Hi everyone,
I'm fully working on the new update and I wanted to give you some quick news about the new upcoming animal taming & pets system!
I have to say, a lot here is still work in progress so there might be some changes when the final update will be released.
Animal Taming
The next update will finally introduce the animal taming and pet mechanics to the game.
Of course, since this game is AColony, you will be able to tame any animal. This means that you can not only have chickens, foxes, cats or dogs as pets - you can also make bees, darkflies and centipedes of any level your favorites. (that includes queens and kings too!)
Trust Value
The taming system will come together with a trust system which allows you to unlock different options / commands for your pets the higher their trust in you. Some of these option will be:
- Follow owner
- Execute non-combat commands
- Execute melee attack commands
- Execute ranged attack commands
- Special commands which are only available for certain animals / insects
Pets can also be related to a colonist which is his owner. (one colonist can also own more than 1 pet)
New Job Section & Pet Display
Since the mechanic for pets will later be extended to farm animals, I've added a new job section that will allow you to more easily prioritize colonist tasks in relation to animal care. (A new trait, called animal whisperer, is connected with this section too)
Additionally I have also implemented the option to show your pets at the bottom of the colonist overview menu.
New Items, Tables & Constructions
In connection with the pets and animal taming system, there will also come new constructions, items and technologies. At the moment I'm working on the first parts which will also be available from the start of the technology tree.
- Crafting table for animal feed
- Basic animal feeder (gives higher trust value when used by pets)
- Animal feed (plants)
- Animal feed (meat)
- Animal feed (human meat)
On the todo list there are also sleeping places and other various constructions for the pets.
New Animals
Of course, the next update will also contain some new animals and insects and I have already designed a few of them:
- Wild boars Wild boars will become a default animal in the world (like chickens or foxes) and will provide far more meat and clothing if your colonists butcher them (but they will also be more dangerous to hunt).
- Carrion snails (or scavenger snails) These new and slow insects will appear in the world if you have many corpses (fresh or decomposing) lying around near to each other. They are usually not hostile and will try to eat the mentioned corpses.
There are also other animals in work, like cats, dogs, creatures living inside the mountains & more, but I will say more about them when the update is finally released! :)
Additional Points for next Update
I'm constantly working on side mechanics based on your feedback and suggestions, and here are a few that should probably come in the next update as well:
- Squad / multi-select manager for colonists
- New mysterious wanderer event
- Some new events regarding animals & very rare ones
- Option to call wanderers via the radio station
- Some improvements regarding the prisoner system
- Some improvements regarding the building system
- And much more
I hope you enjoyed this short news and are already looking forward to the next update,
Cheers!