Nutrients, Vitamins and Minerals

[rsucoop]

So you won't have shell or slime, but a shell-slime continuum? Could work, but I still think Numsgil's right; the bot-bot interactions are complex enough, and they need to be kept to a level where coding a simple is not an enormous job. Not sure about the bot-environment interactions though; may have to be kept optional so the environment settings don't become too inflexible.
 Not the best place to raise it, but since we are talking about shots, how about a type 1 and type 2 virus? A type 1 virus is standard make-and shoot, while type 2 acts more like a real virus, producing itself in bulk and releasing itself when the host dies. Maybe this can be achieved by not forcing the bot to wait until the previous bot is fired until the next is made.

With this, a bot can crete skin, or a shell similar to a conch. They could use the environment to build anything. The genetics are not that difficult, instead of pushing a random value into shootval, just put the mineral shot out first then the vitamin at each strength. This also provides more variety in genetic exspression, and bots could build elaborate structures such as a hive or colnoy. Antbots could really use this for location recall. And the shells produced should be sheddable, and fixable to a point.

[bacillus]

So a bot will have to emit a sort of adhesive that sticks anything that touches it in place, or to something else.

[rsucoop]

So a bot will have to emit a sort of adhesive that sticks anything that touches it in place, or to something else.

Interesting, this would lead to development of homes and shelters that could keep their own environment (but should be optional for performance). Spiders could spin raps to stick stupid bots in and harvest them. I'll have to think about this one for some time, the possiblility of this becoming too ridiculous is there, and what makes the stickyness may nto exsist in DB even in discussion. Info shots can be used to fix a bot, cant they, so just ouse an info shot to stick shells to things.

[bacillus]

Maybe slime can be altered to be an adhesive, then shed to create a blob of glue. This would balance the effect of slime, protecting from tie and virus, but its stickiness would make it stick to nastier bots. Like a little kid covered in superglue bumping into the school bully or something....