Dog friend

[Jcx70t]

I think it’d be cool to find a dog and befriend him. Feed him bones. He could protect you from wolves and hunt down rabbits. Eat all that nasty dog food and keep you company in such a lonely place. 

[Doc Feral]

That's one of the most recurring idea, along with cougars, revolvers and candles. There are several issues with it.

Why should a dog which has clearly reverted to its ancestral wild ways decide to befriend a total stranger?

How could a lone dog survive in a freezing and wolf infested area?

What would you do when (not if) it gets killed?

How could you properly train it not to run after bunnies and deer without a plan? Or even better, not to bark at bears and moosen (hey, I've learned something!) making them angry?

Wouldn't it run away when you shoot a flare? Is it a hunting dog to stay calm hearing gunfire?

And if wolves got psyched up by the aurora, why shouldn't dogs?

Some are about the story, some about gameplay. As good as the man & dog vs the wilderness leit motif can be, it would be unlikely.

[Guest kristaok]

11 minutes ago, Doc Feral said:

That's one of the most recurring idea, along with cougars, revolvers and candles. There are several issues with it.

Why should a dog which has clearly reverted to its ancestral wild ways decide to befriend a total stranger?

How could a lone dog survive in a freezing and wolf infested area?

What would you do when (not if) it gets killed?

How could you properly train it not to run after bunnies and deer without a plan? Or even better, not to bark at bears and moosen (hey, I've learned something!) making them angry?

Wouldn't it run away when you shoot a flare? Is it a hunting dog to stay calm hearing gunfire?

And if wolves got psyched up by the aurora, why shouldn't dogs?

Some are about the story, some about gameplay. As good as the man & dog vs the wilderness leit motif can be, it would be unlikely.

(Some) Dogs can definitely hold their own against wolves, and certain breeds like huskies, Alaskan malamutes, and Germans shepherds can withstand the cold. 

Think about this... how did dogs survive before they were domesticated and brought inside? It's called fur. They can also freely hunt on deer, rabbits, etc. Dogs aren't dumb, they can easily survive pretty much any climate. 

It wouldn't make sense the will Mackenzie can survive but a dog can't, I'm telling ya when man fails animals won't. Animals know before man when things happen, they have a little thing called instincts and it goes a long way. 

[Fuccimama]

A dog companion would bring a complexity to the game that isn’t really there at the moment. An abandoned pet wouldn’t be suited to a survival situation, so it would be mostly relegated to the house or area it was found in. Maybe it survived in one of the homesteads that has bunnies nearby, and it kills and eats them. Maybe, you can gain its trust by bringing it meat from hunting. Maybe if you do, it will bark and scare away wolves, or warn you when the bear is nearby. 

What Doc meantioned is more of a trained hunting and guard dog. Those types of companions exist, but it would be difficult to take the time to train them properly during a survival situation. Even then, I’m not sure Hinterland is interested in bringing in extensive breeding and training mechanics into the game. A dog that accompanies the player out into the wilderness would be like having a two player game, complete with its own stats and abilities. Your constant interaction with it would take a lot of the survival time out of the game. 

[Guest kristaok]

Trust me certain breeds don't need trained to hunt it's in their instinct, I know because I've had a husky, and I have a German shepherd. Both dogs have high prey drive, just let em loose and they'll hunt.  

I know it would take some time to think it through how it all would work, but I still stand by that having a dog is a good idea and I truly believe it could work if anything sell it as extra dlc for those who want it. I'd gladly buy a dog companion. 

They could possibly base the dogs health on yours so if you die the dog does or something, I don't know I just really want this as an option. 

[Doc Feral]

1 hour ago, kristaok said:

(Some) Dogs can definitely hold their own against wolves, and certain breeds like huskies, Alaskan malamutes, and Germans shepherds can withstand the cold. 

Think about this... how did dogs survive before they were domesticated and brought inside? It's called fur. They can also freely hunt on deer, rabbits, etc. Dogs aren't dumb, they can easily survive pretty much any climate. 

It wouldn't make sense the will Mackenzie can survive but a dog can't, I'm telling ya when man fails animals won't. Animals know before man when things happen, they have a little thing called instincts and it goes a long way. 

Yes, I know a little something about animals too.

A dog suited for Great Bear (furry and looking like a wolf) after some time alone wouldn't give a poop about staying with a human. Wolf-like dogs (keeping in mind that dogs are basically a subspecies, they can interbreed with wolves and the offspring is fertile) would be more likely to follow their instinct and join wolves. Other dogs wouldn't fare well, huge furry dogs aren't the best at hunting, smaller dogs would freeze or be killed.

And dogs are pack animals. They need (like wolves) cooperation to hunt efficently, as soon as they run out of stray cats and wandering chickens.

I always quote this

I personally don't like dogs but I loved the old Shinobi-like game where the ninja had the wolfish dog who could be sent to engage enemies and cover the player's advance. If you messed up the dog would "die" (reverting to a useless miniature, that is) and come back at the end of the level.

The TLD dog would be likely to be killed by a wolf or bear attack protecting the human or simply being singled out as the smallest prey. Should the dog die would it be over? What would be the chances of a dog respawning?

[Guest kristaok]

In the game it would work because there's plenty of rabbits and dog food, even in real life a dog would go to great lengths to hunt. I just don't see how it wouldn't work. 

Native americans have been using dogs for long time to help them hunt in the cold, furry ones can withstand that sort of environment. 

As for respawning well If you die the dog does and you have to restart, basically maybe tie the dogs hp to yours? Idk.

edit: big dogs can scare wolves and bears away.  

[Jcx70t]

As far as training. They can utilize the learning through books mechanic. Have a book that’s titled “training dogs”. Like a 25 hour learning mechanic. The more you read the more commands you can issue to your dog. The dog can have its own radial menu. Sit, stay, follow etc. Followed by hunt, sneak, and so on. The dog should have its own health. You can bandage him up if he gets hurt. And you have to keep him fed and watered. If he dies.. he dies. As far as gunshots scaring him off I think you’d have to track him down and calm him. Much like breaking a horse in red dead 2. But once his training is high enough he shouldn’t run off anymore. 

[Guest kristaok]

12 hours ago, Jcx70t said:

As far as training. They can utilize the learning through books mechanic. Have a book that’s titled “training dogs”. Like a 25 hour learning mechanic. The more you read the more commands you can issue to your dog. The dog can have its own radial menu. Sit, stay, follow etc. Followed by hunt, sneak, and so on. The dog should have its own health. You can bandage him up if he gets hurt. And you have to keep him fed and watered. If he dies.. he dies. As far as gunshots scaring him off I think you’d have to track him down and calm him. Much like breaking a horse in red dead 2. But once his training is high enough he shouldn’t run off anymore. 

You got some good points here.

Maybe in the future episodes of Wintermute they can have it where Will finds a dog. As for the sandbox maybe you can choose to start with or without a dog companion. There has to be a way to incorporate a dog companion somehow, and then the ability to craft a simple sled.