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Spore Creatures Now Outnumber Known Earth Species

Posted by timothy on from the does-not-count-the-hollow-earth-creatures dept.

GBC writes "AFP is reporting that, as of a week ago, the number of creatures in the "Spore" database exceeded the number of known species on Earth. They are created using 'Creature Creator,' which is available in a free (with limited parts) or paid download at the Spore website. Will Wright seems extremely happy with the progress so far: 'We hit 100K in 22 hours and a million by the end of the first week. The numbers are just blowing us away.'"

35 of 128 comments (clear)

  1. What percentage are... by ivan256 · · Score: 4, Informative

    ...penis creatures?

    1. Re:What percentage are... by SomeJoel · · Score: 5, Funny

      Dude, don't be a dick.

      --
      <Complete your profile by adding a signature!>
    2. Re:What percentage are... by CogDissident · · Score: 5, Funny

      Yeah, seriously, who wants to read CAD. That comic is awful (and the author is a bit of a dick too).

    3. Re:What percentage are... by Dr.+Eggman · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Very few, especially as EA moderates those sorts of creatures now. They ask you to not upload such creatures and if you continue, your banned. Sure you can a new account and the bans aren't perminent, but the vast majority of creatures don't need moderation anyways. There are so many wonderful creatures, its a shame the penis creatures made so much noise. I've contributed ~130 creatures myself.

      --
      Demented But Determined.
    4. Re:What percentage are... by eln · · Score: 3, Funny

      But sooner or later, the novelty of creating giant animated penii will wear off.

      If that's true, how do you explain Second Life's continued existence?

    5. Re:What percentage are... by Tragedy4u · · Score: 3, Funny

      I really don't want to think about Penis Creatures and the statement in the article "The numbers are just blowing us away."

    6. Re:What percentage are... by Pennidren · · Score: 5, Funny

      But sooner or later, the novelty of creating giant animated penii will wear off.

      Speak for yourself

      8========D ~~

    7. Re:What percentage are... by spooje · · Score: 3, Funny

      I'm going to make a planet of vagina creatures then use them to bilk the penis planets of all their wealth after a large divorce settlement.

      --
      Tea and kung-fu. Life is good. Rising Phoenix
    8. Re:What percentage are... by fictionpuss · · Score: 4, Funny

      I didn't say human social evolution was a quick process.

    9. Re:What percentage are... by andrewd18 · · Score: 3, Funny

      the author is a bit of a dick

      No, no, no, you've got it all wrong. The author's a cad.

    10. Re:What percentage are... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

      Don't be angry, Buckley. Your art and comedic skills should improve...eventually.

    11. Re:What percentage are... by jollyreaper · · Score: 2, Funny

      It's not a penis creature, it's vermiform fauna. The fact that it shoots a viscous white goo when you pat its head is completely coincidental!

      (having not played with the creature creator yet, I would be horrified to discover such a thing is possible)

      --
      Kwisatz Haderach
      Sell the spice to CHOAM
      This Mahdi took Shaddam's Throne
    12. Re:What percentage are... by Shadow+of+Eternity · · Score: 2, Funny

      Although you can make them do it on command, as often as you like.

      Ah, that must be where the novelty is for these guys.

      --
      A bullet may have your name on it but splash damage is addressed "To whom it may concern."
    13. Re:What percentage are... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Informative

      The correct pedantic plural is "penes."

    14. Re:What percentage are... by CaptainPatent · · Score: 2, Informative

      I wouldn't be so sure!

      --
      Well, back to rejecting software patent applications.
    15. Re:What percentage are... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

      That smile face has a really long nose!

  2. Yes but... by wikdwarlock · · Score: 3, Funny

    Aren't they mostly just variations on walking genitalia or lewd acts thus far?

    --

    "I must not fear. Fear is the mind killer." -Bene Gesserit Litany Against Fear
  3. Worried by kenp2002 · · Score: 3, Funny

    Should it worry me that there is more interest in fake creatures then real ones these days? This is turning into Pokemon on Meth...

    --
    -=[ Who Is John Galt? ]=-
    1. Re:Worried by kat_skan · · Score: 2, Funny

      Tweakachu! I choose you!

  4. And it's only been out for a month by Pluvius · · Score: 2, Insightful

    I guess this takes the concept of Wikigroaning to a whole new level.

    Rob

  5. Re:How many per user? by Dr.+Eggman · · Score: 4, Informative

    Each profile gives some statistics about this, so I grabbed the numbers off my profile:
    # Total number of creatures uploaded: 1906743
    # Total Users Total number of users: 675241
    # Creatures Uploaded in last 24 hours Creatures uploaded in last 24 hours: 30567
    # New Users in the Last 24 Hours New users in last 24 hours: 7853

    1906743 / 675241 = ~3 creatures per person. I've uploaded 130 myself, but there are a lot of of 1-time-only-creature creators too. As far as I've seen, very few users are over more than 200 and even 100 only somewhat common.

    --
    Demented But Determined.
  6. DRM on Creature Creator? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Insightful

    I've mostly been staying away from Spore because of the fairly restrictive DRM it's supposed to be shipping with. Anyone know if the creature creator tool also installs the DRM?

    I just recently re-formatted and re-installed windows, and I'm trying not to bog it down again with crapware like DRM systems that drag down my system performance.

    Personally, since I can't get the full game without DRM, I'm not sure I'm too interested in the CC even if it *doesn't* have the DRM, since it's not *much* use creating a creature but never playing the game.

    1. Re:DRM on Creature Creator? by Yvan256 · · Score: 2, Informative

      From what I've read even the free creature editor comes with SecuROM, so yes, you should stay far away from it.

    2. Re:DRM on Creature Creator? by mweather · · Score: 5, Funny

      I just recently re-formatted and re-installed windows, and I'm trying not to bog it down again with crapware like DRM systems that drag down my system performance.

      Then why did you install Windows?

  7. Tricky Geniuses at Maxis/EA by Babbster · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Apparently, Will Wright and company weren't at all satisfied with the idea of people creating monstrous amounts of after-market content for their Sims games. Not only have they whet the appetites of all the people who enjoy the Creture Creator for the retail game, but they also get to sell Spore right out of the gate as having "millions of creatures available online." The only expense involved was building the software for creature creation, and they would have done that anyway. Brilliant!

    1. Re:Tricky Geniuses at Maxis/EA by Amorymeltzer · · Score: 3, Interesting

      It's over-budget, behind schedule, and from what I've seen so far, totally kicks ass!

      That's the way it should be. It's why Blizzard is one of the only group out there that makes a good product - Damn the release date! A better game is better for everyone in the long run. Really, that line should read:

      They're putting every resource they have into making this the best, taking every day necessary to make it even more awesome, and from what I've seen so far, totally kicks ass!"

      *insert joke about how DNF must be, ipso facto, the greatest game ever made*

      --
      I live in constant fear of the Coming of the Red Spiders.
    2. Re:Tricky Geniuses at Maxis/EA by SamSim · · Score: 3, Insightful

      It's why Blizzard is one of the only group out there that makes a good product - Damn the release date! A better game is better for everyone in the long run.

      Quoth Shigeru Miyamoto: "A late game is only late for a while. A bad game is bad forever."

      --
      qntm.org
  8. Re:The creature creator would have been much coole by Cornflake917 · · Score: 2, Informative

    Really it would be a fun exercise and it and it could teach what can go horribly, horribly wrong with just a little nudge to the DNA here and there.

    You obviously haven't seen the creatures that already have been created with this software. Some of them are the definition of "horribly wrong."

    --
    Abaddon: An Xbox 360 Indie game
  9. The database is incomplete by Spassoklabanias · · Score: 2, Funny

    The original poster obviously missed the most extraordinary animal on the planet: the slashdotter. Without it, the world is obsolete. By the way, how would this creature look like? Any takers?

    1. Re:The database is incomplete by Dr.+Eggman · · Score: 3, Informative

      Oh, wait! Here it is...

      --
      Demented But Determined.
  10. Re:Me too... by Clovis42 · · Score: 3, Insightful

    If the average person spent a mere five hours on a creature

    It's more like .5 hours. I put my 12 year old brother in front of it for the first time and he made an impressive looking creature in about 30 minutes. It is an amazingly simple tool to use. If the other parts of Spore are as streamlined and elegant as the Creature Creator it'll be one of the most impressive games in years. I doubt that will be the case, though. There are some tutorials on the Spore website. You can watch a Maxis employee throw together a nice mantis in about 5 minutes.

    --
    Clovis
    ^ Clovis, look! It's that guy you are!
  11. Beware of the Spores by knightf0x · · Score: 3, Funny

    "The Spores Dana, beware of the Spores, and the Invid. Beware of the Invid. They will come in search of the Spores."

  12. How many Spore creatures are Duplicates? by jameskojiro · · Score: 2, Interesting

    I wonder if anyone has duplicated another user's creature without knowing about it....

    --
    Tsukasa: All I really want, is to be left alone...
  13. DRM by pluther · · Score: 2, Informative

    Gah!
    I did that several months ago. It hasn't allowed me to watch my purchased DVDs since. Apparently, it doesn't like my VGA connection to my monitor.

    I had to go learn how to rip DVDs just so I could watch the video I legitimately purchased.

    Ironically, WMP 10 has no problem playing the ripped content, or any DVDs that I burned myself.

    --
    If the masses can keep you down, you're not the Ubermensch.
  14. Re:In related news by YukonTech · · Score: 2, Insightful

    You seem to forget it does not only effect the places you drill, but you need to build roads, pipelines, accomodations for the workers, basically tear into every area of alaska that is still untouched. Just because some selfish wingnut like you needs to drive his SUV doesn't mean the human race should risk losing some of the only land on the planet that hasn't been raped by mankind. The Porcupine Caribou herd relies on the land in ANWAR as they migrate every year drilling in ANWAR will lead to the demise of the 120,000 caribou herd not to mention all the northern communities who rely on the herd for sources of food, clothing and materials. But hey what do you care about things like heritage, compassion, thousands of human lives, and houndreds of thousands of animal lives? as long as you can save some money filling your gas gussling vehicles, and spend your weekends cruising thats what's important right?