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[Neonivek]

Unfortunately we also have to apply the Fantasy Filter and the Epic Filter to this as well.

100% realistic a Hippo will never ever make a good war animal.

The Epic Filter however has room for that.

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Fantasy Filter: Applying the rule that this is a fantasy world and as such things can be much odder then they are in real life.
Epic Filter: Applying the rule that this is an epic world and as such people are much more skilled and resiliant then they are in real life.

The Fantasy Filter applies to some animals like the Wolf being perfectly tamed and the Elves having amazing taming powers. The Epic Filter applies that there exist epic animal trainers with skills greater then our own in real life.

[GreatWyrmGold]

Some food for thought derived from the book Guns, Germs, and Steel (which everyone should read!!!)...

I have. I'm not sure how possible it would be to tame, say, deer, but I imagine that if you somehow caught a deer and made it less wild it would be easy enough to apply that same process to its children. As this hasn't happened, it's fair to say that it is probably hard or impossible.

[10ebbor10]

Reindeer have been semidomesticated.

[GreatWyrmGold]

Reindeer are just weird, as far as deer go.

And that just kinda proves my point. The Lapps haven't had that much longer with their deer than Native Americans did with theirs, and probably less than Europeans had with their deer. There seems to be some kind of innate "issue" or another with deer which prevents that crucial "make them stand captivity" stage.

[Neonivek]

I should also state that Elves should be given quite a bit of leeway when it comes to animal domestication.

A lot of the largest reasons why an animal cannot be tamed or domesticated are completely negated for Elves. They are the only race where a petting zoo could litterally be the zoo itself because even a Elven Baby could crawl up to a Bear and expect no harm.

[Vattic]

I almost don't consider it domestication when it comes to elves but then that makes the whole selling of animals a bit morally complex.

[Cheedows]

I think making animals bred for war a bit morally complex...

[Vattic]

I think making animals bred for war a bit morally complex...

I always figured the elves and animals were more like allies and friends. In a war it would make sense for some animals to want to help the elves. The idea of them selling their allies is what I meant when I said morally complex.

[GreatWyrmGold]

I should also state that Elves should be given quite a bit of leeway when it comes to animal domestication.

A lot of the largest reasons why an animal cannot be tamed or domesticated are completely negated for Elves. They are the only race where a petting zoo could litterally be the zoo itself because even a Elven Baby could crawl up to a Bear and expect no harm.

I agree, but it's usually not so much that the animals are dangerous as it is that they're afraid of you.

I almost don't consider it domestication when it comes to elves but then that makes the whole selling of animals a bit morally complex.

Doubtless elves are sending their own to the fortress to purchase goods for the "greater good of the retreat." They'd sell elves, but dwarves object to that.

[nanomage]

Although definitely not all animals can be made into bloodthirsty berserkers with pre-1400 technology, I'd like to point out that "War animal" does not mean that. That's not yet reflected in game behaviour, but war training shouldn't mean the animal in question is going to attack the first seen enemy and fight it to death.
War horses shouldn't attack enemy spearmen on sight and chew them to death, instead, they obey orders, stay calm longer in combat and sometimes kick at other horses or atacking enemies to win some advantage for the rider. I think DF has no war horses for the very reason that this behaviour is not yet implemented and crazed berserking is.

War dogs are different but the same idea applies - war training should help them to make more use of their default pack hunting behaviour against armed men, not transform them into rabid killers.

The ultimate purpose of animal training should be I think to make them better obey orders, be they express (shouted) or implied (left by trainers) rather than anything else.

I support the idea that much more animals should be war trainable than now (all mount animals especially), but I think that the essence of war training should be revised first.

[Scoops Novel]

Well, that's an easy source of fun. Having to push your animals to attack elves, weak druids causing them to refuse, and stronger ones making them attack you, with the only counter being very good training according to the strength of the druid.

[Cheedows]

I think the Dwarves should be getting pony sized mounts like in LOTR.  Unless you can get the raws edited, I have no idea.  I would like Hippos to be a war animal if they can go beserk when provoked like in real life, for more fun.

[DG]

Although definitely not all animals can be made into bloodthirsty berserkers with pre-1400 technology, I'd like to point out that "War animal" does not mean that. That's not yet reflected in game behaviour, but war training shouldn't mean the animal in question is going to attack the first seen enemy and fight it to death.
War horses shouldn't attack enemy spearmen on sight and chew them to death, instead, they obey orders, stay calm longer in combat and sometimes kick at other horses or atacking enemies to win some advantage for the rider. I think DF has no war horses for the very reason that this behaviour is not yet implemented and crazed berserking is.

War dogs are different but the same idea applies - war training should help them to make more use of their default pack hunting behaviour against armed men, not transform them into rabid killers.

The ultimate purpose of animal training should be I think to make them better obey orders, be they express (shouted) or implied (left by trainers) rather than anything else.

I support the idea that much more animals should be war trainable than now (all mount animals especially), but I think that the essence of war training should be revised first.

Very good, I like it.

I think the Dwarves should be getting pony sized mounts like in LOTR.  Unless you can get the raws edited, I have no idea.  I would like Hippos to be a war animal if they can go beserk when provoked like in real life, for more fun.

Dwarves don't have to be limited to pony sized creatures. Humans ride elephants. Of course, Toady says he doesn't feel that dwarves riding things fits well, so maybe he's got the whole dwarves only trust their own feet vibe going on. As long as we can mod it in, it's ok. I want my dwarves to ride giant rats.

[Vattic]

I want my dwarves to ride giant rats.

Boars for me.

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[CaptainLambcake]

my dwarves would ride giraffes, hippos, or bears