Suggestion: Pet Food Bowl

[AdaptiveTrigger]

A few days ago I was playing Don't Starve Reign of the Giants Beta when I ran into the Catcoon for the first time. Initially I was going to attack it but I resisted initially in order to observe its behavior. I became intrigued once I noticed that it behaved like a cat (I'm what you might call a "cat person", I own two cats myself actually). Eventually I figured out that I can give the Catcoon toys and food to make it follow me to help fend off attackers and give me "presents".

 

 

So a few days later, I'm sitting on my couch while watching the television and I hear this crunching sound coming from the other room. This was the sound of my cat eating food from his food bowl. This made me wonder why you can't make a Food Bowl for your Catcoon in Don't Starve.

 

 

Being that you can only really have only one Catcoon befriended at a time (multiple Catcoons will fight one another), this kind of makes the Catcoon seem more valuable than something like the Pigmen (at least to me anyhow). The Catcoon constantly follows you...but maybe you'd like it so that the Catcoon stayed at your base instead (similar to how you can get Chester to stay at your base by leaving the eye behind). I would imagine that if you "filled up" the Food Bowl with food, the cat would stay behind while you explored or knowingly went into dangerous situations. I'd also imagine that the food bowl would fill up the time the cat stays befriending you (maybe at a better rate than simply giving food). Does the Catcoon have a natural regeneration? Maybe this could help with healing as well.

 

 

Maybe this is being a bit greedy, but I'd also think Food Bowls might attract "stray" Catcoons if you currently don't have another Catcoon befriended (maybe with Catcoon Nip? lol). This would be similar to how many people in real life take in stray cats as their pets into their homes by enticing them with food. Maybe that ruins the whole "exploration" thing of the game since it would mean you wouldn't have to go to the Biome in which Catcoons are located though.

 

 

I suppose this could be extended to the Pigmen as well, but that really occurs to me as a "mutual business relationship" than a "owner-pet relationship" as with the Catcoons. Not to mention I wouldn't want the Pigmen near my base when they become Werepigs. I'd rather this type of thing only work for Catcoons personally.

[XRune]

The idea is not bad but I think its too beneficial for the theme of DS. There should be a way to keep the catcoon in a certain place like with the pigmen but your suggestion is just too good. Maybe limit the bowl to just keeping him there at a cost of more food than normally

[AdaptiveTrigger]

Well, you'd have to constantly refill the bowl with food if you want to make use of it. Making it consume more food than normally might be a good tradeoff though.

[Wilbur]

I have liked to many posts today, so I can't like yours, but I love this idea.

 

Just a small little "twist" on your idea; I would prefer it being a structure where you could leave catcoons, and if you not refill it with food for maybe 2 days (depending on amount you refilled), the catcoon will "escape". Not sure how it would work with normal "befriending-a-catcoon-system" though.

[AdaptiveTrigger]

I believe a Catcoon will only befriend you as long as you give it toys/food. I believe each item will make the Catcoon stay with you for 160 seconds up to a maximum of 2.5 days (according to the Don't Starve wiki entry).