egg incubator Giant Moa - A Fast Flightless Bird with a Small Platform Saddle

[captainfatdog]

Hello survivors,

I present to you the Giant Moa, also known as Dinornis. Large for a bird, but fairly small for a platform creature. While it's incapable of flying, it makes up for lost time with it's impressive running speed and stamina. It is unaffected by sandstorms and will also protect the rider from the effects of storms and harsh weather. It is in fact tamed during sandstorms, giving them an actual purpose on Scorched! It has the ability to incubate any egg by sitting on it. It can be equipped with a small round platform saddle, large enough for just a few essentials such as a bed and smithy.

Hope you like it! Here are a few reasons why I think you should vote for this creature:

1. Paracers are pretty much the fastest platform creature on Scorched, and they are slow!
2. It gives you something to do during sandstorms.
3. It saves using a million torches to incubate wyvern eggs when you don't have an incubator.
4. No other creatures provide a weight reduction for eggs.

If that's caught your interest, here's more info about the potential creature:

Basic Info

Group: Bird

Diet: Herbivore

Temperament: Docile

 

Equipment

Moa Platform Saddle: A small round platform saddle. Can be ridden with or without the saddle.

 

Dossier

"Wild: From a distance, the Moa could easily be mistaken for it's relative, the Emu. Upon approaching it though, it became clear that it was something much, much larger. I'd heard stories about the Giant Moa as a kid, the tallest birds to ever walk the earth, but even in the stories they weren't as big as this! Despite it's humongus size though, it appears to somehow survive on a diet of seeds and berries. For the most part they seem friendly, but friendly shouldn't be mistaken for weak, I've witnessed Moa's shatter the skulls of enemy dinosaurs with their broad sharp beak.

Domesticated: While the Moa is relativity easy to befriend, as an adult it doesn't seem to be capable of domestication. It pays no attention to whistles and is definitely not a fan of anyone attempting to climb up onto it's back. Attempts to steal it's eggs don't tend to go well either, the shell is so fragile that the slightest knock can cause it to shatter. The only successful domestication I know of was done by assisting the parents with defending and raising the offspring. It seems well worth the effort though, these things are built for this harsh environment, they are capable of running full speed through a sandstorm, and will happily help incubate other species eggs."
 

Behaviour

The Moa is not aggressive until attacked. Once attacked, it will use it's sharp peck and powerful kick to defend against the enemy.

Drops

 Hide

 Raw Meat

 Raw Prime Meat

 

Taming

Adult Moa's cannot be tamed. To acquire a tamed Moa, the player must build trust with the parents, then claim it's offspring when reaching juvenile.

Moa's spawn in pairs, one male and one female. In a panic, the female will lay an egg just before a sandstorm. The egg is extremely fragile and cannot be picked up.

Once the sandstorm begins, the male Moa will sit on and incubate the egg. To build trust with the parents, the player must help defend from incoming Titanoboas which are attempting to steal the egg, much like defending an OSD. For each Titanoboa killed, the trust meter HUD above the male will increase.

After the sandstorm, the male will stand and the baby will hatch. If the parents trust has reached 100%, the Moa family will now follow the the player. While the baby grows to juvenile, the parents trust must be kept up by ensuring the family is kept together and unharmed. This can be done by leading the family into a safe holding pen.

Once the baby reaches juvenile, it can be claimed and the parents are no longer required. If it's food gets low, it must be fed seeds, it will not eat berries until fully grown.
 

Utility

Abilities

Peck:    - A long reaching peck with a small AOE.

Kick:    - A powerful kick with a large AOE and good knockback from legs.

Pick up: [C]   - Pick up players, small creatures and babies with beak.

Sit: [X] + + - Sit down to incubate eggs or regain stamina faster.

Jump:  [Space bar]  - It's long feathers cause it to have reduced fall speed (when not equipped with the saddle).

 

Roles

• Egg Incubation: When sitting on eggs, it will provide incubation for any egg type. Levelling 'Incubation effectivness' stat can increase incubation speed to faster than an incubator, but has the limitation of not being able to see the egg stats and info.
• Egg Transport: With an 80% weight reduction of eggs, decent base weight, and good movement speed, it's eggcellent for transporting them. It will not eat eggs, even if force feeding is attempted.
• Travel: With impressive running speed, stamina, and immunity to the effects of sandstorms, it's well suited to collecting desert loot crates. While it has no visible wings for gliding like the Terror Bird, when not equipped with the platform saddle, it's feathers help reduce it's fall speed, meaning it can jump great distances from hills and mountains without taking any fall damage.
• Baby/Small Creature Transport: It can pick up and transport small creatures and babies with it's beak, and will keep them held even when dismounted.
• Mobile Tent: The Moa is not only immune to the effects of sandstorms, but will also provide the rider with protection much like being in a tent. With an Adobe building on it's platform saddle, it can also provide mobile protection to tribemates.
• Seed Harvester: The primary peck attack will only harvest seeds from bushes (berries can be harvested with the kick attack). Although the iguanodon is capable of converting berries to seeds, it falls short when it comes to crop seeds, this is where the Moa shines. Seeds are also the required food of baby Moa's.
• Moa Taming Aid: Due to it's invulnerability to sandstorms, it can be very useful for taming more Moa's by protecting against Titaoboas during the sandstorm phase of the taming process.
• Mobile Clay Farm: It's ability to harvest both Sand and Cactus Sap combined with a Mortar and Pestle or Chemistry Bench on it's platform saddle, makes it very efficient at farming Clay.

 

Weight Reduction

 Eggs: 80%

 Sand: 80%

 

Harvesting

 Seeds

 Fibre

 Thatch

 Wood

  Sand

 Cactus Sap

 

 

Thank you for all the great suggestions that I have been able to use to update this creature submission!

Learn more about the real world Giant Moa: Dinornis - Wikipedia

Edited April 22, 2023 by captainfatdog

[TiiaAurora]

Awesome idea!

[Huntdad5]

Personally I love this idea, I hold a unpopular opinion, I don't want another giga rival, I want something that has utility, and/or something that is just plain wacky and funny, and this is what I want to see, so congrats on this idea, hopefully it makes it to the top ten

[roy3100]

Really love this idea and creature! Ark could benefit from having more birds, and a giant flightless one seems like a great addition. An ability I'd suggest would be to do something with its eggs, maybe have them give very substantial nourishment benefits or have them be useful for taming larger creatures as an alternative to kibble? During previous votes an idea I saw thrown out for these guys was to have them act as living incubators, that way no matter the hot days or freezing nights on scorch they'd serve the added benefit of being able to passively incubate eggs. For taming methods, I'd imagine that either a passive tame or egg collection method would make the most sense. If I could tack on another suggestion based on my own submission for a very similar creature, perhaps give it the ability to act almost like a slingshot? Large ratites, which are the family moas belong to, often swallow stones to help grind up the food they eat. I think a fun idea would be for it to have the ability to spit stones when they're placed in its inventory. It could act as an additional attack that inflicts topor. Regardless of what you choose to add, good luck with your suggestion. 

[Zodie]

We need this 

[HyperEnder600]

Suggestions:

As stated by the wiki article, the Dinornis bird reproduced in nests in sand dunes, and an idea for breeding these creatures could be:

- Only breedable during sandstorms (which would be quite quick instead of 3 months as stated by the linked article  ) .

As we all hate the sandstorm in ARK, this would be a great mechanic to have a use of the annoying weather event.

Another suggestions following the first is:

-With the Dinornis' adaptation to sandstorms, the rider of the Dinornis and the bird itself is insulated and protected from the weather event as long as the person is riding the creature or on its saddle.

This would make travelling during sandstorms a lot more helpful and efficient.

Lastly:

-The Dinornis could have a high weight advantage or reduced weight to some of the scorched earth essential materials. 

This would explain how its able to hold a small platform on its back and still move.

 

Hope the ideas help get a better view of this creature!

[Somes]

I am going to post the larger of the birds (Aepyornis Maximus AKA the Elephant Bird) and I had some of the same ideas. The birds are similar but I am going to post it up anyway. If they are too similar a Mod can combine the threads. I borrowed your platform saddle idea

I am hoping people will vote for something other than a copy paste carnivore creature that looks a tad different than a Rex or Raptor. 

[Somes]

Common Name: Aepyornis (AKA Elephant Bird)

Species: Aepyornis Maximus

Group: Ground Bird (Flightless Thunderbirds)

Pack/Herd/Flock Behavior: 2-3 adults per spawn, 3-4 young per spawn

Time/Era: Pleistocene and Holocene

Idle Temperament: Docile

Temperament On Hit: Skittish

Diet: Herbivore, Insectivore

Feces Size: Small

Tameable: Yes

Breedable: Yes

Rideable: Yes

Mounted Combat: Yes

Saddle Level: 40 for saddle bagged, 50 for multi-mount battle and 60 for small platform 

Creature Harvesting: Seeds, Berries, Fiber, Thatch, Chitin, Sand, Cactus Sap, Honey

On Death Drops: Bird Skull Trophy, Raw Meat, Occasional Raw Prime Meat, (a new resource to make arrows) Feathers

Real Facts: Extinct from Madagascar, this massive bird is much like a Giant Moa. They are currently known to be the largest thunderbird/ratite. Compared to other birds in its family it is not the tallest but stands in around 9 to 11 feet tall, only a bit shorter than the Giant Moa. In terms of weight they are estimated to weigh in at around 1,600 to 1,900lbs...not far from a ton! The Aepyornis egg is 7 times larger than an Ostritch egg and sandy brown in color,it weighs in at around 18 to 20 pounds in fossil weight!

Wild Info: The nests of these birds are rather unprotected in the wild and are vulnerable to predators and humans alike. The nests are dug in sand and buried in a mound in the open dunes. While the nest is left vulnerable most of the time, if you pick up an egg with a parent near you will be attacked. Aepyornis is immune to the angering/aggro effects of rare flowers so stealing an egg may be the only way to get the birds attention in that regard. 
Wild nests do have eggs but they will not be fertile most of the time. This is because they lose effectiveness quickly. This means that these creatures are pretty rare and have a small population.
There is a few distinctions between males and females. Unlike other birds,females are the more colorful ones and will be mostly black with a pinkish neck and head. A shade of blue under their chin and upper neck. White rings plumed atop the legs. Males will have more patterns but they will have tan,brown,auburn and some light to dark grey on their underside. This leads the females to look nicer in the wild but breeders will prefer to mutate the males to look better for show (See Images). Males are usually slightly smaller as well. Both males and females will have feathers/hairs on the top of their heads that are slicked back most of the time. They will stand up when upset in certain situations. Colors of the beak and legs usually match and are not tied to genders...those colors are usually tans,browns,greys,pinks,oranges and black.

Tamed (Domesticated) Info: Tribes see Aepyornis much like they see a good work Equus but some claim that they are not meant for battle and only have use for egg farming,meat and work related chores. The Aepyornis is well known to have great speed that rivals the Gallimimus but it takes a moment to pick up to that speed much like a Dire Bear. That being said, unlike the Gallimimus it has much better handling.

One bad weakness discovered is that it does not swim well and while it has above normal oxygen levels it is vulnerable if in deep water. This means if traveling to or from lands on boat,make sure they are not going to fall in the depths.

Otherwise, these birds are known to be pretty hearty and have a large stamina pool. They make to be versatile mounts. There is multiple (3) saddle types for Aepyornis for different types of roles and utility. A saddle that is built light with saddle bags, great for looting or escaping threats. A saddle built for battle with a bit more armor and an undercarriage for a second person! The other saddle is a small platform saddle that is great for building protection from storms but has a negative effect on speed the heavier the build on it gets and it gives immunity to the sandstorms while equipped. They can carry about as much as a Parasaur and make decent travel/pack animals while using the lighter saddle.

They have small to moderate damage in battle and they can cause a small bleed effect when using primary attacks using its beak. Its secondary attack is a hop kick that causes knock back similar to a procoptodon but be aware it hurts a bit more because of talons.

These amazing creatures have other amazing abilities such as being immune to venom. This makes them great for fending off or defending against things like Titanoboa and Araneomorphus. They also have the ability to forecast storms much like a Jerboa. They are known to have a buff against insectoids and will get a small chance of chitin when harvesting plants. Berries have reduced weight when carried too.

Taming: They are both passive and aggressive tames but not in the traditional ways. The method of taming the Aepyornis can be a challenge to tame.
One must first attain Rare Flowers because this is the only thing they will eat from you in this process. Once they eat from you they become affected like you would by the flower and than will stand in a cartoon ostrich pose and hide in plain sight! Now you must defend the bird until its ready to eat again but be warned that if the bird gets hit...it will remove the entire effectiveness and run away. 
There is an alternative to the passive defense method but it will lose some levels. This method is to knock it out while it is posing but be careful because they are weak to tranq arrows in this state and must be hit in the right place for maximum torpor. A good rifle and darts are recommended.

Breeding/Farming: First things first, before you decide to breed and farm these majestic birds you should be aware that they will require your full attention. Their eggs lose effectiveness rather quickly so you must act fast and be ready. You will also need to build a sandbox nest to bury the eggs in,it is required. This birds eggs can not be placed in incubators but you can have one of your Aepyornis actually sit on the nest to incubate them.
An issue was discovered that these birds are a bit like a Gacha when kept. They will not be happy in large groups of their own kind and it is found that a tamed flock maxed out per territory is one male and 2 females. You will know if they are unhappy if the hairs/feathers on their head stand up. 
It is possible to keep more together and let them be unhappy and stressed but than they will produce low level eggs. They will also not lay non fertile eggs if unhappy either.
Baby Aepyornis chicks will eat seeds until adult but will ask for Longrass or Regular Kibble on care.

 

Other Notes: These birds are not called thunderbirds for no reason. They have a taunt (idle defense mode toggle) ability to ward off small to some medium sized threats by thumping the ground with their feet causing a dust plume and a rumbling sound like a herd of elephants.

Edited April 15, 2023 by Somes

[Ermerus]

7 hours ago, captainfatdog said:

Hello survivors,

I present to you the Giant Moa (Dinornis). Large for a bird, but fairly small for a platform creature. While it's incapable of flying, it makes up for lost time with it's impressive running speed. It is capable of gliding to a certain extent, but not as well as a terror bird, it falls faster. It can be equipped with a small round platform saddle, large enough for just a few essentials such as a bed and smithy.

 

Info

Group: Bird

Diet: Herbivore

Temperament: Docile

 

Equipment

Moa Platform Saddle: A small round platform saddle

 

Controls

Left Mouse Button: Primary Attack - Peck (Long reach but small AOE)

Right Mouse Button: Secondary Attack - Kick (Large AOE with good knockback from legs)

'C' Key: Pick up players and small creatures with beak

Hold Space: Glide

 

If anyone has any cool ideas about wild behaviour or taming methods please feel free to chip in.

 

Learn more about the real world Giant Moa: Dinornis - Wikipedia

it would be cool if it could have the function of hatching eggs, basically a living incubator.

[Kingkestrel373]

Moas are such underrated dinosaurs, would love to see this in game.

[JMG]

I have a taming idea! The concept is the knockout method with a passive twist. The player would feed the moa narcoberries (not narcotics) in intervals determined with a little dance from the moa. Once the player has fed the moa enough narcs, it will fall asleep and then tamed by the standard knockout feed and wait.

[ashgcy]

Love this goofy fellow! Sad I lost the 10th place with Gigantoraptor, but hopefully can pull back through without knocking it out in the process! Giant silly bird for the win! Maybe even two birds/bird-like suggestions!

In terms of taming, perhaps it could be KO'd by using chain bolas to make it trip over? Those long legs may be great for transport, but also would mean it could probably be knocked over quite easily

Edit: Okay so in the past few days Gigantoraptor blew up, honoured to share the top 10 positions with a fellow "giant silly bird" enjoyer!

Edited April 10, 2023 by ashgcy

[Kintyj]

A bird has never won a creature vote, and I got to say so far I think Im rooting for this one, It fits SE perfectly.

[captainfatdog]

11 hours ago, Huntdad5 said:

Personally I love this idea, I hold a unpopular opinion, I don't want another giga rival, I want something that has utility, and/or something that is just plain wacky and funny, and this is what I want to see, so congrats on this idea, hopefully it makes it to the top ten

I agree, we've got enough bitey things now

[captainfatdog]

4 hours ago, Ermerus said:

it would be cool if it could have the function of hatching eggs, basically a living incubator.

Agreed. I will update the post later.

[captainfatdog]

11 hours ago, roy3100 said:

Really love this idea and creature! Ark could benefit from having more birds, and a giant flightless one seems like a great addition. An ability I'd suggest would be to do something with its eggs, maybe have them give very substantial nourishment benefits or have them be useful for taming larger creatures as an alternative to kibble? During previous votes an idea I saw thrown out for these guys was to have them act as living incubators, that way no matter the hot days or freezing nights on scorch they'd serve the added benefit of being able to passively incubate eggs. For taming methods, I'd imagine that either a passive tame or egg collection method would make the most sense. If I could tack on another suggestion based on my own submission for a very similar creature, perhaps give it the ability to act almost like a slingshot? Large ratites, which are the family moas belong to, often swallow stones to help grind up the food they eat. I think a fun idea would be for it to have the ability to spit stones when they're placed in its inventory. It could act as an additional attack that inflicts topor. Regardless of what you choose to add, good luck with your suggestion. 

Love these ideas!

[kokokokok52]

   ffff

Edited April 9, 2023 by kokokokok52

[katann77573]

I love this idea, good luck!

[Kingkestrel373]

1 hour ago, Kintyj said:

A bird has never won a creature vote, and I got to say so far I think Im rooting for this one, It fits SE perfectly.

Missed opportunity to say you were roosting for it.

[ASTARDANGER]

Hey everyone! I love this creature I think we need more birds in the game. Because it looks like an ostrich here is another suggestion: Why not adding an ability to bury its head in the sand so that it can feel vibrations in the ground and locate deathworms, (maybe phoenix?) etc. ?

Edited April 15, 2023 by ASTARDANGER

[Ferox55]

Maybe add a unique item that has something to do with its feathers?

[HDSmellery]

Moa goes hard!

[H3XANDRA]

Mixing this up with captainfatdog's submission would be pretty cool. Very similar but also different. I like that this one is bigger than the Moa and that it can use different saddles for different roles. I also prefer the looks of these compared to the plain looking brown Moa.
This could take away from captainfatdog's submission a bit more and than it could be superior.

It could use the egg carry reduction,carry small creatures in beak,maybe mix up the taming method and maybe give it a special harvest boost for seeds or even chitin from bugs.
Sadly,captains post will grab more attention because he is a Youtuber but good luck! Got a vote from me

[Somes]

42 minutes ago, H3XANDRA said:

Mixing this up with captainfatdog's submission would be pretty cool. Very similar but also different. I like that this one is bigger than the Moa and that it can use different saddles for different roles. I also prefer the looks of these compared to the plain looking brown Moa.
This could take away from captainfatdog's submission a bit more and than it could be superior.

It could use the egg carry reduction,carry small creatures in beak,maybe mix up the taming method and maybe give it a special harvest boost for seeds or even chitin from bugs.
Sadly,captains post will grab more attention because he is a Youtuber but good luck! Got a vote from me

Yeah I was considering posting it in his submission due to its similarities but because its colors and larger model...along with some different ideas I had for it I made my own submission. If This does not break double digits soon I will paste it in there and remove my submission. He is going hard to present the Moa with graphics and all that...I could do it and probably make it superior as you said but it will not matter because of his following. I can't and won't compete with him...plus I am a fan lol. 
Thanks for the vote though.

[FiresolvedYT]

Good idea!