Suggestion: option to prevent animals from joining combat.

Lightzy · July 24, 2016, 12:08:45 PM

To stop animals from suiciding, leading to depression, loss of haulers, and colony destruction.

The most elegant solution, I think, is to add a check-button in the "animals" tab, to allow/disallow certain animals to join combat when the master is drafted.

(And no, it's not a serious solution to make your pacifist the master of all animals during combat and then switch back after. There has to be a way to leave animals out of combat)

chrisb2e9 · July 25, 2016, 01:59:10 AM

I agree. They like to run in front of guns and get shot. Then it all goes to hell... For some reason they ignore the area i have set when in combat.

Numar · July 25, 2016, 08:09:52 AM

/second

AHappyMuffalo · July 25, 2016, 10:22:58 AM

+1 At this point I feel I just waste resources training animals with Obedience and Release.

Wex · July 25, 2016, 10:41:52 AM

I would gladly train them only to haul. Not even rescue.

Scaphismus · July 25, 2016, 02:43:51 PM

Quote from: Wex on July 25, 2016, 10:41:52 AM
I would gladly train them only to haul. Not even rescue.

You can. They must be trained in obedience before they can receive any other training, but as long as they have obedience, you don't need to train release or rescue.

Also, if you set an animal's master to "none", they won't follow you into combat. The only problem with this is when the animal is "bonded" to a pawn. In that case the bonded pawn gets a mood debuff for not being the animal's master.

Wex · July 25, 2016, 03:03:33 PM

I didn't think about removing the master.
My point was I would avoid obedience, so the animal will mind its own businness.

b0rsuk · July 25, 2016, 05:08:09 PM

Having to assign/unassign animals each time there's a raid is annoying.

Lightzy · July 25, 2016, 10:25:14 PM

What?
Just unassign and don't reassign. Why would you ever assign your pet cat or yorkshire to join combat?
Well, I suppose in some situation where you've raised a meatshield army of poodles or... whatever.

In any case, it's better than having to train them only for them to suicide next raid, or to train them only for them to give mood penalties because of bond/master issues.

b0rsuk · July 26, 2016, 02:38:00 AM

I mean when a raid starts I have to unassign all bonded animals, when it ends I have to assign them. And changing zone to "Animal hideout" and back. When you have several bonded animals this paperwork adds up.