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− | {{Quality| | + | {{Quality|Exceptional|04:24, 17 May 2015 (UTC)}} |
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:''This article is about [[creature]] age. For world generation "ages", see [[Calendar#Ages]].'' | :''This article is about [[creature]] age. For world generation "ages", see [[Calendar#Ages]].'' | ||
− | + | ||
+ | '''Age''' is a [[creature]] attribute describing how long the creature has been alive, including creatures born before the beginning of time in terms of [[world generation]] (year zero). Age determines the life stage of creatures and, until it is fully grown, is the most important element of the creature's body [[size]]. All creatures have an age associated with them, but in fortress mode only your own [[dwarf|dwarves]] will have observable ages in the [[thoughts and preferences]] screen. The age of a creature is probably a floating value (to account for growth throughout the year), but is displayed in the game as an integer that is ticked up every time it reaches a birthday. | ||
== Effects == | == Effects == | ||
− | The age of a creature has an important effect on its overall [[size]] and maturity. The starkest example of this in the game is the case of the [[dragon]], which is born 6,000 cm<sup>3</sup> in size then takes a thousand years to reach its full size of 25,000,000 cm<sup>3</sup>. However, the vast majority of the non-sapient creatures your dwarves encounter take one year to mature to adulthood and two years to reach full size; [[elephant]]s and [[giraffe]]s are notable exceptions, as their young take ten years to mature (though they reach full size in only 5 years). Upon reaching adulthood, non-sapient creatures can [[breeding|reproduce]], be [[trained]], [[milk]]ed, [[shearable|sheared]], revert to [[ | + | The age of a creature has an important effect on its overall [[size]] and maturity. The starkest example of this in the game is the case of the [[dragon]], which is born 6,000 cm<sup>3</sup> in size (and technically an adult) then takes a thousand years to reach its full size of 25,000,000 cm<sup>3</sup>. However, the vast majority of the non-sapient creatures your dwarves encounter take one year to mature to adulthood and two years to reach full size; [[elephant]]s and [[giraffe]]s are notable exceptions, as their young take ten years to mature (though they reach full size in only 5 years). Upon reaching adulthood, non-sapient creatures can [[breeding|reproduce]], be [[trained]], [[milk]]ed, [[shearable|sheared]], revert to [[tame|wild]] status, and various other effects. |
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− | + | The life cycle of [[dwarves]] is slightly more complicated: juveniles ages zero to one are considered babies, and must be carried about by their mothers; between the ages of one to twelve they are considered [[children]], and can perform some limited tasks; and once they reach 12 years of age, they are considered adults. The process is the same for other [[creature#civilized|civilized]] races, the original [[animal people]], and the humanoid [[semi-megabeast]]s. | |
− | + | Another aspect that is controlled by age is lifespan. Most organic creatures will eventually die of old age (including fortuitous fortress dwarves), usually within a range of 1-100 years. [[Savage|Giant]] versions of animals inherit their normally-sized brethrens' lifespans, while [[animal people]] usually have somewhat longer lifespans than their representative creatures. A few species, such as [[elf|elves]], [[goblin]]s, and some unintelligent and unnatural creatures, will live until killed. [[Megabeast]]s, the [[undead]], [[night creature]]s, and the procedurally generated [[forgotten beast]]s and [[titan]]s are similarly immortal. Immigrants may sometimes show up with incorrect ages (future birthdates) {{Bug|3945}} or incorrect life stages (4 month old children) {{Bug|3752}}. This normally does not cause a problem, and life stages get rechecked every birthday. Note that only an intelligent civilized creature vulnerable to death by expiration, will seek [[necromancer|necromancy]], which means goblins and elves never become practitioners of the dark arts. | |
− | + | Age does not interfere with a creature's physical or mental [[skill]]s, attributes or behavior; a 150 year old dwarf is as capable as a 12 year old one. | |
− | + | The game decides if a creature will die of old age at the beginning of every new year, on the 1st of Granite. In longer-running fortresses, several animals and livestock with short life spans could die at the same time. | |
== Sample list of age characteristics == | == Sample list of age characteristics == | ||
− | {| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" | + | {| width=100% class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" |
− | ! style="text-align:left" | Name | + | ! width="20%" style="text-align:left" | Name |
! width="20%" | Age of Adulthood | ! width="20%" | Age of Adulthood | ||
! width="20%" | Age of Full Size | ! width="20%" | Age of Full Size | ||
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|- | |- | ||
| style="text-align:left" | [[Human]] | | style="text-align:left" | [[Human]] | ||
− | | | + | | 12 |
− | | | + | | 12 |
| 60 | | 60 | ||
| 120 | | 120 | ||
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|- | |- | ||
| style="text-align:left" | [[Dwarf]] | | style="text-align:left" | [[Dwarf]] | ||
− | | | + | | 12 |
− | | | + | | 12 |
| 150 | | 150 | ||
| 170 | | 170 | ||
|- | |- | ||
| style="text-align:left" | [[Kobold]] | | style="text-align:left" | [[Kobold]] | ||
− | | | + | | 12 |
− | | | + | | 12 |
| 150 | | 150 | ||
| 170 | | 170 | ||
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|- | |- | ||
| style="text-align:left" | [[Elf]] | | style="text-align:left" | [[Elf]] | ||
− | | | + | | 12 |
− | | | + | | 12 |
| <span style="display:none">99999</span>— | | <span style="display:none">99999</span>— | ||
| <span style="display:none">99999</span>Immortal | | <span style="display:none">99999</span>Immortal | ||
|- | |- | ||
| style="text-align:left" | [[Goblin]] | | style="text-align:left" | [[Goblin]] | ||
− | | | + | | 12 |
− | | | + | | 12 |
| <span style="display:none">99999</span>— | | <span style="display:none">99999</span>— | ||
| <span style="display:none">99999</span>Immortal | | <span style="display:none">99999</span>Immortal | ||
|- | |- | ||
| style="text-align:left" | [[Dragon]] | | style="text-align:left" | [[Dragon]] | ||
− | | | + | | 0 |
| 1,000 | | 1,000 | ||
| <span style="display:none">99999</span>— | | <span style="display:none">99999</span>— | ||
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|- | |- | ||
| style="text-align:left" | [[Minotaur]] | | style="text-align:left" | [[Minotaur]] | ||
− | | | + | | 12 |
− | | | + | | 12 |
| <span style="display:none">99999</span>— | | <span style="display:none">99999</span>— | ||
| <span style="display:none">99999</span>Immortal | | <span style="display:none">99999</span>Immortal | ||
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== Mechanics == | == Mechanics == | ||
The mechanics of aging are defined by [[creature token]]s within creatures' [[raw file]]s, and can easily be modified by those looking to make changes to their game. | The mechanics of aging are defined by [[creature token]]s within creatures' [[raw file]]s, and can easily be modified by those looking to make changes to their game. | ||
− | *{{tt|[CHILD:#]}}: Age at which children become adults. Set to 1 for most creatures, up to 10 for a few ([[giraffe]], [[elephant]]), and is set to | + | *{{tt|[CHILD:#]}}: Age at which children become adults. Set to 1 for most creatures, up to 10 for a few ([[giraffe]], [[elephant]]), and is set to 12 for most sapient creatures. |
*{{tt|[BABY:#]}}: For sapient creatures, age at which babies become [[children]]. Always set to 1. | *{{tt|[BABY:#]}}: For sapient creatures, age at which babies become [[children]]. Always set to 1. | ||
*{{tt|[BODY_SIZE:#:#:#]}}: Controls the body size of the creature, typically two or more are used to constrain its growth pattern. The first number is age in years; the second additional age in days. The third number is its size in cm<sup>3</sup>. The body size points are independent of the age of adulthood for the animal: many animals are adults in one year, but take two years to reach their full size, for instance. | *{{tt|[BODY_SIZE:#:#:#]}}: Controls the body size of the creature, typically two or more are used to constrain its growth pattern. The first number is age in years; the second additional age in days. The third number is its size in cm<sup>3</sup>. The body size points are independent of the age of adulthood for the animal: many animals are adults in one year, but take two years to reach their full size, for instance. | ||
− | *{{tt|[MAXAGE:#:#]}}: The first number given is the minimum natural lifespan of a creature, while the second is the maximum. The distribution of deaths from natural causes in between the two values is linear | + | *{{tt|[MAXAGE:#:#]}}: The first number given is the minimum natural lifespan of a creature, while the second is the maximum. The distribution of deaths from natural causes in between the two values is unknown, but likely linear; the moment of death-by-old-age of a creature is stored from birth. If this tag is not present at all, the creature is biologically immortal. |
{{Translation | {{Translation |