when times are good but when times aren't so good you lose out to generalists.The reason why it's parasitic is that it's dead weight for the bird; every transcription and translation, repair or cell division you have this junk DNA. It's very subtle, but it is skewed in favour of the virus as it's not like the virus is making the bird sick or anything. This is in contrast, of course, to some of the nastier parasites like tapeworms or even parasitoids, like Ichneumonid wasps. They actually fly up to a caterpillar, lay their eggs in them and fly off. The eggs then hatch and their larvae eat the caterpillar alive. Come to think of it, the Locust may be a parasitoid. If they are a different strain, which I think they actually are, the newly forming/hatched Swarm Host may have a third party (which would be one of those background zerg units we never get to see) lay developing eggs in the Swarm Host. Since they would leech so much health, perhaps the consumption and metabolism of Swarm Hosts is quite high; in fact, it would presumably have to be in either scenario. This is contrary to their derpy (but awesome) gait. Instead of being fast as hell like a zergling, they simply repair the damage done by the parasitic eggs at an astonishing rate. In fact, the 'eggs' themselves could be a form of semi-permeable cyst. So the larvae begins developing and as it develops, the flexible cyst around it grows with it, allowing for passage of nutrients. Perhaps the rationale behind this could be explained in that Locusts have inhibitor proteins that interfere with proper cyst construction and also some that manage the numbers of Locusts developing at any given time. So those embryos that are in stasis (these could number in the millions) go through something like a Kangaroo's hyperfetation, where they can have successive generations of foetuses but with only one that is actively growing (or none, they can put all of them in diapause.) | ||
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kneebrace
3 Posts
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Ponera
Canada596 Posts
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neggro
United States591 Posts
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Ponera
Canada596 Posts
1. Parsimony (Occam's Razor): The simplest explanation is most often and likely correct, so it is always assumed that the simplest answer is right. 2. Uniformitarianism: (since wikipedia says it more elegantly that I would, here is an exerpt from their page on it) is the assumption that the same natural laws and processes that operate in the universe now, have always operated in the universe in the past and apply everywhere in the universe. This way we restrain some of the craziness and it allows us to critically assess whether structures would work or wouldn't, or at least try to justify why they are the way they are. 3. Comparative Anatomy: Self explainitory, but grounding this in tandem with uniformitarianism by comparing to life we do know and how it lives, dies, evolves and goes extinct. As far as references are concerned, just for your edification: I did Five years post-secondary in Paleontology, Entomology, Comparative Anatomy and related fields obtaining a double major in Earth Sciences and Biology (most of the Earth Science was paleontology.) I have Six years professional experience in Paleontology and Comparative Anatomy. I have bred everything from placental skinks to cockroaches, having worked with dozens of species of reptile, Amphibian, insect and fish, as well as a smattering of bird and mammal over the last 12+ years. I did an undergrad literature review on the evolution of limb reduction, which was a comprehensive tome consisting of every shred of research done in the last 100 years, with the exception of one obscure doctorial dissertation out of Australia, which I couldn't get my paws on. I also did an undergrad thesis on plesiomorphic snake vertebrae. I have courses in some rather specific things as well, such as parasitology, insect pathology, medical and veterinary entomology, freshwater invertebrates, marine invertebrates (including a week of fun times at a world renowned marine research center in Canada [Bamfield])...the list goes on and on. I've even dissected cats, sharks, lizards and other treats, having worked at body worlds for about 6 months and taken human osteology, I am very VERY familiar with what I am talking about. I have done work at two World Heritage Sites, including actual research at the Burgess Shale. On top of this, the majority of my friends are in PhD programs ranging from entomology to mycology and even comparative anatomy, so if I am not sure I have a whole facebook list of people who are willing to help me (as Az did with the fungal growth video.) That's just off the top of my head while I sit here in my fancy hotel room (okay, not that fancy but it doesn't smell of urine and Vicodin so I'm happy.) I'm really not trying to simply "Plead to a higher power" on this, I'm simply saying that as far as references go I'm pretty decent. When I say something, it's not just "spit-balling" or arm waving as I have a very comprehensive grasp on life today and in the past. There is a reason why I'm not doing terran or protoss tech: I am not an engineer, nor do I pretend to be and I recognize the limits of my knowledge base. ^_^ | ||
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Ponera
Canada596 Posts
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mGGNoRe
Australia124 Posts
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Deleted User 137586
7859 Posts
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Ponera
Canada596 Posts
On October 14 2012 13:39 CwnAnnwn wrote: Uncertain????? I've been requesting protoss since this thread started. They have some cool biology. I have to arrange with river to sit down and do that, you're right! We are going to work together on it, next time I see her on I'll make sure to hit her in the mouth with that suggestion! TOP OF THE PILE (as far as river/I collab). I won't do it without her, and I really feel that if I am covering an entire race in one broad stroke, I should do something special. Any suggestions for what sort of special? Also feel free to ninja me on what you think their biology is all about. I agree, also, the viper looks promising but things keep changing so fast as far as spells.. -_- I am also willing to revisit past units!! ALSO! If you want to suggest something, go ahead and be enthusiastic and be a cool nerd like me, make a suggestion of something you see! I will cover it or tell you why it isn't as likely, no answers are wrong (cept if you try terran, terran is always bad) | ||
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Lazyer
United States342 Posts
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uh-oh
Hong Kong135 Posts
In particular how do they float, how does the kydarian amulet work and, most importantly, why was it removed :D | ||
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Ponera
Canada596 Posts
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Serp87
Israel57 Posts
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Ponera
Canada596 Posts
Gonna have to do some youtube stuff too, though, but I will do my bestest! | ||
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