Combat Pets & Taming / Taming Collars!

Discussion in 'Skills and Combat' started by Miracle Dragon, Jul 8, 2015.

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  1. Miracle Dragon

    Miracle Dragon Legend of the Hearth

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    Release 20 will introduce us all to taming in all its glory. Since it's coming up next, Devs are certainly brainstorming and planning how they want to implement it!

    This is therefore the perfect time to share ideas and add our input to the table. What do you hope for regarding taming combat pets in SotA? How would you like this feature to present itself, and why?

    Starr Long: "
    • Combat Pets & Taming: We will expand pet functionality to include the ability to tame some creatures and have them help you in combat.
    • Crafting: Tailors and Alchemists will be able to begin crafting Taming Collars."

    I know many including myself have been looking forward to this feature. I've always been inclined to the ranger type of game play, and while we're still waiting for competitive archery skills, good non-magical stealth features and the use of cover, I'm happy to see focus on what is often an archer's only means of defense, the combat pet.

    I hope pets can be used to do more than attack enemies. All this focus on combat combat combat, fighting fighting fighting really turns me off the game sometimes. A tamed pet should:
    -deliver messages (perhaps in the form of a roll of player-writable parchment)
    -scout ahead to warn us what to look out for (depending on the depth of our connection, could sometimes be player controlled, or sharing vision perception)
    -help us carry things to others (a single item, weight depending on size of pet)
    -grab or trigger items that would be unreachable by hand (alternative to shooting unreachable buttons)
    -learn all sorts of fun tricks (dance, roll over, kiss, play dead, fetch, say hello, twirl, speak, head down)
    -carry an object (like a lantern or bucket)
    -guard/watch/follow places or other people while we are not around
    -Many tamed wild creatures will often kill for food on their own, and sometimes offer these kills as gifts to their masters.
     
  2. Miracle Dragon

    Miracle Dragon Legend of the Hearth

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    Since the feature coming in R20 is probably just the ability to turn certain animals into pets, I think a list of our top 5 picks for combat pets could be in order! :D

    1. Spiders! With their range rooting and poisoning, they would be a valuable asset as a combat pet. Should be an interesting challenge to get a collar on one!
    2. Mimic! I'm not sure how to get a collar around one of these either. Maybe if they can actually change form, then we can catch them in their natural state..
    3. Skeletal Wolf! I know we haven't seen them yet, but why are only humans rising from their graves? I'd love to see some undead beasts and tame one!
    4. Slime! Always wanted a pet slime, they are so cute. When they get hurt, they could break into several pieces, and when I heal them after a fight they could rejoin to one again!
    5. Alligator! Great sneak attacks, with bonuses in native terrain (swamps AND sewers!) ;-D

    One small gripe I have is that I haven't seen some of the pets already in game with wild counterparts out in the wilderness and mountains. I hope we see some ravens and hawks and eagles in the mountains and plains. I hope we see some wild cats, cousins of the Lynx pet already in game. etc. etc.. we have the models, lets have some in-game re-textured counterparts so they look like they actually belong/came from New Britannia!

    How do these collars work? Can I just mass produce them, and slap them on every crazy creature that's trying to kill humans I see? Would that calm them down? Everything is KOS all the time, but they really shouldn't be, especially if we are noisy and carrying fire. (if we're not noisy and carrying fire, i hope we can find more creatures that didn't 'run away' too.
     
    Last edited: Jul 10, 2015
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  3. majoria70

    majoria70 Avatar

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    Nice ideas Miracle. I too would of course like to see taming be interesting and fun. Some thoughts off the top of my head are:
    Since taming collars are used perhaps they have a drop down on them that allow for things we can do, perhaps later something could replace collars, perhaps the beginner tamer needs to use the collars, but the masterful will be able to use mind control and mental abilities
    So things I would like to see in the drop down are many of the fun ideas you mention Miracle Dragon as I list and relist below:
    1-Follow
    2-stay
    3-attack
    4-come back, leave combat or hmm Retreat sounds good
    5-Be able to train to roll over, play dead, sit, or appropriate fun things depending on the type of pet it is
    6-Special attacks which could be listed per pet type for example a bear might have claw or maul or both depending on how trained they are
    So another idea is pets would leave you if not taken care of or well trained because the trainer is a beginning trainer or perhaps if we feed our pets and don't properly take care of them, then they will leave. We could have a loyalty indication or comment saying something like *brown bear is agitated* or *brown bear paws at his collar*.
     
  4. Themo Lock

    Themo Lock Avatar

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    I really want a pet mimic chest so i can be Rincewind.
    "The Luggage had an elemental nature, absolutely no brain, a homicidal attitude toward anything that threatened its master, and Rincewind wasn't quite sure that its insides occupied the same space-time framework as its outside." ~Terry Pratchett, The Colour of Magic
     
  5. Duke Gréagóir

    Duke Gréagóir Legend of the Hearth

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    As a past tamer I would like taming collars to be implemented by requiring the tamer in quest to create a tamign collar for a specific animal. Not a "one size fits all".

    So if you were going to tame a wolf, the collar would have to me made just for the wolf. Spiders get thier own taming collar, etc.

    Having differnt items to be made into the collar that soothes the creature being tamed. I think this would make taming exciting beyond the normal UO approach that many of us are used to.

    Reagents, crushed gems, differnt metals, etc.
     
  6. Miracle Dragon

    Miracle Dragon Legend of the Hearth

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    hmm.. so maybe treasure would soothe a chest mimic? Or perhaps human flesh would need to be infused in their collars! :D I've been thinking about the creatures we have in game so far, and I can't help but think they are placeholder, or else the Devs just want to start with some familiar beasts before getting to the real ones. I still haven't seen the alligators in the swamps, but here's another thought on beasts in general:

    Forests have deer and rabbits for prey animals, as do the mountains and plains for the most part. What prey animals should we be seeing in the swamps for the alligators to attack? Flocks of flamingos? What prey animals should we find in the desert? The monsters wouldn't appear to be standing around waiting for us to show up so much, if they had things to do like hunt for food and play with their families and sleep in their dens at night. I actually like how the deer run off into the wall of trees where we can't follow them, that happens all the time in real life. Also, I'd love to see huge vultures and coyotes fighting over the slain dead and picking on bones in the fields and deserts of New Britannia.

    Sorry for going off topic a bit. I just reminded myself that I'm wanting to post about creatures we want to see in the game. Have to check if that can be revived or just start a new one... But feel free to list beasts you'd like to tame that aren't in game yet. Top of the want list for taming is good reason for them to add them in game!
     
    Last edited: Jul 10, 2015
  7. Benn289

    Benn289 Avatar

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    Is there a list of all the types of pets Lord British will allow us to be able to tame?
     
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  8. Ice Queen

    Ice Queen Avatar

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    I do hope the taming is at least as good as it was in Ultima Online though. I'd love to have a dragon again, and in a later episode be able to tame different types of mounts. :)
     
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  9. mikeaw1101

    mikeaw1101 Avatar

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    PLEASE no dragon taming in multiplayer! UO got so ridiculous for awhile with all the dragon tamers! A tame dragon should be an exceedingly rare thing, maybe even unique, AS in you would need to first find and steal a live dragon's egg (a nearly impossible task in itself), hatch it somehow (with a very small chance for the dragonling to survive - humans just don't have that motherly dragon's touch), then literally raise it from birth, around the clock, 24/7 for YEARS (game years) to have any chance at all...

    But as soon as people figure out whatever the game mechanic is, everybody will have one. Like, "Oo00h look at my shiny new dragon aren't you so jelly?"... Similar to the "Jedi" class, a great idea in theory but a very poor one in praxis.
     
  10. Benn289

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    Yeah the UO part is beyond true, but can be avoided. Dragons are magical creatures and require more than trying to talk it down,"Ey, eh dragon.. obey me?"*soils self looking up at dragon*. Haha. xD

    I agree with you, that taming dragons should be really hard. Random example; Taming a dragon requires a rare artifact you pieced together by finding other sub-fragments of all which have high rarity and probably have few mobs that can drop them. Perhaps a hefty gold fee after to get a mage to fuse all the pieces together or something.
     
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  11. Ice Queen

    Ice Queen Avatar

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    I don't care what the requirements are, I'm sure many of us would do whatever it takes to get one if they were available to tame, lol. :)
     
  12. majoria70

    majoria70 Avatar

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    I am not sure how I feel about dragons being tamed. The types of dragons I found when I looked them up and I'm sure there are more were 1)dragons, 2)drakes, 3)wyverns, 4)wyrms. So for a large creature the dragon it could be very special and the very deadly who is very difficult to find, let alone kill. The other types could have their own schedules and difficulties, but of course the tameable ones should be a very special occasion if you were to succeed at it. Plus taming should not be cut and dry, creatures can be finicky and snap at you or perhaps even get untamed if not cared for. I agree with the taming collars not being the end to being able to tame but just the first rendition of taming then give us the very interesting processes to become good at taming plus the creatures being tamed need to have finicky interesty quirks and abilities based on also how you take care of them. I don't think our systems should be simplified into taming collar = ability to tame = tamed creature = boring;)
     
  13. Miracle Dragon

    Miracle Dragon Legend of the Hearth

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    Especially with a classless system, everyone even mildly interested in taming will attempt it unless it's pushed to the top of a skill tree. With the relative ease of respec, possibly even then..

    I'd kind of prefer they didn't give us a list of tamables. I'd rather they make the process difficult to master, and let us try it on everything to see what we can get to work, and what we can't. That way, we'll never know if dragons can be tamed, or if we're just doing it wrong.. etc.

    @majoria70
    A wyvern should be easier to tame, and mountable. A drake easier still, and more of a combat pet.

    I'm definitely hoping for all of the varieties you listed and more in the game. ;-D
     
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  14. Miracle Dragon

    Miracle Dragon Legend of the Hearth

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    It would also be really great, if certain creatures required specific character stats. Maybe a wolf respects someone with high Dexterity, so a certain level wolf will only be successfully tamed by someone with a Dex of 28 or higher (making up random numbers here to get the point across)
    But maybe an owl respects intelligence, and will only be attracted to a tamer with a 28 Intelligence or higher. Maybe a Wisp only responds to players who posses a vast pool of focus. So players would really need to study creatures, and pick one that compliments themselves. This could also allow the Devs to naturally tailor tamed beasts to compliment the player-type able to tame them.

    Another thing I would like, is that certain creatures should be more 'wild' than others. These beasts would never be fully domesticated. They do their own thing most of the time. They'll stay within proximity to you, due to the collar, and respect you because of your Str/Dex/Int, whichever they respect, but periodically they will test you. And if you ever lose that test, they will rip off the collar and either attack you or run away (depending on how you treated them).

    I also suggest that some creatures not require a collar. Some creatures choose to follow you because they respect you, and consider you there equal. And they respect you in part, because you consider them your equal. A collar would ruin their trust, and break that bond. Perhaps these creatures would judge you based on your virtue (could be any virtue depending on the creature, either good or bad), and if you waver from your path, they will become ornery, snap at you sometimes, and eventually run away.
     
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  15. Archangel

    Archangel Avatar

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    I only wish that pets would be able to train lvl/evolve, train skills and equip pet armor+weapons
    It would be fun to train a cat for years for it to start casting magic spells
     
  16. Cage Storm

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    I want a pet Dragon to fly around on ( as I had in World of Warcraft ) :)
     
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  17. fattymoomooman

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    I would like to see a system similar to UO where there was a range of tameables of varying strengths, yet you could still train lesser creatures to battle above their weight (e.g. training a chicken to fight an orc). I do believe that taming should not incorporate the largest of creatures, e.g allow for a small drake that could handle a couple of bandits or help out in a fight against a demon but not a large dragon that could mow balrons down.

    As for collars - I have not noticed any for sale yet and I have zero interest in being a crafter of any form. For the smallest of pets could we not have something shop bought? After all I could be kind to a wild dog and have it follow me without resorting to a large iron chain fashioned by a master smith. If I wanted a large wild kodiak bear however or a small drake or hellhound then I would certainly need something substantial - I think this is where the player market should be aimed.

    Being able to buy the skills but not actually start out as a tame will be frustrating for many at release, I want to go play the game, not learn skills I don't want to make a simple rope collar or wait until I have farmed enough gold to actually start my occupation by buying goods from others. I do however expect down the line I will need master crafted collars, food, bedding, etc to keep my pet, perhaps even buy a training dummy, kennel space, etc for them...

    I enjoyed my days in UO far more with the likes of bears, hellcats (small was fun when fully tamed lol), frenzied ostards, etc than I did the time with cu-sidhe, hiryu and various wyrmkin.

    I will try in game again this weekend to see if I can buy a collar and give it all a go, but I am hoping that the devs will listen and make taming from the very start possible.
     
  18. Haz

    Haz Avatar

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    As a tamer in UO, all I can say is (here comes the hate), I don't really want to see tamed dragons here in SotA. I tamed, sold, owned and fought dragons in UO. It really was a great advantage. No matter what restrictions or reagents or whatever was placed on us before you could tame a dragon, many of us would find a way. If dragons can be tamed here, I will find a way, no doubt about it.

    What I would like to see might be something along the lines of a dragon owing me a favor (wonder how you get a dragon to owe you a favor), so he could be called upon once or maybe twice, to interact with myself and/or group. The whole time we are interacting, you have to watch what you, and your group, do. Maybe there's a member of the group the dragon refuses to interact with thus voiding the assist (what the hell did you do to piss off the dragon Haz?) A dragon would only assist you begrudgingly, and maybe looking for a way out of assisting you, like eating you as a snack, or seeing if you smell better when toasted.
     
  19. Archangel

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    Dragons should be noble and respected creatures (some violent, but still others can be good). They should not be tamed but they could become your friends. Like talking to them, receiving some help during a quest (one or two small rides on the back, but nothing more). Get help from a dragon during a town siege for a cosmic price.
     
  20. Halvard

    Halvard Avatar

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    You should not be able to tame dragons imo, dragons are highly intelligent colossal creatures it just doesn't make sense for me to control something like that

    A favor from a dragon is a cool idea, maybe if you manage to complete some crazy hard long quest you could get favor of a dragon ( he comes to fight for your team and probably burns you guys down aswell) kind of like armagedon in HOMM3 except damage to you would be only maybe....but probable ^^
     
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