save a wolf and it becomes your best friend

[knightjoke]

why is there no pets huhu i miss pets. you can save a wolf from a bear trap and it will be your friend and then you can eat food with it it can hunt rabbits  it can help you if other wolfs attack, and we can howl together in the long dark haha 

[SPiRiT]

why wolf ?? developers might try to add Dogs for examples that can make great pets and can do lot like guarding , helping to hunt , help on finding items and things , and much more...

this is my personal idea and i don't know if people support it or not

[TWM]

I want an entire pack of huskies to help me pull a sleigh.

And then they die off one by one of starvation and disease because you can't possibly keep them all fed. Also, they drink like camels.

So sad...

[the_watdabney]

I personally would not want to keep a wild wolf as a "pet" in the game.  This is too unrealistic and would take away from the experience of the game.  I do like some people's ideas of having abandoned dogs in certain areas that can be befriended, as dogs are domesticated already, but wolves (and I think someone had mentioned a fox in another post at one time) are just not domestic animals and would take away from the realism of the game.  Leave the wild animals in the wild where they belong.

[Tbone555]

i could picture my character, Chuck, walking around with a long scruffy beard, rugged animal hide clothing and a splintered rifle in hand, walking through the middle of a forest wilderness with a wolf by side

its a badass thought, but sadly wolf training is best left to professionals. if an average plane crashed joe decided he wants a pet wolf, it would soon be chewing on his neck..

really interesting idea, though. im not saying i disagree with it

[Wastelander]

Domesticating wolves is actually possible. Early humans did it by leaving food scraps around, the wolves following them presumably thought "Well, I suppose we should not maul these weird hairless bipedal beings, since they leave awesome stuff laying about like it's nothing. Let's protect them instead to make sure the flow of awesome stuff is steady!"

[Tbone555]

haha makes sense! man, if i could tame a wolf i definitely would. like i said, its a VERY enticing thought i might also sew a little pack for him made of deer hide so he could lug around some of that extra gear i wouldnt normally be able to carry!

[Wastelander]

1 minute ago, Tbone555 said:

haha makes sense! man, if i could tame a wolf i definitely would. like i said, its a VERY enticing thought i might also sew a little pack for him made of deer hide so he could lug around some of that extra gear i wouldnt normally be able to carry!

Been playing some The Flame In The Flood, haven't ya?

Anyway, humankind has, in fact, domesticated a wolf - however, a question that just arose in me is: How long did it take? I mean yeah, it's easy to get wolves to follow you around. It may also be relatively easy to get them to protect you because 'hey, free stuff'. However, how long would it take to fully domesticate them, as in "Fluffy, murder the **** out that thing over there with extreme prejudice!"?

[the_watdabney]

18 minutes ago, Wastelander said:

Domesticating wolves is actually possible. Early humans did it by leaving food scraps around, the wolves following them presumably thought "Well, I suppose we should not maul these weird hairless bipedal beings, since they leave awesome stuff laying about like it's nothing. Let's protect them instead to make sure the flow of awesome stuff is steady!"

And how long do you think this process took?  Many generations of wolves in fact, so years upon years.  I never said that wolves couldn't be domesticated, I just don't like the idea of wasting my resources on an animal that can instantly revert to it's wild ways and go for my jugular while I sleep.  Also, this mechanic in the game would take a lot away from your own wits of survival.  Now the abandoned dogs that would surely be left on their own in any town/village/city/anywhere on the planet, could be a useful companion to the upcoming mechanics of mental degradation and could provide warning to approaching wolves/bears.  Dogs are already accustomed to humans, wolves are not, and to think that in a survival situation you can befriend and use a wolf to your benefit is just beyond the scope of reality.  Wild animals are wild, and although people have tried to domesticate various wild animals for whatever reason they may have, wild animals belong in the wild and is the whole point of the game, to survive in their territory and learn to live with them as a threat to your survival, not as a glamor pet.

[Wastelander]

11 minutes ago, the_watdabney said:

And how long do you think this process took?  Many generations of wolves in fact, so years upon years.  I never said that wolves couldn't be domesticated, I just don't like the idea of wasting my resources on an animal that can instantly revert to it's wild ways and go for my jugular while I sleep.  Also, this mechanic in the game would take a lot away from your own wits of survival.  Now the abandoned dogs that would surely be left on their own in any town/village/city/anywhere on the planet, could be a useful companion to the upcoming mechanics of mental degradation and could provide warning to approaching wolves/bears.  Dogs are already accustomed to humans, wolves are not, and to think that in a survival situation you can befriend and use a wolf to your benefit is just beyond the scope of reality.  Wild animals are wild, and although people have tried to domesticate various wild animals for whatever reason they may have, wild animals belong in the wild and is the whole point of the game, to survive in their territory and learn to live with them as a threat to your survival, not as a glamor pet.

See

31 minutes ago, Wastelander said:

Been playing some The Flame In The Flood, haven't ya?

Anyway, humankind has, in fact, domesticated a wolf - however, a question that just arose in me is: How long did it take? I mean yeah, it's easy to get wolves to follow you around. It may also be relatively easy to get them to protect you because 'hey, free stuff'. However, how long would it take to fully domesticate them, as in "Fluffy, murder the **** out that thing over there with extreme prejudice!"?

It's not impossible, but highly unlikely, and I agree with you. Wild dogs would be cool, too!

[knightjoke]

many replies cool well done wuhu

[cekivi]

My vote would definitely be for feral/abandoned dogs over domesticating a wolf. Again, it's not impossible... but still very unlikely.

[Tbone555]

then again, you're in a situation where you're like

"oh. crashed my plane in the middle of Hoth from starwars, apparently. no humans around. been out here for 500 days with no sign of help... sigh..."

why not TRY to tame a wolf? you sure as heck got the time for it. and even if he decides he don't like you, what have you got to lose?

[cekivi]

Two arms, a leg and possibly a throat

[Tbone555]

true... I'm rather fond of those things, come to think of it...

[hauteecolerider]

6 hours ago, Wastelander said:

Been playing some The Flame In The Flood, haven't ya?

Anyway, humankind has, in fact, domesticated a wolf - however, a question that just arose in me is: How long did it take? I mean yeah, it's easy to get wolves to follow you around. It may also be relatively easy to get them to protect you because 'hey, free stuff'. However, how long would it take to fully domesticate them, as in "Fluffy, murder the **** out that thing over there with extreme prejudice!"?

 

6 hours ago, the_watdabney said:

And how long do you think this process took?  Many generations of wolves in fact, so years upon years.  I never said that wolves couldn't be domesticated, I just don't like the idea of wasting my resources on an animal that can instantly revert to it's wild ways and go for my jugular while I sleep.  Also, this mechanic in the game would take a lot away from your own wits of survival.  Now the abandoned dogs that would surely be left on their own in any town/village/city/anywhere on the planet, could be a useful companion to the upcoming mechanics of mental degradation and could provide warning to approaching wolves/bears.  Dogs are already accustomed to humans, wolves are not, and to think that in a survival situation you can befriend and use a wolf to your benefit is just beyond the scope of reality.  Wild animals are wild, and although people have tried to domesticate various wild animals for whatever reason they may have, wild animals belong in the wild and is the whole point of the game, to survive in their territory and learn to live with them as a threat to your survival, not as a glamor pet.

First off, the dog is not a direct descendant of the modern wolf. They evolved separately from each other, from a common ancestor (now extinct) somewhere between 40,000 and 27,000 years ago (YBP or years before present). Comparative biologists have noted that the few domesticated species that we know today - goat, sheep, cattle, horses, pigs, dogs, and chickens, developed first, and their evolution included the emergence of what is known as "domestication traits" that make these animals more amenable to domestication.

That said, it still took thousands of years, if not tens of thousands, for dogs to develop into the canines we know today. Goats, cattle, horses and chickens similarly have prolonged domestication histories.

The common house cat, Felis catus, on the other hand, is still related genetically to its closest wild relative, the Middle Eastern wildcat. It has a relatively short period of domestication, about 10,000 to 12,000 YBP. In fact, one can argue that F. catus is still undergoing domestication, as of all the common domestic animals, it alone can quickly go wild. The others simply go feral, but are not wild. And as anyone who has lived with a cat can attest, these animals are still their own independent spirits. You just can't tell them what to do like you can with a horse or a dog. And they don't depend on you for food, shelter or companionship to the same degree that dogs and horses do.

So you can argue for raising a wolf to become your companion in the game, but it would not be very realistic to me. I guess I just simply know too much about the difference between wild and domestic animals to buy into that myth. Sorry.

[Scyzara]

Well, the topic of taming wolves has been returning again and again ever since the alpha-release of TLD.  I've posted some background information about the origin of dogs (and the domestication of wolves) a few months ago in this thread.

That being said, I'm still very opposed to wolf-taming in TLD. Befriending an abandonned farm dog is just way more plausible.

[Tbone555]

im leaning toward scyzara's suggestion, myself. taming a wolf sounds awesome, sure, but while somewhat possible, it isnt plausible.

[Aelaera]

I'm with Scyzara. You don't just help a wolf out of a bear trap and then it becomes your best pal (here's looking at you Resident Evil 4) or anything of that sort. You attempt to get near said wolf in bear trap and he proceeds to try to bite your face off with extreme aggression. Or say you do manage to get him out, all he's going to do is run away. It would truly ruin the realism approach that Hinterlands is taking for me to be able to tame a wolf of any sort. Now... if we really want a dog companion (which I would totally be behind) we could always find a wolfdog in the old Trapper's Homestead, a faithful beast waiting for his master to return. If the chance to befriend a dog came about, I personally wouldn't want it as simple as "Hey cute doggy," pet, pet. Best friend. Rather make it that a first timer to meet this dog, would immediately go into the flight or fight of either a) shoot the dog in the face or b) run away because it doesn't sound very friendly. But maybe by offering it some meat of some form, it would gradually become accustomed to you. 

Getting a dog companion could become a very overpower mechanic if it wasn't done carefully. Seeing as how successful wolves always are with deer, as a hunting companion you would almost never need to fire a bullet. It would be a defense against the unfriendlier canines in the area and extra warmth in the cold. Then of course there's the wonder of would we see his stats? Would the dog get injuries like us? Do they have a caloric counter and a risk for getting too cold? Do we have to micromanage them as carefully as we do to ourselves? I feel like adding a simple dog companion in would be a large amount of work. 

[cekivi]

Well, anything worth doing is worth doing well

[Tbone555]

me, i dont want a hunting dog. i'll hunt on my own.
i'd just want a lazy old hound lying on the front porch of the farmhouse waiting to bolt up and jump on me in excitement when i come back from my last hunting trip and to accompany me down the lonely roads and empty houses of coastal highway. maybe chase and catch me a rabbit from time to time if we happen upon one.

but then, sadness is gonna kick in if one day i dont make it back from my hunting trip, or if i get granola ebola from a mouldy granola bar i found in one of those houses, and take sick and die. then im just gonna be left there thinking about how the dog will continue on without me, or if he even will continue on without me
i dont handle dog drama well

[knightjoke]

what about in story mode we meet an npc/person/man/lady who have a hunter dog  1+

[Guest]

Think about what a wolf or any other animal would do if it were facing death after being caught in a bear trap.

If it wants to live, which all living beings want to continue doing, it would gnaw it's own leg off to get free.

Taming wolves in TLD is a bad idea just like it is in real life.

Most wolf/dog hybrids end up being euthanized as a result of humans meddling in an ecology that, in my honest opinion, we are very much a part of.

Humans are very arrogant to assume that since we are smarter, we are better than "wild animals" when in fact we are just as wild as our friends in the lush forests all around us.

This is just my philosophy but, I am a firm believer that everything is alive and interconnected, including geological features and the Earth itself.

Example:

Animals (including humans) as well as vegetation need the same things to survive.

Whether life be land dwelling, or an aquatic species: We all need food for nourishment, a breathable source of gas that will sustain life, H20 (AKA: The liquid of life.), and a habitable environment to thrive.

Some living beings also need shelter, but not all as vegetation thrives more-so if in an outdoor environment.

Even humans live in houses and apartments (among other things) and these are basically man-made caves.

I suspect our ancestors were cave dwellers to some extent.

So what I'm saying boils down to the fact that all life shares the need for these resources to live therefore this connects us all through a complex web of a living ecosystem.

We all even compete for all these resources. (And other types of resources such as fossil fuels often ending with deadly results.)

When you look at "mankind", we are just as savage as a bear taking down it's prey through brute strength, tooth, and claw.

If you don't believe me, go to your television and tune in to CNN.

There, you will see people butcher others without remorse through war and famine for petty reasons all over the planet.

To butcher you need a knife and remember, a knife is a man-made claw.

Wild we all are indeed.

Look at how us humans treat other humans. You will see savagery on par with, let's say...Nile Crocodiles taking down a zebra.

To be alive is to be as cruel as that crocodile.

Us humans just hide our own brutal instincts and call ourselves a civilized society.

Wildlife is meant to be wild and we are a part of it.

Let it be so and leave that "wild wolf" were we came from and probably still belong.

In the forests of a small blue and green sphere spinning in the darkness of the cosmos.

[the_watdabney]

That...  right there...  ^^^^^^^^^^

[Resethel]

1 hour ago, The Timberwolf Revenant said:

Think about what a wolf or any other animal would do if it were facing death after being caught in a bear trap.

[...]

Wow, that was deep.

And like  Tbone555, Aelaera and many others stated, I also think taming wild wolfs would be a bad idea.

It took generations to mankind to do so, that would be a bit, uh, arrogant to do that in two days or so.

 

Yet, I also back up the abandoned dogs idea. White wolfs, helped early human survive. They tamed us as much as we tamed them. They were indispensable for our survival.

Besides, in case of an apocalypse, most family would leave or die, leaving their dog all alone. And even if they are quite dependables on humans, many of those dogs would try survive, getting back to wilderness

So encountering wild dogs which can be re-tammed, just sound nice to me. But it shouldn't be easy either: It should not be easy to tam or an overpowered killing machine, nor a burden for the player.

Unfortunately, I can't see a great solution which avoid: micro-management of the dog well-being, "overpoweredness", and usefulness.

But I think some features might be good like,