Genetics and Inheritance
Each immutable genome contains 15 genes, each with two finite alleles in [0, 1]. Additive expression uses the average, dominant expression the maximum, and recessive expression the minimum. These are fictional gameplay rules; expression does not replace stored alleles.
Founders and offspring
Natural and spawn-egg founders receive 30 random alleles in [0.25, 0.75). Directly created entities without spawn finalization retain baseline 0.5/0.5 until assigned a genome. Loading or releasing a capsule preserves existing genes.
For each gene, offspring inherit one equally likely allele from each parent. Each inherited allele can mutate independently. Effective probability is:
min(0.25, mutationChance × (1.5 - average parental stability)
× (1 + 0.5 × unstable parents))
Default mutationChance is 0.02: stability gives 1%–3% per allele without unstable parents. One parent with unstable_touch adds a 1.5 factor; two give a factor of 2. Setting chance to zero disables mutations even for Corrupted parents. There are no spontaneous lifetime mutations or genetic infection from attacks.
Mutation adds a random delta between -mutationStep and +mutationStep, clamped to [0, 1]. Default step is 0.1; configurable chance and step cap at 0.25. Parents are unchanged.
Gene effects
e is expressed value, between zero and one. Species baselines apply at size 2; health and damage use current size divided by two.
| Gene | Expression | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Size | Additive | Adult size: min(max, min + floor(e × (max - min + 1))) |
| Elasticity | Additive | Jump factor 0.75 + 0.5e; Common offensive knockback 0.35 × (0.5 + e) |
| Vitality | Additive | Base health × size factor × 0.75 + 0.5e |
| Speed | Additive | Base speed × 0.8 + 0.4e |
| Metabolism | Additive | Hunger +0.1 × (0.5 + e) each loaded second |
| Resistance | Dominant | Armor base + (e - 0.5) × 4, clamped 0–20; mineral reduction min(0.75, setting × (0.5 + e)) |
| Fertility | Additive | Breeding recovery × 1.25 - 0.5e |
| Stability | Additive | Adjusts mutation probability using parental average |
| Regeneration | Recessive | Moss healing (0.5 + e) × setting, capped at six health |
| Elemental potency | Additive | Fire, mud, and chill duration × 0.5 + e and setting, capped at 200 ticks |
| Aggression | Dominant | Retaliation 100 + 200e ticks; docile flee threshold 0.4 - 0.2e health fraction |
| Sociability | Additive | Social search radius 4 + 8e; stopping distance 4 - 2e blocks |
| Transparency | Additive | Base gel alpha round(255 - 102e) combined with species material |
| Luminosity | Recessive | Luminous body visual light round(8 + 7e); other species do not gain this emission |
| Pigmentation | Dominant | Species RGB channels × 0.85 + 0.3e, capped at 255 |
All 15 genes have expression implemented. Transparency is not invisibility. Genetic luminosity is visual emission, not block lighting or a spawn-rule change. At baseline, gel alpha is 204 and Luminous visual emission is 12. Species still determines temperament and ability selection.
Lineage, growth, and inspection
Lineage stores both parent UUIDs and generation. Founders start at zero; children use the higher parental generation plus one, capped at one million. Self-pairing, parent–child, siblings, and half-siblings are rejected; there is no unlimited ancestral tree.
Juveniles begin at size 1 and grow toward their genome-determined adult size, subject to food, comfort, energy, and space. See breeding.
Individual NBT version 7 preserves genes, lineage, growth, breeding counters, transformation history and exposure, ecological home, and birth mutation evidence. Old saves retain identities and alleles; unavailable mutation history remains unavailable rather than being inferred. Capsules preserve this state and validate it against the world's capture ledger.
The analyzer is read-only and shows identification, ancestry, alleles, needs, counters, birth evidence, and evolution requirements.
Evolution and stabilization
Hybrids inherit alleles using the normal service and receive the recipe's species. Metamorphoses preserve every allele and the lineage: environmental conditions allow a species change without rewriting the genome. Recessive thresholds require both alleles to qualify.
A Mutation Stabilizer applied to an eligible parent before gel prevents new mutations in the next accepted birth. Allele selection and inherited unusual values remain unchanged. Protection persists through failed or canceled births and expires only on accepted offspring insertion. See materials and verified genetic research.
Epistasis, environmentally conditioned gene expression, and rare mutation categories are planned rather than current features.