Manure: what's the reason it can't be done?

[mcduff]

There are lots of soil and fertiliser mods that use various means to fertilise soil, but it seems as if the one thing that would make most sense - all the crap from your muffalos and elephants - isn't possible.

Has anyone ever looked into what might be required to make animals drop manure or dung rather than just "filth"? Maybe hijack the egg system somehow? Idk, I am sure that if it were doable it would have been done already, it's just nigglingly annoying that we can't have manure in the game.

[KozmoD]

Im not a programmer of a modder, but I think its easy enough to do.
Animals already produce items, eggs.
I think if you take the same coding bit for laying eggs, but change it so instead of needing to mate, its after a certain time after eating, to produce the manure item.

[Deer87]

I don't think it's a matter of can't as a matter of shouldn't.

Im currerntly playing with Bad Hygiene, and until plumbing is build, my pawns do generate an awfull lot of crap, which has to be carried away (or used in fertilizer, but i haven't gotten around to do that yet).

Now, expand that concept to every animal on the map. Given the games lack of washing away blood and such, you will quite quickly be ankle deep in manure, whilest doing a handstand.
The sheer amount of crap would slowly but steadily cover the map, unless you designate your pawns already spread-thin attention to run after every rat, warg and (God forbid it) elephant herd with a shovel, bucket and strained expression.

That said, it would probably make for some good stories, so go ahead

[LWM]

If I make this mod, I will certainly name the object class "Crap."

Your phrasing for ankle-deep while doing a handstand was brilliant btw.

You could set crap to decay automatically over time (if it's outdoors), to decay much more quickly in rain, and to decay v slowly in caves, with some limit to maximum if it's inside (FullOfCrap()==true).

The very hard part, as far as I'm concerned, is training dogs to go outside.  And cats to use litter boxes.

--LWM

[KozmoD]

The idea of a map coverend in crap isnt as insane as people may think.
Its "easy" just add decomposers to the game. Make so things like Megascarab eat the animal manure or/and add a new mob that spawns close to manure rich areas, to eat it.
Something like a "Rim Fly" that, lore wise, comes from underground attracted to the smell of the manure, eats any it can find, then it leaves if none is found.

[Deer87]

Not bad points.
I can't totally take credit for the handstand comment, Andy McNabb uses it quite often in his books, but it does paint a very nice picture.

If it gets implemented, i think we should add a negative thought called "what did I just step in?!? OH CR*P"

[Aekiel]

You could just give it a low amount of health so that it deteriorates quickly in open air. That would have the same effect.