07 Dec, 2011, LeMonseural wrote in the 1st comment:
Votes: 0
As I was thinking of ideas I remember when I logged on a mud and a player had a familiar (I believe it was Aber-Phoenix)

Well I was thinking that I could have various pets that not only assisted the player in battle, but granted a bonus for said player. I thought of three ways I could do this:

1) Each pet would have 1 specific bonus they would grant for player. Ie.. Golem increasing defense

2) Each pet could learn pet skills to grant the user various bonuses. Maybe each pet could learn 3 petskills at max so if you were trying to be more of a tank your pet could learn skills that improved Defense, Magic Defense, and Absorption.

3) Each pet could learn 3 petskills but specialize in 1 - So if I had a pet who specialized in defense it's defensive skill would be higher than one that specialized in Attack Damage, but could still learn attack damage skill and 1 other skill.

EDIT: Also was thinking of giving the pet's either a ranking or petlevel so that skills could have multiple tiers.
07 Dec, 2011, Chris Bailey wrote in the 2nd comment:
Votes: 0
Charmander, Go!
07 Dec, 2011, KaVir wrote in the 3rd comment:
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I have several types, as follows:

* Mounts: Effectively (at least from a design perspective) a weapon wielded by your feet location; each mount has different movement and combat techniques, just like a weapon. Mounts also have their own target for movement (so you can attack one creature while your mount attacks or moves towards another). Finally, mounts increase your movement rate.

* Familiars: Mage pets, they can be worn on the shoulder to grant various bonuses (in the same way as wearing a magic item for bonuses). If not perched on your shoulder, they can be issued commands.

* Imps: Demon pets, like familiars they can perch on your shoulder. While perched they unlock the 'imp' combat location, allowing you to use them like an extra limb with its own techniques. If not perched they can be issued commands, and although they're weak they do have some spellcasting abilities. They can also be warped (eg place the Succubus warp on your imp and you get a tiny nude woman who sits on your shoulder and whispers advice in your ear).

* Spell-summoned pets: Various types, summoned through different spells, they have a limited duration and you can only have three at a time. They can be issued commands and resummoned if killed.

* Power-summoned pets: Various types, permanent duration (but can't be resummoned in the field if killed), their strength depends on class powers, some of them can use equipment, and most also need to be trained. They can be issued commands, and their progress is saved just like a player.

The power-summoned pets are sometimes tied into other powers as well. For example vampires have Summon Vermin which summons a swarm of rats, but at rank 20 they summon bats instead. If you also have rank 20 in Bat Form (which transforms you into a cloud of bats as well) you can then merge with your pet bats, gaining additional powers. Or you could take the Beast Master power, which enhances both your vermin and wolf pets.

There are also specialised talents that aid pets. For example the Summon Wolf power normally allows a vampire or werewolf to summon one pet wolf. But if they have the Lead the Pack talent they can summon a second wolf, and if they've also transformed into a wolf themselves their two pet wolves will train faster. The talent also unlocks two more talents that give further benefits: Pack Bond and Pack Rage. Demons can also benefit from these talents if they apply the hellhound warp to both their arms and legs (their demon form then effectively becomes a hellhound).

The Apocalyptic Destiny and Elemental Summoner talents also allow spellcasters to summon pets with specialised combat abilities, such as intercepting attacks aimed at their master, stealing lifeforce from enemies and transferring it to their master (in the form of healing), entangling or slowing down enemies, etc.
07 Dec, 2011, Nich wrote in the 4th comment:
Votes: 0
I'm not sure what you're asking for. Is it possible designs for "various pets that not only assisted the player in battle, but granted a bonus for said player"? In that case, your first idea is the most simple implementation of this idea, your second implements the idea and also allows for customization, and your third idea doesn't do what you seem to want at all (the skills increase the pet's combat abilities, but not the player's).

You might be thinking too low level. What will having pets that give bonuses to players achieve for you? Do all players get pets? What other systems are in place that support a pet feature? What else can pets do? Do players pick their pets?

Granting bonuses seems like a tiny aspect of pets, which could be implemented very easily using options 1 or 2. Also, I would defer deciding on the number of available bonuses, or the amount that each bonus grants, until you absolutely have to (In which case, you make up a number and then tweak it until it's balanced enough). The decision of whether the pet can learn 1, 5, or 20 skills is pretty arbitrary, and can't be judged or decided outside the context of the rest of your game. You can have 20 very minor skills, or 3 really powerful skills, etc.. Until you have everything else designed, I would leave the number blank, or relative to some other system (So, say, the golem would increase defense slightly less then the increase given by light armor).

I think if you come up with a more general reason for wanting pets (you may have one, but as you didn't post it, I can't read your mind), the rest of the design decisions (Whether to have skills, how many skills the creature has/can learn, and how powerful the skills are) will become more obvious.
07 Dec, 2011, Rarva.Riendf wrote in the 5th comment:
Votes: 0
Pets and charmies are a good way to allow a player to solo most of a game that is usually tuned to multiplay. Allows for different figthing strategies even with identical players as well.
I implemented a drawback in them though. When the pet dies, half your remaining hp are taken off as well. So it may not be a good idea to bring your pet in some fights.
07 Dec, 2011, LeMonseural wrote in the 6th comment:
Votes: 0
KaVir I love your system but trying to do something different, but I was planning on adding mounts. Mounts would vary in level and type. The higher the level of the mount the more movement the player would have.

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I'm not sure what you're asking for. Is it possible designs for "various pets that not only assisted the player in battle, but granted a bonus for said player"?


Well I pretty much know it is possible just wanted feedback or other ideas generated from others.


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your third idea doesn't do what you seem to want at all (the skills increase the pet's combat abilities, but not the player's).


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3) Each pet could learn 3 petskills but specialize in 1 - So if I had a pet who specialized in defense it's defensive skill would be higher than one that specialized in Attack Damage, but could still learn attack damage skill and 1 other skill.


I think you read that wrong, all pets would enhance the player. For example: With the options/warps I chose I wanted to be a tank. I could pick the turtle pet that specialized in Defense. What this means is that the Turtle would have a higher defensive skill than let's say a Hawk that specialized in accuracy skill.
So a Level 50 Turtle with the defense skill would give the player more defense than a Level 50 Hawk with the defense skill.

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you might be thinking too low level. What will having pets that give bonuses to players achieve for you? Do all players get pets? What other systems are in place that support a pet feature? What else can pets do? Do players pick their pets?


It would add another element to the gameplay and pvp. Yes all players will able to get pets. They will do what I listed and assist the player in combat..What else you want them to do..*Pulls rabbit out of hat* Yes players will be able to pick their pets.

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Granting bonuses seems like a tiny aspect of pets, which could be implemented very easily using options 1 or 2. Also, I would defer deciding on the number of available bonuses, or the amount that each bonus grants, until you absolutely have to


The reason I was thinking of having a tier-petskill system also. Depending on whether I use rank or levels at certain levels you would be able to learn level 2 petskills - So a Tier 1 Defense Turtle wouldn't grant as much of a defensive bonus vs a Tier 2 Turtle. A Tier 2 Hawk defense skill would be somewhere inbetween Tier 1 and Tier 2.

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I think if you come up with a more general reason for wanting pets

Who doesn't want that annoying pet that helps you out, and follows you around the game?

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I implemented a drawback in them though. When the pet dies, half your remaining hp are taken off as well. So it may not be a good idea to bring your pet in some fights.


Wow I would hate to have gotten gang banged, would drop you down 2x as fast. I was thinking of giving pets a time limit before they could be summoned, revived, or resurrected again.
07 Dec, 2011, Rarva.Riendf wrote in the 7th comment:
Votes: 0
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Wow I would hate to have gotten gang banged, would drop you down 2x as fast. I was thinking of giving pets a time limit before they could be summoned, revived, or resurrected again.

You can order him to flee or recall or whatever. :)
Point is, take care of your pet, it is deeply linked to you. He will give your life for you, be ready to do the same ;p
08 Dec, 2011, Nich wrote in the 8th comment:
Votes: 0
LeMonseural said:
I think you read that wrong, all pets would enhance the player. For example: With the options/warps I chose I wanted to be a tank. I could pick the turtle pet that specialized in Defense. What this means is that the Turtle would have a higher defensive skill than let's say a Hawk that specialized in accuracy skill.
So a Level 50 Turtle with the defense skill would give the player more defense than a Level 50 Hawk with the defense skill.


Ah, you're right. My mind put emphasis on "Its defensive skill", to mean the pet's own defence.

LeMonseural said:
Who doesn't want that annoying pet that helps you out, and follows you around the game?


I meant why do you want pets that give bonuses to the players that have them? Usually having a pet is bonus enough without it increasing the master's attributes. Or, like in Kavir's case, you get the option of using the pet as a sort of equipment, or taking it off and having it act as a pet. I think that's really clever, as it solves issues such as proximity (Does the person with the turtle pet get the defence bonus if the turtle is in their home while they're adventuring, or does the turtle need to be with them?), and the issue of owning multiple pets (If only X pets can be perched, it doesn't matter if the player owns X+100 pets, they can only ever use X at a time (issues of commanding the others aside)).

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But setting aside the question of why, I think that the level of detail you put into this pet feature should reflect how important you want it to be in the MUD. I'll rephrase one of my questions in another way. What percentage of people in your MUD do you expect to get a pet? If it's sub 25%, then you probably shouldn't overthink it. Just give a flat bonus depending on the pet. If it's better then 90%, then it's probably a good idea to let the pets level alongside the character, and scale the bonus accordingly. Or, express the bonus as a +%, and then it can scale without the pet needing to level (Though the pet should level it's own attributes, to an extent, nothing is more frustrating then losing underpowered companions, if it's difficult to get them back).

For the bonus itself, you could turn it into a skill system, but the only benefit I see from that is that you get a better choice of animal + bonus. For example, people who want defence aren't stuck picking the turtle, even when they really wanted a hawk. Though you said that the hawk player would get less defence from their hawk, so the person who *really* wants defence is still stuck with the turtle. You could make it exclusive - only pets that "feel" defensive can take the defence skill, because a hawk granting defence is kind of silly, but the hawk can grant other attributes.

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The reason I asked if players can pick their pets, is that you could easily make it a "his dark materials" style thing, where the player gets a pet, but the pet reflects the player's attributes, so if they are high in defence, it becomes a turtle, and if they get higher wisdom (substitute your own attributes, of course), it might change into an owl. The pet would still grant a bonus, but it would have to be small, since it's definitely a "rich get richer" type bonus, where your highest stat increases.

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I still feel, though, that granting a bonus is the least interesting aspect of having a pet. As in, you could design your entire pet system, and then later say "man, pets should grant a bonus to their owner", and add that without destabilizing things too much. More interesting to me are commands you can give the pet, if/how pets can be trained, pet skills (Which the pet uses, not granting bonuses to the player), possible penalties if the pet dies, supporting systems for pets (pet buff spells, healing magic, etc.). Granting a bonus feels like a fluffy, perk feature, not a major reason to take a pet (unless you want it to be), so it doesn't seem to me that it needs much design attention. Just make it a flat, or % bonus (whichever is more appropriate). But since it's a bit rude to come into your thread and tell you what you should be talking about, I will drop it :biggrin:.
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