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idea for wolvden: pet rats! 🐀

idea for wolvden: pet rats! 🐀
Posted 2023-10-07 09:54:23 (edited)
#1075674

this idea is inspired by lioden's beetles, but is pretty different so please read until the end ♡

the premise:
collectible pet rats found in explore with randomly generated features. there are very few collectible things in wolvden, and only a few of them can be shown off. this would be a simple way to implement something that players could become very passionate about!

how:
while your lead wolf is exploring, they will have a low chance to find a rat. upon befriending the rat, players will find that it has a randomized personality, breed, coat, eyes, ear shape, and tail shape. the catch? no feature will be coded to be more uncommon than the others, and there will be no way to change an aspect of their appearance.

but why?
the game is severely lacking in personal preference. instead of the market becoming oversaturated with certain types of "rare" bases, for example, rats will be different. the desirability of its features will be decided by the player. this will keep the market interesting and fresh.

the game is also lacking in luck mechanics. when a player finds a rat that matches everything they want, they'll feel extremely lucky and it would feel like a really valuable possession. they wouldn't just be able to slap a base changer on it. they would have to trade for what they want, and if their desired rat costs a lot of gc, it may even generate profit for the game!
ie. player 1 finds a rat, lists on trading center for 50gc, player 2 purchases gc from the grove to afford the rat.

other ways to generate profit:
that's simple. charge gc for pet rat slots. charge gc for different rat poses. charge gc for a medicine that increases your chance to find rats in explore.

other features:
"playing with your rat" – generates +1 stats daily in a certain category, depending on the rat's personality type. for example, nerdy rats could increase wisdom, and skittish rats could increase speed.

"playing with your rat" – or, rambunctious rats could give you +25 energy once per day.

"display rats" – be able to display your rat as a decor alongside your lead wolf. could have different poses.



i know this feature may seem silly, but i thought of it and found it super cute. i'd love to see an addition like this, even if it's not rats. please put your thoughts/suggestions below and vote your opinion.
jupitercrash
#27126
Posted 2023-10-07 10:08:10
#1075682
Hmm perhaps the ravens would be more fitting? We might see rats as pets but for wolves (even here) rats are just food :P
Ravens and wolves on the other hand have been seen interacting many times. Here'a a quote from Yellowstone National Park site:
"Ravens have often been seen interacting with wolves, especially pups and yearlings. These intriguing birds have been known to grab sticks and play tug-of-war with wolf puppies, to fly over young wolves with sticks and tease the small canines into jumping up to grab the sticks, and even to boldly pull the tails of wolves to initiate a reaction. Some scientists have theorized that individual ravens may even develop special bonds with individual wolves within a pack."
Bluejay
#5910
Posted 2023-10-07 10:12:13 (edited)
#1075684
@bluejay ravens would be cute too! i'm not super passionate about birds, but it's not a bad idea. however, i feel like rats are more customizable– they naturally have different patterns, eyes, body shapes, fur textures etc.

tbf, i wasn't considering realism, just the customizability of features. i also considered other small animals like ball pythons or ferrets
jupitercrash
#27126
Posted 2023-10-09 19:19:48
#1076766
Rats have a higher spectrum of colors and pattern and stuff, yeah ravens could be of different shape or size but that is probably a mutation that causes it, however, with rats, you'd have a wide variety of possibilities of combinations.

I'd also suggest something to do with the pet rats, such as a race or a maze race? You'd get some food for your rats -- and maybe if you're lucky enough -- a new rat slot?! 		Readytest
#120513
Posted 2023-10-09 20:06:02
#1076780
@readytest that's a really good idea! i'm not fond of the rat feeding thing, i'd like the rats to be simple and not require food 'cause it might be a headache having to feed them + a pack every day

but the idea of a race would be super fun! maybe a lower score can give you a little bit of sc but getting a higher score can give you a decent item, a rat slot (rare) or maybe a stat item that boosts any wolf's stat by +1-3? it would be so cute if the race was related to melvin somehow, like melvin secretly is tied to the other rats lol
jupitercrash
#27126
Posted 2023-10-11 10:06:08
#1077338
Yessss I love this idea, I always kinda felt the game was missing something and the "pet" feature was it. I usually get too attached to my beatles in lioden so when they die it makes me sad, I would assume the rats die too? And you get a food item from their body? Oooh and maybe you would be able to breed them too? I really hope this will become a real feature in the future!
choy🥬
#534
Posted 2023-10-12 10:04:49
#1077827
@cyanmoo omg the rat death with the food item idea is so dark but funny genius

i imagined rats being more "permanent" and their looks being completely RNG, so i didn't think of breeding them or death tbh.

immortal rats would make them seem more special/rare, but rats dying could make the market run faster + add a level of balance. i wouldn't mind either way! i think the devs are the smartest with game balance so if they ever added pets, i'd just enjoy whatever direction they took it
jupitercrash
#27126
Posted 2023-10-12 10:15:35 (edited)
#1077829
We have rainbow wolves, why not have fun with ravens colors too? Either idea is intriguing, but with ravens I think we should be able to send them foraging, and they could bring back feathers. 
I think with either idea we should also have Pet Slots, so we wouldn't be overrun with pets.  2 free, after that charge GC for them.
trahana🌈
#10405
Posted 2023-10-12 12:01:51
#1077850
I absolutely love the idea of wolves having pets/companions.

Having them function as decor is an adorable idea and I'd love to see it. Beetles on LD feel so disconnected from everything else. Maybe specific companions can be assigned to specific wolves and provide minor boosts? For example, a scout may be more likely to find extra amusement when rescouting or a pupsitter would have an extra 5% protection to distribute. The boosts would be regardless of the companion's traits, making the presence of the companion what carries the value. (Though, I don't mind them not having any effect beyond aesthetic if people feel they'd be obligated to have companions just for the bonuses.)

I like the idea of dead ones dropping carcasses, though that would have to be carefully balanced (maybe only adults who die of old age can drop them?). Players could breed them to obtain food. Limiting the slots means that hunting would still be required.

I think rats would work best, considering the variety in coat and their lifespans. Rats live about 2-3 years, while a quick search tells me ravens can live anywhere from 10-20. Having a pet that lives longer than our wolves feels a bit wonky to me.
Mrnnki
#46396
Posted 2023-10-12 19:23:49
#1078024
I also really do like the idea of the rats being a decorative item, it brings more world-building/ lore making opportunities for me!
choy🥬
#534
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