Bilateral symmetry

I realize you may want to maximize derp and randomness at the start, but most fish are bilaterally symmetrical and the way the underlying developmental genes work makes symmetry more likely. You could consider setting the genetics of these fish up the same way
 

Tom Johnson

Queen
Developer of Ecosystem
Ecosystem Beta Tester
I realize you may want to maximize derp and randomness at the start, but most fish are bilaterally symmetrical and the way the underlying developmental genes work makes symmetry more likely. You could consider setting the genetics of these fish up the same way
That is something I'm interested in! What's funny is that the underlying genetics in the game already make bilateral symmetry more likely, but I rarely see established creatures being symmetric in the way that you mentioned, which would definitely make them more natural looking and possibly prettier.

I wonder if the selection pressures on the artificial creatures don't favor it as strongly as real life pressures do. I'm not sure though and I'm hoping to figure it out. I've noticed creatures more often evolving sort of pseudo-symmetries where non-forward forces are balanced even though the actual geometry of the fish is not mirrored. For example, the paddling of a large fin near the front-bottom of the creature will be offset by a flick of the tail fin in the other direction at the appropriate time.
 
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