Lifeless Pets/Mounts in Homes

Dorjee

ZOS, please give some basic AI to non-combat pets and mounts placed in homes.

It would be nice (and more immersive) if my pet dog - for example - could walk around a bit and perhaps bark from time-to-time. Also, my Loyal Dwarven Sphere pet just stays in its 'ball form' and never comes out, which is disappointing.

Is it really that difficult to give non-combat pets the same AI they have outside of homes? Like the dogs we see running around in towns for example?

My above point also applies to mounts. I accept it might be somewhat counter-productive to have them walking around by themselves. But, how about adding a bit more life to them when stationary? Like the ones we see in the stables?

The lifeless, dead eyed and robotic state that non-combat pets and mounts are currently in (in homes) is - tbh, somewhat creepy to look at!

P.S.

Just thought I'd add - this post isn't meant to criticise the developers for all the hard work they put into the Homestead update (they must get sick and tired of players not appreciating their work). I think the update is awesome. But, I'm not a programmer, so, if there are actually complex technical reasons as to why pets/mounts can't have AI in homes - so be it. But if not, we as players would appreciate the change set out above!

phairdon

Yes. Placed a few of mine the other day. Look more like statues than pets & mounts.

zaria

MIne are animated but stationary. Might depend on pet, the dwemer sphere only vibrate and release some steam.

LordGavus

Yeah, even just some basic movement would be good. Just seems so lifeless.

Scamandros

I am not sure what you guys are doing with your pets, but I for one am glad they do not move. It took me all afternoon to hang my cavebear from the ceiling and would hate to have it all go to waste because he fidgeted and fell

Danikat

They're better than they were on the PTS. At first most pets didn't even do their idle animations - they just stood there breathing and moving their head slightly but otherwise not moving at all. It was creepy, they looked like they were paralyzed and unable to move out of the one position.

But I agree that it would be far better if they could move around a bit. Many animals out in the world will walk a short circuit around a (presumably pre-defined) area and it would be great if pets and mounts could do the same thing. Even if it was a simple circle around a small patch it would be great.

At the moment I'm restricted to using ones that don't look too strange staying still. The monkey and mudcrab are ok because their idle animations make them look like they're fascinated with something on the floor in front of them, so it seems like they just want to stay where they are. But many of my favourites like the senche panther and the wolf cub just look strange staying in the same spot all the time. The real animal wouldn't do that unless they were sitting down or sleeping (which the pets don't do), they'd walk around.

Arciris

No saddles for mounts please.
Since we can't ride them inside the "houses" (including the spacious outdoors), it would make a lot more sense if they were in a more natural state.
We can see "saddleless" horses roaming about some stables across Tamriel. Actually, some horses even follow NPC's around. There's also a few spots - Khenarsti's Rosst (that one has a really nice animation and path it follows), Grathwood - where we can see big Senches with NPC's (a lot bigger than the pets we have in Crown Store, but yet slightly smaller than the mounts).

Rev Rielle

My pets are fine. They don't walk about, which is a shame, but they're just as alive in my home as they are in the world when I'm standing still;

For example, my Sep Adder will still catch that silly red bird that gets too close (I really need to fix that hole in the window in my apartment, if only I could find it...).

My mounts, yes they're docile to a fault. But I'd much rather see them work on things for Homestead first; like providing us with a mechanic to increase or reduce the size of objects placed.


If they "Want to do it Right" As ZoS said two years ago when asked about Homestead, adding resizing is a must.

Aimora

Yes please or at least give us the option to make them sit or lie down - my cat especially looks weird standing - cats never just stand!

Evergnar

Giving them pathing should be a pretty simple thing. The gimped animation of the dwarven sphere looks like just an oversight. Hopefully they'll fix it.

P.S. One other thing that would help to bring housing to life would be 10x the number of collectable slots available

AlienSlof

Aimora wrote: »

Yes please or at least give us the option to make them sit or lie down - my cat especially looks weird standing - cats never just stand!

Agreed! My real cats sleep most of the time!

TheShadowScout

I would love it if you could set an "action radius" for a pet. And then they randomly wander around that area, play their pet emotes, etc. Maybe even set them to react to visitors, you know, "pet personality" wise... oh, well, maybe they'll refit something someday...

SydneyGrey

Wandering pets would be good, but ...

there are two issues with it.
1) You'd never be able to place a pet close to any wall or furniture, because it would have to have a clear area the size of its wandering radius in order for it to be placed and actually work.
2) You'd never be able to place a pet on top of a table, desk or bed because of the walking radius.

Now, wandering pets would be ABSOLUTELY AWESOME, but if pets wander, their walking radius would have to be small out of necessity for these reasons. By "walking radius" I mean the total area where they would walk.

But it would still be awesome if they could walk around, even if it's in a small circle.

Mattock_Romulus

I agree, would be nice if my dog wandered around my yard leaving me little "presents" to pick up and use for provisioning, or alchemy.