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___________________________________________________________________________ New Art! (+Dossier artwork) Wild: To my knowledge, there are no Terror Birds that inhabit this twisted, bioluminescent ARK. So supposedly, their absence is what caused Ornimegalonyx affinis to evolve in their place. But one should not take this fact with relief, for this enormous, flightless owl suits that niche a bit too perfectly. As with all owls, its vision is impeccable; it can detect the faintest trace in the darkest depths. In fact, its retinas seem to be capable of producing charge light, which further bolsters its eyesight. And don’t be fooled by its flightless nature, because it’s one hell of an athlete. Their powerful legs allow them to bounce off walls - and even the backs of large creatures - in order to reach higher elevations. Domesticated: A domesticated Ornimegalonyx is probably among the best scouts that this sunken ecosystem has to offer. Its huge eyes are great for spotting danger, and although its agility may be difficult to handle, once mastered, survivors will be able to use the terrain in creative ways in order to push onwards. Granted, its mobility still pales in comparison to the much larger feathered apex predator of this ecosystem, but nonetheless, I’ll take the owl over nothing. Thank you for the fanart, WolfTek7! ___________________________________________________________________________ Gameplay Summary: The Ornimegalonyx is designed to be a scout's best friend. With its telescope-like vision, it can detect various obstacles and threats from miles away, and its proficiency in doing so is buffed if the player has a spyglass, magnifying glass, or similar item on hand. Combined with its charge light eyes, it's an excellent spying mount. But that's not all; it's also a very crafty assassin. Riders of the Ornimegalonyx can perform some well-timed walljumps to parkour up rocky terrain, gaining enough altitude before diving down and pouncing on unsuspecting prey with deadly athleticism. Sure, this giant bird may not be able to fly. But that's not going to stop it from trying to launch an attack on you from above. Size: Raptor-height Damage: Around the same as an Argentavis Running Speed: Has a sprinting speed akin to a Direwolf Jumping Speed: Remarkably fast, especially when charged up Tier: Mid-game mount ___________________________________________________________________________ Abilities: [Melee/Pistol Whip] Shrewd Eyes: The Ornimegalonyx perches itself down and widens its eyes. This enhances the rider’s POV with night vision, alongside the option to flexibly zoom-in and out. The zoom-in range is practically infinite, and will extend the rider’s render distance as it goes further. Theoretically, you could spy on the Rock Drake nest while still being inside the fertile zone! Zooming in will also allow the rider to hear noises from far away. The downside to this ability is that the Ornimegalonyx will create a spotlight at whatever it stares at. So while it’s great for scouting from any distance, anyone that’s being spied on will know they’re being spied on. Using a Spyglass, Magnifying Glass, or Electronic Binoculars while this ability is active will enhance this zoom-in feature with their effects, like their ability to identify level or torpor. __________________________________________________________________________ [Crouch] Toggleable - Charge Light Retinas: The Ornimegalonyx toggles its retinas to produce Charge Light, lighting up a cone-shaped area in front of its head, like car lights. This slowly drains stamina. While active, anything within the “car lights” of the Ornimegalonyx are highlighted, which includes hidden creatures (including invisible ones), explorer notes, traps, and lvl150 creatures. Additionally, just like the light of a glow pet, this scares Nameless, as well as removes their resistances. Reapers are also weakened. This ability works while using its [Melee/Pistol Whip] ability, Shrewd Eyes, allowing the Ornimegalonyx to detect said objects from a limitless distance away, as well as dousing Nameless and Reapers in charge light; but only if they are within in the AoE of its aforementioned spotlight. If you have a Light Pet equipped, then the width of this ability's area of effect is increased. ____________________________________________________________________________ [Mouse1] - Blinding Flash: By holding down Mouse1, the Ornimegalonyx will begin charging up a flash attack. Release it like a flash bomb to blind foes, then slip into invisibility for just a few seconds. Use the opportunity to escape! If you don't hold Mouse1, then the Ornimegalonyx simply does a normal bite. But anyone bitten by the Ornimegalonyx will have their silhouette revealed and visible behind structures and walls for a long duration. They won't be able to hide! __________________________________________________________________________ [Spacebar] - Wall Jump: Tapping [Spacebar] will make the Ornimegalonyx jump. However, by holding down [Spacebar], the Ornimegalonyx will charge up a larger jump. When the Ornimegalonyx is airborne, the player can once again tap [SPACEBAR] within close proximity of a wall (or perhaps even a tree) to rebound off that wall in the opposite direction, therefore achieving a wall jump. The direction of the wall jump can be slightly angled with the player’s FOV. Additionally, the player can hold [Spacebar] against the wall for an even greater wall jump. A fully-charged wall jump covers twice the distance of a fully-charged grounded jump. __________________________________________________________________________ [Mouse2] - Aerial Dash / Slow Descent Quickly tap [Mouse2] while airborne to dash in the direction you are looking. The dash is very brief, and can only be used once until you make contact with the ground or on a wall. Any small creature the Ornimegalonyx makes a direct hit on while dashing will be pounced on. If a larger creature is hit instead, the Ornimegalonyx will bounce off their back and greatly rebound into the air, effectively becoming a sort of big “double” jump; this also refreshes the ability’s cooldown and lets you do an Aerial Dash one more time. Holding [Mouse2] will instead cause the Ornimegalonyx to glide, but only for around 3-5 seconds at a time before needing to touch the ground or a wall to refresh it back up (it's not as proficient at gliding as the Rock Drake!) Imagine the possible combinations of mobility needed to ascend up rocky structures with the Ornimegalonyx! Say there was a massive wall in front of you. You wouldn't be able to just simply climb up it like a Rock Drake can. You'll need to string your mobility moves together! Find nearby structures to combo your wall jump with. Perhaps even a nearby large creature to dash into and leap off. And don't spam the glide - it's only active for a few seconds at a time. Get creative with the Ornimegalonyx's mobility and find opportunities in the environment to reach various heights. __________________________________________________________________________ [Radial Wheel Option] - Sentry Mode: While unmounted, the Ornimegalonyx can serve as a base-surveying sentry, using its huge eyes to pry for any nearby intruders. Players and creatures that stumble into its spotlight will be revealed and alerted. Invisibility won't help: the owl can detect even the most well-hidden of foes. Should a wild creature be detected, the Ornimegalonyx will let out a skittering shriek and scare them away. If the wild creature attacks instead, then the Ornimegalonyx will drop down and battle it. Players that attempt to snipe a surveying Ornimegalonyx from a distance will find themselves highlighted and revealed to the entirety of the tribe that the Ornimegalonyx belongs to. __________________________________________________________________________ How to tame Ornimegalonyx: Wild Ornimegalonyx live in the less-populated areas of the fertile zone. They can also be found alongside the fringes of the bioluminescent marshes. They are often in their Sentry Mode, spying for nearby prey like a terrifying living spotlight. They have a particularly developed taste for light pets. Purposefully walk into the spotlight of an Ornimegalonyx, then throw your light pet off your shoulder. The Ornimegalonyx will lock onto the light pet and gobble it up. The higher the level of the sacrifice, the quicker the taming bar will commence. Take caution to make sure it targets the pet and not you. Ornimegalonyx are quite fragile creatures. Do your best to lure it away from more powerful threats. Alternatively, here's a Youtube comment suggestion that sounded really creative: __________________________________________________________________________ On an unrelated note... Some of you may know that I am also the creator of the Miracinonyx (the American Cheetah). Well, as of recently, I decided to remove my cheetah submission. The reason for my motivation is because both the owl and the cheetah were in top ten, and I couldn't help but to feel it was unfair that both my submissions were taking the top spots. This does not mean the cheetah is gone forever. It will return for The Center and Valguero votes. __________________________________________________________________________ Thanks for reading, and feel free to leave any suggestions. I am more than happy to incorporate feedback, so go ahead and comment whatever wild ideas you might have.