• Species Creation
• Bait Creation
• Venue Creation

Peit's Specie Tutorial

Below is a tutorial aimed at simmers who want to learn how to create their own species and to understand what the variables mean in each line. I have written this tutorial in exactly the same way as I would create a specie. If, after the tutorial you are still stuck and need further help, please do not hesitate to contact me on the forum or use my contact form to email me .

1. Download the specie template

a. Freshwater specie template | b. Saltwater specie template

2. The templates explained

Freshwater: This tutorial will be based on a Common Bream specie file.

• REF: This is the fish/specie reference name. For example, the Common Bream reference is CBREAM. Name your reference so that it is memorable and relevant to the specie you are creating.
• NAME: This is where you put the common name for the specie. (the name the specie is commonly called).
• SCIENTIFIC NAME: This is the latin name of the specie. For example, the scientific name for the Common Bream in the UK and USA is Abramis brama but in Australia it is Acanthopagrus australis. To make sure you are not replicating an already created specie, please check out this list which contains all the current valid species with scientific names and maximum sizes in drams.
• GRAPHIC: This graphic MUST be in a .pcx format using Paint Shop Pro and be 300 x 150 pixels in size with a transparent background. Any specie image that is not within this criteria will not be accepted.
• ADDED: Enter the date this specie was created.
• REG CODE: Leave this blank. (delete the part where is says Leave this blank).
• MAXSIZE: This must be entered in DRAMS. Research your specie carefully and do not go over the official rod caught record. If there is no official rod caught record then think responsibly. DO NOT enter silly amounts, for example 32000 drams for a Spot-tail butterflyfish. This not only wastes the testers time but will more than likely jeapordise any future species you send for testing.
• FSB: This line denotes where the fishsim booklet for this specie will be located if you decide to create one. If you do not intend to create a fishsim booklet for your specie then you can delete this line.

2. The values explained

The TEMP, O2, PH, FDEPTH, LIGHT, SALINE, FLOW and COVER:
There is four areas to each value which are (in order) the IDEAL, the MIN, the MAX and the TEST values. By entering certain values (relative to your specie), this ensures your specie will fish just like it would in real life.

• TEMP: Looking at the template, decide on what water temperature (not air) your specie prefers to be in. The Common Bream prefers an IDEAL water temperature of 14.93, a MIN of 1.5 and a MAX temperature of 22.0. Please note that the values you enter are in degrees celcius and not farenheit. The final value which is the TEST is a number you can enter between (my opinion) 1 and 7. These numbers give a default level of how easy the specie is to catch. Play about with the test values until you find a set of test numbers that suit you.



• O2: The O2 values (as with all these values) are important on getting your specie to react to different objects and water temperatures. For the Common Bream we can see that the IDEAL water temperature is 14.93. There is no written rule for what O2 you have to put but the IDEAL O2 for this specie is 7.1 with a MIN factor of 4.5 and a MAX factor of 18.0



• PH: This is the alkaline value. Some specie prefer to be in an environment where a high alkaline water is present and some species prefer low alkaline waters. Just like to TEMP and O2 values you have an IDEAL, a MIN, a MAX and a TEST value. Simply enter the values according to your specie. Research is the key to getting your specie to react how you want and a website I highly recommend is fishbase.org.




Now you have the hang of what these values are and do, find a setup that works best for your specie and test it out for yourself to see if the fish does react how you want it to. The specie files are the default that fishsim falls back to if a creator of a venue decides not to add certain values to his/her stock files. It is important you try and get your specie to fish as realistic as possible so please do not just use any values you think seem best unless you have done research. A fine example would be a Red Bellied Piranha. This is a tropical/warm water fish which would never be caught in cold water or where a temperature is lower than 7 degrees. Maybe it happens in fishsim but in the Amazon where this fish thrives, you do not get many cold days or nights so think carefully.

3. The feeding/bait preference explained

• The INSECT, SEED, VEGETABLE, FRUIT, FAUNA, FLY, SHELLFISH, FISH, ANIMAL, PROCESSED:
  Entering numerical values between 0 and 100 tells fishsim what bait types your specie prefers. As you can see, there is 10 different bait types to add values to. Simply by entering a number between 0 (being not likely to take) and 100 (being more likely to take) you can give your specie its own feeding habits. Again, research here is pretty important. If your specie is a predator then the values are going to be set higher for FISH, SHELLFISH etc. The FLY value can be entered if this specie is more or less likely to be caught on fly fishing methods which can also include lures.




Variable Name	Description
Insect	Natural insect baits maggots, worm etc..
Seed	Natural seed baits, hemp, corn, tares etc..
Vegetable	Natural vegetable baits, potato, chick peas etc..
Fruit	Fruit baits, banana, apple etc..
Fauna	Vegetation
Fly	Flying insects, nymphs and lures etc..
Shellfish	Shell fish baits, mussels, crab etc..
Fish	Fish baits, live and dead etc..
Animal	Animals, frogs, water rats etc..
Processed	Bread, luncheon meat, boilies, pellets etc..

4. The taste/smell preference explained

• The PROTEIN, STARCH, CARBO, SWEET, SOUR, BITTER, SPICE, CITRUS, BLOOD, FISHOIL, FAT:
  Just the same as above, entering numerical values between 0 and 100 gives your specie the unique taste and small preferences. Also, like above, if your specie is a predator type then the specie is more likely to have higher values for BLOOD, FISHOIL and maybe FAT.




Variable Name	Description
Protein	0 - 100 Protein percentage appeal
Starch	0 - 100 Starch percentage appeal
Carbo	0 - 100 Carbohydrate percentage appeal
Sweet	0 - 100 Sweet flavour percentage appeal
Sour	0 - 100 Sour flavour percentage appeal
Bitter	0 - 100 Bitter flavour percentage appeal
Spice	0 - 100 Spice percentage appeal
Citrus	0 - 100 Citrus flavour percentage appeal
Blood	0 - 100 Animal / fish blood content percentage appeal
Fishoil	0 - 100 Fish oil content percentage appeal
Fat	0 - 100 Fat content percentage appeal

5. The specie reactions explained

• The SIGHT, MOVE, SMELL:
  From 0 to 100, these denote how well your specie reacts in the water to different bait types. Lets say for example you have created a Pike type specie, you are more likely to have the senses set to SIGHT 100, MOVE 90 and SMELL 90. This is so the specie will react to smelly baits as well as lures and even freeline fishing tactics with the correct baits.

6. The groundbait and loosefeed explained

• The GBAIT and LFEED:
  Depending on how you have setup your TEMP lines etc, the GBAIT and LFEED values make your specie more or less likely to be attracted to what groundbaits and loosefeed people use to attract your specie. The COVER and LIGHT also plays a large part in these settings.

7. The characteristics explained

• PULL, LIFT, RUN and TAKE: Set in a numerical value of milliseconds, this part of the specie template shows the biting pattern and how the fish will take and react to a bite.


• CAUTION: This value gives the specie a more or less cautious approach to baits and rod setups. Fish react differently to large baits, small baits and even the weights you have on either a float or ledger setup. Setting this value will determine whether your specie is a coward and will not take too kindly to large baits or make your specie brave where it will go for it more often.


• FIGHT: There are three values to enter here. The first is how much power the fish has per dram of weight. This is normally a low fractional value, the higher the value, the better the stronger the fish will fight. The second value represents the stamina of the fish, and is used in a calculation based on the fishes weight to determine when the fish will start to tire out. A higher value will result in a fish that will tire very slowly, with a lower value one that will tire quite quickly. The final value, is a whole integer value that represents how often the fish will change direction during the fight, giving an impression of darting from one spot to another. It is a percentage value, with a high value meaning the fish will wriggle and squirm a lot when hooked, a low value, indicates the fish will not wriggle about a lot, but come in, in a more steady motion.


• BITETIME and STRIKETIME: The BITETIME value indicates how many cycles on average will be passed between each bite "event" ( pull, lift, run or take ). A high value, is a long time, with a low value being a short time. The STRIKETIME value holds the amount of time the species retains the bait in it's mouth at the end of an event, this is the ideal strike time. A high value will result in a species that can be easily hooked, a low value means the angler has to have quick reactions to catch the fish.



8. The saltwater specie template

• The BEACH, ESTUARY, PIER, ROCK, MUD, SHINGLE, SROCK, DEEP, WRECK :
  The only difference between the two templates are these 9 environment values. By entering a numerical value between 0 and 100 determines your species preference to sea venues. Certain sharks are more drawn to deep water and wrecks whereas other shark species prefer rock and beach environments. Remember that entering a 0 will make the specie less likely to swim to this environment and entering a 100 would make it more appealing.
  
  Tutorial © 2009 Created and written by Peit Leigh