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[G-Flex]

I know this has probably been suggested before, but it seems like it isn't discussed as much as the current ad-hoc (e.g. cat-butchery) methods of animal control.

I've looked it up, and it seems like castration (and possibly even the spaying of females? not sure) has been around for a very, very, very long time, so it's not as if it would be DF-inappropriate, and it's pretty much a necessity for any realistic community with a lot of animals, never mind how much it would help gameplay.

I'm not sure the internals of such a system would require TOO much work, just another short variable for "fertility" (which could come in handy for diseases and such anyway) for creatures, and a check of that when animals decide to breed.

Obviously animals need other things too, like the ability/need to actually eat, but this obviously affects gameplay in kind of an annoying fashion.

[praguepride]

Maybe just have an option in the option screen:

Allow pets to breed Y/N

Or if you want more control have an additional menu in the stocks screen (or something like that) similar to the Kitchen menu where it has a list of tame animals (cow, horse, cat, camel) and a marker so you can set them to breed or not breed.

[G-Flex]

That's good, but I'd prefer a more realistic solution anyway, honestly.

I don't think a universal "allow animals to breed" option would be that great, since if you want animals to breed, often it'll just be certain ones anyway.

[alpha]

I dislike butchering of cats too.

Single option "Allow animals to breed" would be just fine.

[G-Flex]

Single option "Allow animals to breed" would be just fine.

Until you just want, say, your livestock/meat animals to breed, in which case you leave that option on and you're still screwed.


I think neutering would be reasonable enough since Toady is going to be doing some basic surgery/medical care stuff for this release anyhow. If not, a list similar to the kitchen list, with "breed/don't breed" would be enough, I guess.

[praguepride]

Let's be honest, the breeding system currently isn't realistic, so why should the anti-breeding system be any more realistic?

[G-Flex]

Of course they should both be realistic, but I'm thinking from a gameplay perspective right now; making reproduction-limiting more realistic would affect gameplay positively.

Also, it would introduce a system that DOESN'T have to be changed later on. Making a more simple system, like a kitchen-style screen, would work as a placeholder, but incorporating placeholder systems that are inevitably going to need changing isn't something Toady enjoys doing, especially when a longer-lasting alternative is available. I mean, I see what you're saying, but it would be more work in the long run, probably.

[praguepride]

Maybe maybe not. I think to establish a realistic anti-breeding system, you'd have to first establish a realistic breeding system.

With the game how it is, a basic breed/don't breed screen "should" be an easy to use placeholder and "should" allow the breed/don't breed methods to be tested

[alpha]

Let's be honest, the breeding system currently isn't realistic, so why should the anti-breeding system be any more realistic?

This pretty much sums it up.

And also, seeing how we already have an init.txt option to limit/forbid dwarven children, I don't see anything wrong with having the same option for animals.

And livestock... Legendary Grower + Legendary Fisher/F.Cleaner + Legendary Cook... I don't need no livestock eating my FPS.

[praguepride]

What can I say? If I feed my dwarves nothing but berries and fish they get...well, they get kind of elvish if they don't eat some bloody raw meat every now and then.

[alpha]

bloody raw meat

Dwarves can have Bloody Raw Meat without butchering cats or breeding livestock. Hunting and trading are both viable options.

[praguepride]

Not when you're playing on a haunted map

[Tellemurius]

mmm... cat balls, a special.

[Footkerchief]

Maybe maybe not. I think to establish a realistic anti-breeding system, you'd have to first establish a realistic breeding system.

Not necessarily.  Castration is in the dev notes as a Req, while realistic pregnancy only warrants a Bloat:

# Req509, CASTRATING ANIMALS, (Future): Dwarves should be able to castrate male animals. Spaying female animals might be beyond the ability of dwarves to do reliably.
# Bloat46, PROPER PREGNANCY, (Future): Currently creatures become pregnant from a distance, although it does do a gender check at least.

Castration would certainly be simpler to implement than actual mating etc.

[white_darkness]

Which leaves the question of how to do it, the cut of the knife?  Or a new usage for rope?