Criticism needed for race design (hard sci-fi fans wanted)

[Blackaby]

In that case, humans must be the biggest brain-cannibals of them all.

Our species' dark, dark secret....

Well, it can be eating *other* animals brains... but honestly, I thought that's how humans became smart.

[Bwerith]

Well, brains can be a good source of calories... I think they are high in fat... and you need an adequate supply of calories for optimal brain growth... but eating adequate amounts of pretty much anything nutritious, would result in optimal brain growth.

If you take zombies as your example, well, eating all the brains in the world doesn't seem to make them any smarter

[JohnLynch]

Intelligence doesn't HAVE to be associated with being a predator.

No, but I agree that without another sentient race, herbivores aren't likely to develop weapons for a long, long time (probably around industrial age). They'd be more likely to develop good defenses against natural predators.

Your characters will likely be protecting themselves from arrows and claws most of the time

*laughs* I can't see a sentient race who gets around to 1 A.D. level of technology continuing to use claws as weapons, but you're right. I do need to give her some armor and whatnot. That'll come once I study judo and see what sort of armor would be best

I love the way this character is evolving.

Thanks It's thanks to the help of everyone from here though

I sketched this race a few times and what I ended up - putting my love of Darwin to use - was a slightly triangular shaped rhino with a big arse and shorter legs to balance out its tail. With this physiology, it seems easier to balance out the animal's tail-swinging.

Interesting. Although shorter legs are definitely not going to be part of this race's structure (that's one of the criterias I set up right at the beginning, don't know if I mentioned it yet). Although with the above comments on herbivores and carnivores and whatnot, I've created a world where their natural fighting abilities didn't give them early superiority. That's why they've also lost their claws.

And I wouldn't mind seeing some of those sketches. It's always neat to see other people's designs on your characters.

The horns stayed - and I think they should stay, because they're part of the race's evolution from four-legs to two - at least, that's where I see them evolving from. But obviously, smaller and not likely to get in the way of vision - mine were at the top of the head and at the sides.

Another option is to have them above the eyes (like a triceratops?).

And I wouldn't mind Of course, this is redesign 3 underway so you'll probably wanna quit - really a design like this could take forever!

Yeah pretty much A lot of your points are definitely ones I've taken note of for non-sentient races, but for now I'm just using the above picture to practice drawing/coloring.

Below's a picture I'd LOVE some feedback on. Not so much the drawing, but the coloring and shading done.

[Faub]

I would like to poke you for creating a standard, western style wall and placing a rhino-person with a spear in front of it. What is the building made from? What level of technology does this creature actually have? Obviously, she can make multi-story buildings, but her defense involves a spear. That doesn't make sense.

What type of environment does this creature live in? Rhinos live on a savanah. Lots of grass. Few trees. Few rocks. One would expect adobe houses (ala Mexico and the old Anasazi buildings in the rockies) or grass huts ala Africa. In the tropics, the buildings are quite open to allow breezes to blow through. In the north, buildings have high, peaked rooftops so that snow doesn't crush the roof. Enuit tribes build igloos from ice when there are no other building materials to be had. Moose bones and seal blubber are their tools. It takes a very large, complex social structure to support iron making. Wood, grass and mud can be had by small, independent tribal groups.

Also, herd animals band together for mutual protection. Their only competition is in strength and health. They would be social and caring. The herd surrounds the calves when predators approach. The only way a predator can get a meal is to separate one from the herd. Nuclear family groups would not exist. Children would be raised by everyone. When oppressed, they would just take it, believing the survival of the herd outweighs the loss of an individual. They would present a strong front with the weaker members hidden away so the oppressors would have the most difficult time. They would be live and let live as long as the herd was not directly affected. They would fight back very harshly when attacked.

A labor union would be a good example of this type of society. If you try to do their work, they growl and tell you to screw off. If you treat them unfairly, they present a united front. Individuals might moan a bit, but the herd is what you have to deal with if you're to make any headway. Everybody votes on the course of action. Meetings involve everyone, not just a select few. Leaders are big and loud but if the herd moves in one direction, even they have to follow. Very democratic.

[JohnLynch]

I would like to poke you for creating a standard, western style wall and placing a rhino-person with a spear in front of it.

Yeah, yeah I know I created a quickie wall so I could have a shadow against it This is obviously not going to be used in the actual comic the rhino-person appears in

What level of technology does this creature actually have?

About 1 A.D. level of technology.

Obviously, she can make multi-story buildings, but her defense involves a spear. That doesn't make sense.

Why not? The Romans used spears, swords, shields, etc and they had multi-story buildings.

What type of environment does this creature live in? Rhinos live on a savanah. Lots of grass. Few trees. Few rocks. One would expect adobe houses (ala Mexico and the old Anasazi buildings in the rockies) or grass huts ala Africa.

Just because when nomadic the rhino-person lived in such places doesn't mean they couldn't create farms and live in cities much like Athens or Sparta. I personally think all intelligent creatures (of our level) would spread across the globe much like we have. As such they would have to learn to live in harsh conditions (like we did).

In the tropics, the buildings are quite open to allow breezes to blow through. In the north, buildings have high, peaked rooftops so that snow doesn't crush the roof. Enuit tribes build igloos from ice when there are no other building materials to be had. Moose bones and seal blubber are their tools. It takes a very large, complex social structure to support iron making. Wood, grass and mud can be had by small, independent tribal groups.

I'm currently looking into all that at the moment Thanks for that though, you've helped give me hints on where to look for more distinctive styles (I'm having to create an entire world's worth of cultures which I want to be as different as our own world's).

Also, herd animals band together for mutual protection. Their only competition is in strength and health. They would be social and caring. The herd surrounds the calves when predators approach. The only way a predator can get a meal is to separate one from the herd. Nuclear family groups would not exist. Children would be raised by everyone.

But haven't humans had community-raising societies (I'm thinking of the Aboriginals at the very least), but also had nuclear families? Whatever natural inclinations humans have to a particular society structure, we obviously overcame them fairly early in history.

A labor union would be a good example of this type of society. If you try to do their work, they growl and tell you to screw off. If you treat them unfairly, they present a united front. Individuals might moan a bit, but the herd is what you have to deal with if you're to make any headway. Everybody votes on the course of action. Meetings involve everyone, not just a select few. Leaders are big and loud but if the herd moves in one direction, even they have to follow. Very democratic.

I think a particularly charismatic leader would be able to lead his/her tribe into taking different action, and if successful, becoming the tribe's leader.