A possible solution to the chimera mutation
Info
Hi there everyone! As you may know, Chimera is a mutation that has been suggested many times. However, there are problems surrounding it's implementation due to the nature of how its coding would exist. I've thought about it a bit, and I hope to address some of these issues in a way that make it possible to consider. I understand the developers have seen Chimera suggestions before and may not be open to creating the mutation, so this isn't meant to circumvent any previous decisions that have been made. This is just for fun!

Chimera Appearance
The mutation would involve a new pose, which would be similar to something seen here. Anything with a slightly overhead view, or a side view with the lioness looking back, would work the best. This would allow the user to see the two "sides" of the lion's face and body, which you normally can't see on any Lioden poses. If anyone would like to create a mockup, I'd greatly appreciate it!



For the chimera's appearance to be created, I'd suggest that the chimera pose be two png halves put together. Each "side" of the cub will be assigned "A" or "B" when generated by the game, with each letter being assigned an individual side. The two sides will be put together as one image, thus generating the lion onto the full chimera pose. I've attached an example using the good pose:
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Rules for Breeding the Mutation
• A minimum of a 2 cub litter - this is because when chimera occurs, two embryos are merged into one. This means your lioness must roll for 2 cubs naturally, or with the use of breeding items.
• OPTIONAL - Chimera litters will always have one less cub - again, two cubs will be merging into one. This means that if a buffalo scrotum is used, and your lioness has a chimera cub, the litter will be reduced to 2 cubs (one normal, and one chimera). This is suggested IF option A from "How the Cub's Genetics are Determined" is chosen - see below!
• A lion scrotum will create a 5% pass chance, like with DU lionesses - Whether or not this suggestion stays is up to the developers, but I feel like this would be the best option
• Breeding items will apply to all cubs, the same as any other mutations - This means if you use an opal saltlick on your lioness, both sets of genetics on the chimera cub with have the same colored eyes (this bit is obvious, but I figured it should be covered anyways)

How the Cub's Genetics are Determined
Previously, issues arose with the Chimera mutation when trying to factor in two sets of genetics. I've thought about what would be the easiest to implement, and I have two suggestions. Which one works the best is determined by whether mutations or appearances roll first on cubs, as well as whether or not deleting a preborn cub is possible. Since I'm not a Lioden coder, I'm not sure which suggestion is easier, so hopefully this provides the options needed for implementation.

OPTION A
The cubs appearances will be rolled first, with the mutations rolled afterwards. As previously stated, the chimera mutation is the combining two cubs into one. As a result, if the mutation rolls on a cub, it will delete a random cub in the litter and overlay said cub's genetics onto the chimera. This would result in a "true" chimera, as it would be truly combining two cubs.

OPTION B
The cub's mutations will be rolled first, with the appearances rolled afterwards. If a cub happens to land the chimera mutation, it will simply roll its own genetics twice. The first set will go on the left, and the second set will go on the right. This option leaves the other cubs in the litter completely unaffected.

Breeding to an Adult Chimera
Another issue I've seen with the chimera suggestion arises when breeding an adult chimera to a stud. Many suggestions fail to describe which genetics will be used in breeding, so I have a two options to cover this as well. In either situation, perhaps a new type of lion page can be created specifically for chimeras, which includes extra space on the table for the additional genetics

OPTION A - the easiest
When the chimera cub is born, a random side of the lion is determined dominant. The game will take everything from one side, including its markings, eyes, base, etc. and only count that side as it's "true" genetics. Only that side will be considered by the game, and the other half will be purely cosmetic, to simplify coding. Whether or not an item is released that allows the user to swap the dominant side is up to the dev's discretion.

Click to view a larger version

OPTION B - the hardest
When the chimera cub is born, either side's base, eyes, marking slots, etc. all roll against each other. There would be no dominant "side" as each quality from the lion will be rolled for A or B. For example, in this lion, its bolded qualities are what are considered by the game as its genetics. The other options are purely cosmetic, to simplify coding. Perhaps an item that completely randomizes which qualities are dominant may exist, at the mod's discretion.

Click to view a larger version
Notice how in this version, slot 4 is not boldened on the left side, nor does it exist on the right side. This means that the right side has been chosen as dominant for slot 4, which has no marking.

Q&A
Q - Why do we need this mutation?
A - We don't. This is just something I thought about for fun. If it happens to be possible in the game, why not?

Q - Wasn't this already suggested?
A - Yes, it was. I'm completely aware and accepting of the mods' current decision on Chimera. This thread was made purely to outline ideas. I do not expect this thread to change anyone's mind or magically fix anything. Like I said before, this is for fun!

I will add more later if anyone has any questions

Additional Suggestions
None yet

Thanks for reading! If anyone has any additional suggestions or comments, feel free to reply! :)