Why do we have this violent taming system?

It would be interesting if some animals could only be broken through force and most could be gently coaxed or forced and some could not be tamed through force.

 

I agree. IF we get the ability to tame imps or demons, then maybe they should be beaten.

 

This was brought up when taming was first explained. I'm a little disappointed they kept it the way it is. It really makes no sense to me and while I would like to tame a bit.. I probably wouldn't under the current system.

 

I wouldn't mind the option of both. Some people would want to do it the other way.

Plus it would open up the possibility of a Bond & Enslavement deal.

Like, if you tame a Wolf, you can form a strong bond over time or subjugate it to your will, both offering different benefits and drawbacks, maybe those benefits and drawbacks would depend on the creature.

 

I am hoping that as the Taming tree grows, it will mesh with other skill trees as well.

What I mean is, you have a high magic Chaos skill? Cool, you can "tame" an imp or demon. You beat the snot out of it, you offer it enslavement or death. (Best part, everywhere you go it can mutter under its breath about how it wants to disembowel you)

High Light Magic? Tame a phoenix, you have to beat it down to show your strength and that you don't JUST rely on your command of magical light, and it will willingly follow you as a companion.

High Dead Magic? Beat down an undead creature and with the proper taming item bind it's undead will to your own. (Summons being temporary, this being a permanent pet you can then outfit)

High Earth Magic? You beat up a dwarf. Sorry, they don't become a pet, you just beat them up. You're mean man!

 

Good idea!
"Avatar?! Is that virtuous?" like your companions would say.

As a master of the dark arts, there are some trade-offs to your conscience, I guess.

 

I would like to see a peaceful way of taming although i loved to provoke creatures with a lute. So i hope we will see some new skills coming that will satisfy this bardic art.

 

Any thoughts on both options (brute force submission vs mutual respect and kindness) being involved with some sort of karma system?

 

Yep, this was called out as a problem when it was first announced. In UO you convinced/soothed an animal to join with you and you had to feed and maintain loyalty with the creature. For some reason SotA has kept this violent way of taming. Then again, the way the have designed entire taming system is more akin to a summoning system from EQ/WoW rather than the loved taming system in UO.

 

Love this thread. I also had a tamer with music/provoke and one of the things I so loved about UO was that I felt the taming was a bit intuitive. Animals with a history of domestication were less violent and more readily succumbed to peaceful taming phrases while animals like dire wolves needed a few punches (remember disarming everything so as not to kill them?) which fit with the whole alpha thing. The beetles required a beat-down which I understood from the perspective of a giant bug....it made more sense. I agree with the OP that if you were to make a tame-based character it would make sense to devote points into a complimentary magic/bard skill like soothe. Would so love to revisit a system like this.

 

Any alternative that I've been reading in this thread is one step away from blatant mind-control.

Calming a creature so that it doesn't tear you to shreds is one thing, convincing it to be your friend and die for you is another.

If NPCs can record their disposition towards you, maybe something can be done along those lines with animals so that, over time, that animal could gain some trust. Imagine the following:

• You're playing solo, with a party and/or with strangers.
• You see a wolf among many.
• You do something (like giving food) to that wolf to gain some reputation with it (24 hour cooldown or something).
• The wolf gets a icon on its name tag to identify it (others players don't see it).
• By the time you exit the zone, if the wolf is still alive, save the data.
• Next time you go in the same zone with a party (or solo), the game makes sure to spawn a wolf with the saved data. If your party members also have saved data, make sure there's enough wolves with their own saved data.
• By the time you exit the zone, if the wolf is still alive, save the data. Rinse/repeat.
  
• You could do that to multiple wolves in the same zone to increase your odds that a wolf would survive (because, you know, your party members might not shy from slaying everything that moves), the icon on its name tag could reflect how well you know the wolf... so if you spent more time with a particular wolf, then you'd be able to spot it at a glance.
• By a certain amount of reputation gained, the wolf becomes completely friendly (as opposed to hostile or neutral) where you could enter into a "conversation" with it and "ask" it to follow you.
• Someone who wants to be a tamer would spend a lot of his time taming multiple animals in different areas.
• Still allow others to force animals with the current taming system + collars.

You know, instead of a lottery roll.

 

I am all for a peaceful method of taming if some animals have the ability to eat a person trying to play a lute or other musical instrument for their entertainment.

The following, not all inclusive list wolves, corpians, scorpians, wyverns, dragons, snakes (maybe), dogs, cats, fish, most birds, lions, tigers, and bears oh my!

 

I would be on board with a more peaceful method to tame a pet.

I like the bard/soothing method being suggested, but perhaps we could make it more interesting and change up the taming skill tree?

• How about if we could learn different songs to play on our instruments (through trainers, questing, trading with other players, etc), and various creatures would be more/less susceptible to these different songs?
• Maybe we can teach ourselves new songs through practice and "skilling up" on the instrument?
• When trying to tame a creature, you need to first choose a song to play to it and hope it's one that calms them... but there is a chance it could be one that angers them too.
• If it soothes them, maybe you could choose a follow up song, or feed them, or something else... to further the bond.
• If it angers them, then you need to run or put your instrument away and defend yourself.
• Maybe it takes a certain amount of soothing to permanently tame them (vary by creature and skill level) and keep them as a pet?
• The skill or art of taming will be to learn which songs work best with each creature. Some may prefer more peaceful songs, some (like demons and such) may prefer goth music or something creepy instead.
• These "taming songs" would be skill icons, rather than the /play command for our normal "entertainment" songs... but our instruments would play them the same way.
• Instruments can also play a part in the soothing chance, where different instruments work better/worse for each creature... as well as your skill level in playing said instrument. This adds another possible branch to a taming skill tree.

I think some sort of taming system like that could be lots of fun and preferred over beating them to near death and then proclaiming you are my friend for life!

Also, since they already intend to allow the trading of tamed creatures, this skill tree would get a lot more attention and provide another business for players to go into.

 

I kind of understand the beating down of an animal at first. Basically trying to subdue it. However, I think there should be drops from those specific animals that eventually can help reduce the need to beat them down (lures, scentglands, etc.). Music could be used to lull or attract or possibly even repel. But how to incorporate with out giving it to much power or not enough. (A separate music skill tree? Starts out only as crowd control but eventually, in conjunction with taming tree can tame)

BTW, if you want to attract a great white shark for tagging, apparently they are attracted to death metal but dislike rap.

 

^^ this...

along with...

...so the Oracle considers your actions towards pets.

And some of this...

So when the violently-tamed animal gets agitated he up and unexpectedly attacks you and needs to be beaten back down and tamed again or killed . Versus the peacefully-tamed animal who quietly leaves (stretch goal: and might be found again where they would still have a fondness for you)

...and, of course...

 

I think it's appropriate to have to subdue the tamable monster-types. Dragons, giant spiders, etc.

It would be really cool to use a combination of skills such as barding or magery to coax less dangerous creatures into following your lead.

 

@Rabum Alal,

Subduing animals and showing dominance I'm guessing was a not insubstantial part of domestication in the real world. I've seen some videos on YouTube of Nenets in Siberia who herd reindeers, and just to pick out males from their herd to lead the sleds, they rope and subdue them.

 

Well this is a far less real-world example, but in a song of fire and ice someone mentions the fact that dragons need to be somewhat bullied if you're trying to get them to listen to you. They respond to violence with respect and timidity with wrath.

Not to say that we should adopt that simply because it's in some not so well written and yet wildly popular books, but it does make sense. I should not be able to tame monster types by promising them awesome snacks.

 

@Rabum Alal,

Also animals show that type of dominance behavior within their own packs.

Again, like you, I'm not saying how it should be done in the game, but there is some sense to subduing an animal as a path to taming it.

 

Though, personally, I don't know if some type of great monsters like dragons should even be tame-able without some type of powerful magic, if at all.