Unusual classifications

An interesting mechanic in creatures is the classification system. To save computing space, and to simplify the brain creatures don't see specif9c instances of an object, but group everythin into classes. There is no such thing as a ball or racecar: both are toys. Many players likely remember that confusion from their first play sessions. 

It's a brutally simple system, but it works effectively. the more classifications you have at your disposal, the more interesting your creatures' interactions with the world are. 

Many classes like food, fruit, toys, plants are very common and are used by both creature labs and the playerbase. However, a few are very uncommon. Because the options for classes are limited as it is, it might be interesting to look at these and wonder why/ wonder how else we can use them.

Bad: used only for volcano rocks in the desert terrarium. I suppose such a class could only ever be used for things that your Norns should never touch, and even retreat from. A hot stove, running car, or machines with moving parts.   In short, player only things. Perhaps this was intended to be a thing creatures would learn to fear, rather than fear them instinctively.

Tool: Used for powerups in c3, and for the learning stones. Not for anything else, really. Modders use it for teaching agents exclusively, as far as I know. Gadgets stand opposite to tools, as gadgets benefit creatures but are used by players, and with tools it is the other way around. Maybe tools could be used as faults and defects in machinery and doors, requiring creatures to fix them because players cannot interact with them, like with the powerups.

Mankey: "bad fruit" or alcohol. Only used in the christmas pack for c3, never in the official game! It is strange how alcohol was meant to play a big role according to the mythography but dissapeared from the series slowly. Usually it is either used for alcohol or a second detritus. It could be used more widely by using it for things that are bad for creatures but pleasant to use. Koffee and chewing tobacco come to mind as relatively innocent examples.

Potion: Used by all medical potions, and the calm balm potions in the hardman pack. This is an odd one, because it is actually used, though very rarely by modders. The complexity is that it has no single purpose; it could be medicine, it could be for calming down, it could be an aphrodisiac. Perhaps the best we could hope for is for creatures to generally like it, so they will take it when given. To conciously use it on their own is however too much to ask.

Leaf: Used for the grass in the norn terrarium. Finally, leafs are considered edible in the creatures development guidelines. In theory they could be a fourth food group, providing vegetarian breeds with another option, and herbivore breeds with a realistic food source. It could both be used with tree leaves and with vegetables. One issue with using it as food was that "leaf" does not have a CA smell, making it harder for creatures to find.

What do you think? Could these classifications be used differently? How would you use them? Thank you for reading!