Kaitan Guo
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- Posted: Fri, 01 Jan 2010 20:59:46 +0000
...I hope.
Though personally, I'd rather call it a "Battle Companion System" or something. "Pet System" makes me think of... certain overrated fictional pet sites that I've had the misfortune of actually playing. Ugh.
So anyway, reading that Wishlist thread, I got to thinking about this apparently very controversial feature for zOMG!. I believe there were rumblings of such a thing before, but I'm not quite sure if anything has ever been really considered or said by the Dev team.
How would YOU set it up? Below is mine, and it's ******** LONG. If you DON'T want to read a text wall, gtfo nao. You've been warned.
Kaitan's Battle Companion System Idea(s):
#1: The Pokemon Method
1) A player obtains a ring, maybe called a "Tame" or "Capture" ring. Think about them like the old ??? Rings of yesteryear. Blank until activated, right? These could be super SUPER rare drops, quest rewards, or even a gold / cash shop (I can't believe I just suggested that) item for those that don't want to wait for them to drop, or if they've already used one, and want to catch something else.
Even more underhanded, each account only gets ONE "Freebie" taming / capturing ring. Anything else must be purchased via gold or gcash. People will b***h, but if zOMG is in the red, this might help.
These specialized rings (or pendants, or bracelets, should those sorts of features ever be made), are a once-use thing. Think like a Pokeball; once it's used, it's gone, and you need to buy more to catch anything else. And, as a rare drop or a one-per-account freebie, people would likely jump on getting these from a cash shop so they could ... for lack of a better term, "Catch 'em all".
LOOK! REVENUE FOR zOMG! RIGHT THERE! *beams*
2) After equipping the yet-to-be-named theoretical ring / item, they go to their desired map / area, and hunt their animated. Now, I'm not really sure about how a "taming" would work, personally. Maybe like the opposite of fitness, which needs nothing to be used, this ring ALWAYS requires full rage to activate, because of the sheer amount of energy needed to "convert" the animated from it's "KILL THE NATURALS!" mindset.
...Or, even more blatantly like Pokemon, a player weakens the Animated to a point where they then attempt a "capture" with their ring. Again though, the ring must ALWAYS use full rage. Just so noobs can't go spamming this ring and hope they get lucky. Another downside could be a lengthy cooldown and high stamina cost.
A failed capture, however, wouldn't destroy the ring, like a botched attempt to catch a Pokeyman. Because that's lame. At worst you lose your rage (maybe destroy the Animated instead of catch it?), and have to try again. Particularly obnoxious if you're in an instance trying to catch a once-off spawn, like an OMFG for example.
...And voila! Your very own Animated pet! The creature will dwell in its ring / storage item until called upon, and will follow you around until recalled. Naming could be a possibility, but any other types of customization would be bordering on Neopets, and no one wants that.
#2: The Pet Store Method
- A lot more simple than the one above. Basically, there would be an NPC (or maybe this is something right up Nicolae's alley), who specializes in catching / breaking / taming Animated, for use as combat companions. Like Phin Phang, you buy your Animated from this person (already attached to its own Ring or other assorted Summoning Item). Cheap ones could be gold-bought, while particularly powerful / rare ones, or those with actual abilities could be Cash Shop fodder. More revenue for zOMG!
Getting Stronger
...Since no one would want a level 1 Lawn Gnome accompanying them to Otami or the Endboss, Animated should be able to "level up", as we do in the game. It's already been shown that over time, certain Animated become more powerful as more energy is drawn to them (Nexuses, anyone?).
This would be achieved in a similar fashion that Rings are strengthened - with Charge Orbs!
Or! To make things even more slow, only Rings could be fed to the animated to increase their power. They come from Animated to begin with, right?
Darwin's Kaitan's Theory of Evolution
As the Nexuses grew and changed from the Ghi they absorbed, so too could the Animated. With enough patience and orbs (or rings), of course!
Evolution would be an optional thing, triggered by the user. A "fee" requiring gold, orbs, or both, could be involved to bring the change about.
Now, only some would be capable of evolution, others would not. Fluffs, for example, could evolve a fair number of times (Goof Greens > Air > Cherry > Grass > Carrion > Sand > Barnacle > Mother Fluff? or Crystal Fluff?). Lawn Gnomes might only advance from their normal form to Adjutant. An OMG would evolve into an OMFG. Clutches into Purses, Bootsnakes into Galoshes, Kokeshi Dolls into Collectables, and so on.
Those that might have a logical "boss" stage, could only be "unlocked" after defeating the boss involved. So if you want to have your Lawn Gnome evolve into a copy of General Dreedle, you kill the real one first.
Speshul Abilities
Most Animated now have some sort of ability, buff, or debuff in their repertoire, and upon taming one, you would now have those abilities at your disposal. Giftboxes, for example, could instill fear in their targets, allowing you and your paper-wrapped buddy to hack away at the poor thing until it's dead.
Sand fluffs could cause a Quagmire (giggity) underneath the feet of your foes, allowing you and your cute little companion to scurry to safety. You get the drift. These would all be reliant on your Companion's level, your targets level, and any buffs / debuffs present at the time.
...Death?
The idea of perishable pixel pets bought with real money doesn't sit right with me ever since Phin Phang came to be, but it has to be addressed. Should your Animated die?
If you think they should be immortal as long as the capture device is around, or revivable if they're "dazed":
Pros -
No bawwing from people about how their OMG is dead, and they have to catch another.
...You get to keep it for however long you want!
Gaia could release a sort of powerup to revive your Animated instantly, like the one we currently have. If not, the revival process for a fallen animated companion could be lengthy or require orbs.
Cons -
Not as much revenue, if Gaians can buy one capture device / pet and don't ever have to come back for more.
If you manage to upgrade your cute little OMG to CL 10, only to have it die when the EB squishes it, there might be a bit of rage involved.
If you think they should be like Aquarium fish and die after a set amount of time / when they're defeated:
Pros -
Like Aquarium, stupid people with money to burn will continue to buy monsters after theirs perish, meaning more cash flow to Gaia.
People will be more careful with their Animated, and not be too reliant on them or simply use them as a meatshield for fear that they'll be losing a huge investment.
Cons -
There'll be bawwing. Trust me. I'll do it.
Some folks might not want to spend real money / orbs / rings on a perishable fake pet if it's just gonna die anyway, myself included.
Restrictions, Limitations, and Everything In Between:
-Certain Bosses would be too powerful (or impractical, or big) to tame, such as the Stone Coatl or the Endboss (or doing so would immediately end the boss encounter, without a "completed" result, pissing EVERYONE in the crew off). Mini Event Animated might also be immune to capture, or RIDICULOUSLY difficult to do so. (Think Legendaries that take a bazillion Ultra Balls to catch.) ...as badass as having Buzzkill as your personal bodyguard would be, I don't think it would be something that's either fair, or possible.
-Certain Animated would be useless in certain areas. Think Robofish on dry land, or a Ghost Lantern in SS. It just wouldn't work, yo.
-Certain enemies in general wouldn't be able to be caught, such as the Labtechs and Seacycles. Grunny Subs might be out, too, since they're not really animated.
-Specific areas could not allow Animated, such as Barton, or the Null Chamber for obvious reasons.
-Your "pet" animated could not be attacked by players. However, it can be attacked by "wild" Animated, and are just as susceptible to status effects as they were before. Your Sand Golem Bodyguard could be sent running (shuffling...?) under the gaze of an angry Mask, for example.
-They would not attack other Gaians, now that they are tamed and fighting for the "Naturals".
-Self harming / destructing Animated, should they attack, would become dazed, if not completely destroyed. Basically that means you don't let your Cherry Fluff commit harikari, or you'll be out your pet.
-Ring buffs that you yourself use, may or may not affect your animated friend. That's up for debate, I'm not really sure if they should or not. Would love to see reasons for / against this concept.
-If you are attacked by an animated, your companion will "chain aggro", like many creatures do now when one of their own is assaulted, jumping into the fray to protect its master.
And... that's about all I could really come up with on the topic right now. If anyone has their own ideas on how they think the system could work, or any comments about mine, please fire away.
If you're here just to say "lulzlulzlulz pets systemz sucks lawl"... don't waste the calories typing, and find someplace else to troll. 3nodding
Notable Comments to Consider:
Actually... I really like that idea!
By that time (most) players would have a solid grasp on the game, so maybe there would be less problems... I'd hope. Of course, you'll still have droves of newbies fresh out of the sewers going "LOL HAO DU I HAV PET?!"... >n>;
thats one reason for it being a feature meant for ch2, plus the story line wouldn't have to be edited, but can be added onto instead. Newbies from ch1 might be able to get a less exciting one that lasts till they finish EB, so they learn how it works? Then after EB they have the chance to switch it with the first animated they catch, and have some ratio for the switch,(since they would have been upgrading it as they go)
...Now that I think more about it being a Ch. 2 feature, the more I like it. After defeating the final boss, I do believe Agatha (or one of the other major NPCs) mentions how they're busily researching the Animated to find better ways to deal with them. It wouldn't be a huge stretch if they somehow also managed to figure out a way to tame them, too. 3nodding
Learning about the taming process could be one of the first quests in Chapter 2 to teach players the ropes, or an optional one for those that don't want to participate.
...It'd definitely give things a "cute" factor, aye? >w>
Obtaining Pets
I'd like to have a combination of both methods ("Pokemon" and "Pet Shop" ), personally. That way we can capture animated that are found in the game, while also having 'special' pets available such as crystal/null fluffs. I'd like to see a one-time-only intro quest, where an NPC teaches you how to capture and raise animated, then gives you one (soulbound, of course) capture device as a reward. I have no problem with any additional devices being purchaseable only with GC, as long as they're able to be sold on the marketplace (same with the special pets).
Raising Pets
I love the idea of using extra rings to level up the animated, especially if the type of ring that's used gives a bonus to the pet's stats (attack rings would increase their attack power, defensive buffs increase defense, etc.). This would please the hardcore players that would want to customize their pets the way they'd like, while orbs could also be used by those players that just want to level them up quickly (perhaps having the salvage value of the ring = the number of orbs in order to make it fair - it would be too easy to give a pet a CL10 ring and instantly level them up to the maximum level).
Death
I disagree entirely with dazed == permanently dead. It'll definitely turn people away from using the feature - very few people would pay cash for something that could be lost forever from one untimely critical hit. That's different than aquarium fish, since they have a 'guaranteed' lifespan.
As for what to do with pets when they're dazed, either have them immediately transport to the null as if a dazed player were to awaken, or have some sort of time limit in which the pet remains on screen so you could awaken them with a ring/special item/etc. before they automatically awaken. It doesn't make sense to me to be able to drag around a dazed pet with you, seeing as how dazed players cannot leave the current screen unless they are revived somehow. This will also add to the challenge, since players will have to be responsible for monitoring their pet's health during battle, or have to march all the way back to the null to get them back.
Other
...
As for distinguishing pets from wild animated, maybe using a slightly different coloration for the pet sprites (think shiny Pokemon). Something not too wild and crazy, just enough to tell the difference, probably just a colored tint (though I'd love to see an alternately-colored flying giftbox that's blue with a pink ribbon xD).
...
It would be very weird to be fighting and... it's preferable that our own pet, which you might have wanted to heal, or at least, know where it is, to be visible so that you don't see enemies attacking air...
I would switch that one with: -Crew Pets
Though personally, I'd rather call it a "Battle Companion System" or something. "Pet System" makes me think of... certain overrated fictional pet sites that I've had the misfortune of actually playing. Ugh.
So anyway, reading that Wishlist thread, I got to thinking about this apparently very controversial feature for zOMG!. I believe there were rumblings of such a thing before, but I'm not quite sure if anything has ever been really considered or said by the Dev team.
How would YOU set it up? Below is mine, and it's ******** LONG. If you DON'T want to read a text wall, gtfo nao. You've been warned.
Kaitan's Battle Companion System Idea(s):
#1: The Pokemon Method
1) A player obtains a ring, maybe called a "Tame" or "Capture" ring. Think about them like the old ??? Rings of yesteryear. Blank until activated, right? These could be super SUPER rare drops, quest rewards, or even a gold / cash shop (I can't believe I just suggested that) item for those that don't want to wait for them to drop, or if they've already used one, and want to catch something else.
Even more underhanded, each account only gets ONE "Freebie" taming / capturing ring. Anything else must be purchased via gold or gcash. People will b***h, but if zOMG is in the red, this might help.
These specialized rings (or pendants, or bracelets, should those sorts of features ever be made), are a once-use thing. Think like a Pokeball; once it's used, it's gone, and you need to buy more to catch anything else. And, as a rare drop or a one-per-account freebie, people would likely jump on getting these from a cash shop so they could ... for lack of a better term, "Catch 'em all".
LOOK! REVENUE FOR zOMG! RIGHT THERE! *beams*
2) After equipping the yet-to-be-named theoretical ring / item, they go to their desired map / area, and hunt their animated. Now, I'm not really sure about how a "taming" would work, personally. Maybe like the opposite of fitness, which needs nothing to be used, this ring ALWAYS requires full rage to activate, because of the sheer amount of energy needed to "convert" the animated from it's "KILL THE NATURALS!" mindset.
...Or, even more blatantly like Pokemon, a player weakens the Animated to a point where they then attempt a "capture" with their ring. Again though, the ring must ALWAYS use full rage. Just so noobs can't go spamming this ring and hope they get lucky. Another downside could be a lengthy cooldown and high stamina cost.
A failed capture, however, wouldn't destroy the ring, like a botched attempt to catch a Pokeyman. Because that's lame. At worst you lose your rage (maybe destroy the Animated instead of catch it?), and have to try again. Particularly obnoxious if you're in an instance trying to catch a once-off spawn, like an OMFG for example.
...And voila! Your very own Animated pet! The creature will dwell in its ring / storage item until called upon, and will follow you around until recalled. Naming could be a possibility, but any other types of customization would be bordering on Neopets, and no one wants that.
#2: The Pet Store Method
- A lot more simple than the one above. Basically, there would be an NPC (or maybe this is something right up Nicolae's alley), who specializes in catching / breaking / taming Animated, for use as combat companions. Like Phin Phang, you buy your Animated from this person (already attached to its own Ring or other assorted Summoning Item). Cheap ones could be gold-bought, while particularly powerful / rare ones, or those with actual abilities could be Cash Shop fodder. More revenue for zOMG!
Getting Stronger
...Since no one would want a level 1 Lawn Gnome accompanying them to Otami or the Endboss, Animated should be able to "level up", as we do in the game. It's already been shown that over time, certain Animated become more powerful as more energy is drawn to them (Nexuses, anyone?).
This would be achieved in a similar fashion that Rings are strengthened - with Charge Orbs!
Or! To make things even more slow, only Rings could be fed to the animated to increase their power. They come from Animated to begin with, right?
Darwin's Kaitan's Theory of Evolution
As the Nexuses grew and changed from the Ghi they absorbed, so too could the Animated. With enough patience and orbs (or rings), of course!
Evolution would be an optional thing, triggered by the user. A "fee" requiring gold, orbs, or both, could be involved to bring the change about.
Now, only some would be capable of evolution, others would not. Fluffs, for example, could evolve a fair number of times (Goof Greens > Air > Cherry > Grass > Carrion > Sand > Barnacle > Mother Fluff? or Crystal Fluff?). Lawn Gnomes might only advance from their normal form to Adjutant. An OMG would evolve into an OMFG. Clutches into Purses, Bootsnakes into Galoshes, Kokeshi Dolls into Collectables, and so on.
Those that might have a logical "boss" stage, could only be "unlocked" after defeating the boss involved. So if you want to have your Lawn Gnome evolve into a copy of General Dreedle, you kill the real one first.
Speshul Abilities
Most Animated now have some sort of ability, buff, or debuff in their repertoire, and upon taming one, you would now have those abilities at your disposal. Giftboxes, for example, could instill fear in their targets, allowing you and your paper-wrapped buddy to hack away at the poor thing until it's dead.
Sand fluffs could cause a Quagmire (giggity) underneath the feet of your foes, allowing you and your cute little companion to scurry to safety. You get the drift. These would all be reliant on your Companion's level, your targets level, and any buffs / debuffs present at the time.
...Death?
The idea of perishable pixel pets bought with real money doesn't sit right with me ever since Phin Phang came to be, but it has to be addressed. Should your Animated die?
If you think they should be immortal as long as the capture device is around, or revivable if they're "dazed":
Pros -
No bawwing from people about how their OMG is dead, and they have to catch another.
...You get to keep it for however long you want!
Gaia could release a sort of powerup to revive your Animated instantly, like the one we currently have. If not, the revival process for a fallen animated companion could be lengthy or require orbs.
Cons -
Not as much revenue, if Gaians can buy one capture device / pet and don't ever have to come back for more.
If you manage to upgrade your cute little OMG to CL 10, only to have it die when the EB squishes it, there might be a bit of rage involved.
If you think they should be like Aquarium fish and die after a set amount of time / when they're defeated:
Pros -
Like Aquarium, stupid people with money to burn will continue to buy monsters after theirs perish, meaning more cash flow to Gaia.
People will be more careful with their Animated, and not be too reliant on them or simply use them as a meatshield for fear that they'll be losing a huge investment.
Cons -
There'll be bawwing. Trust me. I'll do it.
Some folks might not want to spend real money / orbs / rings on a perishable fake pet if it's just gonna die anyway, myself included.
Restrictions, Limitations, and Everything In Between:
-Certain Bosses would be too powerful (or impractical, or big) to tame, such as the Stone Coatl or the Endboss (or doing so would immediately end the boss encounter, without a "completed" result, pissing EVERYONE in the crew off). Mini Event Animated might also be immune to capture, or RIDICULOUSLY difficult to do so. (Think Legendaries that take a bazillion Ultra Balls to catch.) ...as badass as having Buzzkill as your personal bodyguard would be, I don't think it would be something that's either fair, or possible.
-Certain Animated would be useless in certain areas. Think Robofish on dry land, or a Ghost Lantern in SS. It just wouldn't work, yo.
-Certain enemies in general wouldn't be able to be caught, such as the Labtechs and Seacycles. Grunny Subs might be out, too, since they're not really animated.
-Specific areas could not allow Animated, such as Barton, or the Null Chamber for obvious reasons.
-Your "pet" animated could not be attacked by players. However, it can be attacked by "wild" Animated, and are just as susceptible to status effects as they were before. Your Sand Golem Bodyguard could be sent running (shuffling...?) under the gaze of an angry Mask, for example.
-They would not attack other Gaians, now that they are tamed and fighting for the "Naturals".
-Self harming / destructing Animated, should they attack, would become dazed, if not completely destroyed. Basically that means you don't let your Cherry Fluff commit harikari, or you'll be out your pet.
-Ring buffs that you yourself use, may or may not affect your animated friend. That's up for debate, I'm not really sure if they should or not. Would love to see reasons for / against this concept.
-If you are attacked by an animated, your companion will "chain aggro", like many creatures do now when one of their own is assaulted, jumping into the fray to protect its master.
And... that's about all I could really come up with on the topic right now. If anyone has their own ideas on how they think the system could work, or any comments about mine, please fire away.
If you're here just to say "lulzlulzlulz pets systemz sucks lawl"... don't waste the calories typing, and find someplace else to troll. 3nodding
Notable Comments to Consider:
Kaitan Guo
meow-meow-kitty69
Kaitan Guo
meow-meow-kitty69
i think it would be cool to have in ch2... I know it may sound wierd, but maybe you would have to beat EB to get the chance to capture the animated, then it could be used to fight whatever is in the new areas... i would love to take a mother fluff to some unknown land ^_^
Actually... I really like that idea!
By that time (most) players would have a solid grasp on the game, so maybe there would be less problems... I'd hope. Of course, you'll still have droves of newbies fresh out of the sewers going "LOL HAO DU I HAV PET?!"... >n>;
thats one reason for it being a feature meant for ch2, plus the story line wouldn't have to be edited, but can be added onto instead. Newbies from ch1 might be able to get a less exciting one that lasts till they finish EB, so they learn how it works? Then after EB they have the chance to switch it with the first animated they catch, and have some ratio for the switch,(since they would have been upgrading it as they go)
...Now that I think more about it being a Ch. 2 feature, the more I like it. After defeating the final boss, I do believe Agatha (or one of the other major NPCs) mentions how they're busily researching the Animated to find better ways to deal with them. It wouldn't be a huge stretch if they somehow also managed to figure out a way to tame them, too. 3nodding
Learning about the taming process could be one of the first quests in Chapter 2 to teach players the ropes, or an optional one for those that don't want to participate.
xxxryogaxxx
what if the pets were like lil chibi forms of the animated?
...It'd definitely give things a "cute" factor, aye? >w>
Luzianne
Obtaining Pets
I'd like to have a combination of both methods ("Pokemon" and "Pet Shop" ), personally. That way we can capture animated that are found in the game, while also having 'special' pets available such as crystal/null fluffs. I'd like to see a one-time-only intro quest, where an NPC teaches you how to capture and raise animated, then gives you one (soulbound, of course) capture device as a reward. I have no problem with any additional devices being purchaseable only with GC, as long as they're able to be sold on the marketplace (same with the special pets).
Raising Pets
I love the idea of using extra rings to level up the animated, especially if the type of ring that's used gives a bonus to the pet's stats (attack rings would increase their attack power, defensive buffs increase defense, etc.). This would please the hardcore players that would want to customize their pets the way they'd like, while orbs could also be used by those players that just want to level them up quickly (perhaps having the salvage value of the ring = the number of orbs in order to make it fair - it would be too easy to give a pet a CL10 ring and instantly level them up to the maximum level).
Death
I disagree entirely with dazed == permanently dead. It'll definitely turn people away from using the feature - very few people would pay cash for something that could be lost forever from one untimely critical hit. That's different than aquarium fish, since they have a 'guaranteed' lifespan.
As for what to do with pets when they're dazed, either have them immediately transport to the null as if a dazed player were to awaken, or have some sort of time limit in which the pet remains on screen so you could awaken them with a ring/special item/etc. before they automatically awaken. It doesn't make sense to me to be able to drag around a dazed pet with you, seeing as how dazed players cannot leave the current screen unless they are revived somehow. This will also add to the challenge, since players will have to be responsible for monitoring their pet's health during battle, or have to march all the way back to the null to get them back.
Other
...
As for distinguishing pets from wild animated, maybe using a slightly different coloration for the pet sprites (think shiny Pokemon). Something not too wild and crazy, just enough to tell the difference, probably just a colored tint (though I'd love to see an alternately-colored flying giftbox that's blue with a pink ribbon xD).
...
Quintafeira12
Valheita
Hmm. While it's true that the implementation of a pet system would increase the amount of rendering needed...
If they adjust the layer cap so that pets count as players as far as layer seperation is concerned, that should cut down on the worst of the problem.
And there can always be graphics options to show:
- No Pets
- All Pets
- My Pet
If they adjust the layer cap so that pets count as players as far as layer seperation is concerned, that should cut down on the worst of the problem.
And there can always be graphics options to show:
- No Pets
- All Pets
- My Pet
It would be very weird to be fighting and... it's preferable that our own pet, which you might have wanted to heal, or at least, know where it is, to be visible so that you don't see enemies attacking air...
I would switch that one with: -Crew Pets
