~SarcasticCinder~

Good idea. If I may extend, maybe rogue males will attack males as someone said above but also babies too? In real life, males of some species will kill a female's children before they breed with them as to ensure that only their genes are passed down. Maybe rogue males could also be more or less likely to breed with females based on their proximity to other nichelings as well. For example, no nichelings in the adjacent tiles of the female the rogue male is trying to breed with could be the normal rate, and for every nicheling in a adjacent tile the rate of them trying to breed would go down around 5-10% based on difficulty of islands (lower percentage, higher island difficulty, vice versa).

Interesting concept, I've always felt that underwater is very bland and could use a bit more flavor.

I think berry bushes already provide plenty of food. This isn't a suggestion for a new feature either, just a very minor tweak to an existing one.

Yes, would be very useful for players who like to develop their own story.

I think this is an interesting concept. Well thought-out.

Great idea, this would make blindness less useless and sensory genes more interesting.

Introduction: I propose a feature in which the players can choose to customize Adam and Eve in sandbox mode. The screen would have five key parts, described below. The player would be able to randomize the genes or fine-tune them, including the unexpressed genes as well. Attached is a rough outline of what I think the menu could look like, as well as a description of each feature labeled on the image. Nicheling Name: A simple display of the name of the nicheling the player is editing, inside of a dropdown menu that they can use to switch the nicheling they are editing. Nicheling Display: Pretty self-explanatory, just a display of the model of the nicheling the player is currently editing. The player would be able to view the model as they can in the family tree. Randomization Button, Confirmation Button: The player can choose to randomize all genes, only unexpressed genes, or only expressed genes. The confirmation button will trigger a pop-up that says something like "Are you sure that your nichelings are customized to your liking?" then the player can choose "Yes, save customization and exit", "Discard changes and exit" (which will randomize the nichelings as normal), or "No, go back to customization menu". Gene Selection Menu: A menu of all the genes. The menu would have a scrollbar and the option for the genes to be sorted by category or name at the top. Hovering over the gene's icon will enable the player to see its name. Clicking the gene icon will display it on the model, and double-clicking the gene icon will open a pop-up. This pop-up will have the options to add the gene as an expressed gene for its gene slot, add it as an unexpressed gene, or cancel. It is up for discussion whether it would be better to have all genes usable, or only those the player has unlocked. Gene Description: This menu will have the in-game description of the gene, as well as the stat increases and decreases it gives. Summary: Overall, I think this would be a very useful feature for the game for players that want certain genes in their starter nichelings.