How would you rate a pet expansion to PG?

Basically, pets will be a new concept that will be useful both in the game as it is now and how we expect it to become in the future. As the game evolves, new types of pets will be added to make them useful to newly introduced features.

At first, we had the Parrot feature idea who would meant to act as an informer to you, broadcasting critical messages about your security for example. We intended to make the parrot an award of a chained missions, like title awards. This never flourished though (not even to its own forums topic).

We could review the possibility though. There are many ways to implement and use a pet after all. We could either go for a simulation pet feature (where pets will need proper attention in order to grow up and be useful) or a more strategic pet feature (where pets do not need basic care, rather some strategic options from the player in order to get the needed diversification).

Pets such as parrots, monkeys, cats and dogs where famous picks back then. Cats were perhaps the most useful as they were used in weather prediction and mice extermination. Dogs were also used as mice-hunters (terriers were mostly popular). Monkeys were hard to train and had irritating behavior which made them a nuisance; they were often blown away or thrown to the sea. Parrots were an expensive pet to have; they were a mark of status and prosperity. Parrots and Monkeys also used to have trading value.

Pets in PG could have some of these traits, plus more. Ideas are welcomed and feedback on personal preferences is also good.

I like the idea of a basic informer to help new players on basics and danger and such.

I think you could really introduce all levels of pets, or different bonuses as such.

A parrot being basic with no maintenance but the others could be specialized or have a higher upkeep to get valuable knowledge.

Spending a new card, or turns, or gold you can train your pet.

Parrot gives you basics.

Dog informs you of most profitable routes

Cat repairs fleets

Monkey(hardest to train and upkeep) could notify and postpone voodoo

this is how I would envision pets -

pets should either be purchased from a shop and or won by NPC task.
if by npc task- you select pet and then a mission for that pet is given.

you select pets by demeanor

vile - vile pets are unfriendly - they protect their master - they scratch and bite others - they increase your fame x points per day
friendly - well trained - people approach you to greet your pet - and they offset your influence loss by x percentage

pet upkeep - must invest turn based activities similar to wives and daughters

rat - low upkeep
cat - medium upkeep
dog - medium upkeep
parrot - high upkeep
monkey - high upkeep

pet upkeep must be above 90% to yeild benefits of pet ownership
to long below 40% and your pet will abandon you

pet specific benefits of pet ownership

rat - earn extra gc in plunder (npc paid )
cat - increases voodoo luck for chance cards
dog - increase chance of evasion
parrot - gives voodoo like wives - but they are spy and thief type cards - magpies, spymaster, crystal ball, pirate tales, trade master, booty master.
monkey - gives voodoo like wives- trade cards - potato party, rum festival, tobacco gathering, dutch, spanish, east, west.


upkeep for multi pet owners,

if you choose to own more than one pet, and the upkeep drops below 60% for more than 1 day the following happens
your pets will attack each other and you will lose them randomly

for example due to poor treatment of your cat - your cat ate your parrot.

Something is missing from this list... where are the donkeys?

Danik wrote:Something is missing from this list... where are the donkeys?

Donkey - super high cost

- increases hit chance in battle out of fear of being donkey kicked.
- increases damage as donkey sh!t is used to make explosive shells
- increased damage as donkey sh!t is used to make a more powerful gunpowder
- provides chance that enemy ships don't return fire (donkey poo-shot incapacitates enemy crew from smell)
- chance that no cargo is lost during skirmish due to the smell
- increases fishing rate as donkey sh!t is used to attract fish
- decreases chance of evasion from skirmish because ship can be smelled from miles away
- all cargo is sold at -1 of port asking price because it is covered in donkey sh!t

Works for me

Well i have a few ideas about that pets expansion.

1-) Animel Trainer

If we want pet we need professionals for capture and train stuffs
Put Animal Trainer (like captains or admirals) Each can cost you a lot of golds when you want to obtain mora pets. And can choose different routes for example is he become a cat trainer or dog trainer or crocodile its up to you. The level of trainer will directly affect the pets learning time and must level they can reach.

Pets features:

For a general rule all we know if we want to have rats we cant train cats. if we want to have cats we cant train dogs. or if we want to have dogs we cant train monkeys(all we know dogs loyal and monkeys just annoying they cant live together. ). if we want to have monkey we cant train parrots(what is the more annoying than monkey absolutely you rightr:) parrots) if we want to have parrots we cant train rats. So this feature let you have only 2 of this pets in a given time.

Rats:
As all we know they are sneaky like we know from the black death voodoo card we cant detect where they come from. Having mouse can put a little bit more bonus to increase effectiveness of black death. Because rats carries disease as they nature.
And can decrease the prize of woods for a little bit percentage.(they can bite the woods so it will decrease the prizes:))

Cats: We all know cats like fishes so we can put a bonus for fishing profits a bit. Beside that they can prevent rats.(its upto level for example if rats gonna increase black death's effectiveness cat can prevent that. if rats level more than cats they can still effect the ports pop.)

Dog: All we know dogs king of the animals about loyalty. So we can give them a bit of bonus for influence or pop increase. (and this comes with cons having dog will increase the effect but not having cat will let the rats to do their job aswell double edge sword i like that:))
and can decrease the food's prize a little bit.

Monkey: Who can be more greedy than a monkey i guess noone can. They can increase the gold gains from plunders and skirmishes for a little bit percentage.
And can decrease the rum prize a bit(they are junky:))

Parrots: He can carry more information than anything else. And Prevent the population of that port's to go for another ports for a little bit percentage of the actual amounts. (take that information from captain jack's population transfer update feature:))
and can decrease the tobacco prize a bit(just imagine:))

i write this message a bit rush so we can add some information to on it.
For example population increase and decrease ability of certain pets will be only available if you are part of a nation and have a minimum of duke title. other than that money gains and trade discount will be available for all players.
Parrots population transfer prevents ability can be obtained by only governors. i guess it will help a bit:)

Well i dont know if this feature even can be obtainable but it would be nice to have this:)

Danik wrote:Something is missing from this list... where are the donkeys?

That did cross my mind


chance the ship sold at the market that buyer thinks is a golden goose, is full of manure instead of cargo

I despair : I am shocked : shocked and saddened beyond measure that the noble, affectionate and glorious creature known as the donkey has been excluded from this purported 'pets expansion' : how can this be allowed to happen? What manner of foul-minded foolishness can permit such a disastrous exclusion? For disastrous it is : a land without donkeys is a sad, featureless barren waste : no joy, no wonder, no excitement can survive in such an awful souless vista.

This cannot be, or be allowed to be.

So : in keeping with its noble stature, the donkey must surely head any list of pets within the game.

Thus : only those of rank of DUKE and above may keep a donkey : this is just, as the expenses of breeding, keeping and nurturing them are irresponsibly high, beyond mere traders or pirates purses. The benefits are in keeping with such expense : as they bring joy and laughter to the citizenry and spread contentment throughout the land : a pet donkey shall give its home port (defined by its owner) increased protection from plague and discontent :

Black Death shall fail 50% of times cast

Transport Immigrants shall enjoy a 10% bonus

Attempts to press gang citizens into moving to another port shall result in only half-filled holds

Conspiracies cast against it's home port shall have a 50% fail rate.

Propaganda cast against the owner shall have a 50% fail rate.

To further recognise the donkeys fruitfulness :

Any party card cast by any player upon its home port shall yield a 5% bonus

Any party card cast by a fellow citizen of its owner shall yield an additional 10% bonus

There are also secret bonuses available to the owner, pleasures beyond measure or description : but as they do not directly affect game-play, we need not speak of them here.

A wise and rebellious donkey named Red Emma once said : 'If I cant dance, I dont want your revolution!'

Pray, good fellows, do not let Avonmora become a land without dance, without donkeys, without soul.

Donkeys are a MUST have.