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0001279Dwarf FortressWorld Generation -- Generalpublic2010-04-17 13:382017-09-04 13:56
Knight Otu 
Footkerchief 
lowtrivialsometimes
confirmedopen 
0.31.03 
 
0001279: Random creature generator occasionally reuses species names
When creating a new world, random demon types are created and given names. With a larger number of demon types, odds are that the type names are duplicates (i.e., you might end up with two different demon types called mite demons). Relatedly, one might end up with gila monster monsters.
Choose to design a new world, edit the option for demon types to be a high number, generate the world, and do a text export (p). The sites and pops file should include a list of generated demon types (unnumbered blah) at the bottom. A quick alphabet sort of that list should uncover any duplicates.
Demon type naming is rather simple right now, preferring to refer to the base animal or material, and occasionally using the main creature color or a physical feature, plus a word like demon, brute, etc. More variety in how the name is created might reduce the duplicates (such as "gold lion brute" or "eyeless viper demon").
No tags attached.
parent of 0001625new  duplicate foodpile "savanna titan" entry 
Not all the children of this issue are yet resolved or closed.
Issue History
2010-04-17 13:38Knight OtuNew Issue
2010-04-17 13:47SirPenguinNote Added: 0003988
2010-04-17 13:56Knight OtuNote Added: 0003989
2010-04-17 14:57FootkerchiefNote Added: 0003994
2010-04-17 14:57FootkerchiefNote Edited: 0003994bug_revision_view_page.php?bugnote_id=0003994#r1335
2010-04-17 15:00FootkerchiefNote Edited: 0003994bug_revision_view_page.php?bugnote_id=0003994#r1338
2010-04-17 15:03FootkerchiefIssue Monitored: Footkerchief
2010-04-17 15:11Knight OtuNote Added: 0003997
2010-04-17 15:12FootkerchiefNote Added: 0003998
2010-04-17 15:13FootkerchiefSummaryRandom creature types have exact same names => Random creature generator occasionaly reuses species names
2010-04-17 15:14FootkerchiefSummaryRandom creature generator occasionaly reuses species names => Random creature generator occasionally reuses species names
2010-04-29 09:00FootkerchiefRelationship addedparent of 0001625
2014-10-29 13:21JayJayForceNote Added: 0030785
2014-10-29 17:02FootkerchiefAssigned To => Footkerchief
2014-10-29 17:02FootkerchiefStatusnew => confirmed
2017-09-04 13:56grand sageNote Added: 0036727
2018-04-16 17:00HuntthetrollIssue Monitored: Huntthetroll

Notes
(0003988)
SirPenguin   
2010-04-17 13:47   
Unless I am horribly misunderstanding, I think you might be confusing creature type with creature name. All creatures have names which is independent from their creature type. So you could have a million "mites", but you'd have "Timad, a mite" and "Urist, a mite", etc.


The problem here might be that text exporting exports the type, not the name
(0003989)
Knight Otu   
2010-04-17 13:56   
I think you're misunderstanding. I'm talking about populations, not people. At the bottom of the export file I mentioned, you find something like this:

Underground Animal Populations (Including Undead)
    46135 gorlaks
    46098 trolls
    ...
    16757 magma men
    Unnumbered ape devils
    Unnumbered sauropod devils
    Unnumbered one-eyed fiends
    Unnumbered monsters of brine
    Unnumbered tortoise devils
    Unnumbered brass fiends
    Unnumbered boiling specters
    Unnumbered scorching banshees
    Unnumbered elk monsters
    Unnumbered leech demons
    Unnumbered dimetrodon devils
    Unnumbered gray haunts
    Unnumbered steam wraiths
    Unnumbered water fiends
    Unnumbered lizard fiends
    Unnumbered brine spirits
    Unnumbered scorching fiends
    Unnumbered tortoise monsters
    Unnumbered chincilla monsters
    Unnumbered giraffe demons
    Unnumbered brine phantoms
    Unnumbered olive monsters
    Unnumbered monsters of soot
    59786 cave spiders
    ...

This list doesn't contain any repeated type names, but it randomly might (or almost certainly will, if you generate a world with many demon types).
(0003994)
Footkerchief   
2010-04-17 14:57   
(edited on: 2010-04-17 15:00)
"This list doesn't contain any repeated type names, but it randomly might..."

Have you verified that it happens? I read everything you wrote and I really can't tell whether you're speculating or have actually seen it happen. If it does happen, it would be helpful to have more information about the specific cases (at a minimum, the creature type name that got duplicated).

(0003997)
Knight Otu   
2010-04-17 15:11   
I've seen it happen, yes. I'm not sure how likely it is with the default values, though. In a test case with 1000 demon types, I got triplicates, even. I've since deleted that one, but I just generated a quick test with 50 demon types, and got two duplicates (amber fiends x2 and horned demons x2). Population list:
    16696 fire men
    Unnumbered clear brutes
    Unnumbered panther devils
    Unnumbered flash fiends
    Unnumbered horned demons
    Unnumbered brutes of flame
    Unnumbered steam devils
    Unnumbered snail fiends
    Unnumbered stegosaurid brutes
    Unnumbered slush haunts
    Unnumbered wraiths of steam
    Unnumbered buffalo fiends
    Unnumbered glass devils
    Unnumbered amber fiends
    Unnumbered winged demons
    Unnumbered rove beetle brutes
    Unnumbered haunts of flame
    Unnumbered hornbill brutes
    Unnumbered ghosts of steam
    Unnumbered snow banshees
    Unnumbered spirits of steam
    Unnumbered assassin bug demons
    Unnumbered scarab beetle devils
    Unnumbered ash specters
    Unnumbered skinless demons
    Unnumbered three-eyed demons
    Unnumbered dimetrodon devils
    Unnumbered boiling brutes
    Unnumbered horned demons
    Unnumbered gray fiends
    Unnumbered sauropod devils
    Unnumbered phantoms of flame
    Unnumbered hyena monsters
    Unnumbered kestrel monsters
    Unnumbered amber fiends
    Unnumbered raccoon brutes
    Unnumbered brine brutes
    Unnumbered snail brutes
    Unnumbered pterosaur monsters
    Unnumbered monkey fiends
    Unnumbered loris devils
    Unnumbered lemur demons
    Unnumbered jay monsters
    57823 bats

Gen info:
Created in DF v0.31.03.

[WORLD_GEN]
    [TITLE:MEDIUM REGION]
    [SEED:4151018244]
    [HISTORY_SEED:3779356432]
    [NAME_SEED:3694733214]
    [CREATURE_SEED:710580734]
    [DIM:129:129]
    [EMBARK_POINTS:1274]
    [END_YEAR:2]
    [BEAST_END_YEAR:200:80]
    [REVEAL_ALL_HISTORY:1]
    [CULL_HISTORICAL_FIGURES:0]
    [ELEVATION:1:400:401:401]
    [RAINFALL:0:100:200:200]
    [TEMPERATURE:25:75:200:200]
    [DRAINAGE:0:100:200:200]
    [VOLCANISM:0:100:200:200]
    [SAVAGERY:0:100:200:200]
    [ELEVATION_FREQUENCY:1:1:1:1:1:1]
    [RAIN_FREQUENCY:1:1:1:1:1:1]
    [DRAINAGE_FREQUENCY:1:1:1:1:1:1]
    [TEMPERATURE_FREQUENCY:1:1:1:1:1:1]
    [SAVAGERY_FREQUENCY:1:1:1:1:1:1]
    [VOLCANISM_FREQUENCY:1:1:1:1:1:1]
    [TITAN_NUMBER:9]
    [TITAN_ATTACK_TRIGGER:80:0:100000]
    [DEMON_NUMBER:50]
    [GOOD_SQ_COUNTS:25:251:503]
    [EVIL_SQ_COUNTS:25:251:503]
    [PEAK_NUMBER_MIN:12]
    [PARTIAL_OCEAN_EDGE_MIN:1]
    [COMPLETE_OCEAN_EDGE_MIN:0]
    [VOLCANO_MIN:3]
    [REGION_COUNTS:SWAMP:260:1:1]
    [REGION_COUNTS:DESERT:260:1:1]
    [REGION_COUNTS:FOREST:1040:3:3]
    [REGION_COUNTS:MOUNTAINS:2080:2:2]
    [REGION_COUNTS:OCEAN:2080:1:1]
    [REGION_COUNTS:GLACIER:0:0:0]
    [REGION_COUNTS:TUNDRA:0:0:0]
    [REGION_COUNTS:GRASSLAND:2080:3:3]
    [REGION_COUNTS:HILLS:2080:3:3]
    [EROSION_CYCLE_COUNT:250]
    [RIVER_MINS:100:100]
    [PERIODICALLY_ERODE_EXTREMES:1]
    [OROGRAPHIC_PRECIPITATION:1]
    [SUBREGION_MAX:2750]
    [CAVERN_LAYER_COUNT:3]
    [CAVERN_LAYER_OPENNESS_MIN:0]
    [CAVERN_LAYER_OPENNESS_MAX:100]
    [CAVERN_LAYER_PASSAGE_DENSITY_MIN:0]
    [CAVERN_LAYER_PASSAGE_DENSITY_MAX:100]
    [CAVERN_LAYER_WATER_MIN:0]
    [CAVERN_LAYER_WATER_MAX:100]
    [HAVE_BOTTOM_LAYER_1:1]
    [HAVE_BOTTOM_LAYER_2:1]
    [LEVELS_ABOVE_GROUND:15]
    [LEVELS_ABOVE_LAYER_1:5]
    [LEVELS_ABOVE_LAYER_2:1]
    [LEVELS_ABOVE_LAYER_3:1]
    [LEVELS_ABOVE_LAYER_4:1]
    [LEVELS_ABOVE_LAYER_5:2]
    [LEVELS_AT_BOTTOM:1]
    [CAVE_MIN_SIZE:5]
    [CAVE_MIN_SIZE:5]
    [CAVE_MAX_SIZE:25]
    [MOUNTAIN_CAVE_MIN:25]
    [NON_MOUNTAIN_CAVE_MIN:50]
    [ALL_CAVES_VISIBLE:0]
    [SHOW_EMBARK_TUNNEL:2]
    [TOTAL_CIV_NUMBER:20]
    [TOTAL_CIV_POPULATION:20000]
    [PLAYABLE_CIVILIZATION_REQUIRED:1]
    [ELEVATION_RANGES:2080:4160:2080]
    [RAIN_RANGES:2080:4160:2080]
    [DRAINAGE_RANGES:2080:4160:2080]
    [SAVAGERY_RANGES:2080:4160:2080]
    [VOLCANISM_RANGES:2080:4160:2080]
(0003998)
Footkerchief   
2010-04-17 15:12   
Ah, okay, thanks.
(0030785)
JayJayForce   
2014-10-29 13:21   
Can confirm is still present in 0.40.14

My results:

    7909 magma men
    12182 magma crabs
    Unnumbered tortoise fiends
    Unnumbered leech devils
    Unnumbered white wraiths
    Unnumbered tick devils
    Unnumbered demons of shadow
    Unnumbered phantoms of embers
    Unnumbered earthworm monsters
    Unnumbered lavender blush fiends
    Unnumbered winged brutes
    Unnumbered winged brutes
    Unnumbered raccoon brutes
    Unnumbered earthworm monsters
    Unnumbered white devils
    Unnumbered gray brutes
    Unnumbered leech devils
    Unnumbered dung beetle brutes
    Unnumbered shade phantoms
    Unnumbered beaver demons
    Unnumbered steam spirits
    Unnumbered sterling silver brutes
    Unnumbered sludge fiends
    Unnumbered phantoms of steam
    Unnumbered theropod monsters
    Unnumbered mammoth devils
    183431 cave spiders
    186838 bats

I have two cases of winged brutes and two leech devils
(0036727)
grand sage   
2017-09-04 13:56   
Technically, It is entirely possible for two different species to be named the same, either because they were named independently of each other or due to stupidity/similarity. Many different species of plants have the same trivial names, because people cant tell them from each other. So not sure this is a bug at all.