A Dog's Life Pt 1

[Alfred_Melia]

Glad your geting better

[wolf12344]

Can’t Wait for getting adoption parts to be finished

[Ant_Merf]

I’m glad you’re getting better

[hexfur]

So I’m not in a place where I can start writing again, but I had an idea to help me gather my thoughts & keep my ideas.
A new “game” that’s a mock version of what would be in A Dogs Life. It would have all the stats needed, but it would be a place where everyone would play an unfinished version of a select part. From there, ppl could come here & give opinions, ideas, & thoughts. That way I’m not forcing myself through the writer’s block & giving myself a headache.
& writing out one part (EX: I write a very raw version of the interstate scene) might give me some ideas of what to write for a different part

[hexfur]

So I’m doing a few edits today. Nothing major, just going through & looking for typos, wording changes, things like that

[hexfur]

So I’ve got some news. Been working, I’m currently on Week 2 Day 2, working on an event that happens before the evening walk.
Slowly but surely I am working again!

But, I would love some thoughts on what you guys want to see happen in the Shelter. Each week I want to do one major event (so like the visit to the Healer) & a few smaller events (like talking to the other dogs, interacting with your kennel, ect).
So far week 1 has a few small events like talking to Kiki & Slash, which happens almost every day. The big event for week 1 is the Healer.
So far in week 2, the first small event (the one I’m currently working on) is before the evening walk & you can do a few things in your kennel, get some sleep, or join in on the conversation (which is the first time you can hear about the previous escape from the shelter)

[Ant_Merf]

Maybe we could interact with another puppy and possibly bond with them or be mean to them, but they get immediately adopted in the end?

[hexfur]

There will be a puppy you get to be friends with actually, but that wont be until weeks 3-4 (part of behavior training when u have to interact w other dogs)

[Umbreonpanda]

I don’t know, I would like to explore around the area or some bonding time with the humans from the Shelter (and maybe the Healer at well)?

[Ant_Merf]

Oh okay, cool! Then I can’t think of anything at the moment

[hexfur]

Unfortunately while I did think of exploring the Shelter, I want to focus on getting through it so that people can get to the main game quickly. Whenever this gets to the point of publishing, the Shelter will be the free part/demo. Starting in Week 3 there will be chances to interact with the dogs more, and outside the kennels, but that will be only on certain days

[hexfur]

Ok, my wife had this idea but I want to know what everyone thinks too. Should I tell you what stats are increased/decreased when you make a choice?

Ex:

#Jump
  You jump around.
  (excited +5)
  *finish
#Run
  You run around.
  (excited +3)
  *finish
#Sit
  You decide to sit.
  (calm +3)
  *finish

[Bahamuht]

Yes, at the very least for me I tend to check what stats get affected and having this beats going back and forth to the stats screen.

[Ant_Merf]

Yes please, it would defenitley be helpful

[Saprook]

I think that the best option would be to make it optional so players can choose for themselves. “The Vanished Project” has such options and might be worth checking if you decide to implement it.

[Aklo]

Pretty fun concept. I look forward to playing the full version

[hexfur]

So I’m going through & adding what stat changes each choice give you, but this is going to take awhile & sooooo many choices have already been written.

[hexfur]

Files have been uploaded! See the top post for changes list.

So the first mention of escape has been written into the game.
Here are the ways to escape:

• Hole in the big yard - any pup can fit through this hole, this is when Jury leaves, only during week 3
• Leap on top of the big bins in the pup yard - only available for large & giant pups & during week 4
• Escape during morning walk - available only to unfriendly dogs (who do not like humans), during weeks 5-6
• The back door - a fire escape door that a giant dog will open, near the Black Door, available to all dogs & only during week 6 (this is a one time thing)
• escape from the human - only available for week 7 (escape from the human who wants you as a fight dog)

As the weeks go on, the chances of escaping become harder as the humans are aware of dogs escaping somehow after the first escape. Dogs who get caught will only be able to escape out the fire door or escape from the dog fighter

A hidden stat has been created for these moments, as well as a new scene

[hexfur]

New Stats Update (no uploads, just in my personal files for now)

hometype - Shelter
This will let you know if your sleeping in a dog house, in the house, in a cardboard box, an abandoned building, under an overpass, or out in the open. Having a shelter will protect you from storms, snow, and just any weather in general (which can affect your health). It also makes it easier for certain dogs to accept you as their mate, as some dogs want pups & want a mate with a shelter so the entire family can be protected. This will read as Shelter for strays and Inside or Outside Dog for other dogs. Does not apply to fight/bait dogs
bedtype - Bedding
Bedding may seem unimportant but this will give you a boost to your stamina when resting. When you have bedding, you get better rest and some mate choice dogs will like this; a dog with a shelter has the best chance of wooing their mate choice, but if you at least have bedding this will seem good as you will not have them sleeping on the hard ground with you, and pups will be comfier and like you better as well

List of Shelters (each shelter fits main dog + family):

• None - gives no bonuses, easier to get sick, but the best shelter if you want to avoid fighting for it, harder for potential mate to accept you, harder to take care of pups
• Small Box - a small cardboard box, can fit small & tiny dogs, gives very basic shelter & protects from wind but not snow or rain
• Medium Box - a medium cardboard box, fits medium, small, & tiny dogs, gives very basic shelter & protects from wind but not snow or rain
• Large Box - a large cardboard box, fits dogs size large to tiny, gives very basic shelter & protects from wind but not snow or rain
• Giant Box - a giant (refrigerator or similar sized) box, fits all dogs regardless of size, gives very basic shelter & protects from wind but not snow or rain
• Wooden Crate - a large wooden crate, fits large to tiny dogs, gives decent shelter from wind, rain, & snow but highly coveted
• Old Car (goes 1-4) - an abandoned car, fits all dogs, found in multiple spots on edge of city, extremely coveted & always results in a fight when wanted, protects from all weather & comes with Leather Bedding (see below)
• Empty Building (1-4) - an abandoned building found in a few spots in the city, fits all dogs & each building can be accessed by the respecting territories pack (1- Old Shelter, 2- Lakeside, 3- Inner City, 4- Outskirts) but can have homeless humans, stray dogs, and rats (chance of disease), protects from most weather (may be susceptible to wind), can contain various bedding & water source
• Doghouse - Glenn & Rhodes Family only, lets you sleep outside but protected from weather most of the time, can contain bedding, causes decrease in friendship with kids (Glenn’s) but lets you have more freedom to have mate/pups, let’s you interact with other dogs (Rhodes)
• Kennel - Police Dogs only, a large kennel containing bedding, water, & food, lets you interact with other dogs but no humans
• Inside - Available to Glenn, Rhodes, & Firehouse dogs, automatic for Rescue, Police, Beltran, Therapy, & Service Dogs

Below is the list of Bedding Types:

• None - no bonuses, can decrease health depending on location & gives least amount of stamina regained
• Thin Blanket - a very thin blanket, not comfy but better than nothing, gives a tiny boost to stamina
• Worn Blanket - a worn but decent blanket, not entirely comfy but decent, gives a small boost to stamina
• Thick Blanket - a thick and comfy blanket, comfy and protects from hard ground, gives a medium boost to stamina & helps when looking for a mate/having pups
• Leather Bedding - Found in cars & some abandoned buildings, tough but slightly comfy, gets very cold but heats up nicely
• Plant Bedding - Moss, ferns, bracken, and other plants gathered together when living near the lake or when traveling with the Rhodes, gives a decent boost to stamina & can help keep warmth, but only available in spring, summer, & fall
• Dog Bed - A soft dog bed, not available to strays, gives a large boost to stamina, using Dog Beds will increase friendship with most humans
• Old Sofa - found in Alleys, Empty Buildings, & the Dump, gives a decent bonus but does not allow for Shelter
• Sofa - Not available to strays, found in homes, can decrease or increase friendship with humans depending on family, gives large boost to stamina
• Bed (1-4) - Beds where humans sleep & not available to strays, changes depending on which family you live with, mostly increases friendship with select humans but a few can give decrease

Full List of Homes:

• Glenn Family
• Beltran Family
• Rhodes Family
• Police Dog (1 scene) - Attack Dog - Guard Dog - Bomb Sniffer - Tracker - Police Therapy Dog
• Firehouse Dog (1 scene) - Fire Rescue - Firehouse Therapy Dog
• Rescue Dog (1 scene) - Human Rescue - Animal Rescue - Rescue Therapy Dog
• Therapy Dog (1 scene) - Geriatric Therapy - Child Therapy - General Therapy - Service Dog (entirely new branch, not just a branch off from Therapy)
• Fight Dog - Bait Dog
• Stray

[Umbreonpanda]

Love the different introduction to our character!

Summary

eyes

really