First off, you should be able to extract a DNA sample off of any living organism. Mobs, plants, people, etc. Then you should be able to use complex machinery in order to analyze the DNA and then finally more machinery to modify it. For example, you can collect protein, or genes, and insert them in the DNA. I.E., you can take GFP (Glowing Fluorescent Protein) and insert it before the protein stop code. The problem is, you have to learn this by experimenting, or finding books, etc. If you screw up, mutants can form, or perhaps you just don't get the correct modification; it all depends on the DNA. When you have finished your mod, you need to hatch it. Get a female species of the specified mob, plant, etc, and throw in the DNA along with the egg. Also, for further experiment, try mixing, I.E., mouse DNA with penguin eggs. Incubate the egg, or if the mob is a mammal, let it grow in the female. If it is a plant, plant it. You can then modify the DNA further. The species should be dynamic, as you should be able to generate infinite amounts of mobs, chopping bits of sprites and connecting them. There should also be molecular engineering; works the same as the genetic mod, but with atoms. This would be simpler, but require better machinery. The reason; first off, you just need to place/remove electrons, protons, and neutrons. You dont need to place all these different kinds of genes, just those three. This should also be simpler to code, as you generate an algorithm, much like the periodic table of elements IRL, and follow it FOREVER. You should also be able to record your new elements in a table of elements. NB: Each element can be a block, or can be combined with other elements to form blocks. Blocks should be procedurally drawn, as well as chopped up and reconnected. These could as well be simply recolored and resaturated. The table of elements should work by your writing. Click the slot with the block, and its picture will appear. Then name the block (same for mobs) and write any other noted. The atomic weight, number of electrons, neutrons, and protons, etc, should be automatically written, in a sensical way. Well, I hope these suggestions were well written, and of course, good. I would like very much to see these implemented in the game. And I am very much looking forward to Starbound! Please reply with any improvements , or status updates, thanks!
I like the idea but I also think it might make the game too complex. Maybe if it was simplified a little. Idk I do like the idea of making eggs and stuff but I think it would be too complex, because the developers would have to make basically countless amount of variations. Then again that are already making variations of mobs soo it may work out. Who knows.
However, matter after a while becomes too heavy and unstable after you add too many protons/neutrons. Perhaps they could add in a fourth sub-atomic particle that would drastically change all of the possible combinations.
I think a devastation probability is needed, where if the risk is too high and u fail. I would have created a time bomb where the whole planet will be destroyed within maybe 30 min or sumthing. So you have like about 10 mins or so to get all you can carry and evacuate... and then watch afar as everything else on that planet is gone in a puff of rainbow colored smoke stroodles
I think there should be risks of engineering (either genetic or molecular), an experiment that would lead to the destruction of an entire planet would be very extreme and only reasonable if the reward was worth this risk(which may be a little too overpowered, even for endgame). For genetic failures it could result in some hostile mutant(strength varies on strength of genetic material used) or some sort of virus (same deal on lethality too). With molecular failures it would rather just fizzle into useless dust or it would explode (there would be lab features to reduce the damage caused by this) and possibly kill and wreck your lab. One of the major ways that these risks could be reduced is by upgrading your lab.
For your interest, there was already a topic about genetic engineering http://community.playstarbound.com/index.php?threads/dna-mixer.465/ Molecular engineering and the creation of materials, on the other hand, sounds awesome. Although I guess the data of new drawn blocks would be stored on the server (so that other players can see it too), and that would overload it after a while (I don't know too much about these matters, so I'm not so sure).
well there are 21,000 rocket launchers and it can play multi-player with a moderately poor computer across the world. So it doesn't seem like it is an issue (for now).
