Starting pets don't follow

Suggestions
1

Currently starting pets (for hearthlings with trait “Animal Companion”) stay at the point where they were spawned. This leads to them possibly being killed -> their owners will be very very sad.

To avoid this I suggest such pets to follow their owners from time to time (especially right after a new hearthling is spawned, since new hearthlings are always spawned at some distance from your town).

A possible problem I see is that pets can follow our military guys on patrol and get killed… But is it really an issue? Or a feature?

3 Likes
2

We really need more control of the pets, period. We should be able to restrict them to certain areas to prevent their being killed.

As it is, when I get a hearthling with a pet trait, I just immediately dismiss the pet, which removes the trait also. When I see a small animal doing the “circle dance”, I do the same thing and dismiss it.

The extended length of the sadness for the hearthling is just too much right now since I can do nothing to stop it.

3

They will run to your stockpiles to eat, so they shouldn’t wander outside for too long.
They do go randomly near a hearthling (check_out_random_friend) but not very often.

Anyways, the team is aware of this issue, it will get solved at some point :disappointed_relieved:

4 Likes
4

Hoped so, but after one of my pets spawned at the map border and sat there for two days I started worrying. Seems like eventually he went to eat after all, but it isn’t exactly safe to stay out of town this long.
Glad the team is aware of it.

2 Likes
5

Only if you have food in a stockpile. If all your food is in storage containers in order to keep it fresher longer, they can’t eat from that and eventually starve to death.

6

We have a task in our backlog for that one, too.

2 Likes
7

This is just a myth, there is no difference in being stock in stockpiles or containers.

8

This issue is something I really want to look at. There’s a few edge cases I want to make sure to get right but for me this is a high quality-of-life priority.

2 Likes
9

If it’s just a myth, then why do you never see rotten food in containers? Not saying you’re wrong, just personally thought they lasted longer, and haven’t seen any rotten in containers.

10

Rotten food is not counted into item inventories. You only see listed items that are being counted and using up space in it.

3 Likes
11

Yep, sorry @SirAstrix, I use the @MaraRose container mod and have a separate box for rotten food (away from the rest)and I see hearthlings carrying it there occasionally. :merry: Those flies are quite noticeable when I’m zoomed in. I think they’re quite amusing.

12

maybe the “shepherd whistles, animal follows”-mechanic can be used for this. Maybe something like this:

  1. Hearthling is spawned with pet.
  2. Hearthling puts hand above his eyes, looks around, sees the town, and reacts happy in a “I found it” way.
  3. Hearthling looks for and then at pet, whistles, and starts to walk/run towards you town.
  4. The wistle effect doesn’t wear off until the pet is in town.
4 Likes