Viruses

[shadowgoomba]

Yet another attempt for me to bring some livliehood into this forum. Here goes:
1. Viruses are not alive, so how can you kill them?
2. Why are the ones in M&L: SS so huge? Way, way too large for viruses.
3. I don't understand how they die (The easy way) in M&L. First of all, there is no "Battle Screen" in Mario's world, so why is it that as soon as you change their color, they die, but only the ones on-screen? Also, if there are three on-screen, they all need to be the same color instead of the usual two.
4. Viruses of the same color can be next to each other in Dr. Mario, so why not Mario & Luigi?
5. How does color-changing work? How does this change their strengths/weaknesses?
6. For multiple-hit attacks, why do they only change color once?
7. How does simply being near another virus destroy it without contact?

[Rex]

1. The viruses seem to have at least some semblence of life, or maybe they are just destroyed.
2. In M&L:SS, it seems that the scientised at the university were studying them. Perhaps Cackletta enlarged them to cause mayhem.

Don't know about the other ones.

[shadowgoomba]

1. Semblence of life? I don't understand. Partially alive? Either you're alive or your not. You couldn't just destroy them either. People have been trying to for centuries, so I don't think a simple bonk on the head would be sufficient.
2. Although this would be difficult, there are no other explanations, so I don't have a problem with it.

[Rex]

These are a different kind of virus then in our world. And if there not alive, how do you explain them moving around and biting people?

[shadowgoomba]

I can't. That's why it's a bad name. You can't kill viruses. They should be named Bacteria, because if they can be killed, then they possess no virus attributes. Coincidently, things get even more confusing, as a trophy of Dr. Mario in Super Smash Bros. Melee states that he is "looking for a cure for the common cold," which is causes by a virus.

[Toomai]

They could be some sort of parasitic species. Although not true viruses, they could act like them by infecting people. Their effects are/may be similar to true viruses, so they got the same name before they were truely discovered.

[shadowgoomba]

Okay, so it's concluded that it's no more than a misnomer. Now let's solve the other points I addressed.

[Meta Black Yoshi]

Actualy, I think it's like telling someone to kill that robot which seems to happen all the time. "Ah! A big scary robot monster! KILL IT!" " Oh nose...It's a re-dead,..Kill it!!! Help! A Dry Bones is attacking..Kill IT!!!!! Ah, it keeps coming back to life...." Think I'll stick with the robot example... :/

[shadowgoomba]

yoshi said:

Actualy, I think it's like telling someone to kill that robot which seems to happen all the time. "Ah! A big scary robot monster! KILL IT!" " Oh nose...It's a re-dead,..Kill it!!! Help! A Dry Bones is attacking..Kill IT!!!!! Ah, it keeps coming back to life...." Think I'll stick with the robot example... :/

lol...but it's not the use of the word "kill" it's the function. Very rarely does a Mario game use that word. It's that you can literally kill a virus in Mario games, but not in real life. But anyway, we've already said it was a misnomer, so let's move on to the other issues.

[Rex]

It's not the viruses that cause the common cold, Dr. Mario's greatest goal is to cure the common cold, but he hasn't figured how. The viruses are totally different.

[shadowgoomba]

But Dr. Mario hasn't been shown to fight any diseases other than the viruses. That is the only thing ever mentioned. But anyway, for the third time, let's discuss other things. They're not really viruses, despite being named so. Just like how a koala bear isn't actually a bear. Let's move onto my five other points.

[Meta Black Yoshi]

Five other points, right...Let's see.... umm.....
3. It's probably because one type cannot exist without another type nearby. They rely on each others different abilities to survive for whatever reasone.
4. Same color viruses can be next to eachother in ML. I should know, I just played throught the whole game again. Finished a few days ago. As long as there is a different colored one somewhere nearby.
5. I figure it's a defence mechanism. The viruses must be simple enugh to be able to easily change around certain parts of their chemical makeup and change into a different type. Each type can oly change into one other type wich can then only change into the other type not the type that it previously was. One type is stonger than the rest another faster and the last has more defence. If a virus is getting destroyed in one form it tries to adapt and change into a different type to try and gain an advantage. I can't rember which colors have which abilities.
6. Because them changing color is something they focus to do whenever it seems their currnet form is losing the fight and they need to wait for a steady enviornment to change in.
7. It seems like they depend on there being another virus type around to survive. They are never encountered alone and the only way to fight a solo one is to destroy it's counterpart or counter-parts. And perhaps when one is destroyed it leaves behing a chemical trace of itself but when they transform their chemical makeup changes ompletely and leaves no trace of the last form. I'm not sure though, it's been a while since I played doctor Mario.

[shadowgoomba]

3. No, because that would mean only one option would be okay instead of two. (example: Yellow Virus and Red Virus. Both coexist just fine. Mario jumps on Red Virus. It changes to Blue Virus. Both are still fine. Mario jumps on it again. It changes to Yellow Virus. Both die.)
4. I actually adressed this in the previous point...answer that there. It wasn't my main point anyway. Say that there are three viruses stacked up of the same color in Dr. Mario. They are just fine. No issues at all until Megavitamins come in. They can't do this in M&L.
5. Yellow Virus does not have any high stats for this to be plausible. I believe Blue has higher defense as he is slow and weak, and I know that Red is quickest and strongest. Yellow is a balance between the two.
6. No issues, but if true, they have absolutely no itelligence in a survival sense as they are committing suicide.
7. See point 3 above. They are not dependant. A trace makes sense, but contradicts your theory of interdependancy even more.

[Toomai]

If the M&L Viruses were artificially enlarged, they were probably also weakened so the enlargers could control them without Megavitamins.

[shadowgoomba]

Yeah, that makes sense. They duplicate really fast (as shown on the later levels of Dr. Mario) and Woohoo Hooniversity/Cackletta didn't want them to be overpopulated.

[Meta Black Yoshi]

Consider this....Simple viruses need to be near a gene that they lack but other similar viruses have. Say x,y,and z are 3 genes that 3 viruses can have a combination of 2. Basicaly to survive, any one virus organization must have all three genes present. Say blue=xy red=xz and yellow=yz. a red and a yellow near eachother would = xz yz, so all the genes are present. Now the same red except subsitute blue for yellow and you get xz xy. All three are still present and the y gene that the red lacks is there in either combination. But put a red and red together and with xz xz the y is missing and they are incomplete and destroyed. But add a yellow or blue to the pair and the missing gene y is present xz xz xy. So being near another red is not what destroyes red, but rather not being near the y gene is what destroyes it. So when they change, red to blue I think, the x in xz changes into a y forming yz. And when they are destroyed they leave genetic traces behind. I can only find one problem with this theory.

[shadowgoomba]

That makes a lot more sense. But what is your issue?

[Toomai]

My issue is that you shouldn't be able to flip a switch and change your genes. It's kind of like pressing a button to flip your gender.

That being said, the theory is sound. Maybe they have a specific property, not genes but something similar, which they can swap between and such.

[shadowgoomba]

Well, that was another point. However, I've heard of a sea slug-like creature (forgot its name) which can, in fact, change its gender. It's not asexual either, it actually changes it. No idea how or why, though.

[Clive Koopa]

Viruses are alive, they are just a different kind of lifeform to plants and animals, they should fit into a third category unlike the first two.