Underwhelming animals

Discussion in 'General Discussion' started by thosbeans, Mar 5, 2016.

  1. thosbeans

    thosbeans Void-Bound Voyager

    I thought I'd put this out there, just to see if anybody was in the same boat as me here.

    I do absolutely adore the game, but I'm a little underwhelmed by the animal interaction level. Theres no real engagement with them, you click them to get a heart, but other than that they just kind of mill about and you get products off them. I understand that many people probably weren't fussed about that kind of thing so it wouldn't have been expanded on much, but I remember when I was a kid playing harvest moon and there were things like brushes and petting for the farm animals, or you could train your animal and feed it in later games. I haven't found any use for the cat or dog yet, you can feel a bowl with water but they don't seem to react to it and their mood never changes, that was the main thing that kind of hit me.

    I know that this may just not be a majority issue as people focus on other areas more which I completely respect, but as someone who puts a majority of the focus onto animals not for money but just as its the most enjoyable aspect, I feel there could be more to do perhaps.
     
    • Requiem

      Requiem Phantasmal Quasar

      True. Either cat or dog, none of em is doing anything for you or the farm.
      Other than that, interaction with anything is kind of lush to me. No real NPC conversation, which takes affect or not, like inviting them to the farm and making a sleep over or any kind of cooking together. No real animal treatment, teaching them getting outta the borders, eating some grass and getting back into their hub in time.

      Overall, the game looks good, some mechanical aspects of the game needs to change (like the grass growth rate) and that static "not everything is alive" liveliness needs to be changed as well.

      My current biggest issue is my waifu, in this case Penny. Dunno if anyone else has this, but she keeps complaining about a messy house... I got the finest things inside, all themed and sorted for each room (max house upgrade) and perfectly decorated, yet that line of text appears each day. Despite the "this is messy" complaint, after 8:00am, she disappears till 12:00am into another void. There is no real sense into the marriage stuff right now, since she cooked a meal just once... and that is it, of 12 days living together.
       
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      • Wasselin

        Wasselin Pangalactic Porcupine

        I disagree. The only thing in Harvest Moon that is really different is the brush, and honestly, it's just another tool to carry around. Also you can buy them a heater to keep them warm during the winter and have to make sure to let them out in the morning and close the door at night. It's cute the way they all flood out of the coop/barn in the morning.

        If you want them to eat grass without running out you just have to make sure you have a large enough field to support them or use gates to rotate them between fields.

        The cat or dog get really vocal when they are thirsty, so I would count that as a change in mood. I find my cat really cute. Why do they have to do something? My cats don't "do" anything in real life but I still like to have them around.

        And Requiem, I don't know how far in the game you are or what you count as conversation, but I think there are quite a few interesting interactions. Married partners disappearing is a bug, and they do a lot of things besides just cook for you occasionally.
         
        • Xpouii

          Xpouii Space Hobo

          I thought letting them out was realistic. I'm an actual hobby farmer with 100+ poultry, 30 rabbits and eight dairy goats and the best part of the morning is turning the chickens out. I talk to them and spot check for issues (like you do when you click) and then I let them do their thing and check nestbox for eggs. This is probably the most realistic portrayal of chicken raising in a game--complete with the occasional moodiness and random lack of eggs lol. I love it. Also yeah I would like the cat to work. Maybe by implementing mice as a quality issue with coop and barn and if you keep your cat happy he'll keep your farm pest free? Dog can do the same protecting from predators. It's a fun thought for future builds.

          I am not thrilled with my husband acting like a prisoner in the house, I will say, but I'm willing to chock that up to personality. He also yells at me because all of my crops are watered by sprinklers and I have iron fences. Sorry I'm too efficient for your lazy butt, Alex! If I waited for you the farm would be chaos! I just couldn't resist those pixel abs though. :p
           
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          • Wasselin

            Wasselin Pangalactic Porcupine

            I just have a small plot of flowers for him to water with a stone fence for him to fix. Not to be creepy but my one complaint is that he stops lifting weights after he is married. I also think it would be funny if instead of pancakes he made a protein shake for breakfast.
             
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            • Xpouii

              Xpouii Space Hobo

              I know I felt like he lost a lot of his personality after marriage.
               
              • orb_outrider

                orb_outrider Big Damn Hero

                Even Harvest Moon had that issue. Not sure with the later titles but I remember in Back to Nature once you get married they just lose character. I hope CA can expand more on marriage life. Enjoying the game so far but I'm not marrying my waifu for now. Gonna enjoy the bachelor life lol
                 
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                • Xpouii

                  Xpouii Space Hobo

                  I agree, I remember Karen in HM64 (yes I'm an old person) totally went from independent dreamer to awkward housewife. There was a DS harvest moon where they still tended their stores because I married the hairdresser guy. I can't remember which one but that one wasn't as bad. Sometimes I wish Alex had a job. I could use the money!
                   
                  • Haebaragi

                    Haebaragi Weight of the Sky

                    The cat/dog definitely feels like a prop, yes.

                    For the animals, yeah interaction is underwhelming, but then again, do we want more complex interactions with the 10, 20, 30+ animals that we own on the farm? It'll probably take up much more time, and considering how time management in this game can get pretty tight, I can guess that might be one of the reasons why interaction to your animals is pretty simple.

                    I'm not opposed to a new way to interact though. Perhaps a brush for your animals? Let your horse actually eat and have a heart meter and how high it gets will affect how fast it runs?

                    For cat/dog I'm not sure. There's already a post up on suggestion thread saying that them chasing away crows/wild dogs depending on how much they love you would be a nice thing.

                    I'm personally fine with them being decorative but their pathetic little corner at the top of the farm field is...well pathetic. Maybe a nicer place like a doghouse or a cathouse?
                     
                    • ketsueki01

                      ketsueki01 Intergalactic Tourist

                      I feel like the introduction of mice or predators, as you suggested, would be a great addition to the game and a realistic approach to giving "work" to our pets. Also, some way for our spouses to be a little more lively, like still going into town to do a few things would be nice. I feel bad that they're stuck on the farm 24/7.

                      EDIT: And as to the original context of this post, I feel pets could be made more needed to the game. As for "other animals" like cows, etc, I'm sort of okay with how they are. Maybe they could have a chance to get sick? Would bring a little more realism in, and then you would have to specifically take care of a certain animal, instead of adding brushes or something and having to take care of them ALL.
                       

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