Currently the transition in Minecraft from surviving to thriving is not a difficult leap, but an important part of that journey is creating a plentiful food source. As of now, it is not difficult for players to acquire a large quantity of food whether it be through farming of crops or animals. This article will propose ideas to implement new challenges to farming passive animals. These changes will make it more difficult to become "comfortable" in a Minecraft world by making the player actually work to product a food source.
When players are looking to upgrade their diets from crops to animals, it is an easy task to complete. Lure at least two of the same naturally spawned animals into an enclosed pen and boom you are set to go. The change I'm proposing would be to have a "wild" variation of cows, pigs, sheep, and chickens that would need to be domesticated over generations of breeding in order to receive a good source of resources.
These four "wild" variations would vary in appearances, behaviors, and drop rates compared to the current Minecraft mobs. The specifics of each mob will be discussed below, but for now I'll discuss the actual domestication process. Across the four mobs, the domestication process will be the same. It would rely on a four scale basis, with completely "wild" mobs being at 0 and fully "domesticated" mobs being at 4. Just as Pandas have genes to correspond to their personalities, these four "wild" mobs will have genes related to their domestication. When breeding two of these mobs, the offspring will have either a +1 or +0 (no change) to the domestication rate of one of its parents. Therefore the offspring of two wild cows (0 & 0) would have a domestication rate of 1 or 0, but the offspring of two cows with domestication rates of 1 & 2 would have a chance at being either a 1, 2, or 3. The domestication rate will correspond to the mob's drop rate (details below), but also the mob's texture and model.
Specifications to each mob texture will be below, but in general the "wild" variation will have a more grisly texture compared to that of the "domesticated" mobs. The current textures would remain but now be used to represent a fully "domesticated" mob. For the domestication stages between 0 and 4, the texture would be a blend of the two. A rate 2 mob would mostly resemble the wild mob with part of the texture referencing the domesticated mob. A rate 3 mob, however, would mostly resemble the domesticated mob with only a slight resemblance to the wild mob.The progression of the textures would allow players to intuitively keep track of the rate of each mob. As an unintended benefit, the diverse textures of mobs could also be useful in varying designs across a Minecraft world.
*Side note: the actual breeding mechanic would remain the same with a certain food source being applied to each parent animal in order to initiate breeding. Having a chance at no change in domestication rate (+0) is also important because it will allow players to continue to produce wild breeds if the player wanted to. Also the above explanation is intended to explain the concept, the actual numbers regarding domestication rate and rate changes can be changed.
Now I'll discuss the specifics of mob behaviors, textures and models, and drop rates for cows, sheep, pigs, and chickens.
Cows: The model of a "wild" cow would be larger than that of a "domesticated" cow. The horns on the "wild" breed would also be larger, while the udder would be smaller. The actual texture of the "wild" cow would be a darker solid color without the spots and patches that adorn the current cows. Both these textures and models would again morph back into the original as the cows offspring becomes more domesticated. As for behaviors, the "wild" breed would be aggressive upon being attacked by a player or upon a player getting to close without holding the appropriate food item. Only a domesticated cow would be able to be milked. The amount of items dropped by the mob would increase as the domestication increased. A "wild" cow would only drop between 0-1 leather or meat at best (not including looting enchantments) while each additional domestication rate would increase that drop rate.
Pigs: "Wild" pigs would now be transformed into boars. The model would include small tusks and be slightly larger. The texture itself would be a dark woody color such as a black or brown. The "wild" pig would be aggressive towards a player that is too close, but might flee if it sustains to much damage. These "wild" pigs will also search out and destroy nearby crops, dropping either the harvest or seed onto the ground. The drop rate would be similar to cows with the "wildest" breed only dropping 0-1 pork chops.
Sheep: "Wild" sheep will resemble rams, with curved horns protruding from their head.The model might also be larger than that of a domesticated sheep. The textures could still have the same naturally spawning wool color but with darker tones (and perhaps curls in the texture to resemble tangles). If attacked the "wild" sheep would result to a headbutt style attack that would deal significant knock-back to the player. Other than being attacked, the "wild" sheep would not be aggressive or scared of a player. A "wild" sheep would not be able to be sheared or dyed, this would be saved for fully domesticated sheep. Only upon killing a wild sheep could the player receive 0-1 wool in addition to 0-1 mutton.
Chickens: The "wild" chicken model would be taller and thinner. It would also have a comb on top of its head similar to a rooster. Once more the texture would be darker, perhaps a yellowish to brown. "Wild" chickens would flee at the approach or attack of a player, but rarely when attacked by a player, they will attack back with a peck. "Wild" chickens would also be capable of a short flight, more horizontal distance than height. Chickens hatched from eggs will assume a random domestication. Mob drops are similar once more with a "wild" chicken dropping only 0-1 raw chicken and/or feathers.
*Side note: Attracting these animals would remain the same by holding their preferred food to get them to follow you. The "wild" behavior of fleeing from and attacking players would also disappear once they have a domestication rate of 1. Also with the new village update that has animals spawning in village pens, these animals would naturally spawn as fully domesticated. Once more the model/texture changes can easily be changed, but these were just my ideas. Hopefully it all makes sense!
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