Chimera: Gene Fusion

**0.2.0-alpha — "Free-form Assembly & Power"**

Chimeras are no longer "one gene, one shape": you now pick the parts yourself, tune them, and watch the final stats update live. This update also brings the full power system.

**① Free-form assembly**

- The **body gene defines the frame** (skeleton, hitbox, animation); **secondary genes only swap the model** — animation is untouched.

- **As many editable slots as the creature has parts**: 4 legs = 4 slots, 8 legs = 8 slots, each leg independently re-skinned and tuned.

- Every slot supports **offset (±32 px) / scale (25%–200%) / rotation (±180°)**.

- The 3D preview can be rotated, zoomed and expanded into a large window.

- **Presets** (default / head swap / full swap / custom) for beginners, full manual control for everyone else.

- **Your layout is saved** with the machine — no need to redo it after a relog.

**② Stats now come from parts, not genes**

- **Health = body ×0.6 + head ×0.4** · **Armor = body ×1.0** · **Attack = head ×0.4 + best arm ×0.6** · **Speed / knockback resistance = best leg**.

- **With no parts swapped you get exactly vanilla stats** — verified for all 42 creatures.

- Armless creatures (chicken, spider, …) move the full attack weight to the head.

- **Gene capacity**: every creature has a capacity (1,000 → 5,000 for giant/boss tier); each part costs capacity — **if it does not fit, it cannot be fused**, and the UI tells you how much is missing.

**③ Multi-gene fusion: the Gene Convergence Matrix**

- A new multiblock: **convergence matrix (core + pedestal) + gene injection chambers + energy arcs**. Lay the arcs, place the genes and a catalyst, and a **30-second ritual** yields the result.

- One **body gene** in the matrix, secondary genes in the chambers — **3-gene and 4-gene chimeras are possible**.

- **Three catalyst tiers** (stable / high-energy / critical) decide how many genes a ritual accepts.

- The modelling UI lets you **choose per body part** which creature supplies the model.

**④ Power system**

- Four tiers: **Coal Generator** (fuel) → **Gene Cracking Furnace** (burns spare gene items) → **Bio Reactor** (right-click a vanilla spawner with an empty reactor to **legally carry the spawner away**; a loaded one generates power with no fuel) → **Resonance Furnace** (powered by magic creatures or magic-gene chimeras standing nearby, which get locked in place while they resonate).

- **Energy Arcs now carry power** — redstone-dust style: laid on the floor, auto-connect to adjacent machines, and cut the moment you break one.

- ⚠ **Machines now require power by default**: on old saves the fusion machine, extractor, extraction chamber and matrix will simply **sit idle — that is not a bug, it is a power shortage**, and Jade says so.

  - To fix it: build a Coal Generator and run arcs to your machines (see the new "Build a generator first" guide entry).

  - To opt out: set `requiresEnergy = false` in the `machine / extractor / chamber / matrix` config sections.

**⑤ Art pass**

- All machines now share one palette (**dark steel + gold trim + cyan glow**); older machines were repainted.

- **High-tier machines** (matrix set, injection chamber, extraction core & panel, bio reactor, resonance furnace) carry a **red-gold badge** so you can tell them apart at a glance.

- New mod icon.

**Fixed**

- Machine casing walls and pipes no longer break apart at the seams.

- The culture chamber now lines up flush with the fusion machine.

- Energy arcs previously refused to connect to the two power machines.

- A two-block machine placed next to an arc no longer loses its lower half.

**Coming next**

- Variant recessive traits (drowned, husk, stray, bogged …), negative traits, an achievement system, a gene codex and trading, and more genes.

- Further out: an abandoned research facility, and *something* people only talk about. No spoilers.

**⚠ Early Access**

**This build touched the save format** — back up your world, or better, start a new one. If something crashes, attach `logs/latest.log`. Your version is the `Chimera (build xxx)` line in the mod list; quote it when reporting anything.