The (not really) Official Endgame Summon Thread!

[MaxWilson]

Point and laugh.

-Max

[HoneyBadger]

Actually, that was Lingchih's claim. I'm not the one that started this whole mess but I have heard-and generally accept-that certain species of plants aren't all that removed from animals. I could also accept that fungi are even closer to animals than other types of plants, because they have some animal-like qualities-for instance not requiring sunlight as their direct and primary source of fuel. That would therefore suggest-should it all be biologically correct-that yes, some fungi *are* closer to humans than other plants, and allow the possibility of some animals-having split off before plants, or what have you, to be further removed from humans than other animals.

The horseshoe crab, I would think, would make a likely candidate. Someone ought to do something with horseshoe crabs for Dominions-they really are quite strange creatures. Trichordates might be fun too.

[Wrana]

About a trichordates I can agree. As well as for many other creatures... Unfortunately, currently there are no biologists among developers of the game in question...
About animal and plants I can only add to what Llamabeast said that there are some groups which could be named both plants and animals - these are monocellular green algae/ Flagellata. Of these, some species carry chloroplasts and are autotrophic, while others aren't. This can change even before our eyes. On the other hand, Fungi are quite removed from both plants & animals (using, of course, classic definitions), though less so than bacteria. It IS possible that plants appeared before fungi, but it's also possible that fungi group was removed from plant-animal line before the latter split.
Considering appearance of autotrophy the most accepted currently point of view is that the first living beings were heterotropic and used for food organic substances which were accidentially synthetized in conditions of ancient Earth. Later some procariots "learned" to make their own organic substances: some of them used chemical energy, but others used an energy of solar light - which in some cases have given an output of oxygen that's toxic for most anaerobic bacteria. Later some of them learned to not only survive, but thrive in oxygen-rich conditions, using oxygen for more full destruction of components of their food, giving in turn more energy. And still later some lifeforms began to "cooperate" with others, including smaller organisms in their cells as symbionts - such as chloroplasts contained in many cells of modern plants (this is the most accepted currently point of view). Of course, this is very telegraph-style...

[HoneyBadger]

You're right about the biologists. We definitely need a few in the modding section. We ought to find whichever is considered the "best" biology university (or better yet, two that are rivals), and drop a hundred copies of Dom3 on them. Maybe convince the Devs to donate them as charity?

[Wrana]

Well, Moscow State University is almost ready - at least in my person & some others. If you will convince the Devs I surely will find whom to give them!

[HoneyBadger]

Maybe that would be the way to get a good Russian nation in the game? Any thoughts on that subject, Wrana? Or do you mean Moscow Idaho?

[Wrana]

I mean Moscow where I'm located. And I've never been in Idaho!
Considering a Russian nation in the game I have a mod in work which splits LA Bogarus into 2 nations, making Tsar troops and Orthodox Church into one faction, while Cossacks & various heretics compose another one. Unfortunately I'm not particularly good in graphics-making, so I depend in this respect on more artistically inclined friends. And the one who I put most hope into is currently busy by the same reason I asked her in the first place...
On another subject - I've just accidentially bought a trash fantasy book by an unknown author and guess what - he gives an idea of a good mid-to-end-game summon: a really big snail with really tough armor, very slow & with good meat (+some other byproducts which are widely sought). It's saved from hunters by its armor, immunity to magic and - mainly - by an unexplained by wisest among wise ability to activate random magic effects in its vicinity. I don't currently know how to make it with mod commands, but surely looks promising! I was called xarhdon.