Farm animals

[bpdlr]

I read a while back that the devs were thinking about adding deer to hunt, not sure what the progress is on that. I was thinking, there's all these farms around Redwood with chicken coops and other animal enclosures, wouldn't these animals still be around? It would add so many levels of gameplay.

- zombies could attack the animals initially, chasing them out of their enclosures and also causing more noise and disturbance. This could make for great early-game distractions for those who like more zombies but want a slightly easier start.

- the animals would mostly die after a couple of in-game months for lack of food, and they'd get skinnier and provide fewer calories over time. Maybe some could find food and live longer - for example, some could find the corn field near Muldraugh. [This reminds me, why are there so few crop fields like this one? And why do they go rotten so quickly? But that's another suggestion for a Farming overhaul...]

- taming should be an option, depending on Farming skill

- cows will be easy targets for zombies and many won't survive, but those who make it can live off the land forever. They could be easiest to tame but harder to find, and you won't want to slaughter them unless it's an emergency, so they'll only be good for milk. You could "tame" them just by attaching a rope to them, but you'll them have to lead them all the way back to your base...

- chickens could provide meat and eggs but attract zombies in the morning. Breeding would be easier (but eggs are already pretty plentiful). Cereal or popcorn to tame, leave a trail into a wire cage. There'd be fewer chickens in the world initially, but they can't be caught by zombies, just chased away. However they won't last long in the wild (maybe natural predation?)

- pigs would be hardest to find, hardest to tame (you'd need fresh apples or something) and would take longer to breed and then rear, but could potentially have a big litter of piglets. 

- to hunt these and wild animals, you'd have to be either great at sneaking and use a spear, or use a bow and arrow (please add!), but this wouldn't kill them outright. You'd have to track their blood trail, which along with the noise would attract zombies.

- also, future potential for using animal skins to make warm clothes.

EDIT: oh, also - horses?

Edited July 7, 2018 by bpdlr

[grammarsalad]

Great stuff:

 

"...Cereal or popcorn to tame, leave a trail into a wire cage... "

 

Excellent way to expand the trapping system: non lethal traps. 

 

Actually, the skill Should be useful for trapping zombies and other survivors (lethally and non lethally) at higher levels

[Faalagorn]

On 06/07/2018 at 11:50 PM, bpdlr said:

I read a while back that the devs were thinking about adding deer to hunt, not sure what the progress is on that

I think they are planned at around the same time or eve after the NPCs, as they will most likely share some common code (alive 3D creatures other than the player(s)). Originally got this idea from the notes left on Zomboid Wiki.