Stop the slaughter, think of the squirrels.

[Necrodancer]

It has always puzzled me why, with the advent of DDO's first expansion, we got wildernesses areas were we can kill non aggressive fauna with a tiny handful of hp that cannot even fight back. Personally I don't like killing animals unless it's to eat them and here's my issue.

DDO is not a mmorpg where you have to worry about toon "maintenance" so I don't understand why we have critters in the wilderness that you can kill that serve no purpose whatsoever.

"but it's to make the wilderness feel alive" - Is it though? How many of you actually care about seeing deers and birds in the wilderness when 99% of the population (in my experience and that is actually 100% to be honest) just zerg through to get to quest entrance?

"but it's to give a choice, you don't like to kill then don't kill, it's easy like that" - No it's not. I don't like to kill those buggers but they keep getting in the way of fireballs and try to leave them alive when you play immortality lesson in feywild. If I play a rogue I want to be able to sleight of hand npcs and yet....(or smash locked doors when playing a barbarian but it seems wooden barriers with mundane locks are hard than adamantium in this game)

Either delete them or make them immortal. Yes we would need to delete a random encounter in stormhorn which requires to kill deers (because it's not even a guaranteed drop iirc) but peace. I'm feel fairly confident in saying nobody ever relied on that specific enounter to gather xp or that it made a difference in any way, shape or form.

I don't really care if they do it or not, just wanted to point out I find it extremely weird we can kill those innocent, non sentient things. No xp, no kill count...nothing. Just, why?

 

[Shear-buckler]

I like hunting them down and killing them.

 

[Lacci]

just wanted to point out I find it extremely weird we can kill those innocent, non sentient things.

Well, the same would apply to all the barrels in the game ... and wouldn´t you find it even weirder if a squirrel was immune to fireballs and sword blows ?
(Fun fact: In "Immortality Lessons", the innocent animals actually do cound towards the kill count)

"but it's to make the wilderness feel alive" - Is it though? How many of you actually care about seeing deers and birds in the wilderness when 99% of the population (in my experience and that is actually 100% to be honest) just zerg through to get to quest entrance?

Yes. Yes, I do care. Might be I´m just one of the 1%, but for example, I actively try to not kill random foxes, because I love foxes.
And yes, it does make environments feel more alive, I wish there were way more of them.

 

[Mornyngstar]

(Fun fact: In "Immortality Lessons", the innocent animals actually do count towards the kill count)

Another fun fact: When you zone into the end of the quest animals spawn that can trigger reapers also. I was the healer in an R8 group that had 2 Vengeance reaper and a Doom reaper spawn! They were active before the white screen cleared. We did survive but it was touch and go.

 

[PersonMan]

I actively try to not kill random foxes, because I love foxes.

Same.

and wouldn´t you find it even weirder if a squirrel was immune to fireballs and sword blows ?

I would just consider it friendly fire which is already generally disabled in the game universe. In that way it would actually be more appropriate. We cannot go around slaughtering most NPCs either.

 

[Necrodancer]

Well, the same would apply to all the barrels in the game ... and wouldn´t you find it even weirder if a squirrel was immune to fireballs and sword blows ?
(Fun fact: In "Immortality Lessons", the innocent animals actually do cound towards the kill count)


Yes. Yes, I do care. Might be I´m just one of the 1%, but for example, I actively try to not kill random foxes, because I love foxes.
And yes, it does make environments feel more alive, I wish there were way more of them.

We're in the same boat. As I wrote, I do not like killing animals unless it's to eat them.

I actively try to avoid killing any of them but I don't really care if other players go around slaughtering them, they're just data. I opened the thread just to sense the water about how many people found this weird.

PS: Everything in the game is just data but barrels and animals are obviously different. It's the "aww, that's cute" effect for mmorpgs and I don't care.
PPS: No, I would not find a fire immune squirrel weird in the slightest.

Robots healing from positive energy, players using undead shroud freely walking in the sun, party members immune to all allies AoE damaging spells, impossibility to kill anything in town. DDO excuse for this (and I 100% agree with this btw) is tht you can't play a morally dubious or evil toon and that's why you don't have the evil alignments available.

Even chaotic neutral characters do not have a reason to simply go and kill them (unless they get something out of it and if they feel pleasure in killing beings they are not chaotic neutrals but a shade of evil).

 

[Sarl]

DDO is not a mmorpg where you have to worry about toon "maintenance" so I don't understand why we have critters in the wilderness that you can kill that serve no purpose whatsoever.

They are not real, killing them is as pointless as not killing them. We have more important things to worry about.

 

[Anurakh]

I find extremely tedious to have to break barrels and furniture for the ransack. It's a stupid mechanic in my opinion.

Animals don't bother me. I try not to kill them, but worrying so much about them when the entire game is about the slaughter of intelligent beings would be a bit... paradoxical, to put it mildly. For example, I'm more disturbed by having to kill so many drow in Von3 for no logical reason, even though it's a quest I like.

 

[Aristis]

I always refuse to kill the innocent animals in the open world. I like to imagine they were placed there by the devs to lower the drop rate in rare chests. I suspect there’s a secret kill count involved.

 

[Necrodancer]

I find extremely tedious to have to break barrels and furniture for the ransack. It's a stupid mechanic in my opinion.

Animals don't bother me. I try not to kill them, but worrying so much about them when the entire game is about the slaughter of intelligent beings would be a bit... paradoxical, to put it mildly. For example, I'm more disturbed by having to kill so many drow in Von3 for no logical reason, even though it's a quest I like.

A most fair point, DDO is full of morally dubious quests. Not going to argue with that.

They are not real, killing them is as pointless as not killing them. We have more important things to worry about.

Agreed, the game has way more important things to care about.

 

[paddymaxson]

Mapster users doing their slayers say what?

 

[PaleFox]

I think once upon a time there was an idea floating about from devs that interactions in game would be reflected here on the forums.
So you could earn titles like "kobold killer" and "fauna hunter".

I also think that in Kings Forest(?), killing fauna would trigger some optional, an upset guardian of some sort?

 

[Macenzie]

Squirrels are just rats with bushy tails.

 

[CherryBomb]

It's a freaking cartoon. You worry the damned woodland critters, but say nothing of the genocide perpetrated throughout the game? We are up to our collective ears in blood and guts not to mention the rotting corpses of all manner of beasts, humanoid or not.

 

[CherryBomb]

I think once upon a time there was an idea floating about from devs that interactions in game would be reflected here on the forums.
So you could earn titles like "kobold killer" and "fauna hunter".

I also think that in Kings Forest(?), killing fauna would trigger some optional, an upset guardian of some sort?

Kill enough of the forest critters to bring out the tree fairies, and then whack them and their trees to get sap that can be used to heal some poor slob

 

[jotmon]

 

[Enir]

Wilderness wildlife makes a 'living' environment.
And some people really do gather venison to feed the owlbears.
Now about all those NPCs wandering around the city!

 

[l_remmie]

I think some wild life is important for immersion. I'd even like to see more.

I personally hate accidentily killing wildlife as well. I'd prefer wildlife to be immortal on default.

I do like minitasks in explorer areas that concern wildlife though.
Like hunting yourself or stopping enemy hunters. Those also provide immersion for whoever likes it.
The high road has a bit of that with spiders etc popping up.

 

[Blunt Hackett]

There are plants, fungus, and monsters. I think it's weirder when there isn't non-aggressive fauna. It brings a little realism and immersion to have them.

If you don't like killing them, don't. I leave them alone unless it's the annoying squeaky rats. I end that annoyance immediately. I wouldn't If there was a toggle for the sound though.

If it so happens that they contribute to lag, SSG can delete them all for all I care. Otherwise, I like the fauna.

 

[Rage]

It has always puzzled me why, with the advent of DDO's first expansion, we got wildernesses areas were we can kill non aggressive fauna with a tiny handful of hp that cannot even fight back. Personally I don't like killing animals unless it's to eat them and here's my issue.

DDO is not a mmorpg where you have to worry about toon "maintenance" so I don't understand why we have critters in the wilderness that you can kill that serve no purpose whatsoever.

"but it's to make the wilderness feel alive" - Is it though? How many of you actually care about seeing deers and birds in the wilderness when 99% of the population (in my experience and that is actually 100% to be honest) just zerg through to get to quest entrance?

"but it's to give a choice, you don't like to kill then don't kill, it's easy like that" - No it's not. I don't like to kill those buggers but they keep getting in the way of fireballs and try to leave them alive when you play immortality lesson in feywild. If I play a rogue I want to be able to sleight of hand npcs and yet....(or smash locked doors when playing a barbarian but it seems wooden barriers with mundane locks are hard than adamantium in this game)

Either delete them or make them immortal. Yes we would need to delete a random encounter in stormhorn which requires to kill deers (because it's not even a guaranteed drop iirc) but peace. I'm feel fairly confident in saying nobody ever relied on that specific enounter to gather xp or that it made a difference in any way, shape or form.

I don't really care if they do it or not, just wanted to point out I find it extremely weird we can kill those innocent, non sentient things. No xp, no kill count...nothing. Just, why?

Think there might be a mechanical affect either it makes it more difficult to target actual enemies or it uses up a slot for a spell effect that would normally be used on an actual mob.