Animals domestication - finally there!

[EchoMan]

I doubt it. Animals have been placed so certain species roam certain islands. That is to make different islans differ from eachother. You can still bring in domesticated animals that accept the surrounding habitat, but they will die when set free if none of their kind naturally exist there.

[Bmot]

Now I wonder... What happens if you set two 'new' animals free at the same time?

[Greek]

They'll die together.

Server scripts are single-threaded, so process can't do two separate things at the same time.
First animal notices there's no wild friend here and dies. Second animal does the same.

It's not done to disallow reseeding, but disallow unlimited seeding. There's no in-game mechanism to limit number of wild species in location. Peaceful animals are just free source of meat and other stuff. There'd be nothing to stop people from eventually seeding an island with ~200 animal species (or at least not aggressive ones).
It'd be extreme exploitation of the system. I think that, for example, even importing one type of sheep to an island which lacks them would have negative impact on economy. Why spend time for feeding sheep when you can have similar wool source for free? If it's not enough then import black sheep, fat-tailed sheep, snow sheep.
Of course, it would require much effort, but generally it's example of a very bad principle: one time cost => no upkeep + infinitive benefits.

One of my chars lives on an island which lacks big animals and it makes things interesting. Some islands have many animals, some don't.

It sounds like a bug if a fattened animal can give 0 of everything.

It's not a bug. It's intentional generalization of animals resources system. Animal resources don't grow at all when animal is not in a pack. Milk, wool, meat, they all work the same.
It would be possible to, for example, add values got from hunting to resources got from butchering. It sounds like a fair and good solution.

'Fattened' isn't an indication of an animal's meat level at all.

Yep, it's hunger level. It wouldn't make sense to have description referring to different properties depending on their level. Word "fattened" is used because I didn't have better idea when developing the system and nobody proposed any better.

I am just wondering if there is any way to check if an animal has "grown enough" for butchering.

There's no other way. But it's enough to do it once for a few days.

If there are bulk, harvest machines that pick potatoes for you, I'd think there would be a place for hay-makers, grass harvesters, things like that. It's very hard to maintain a 'large herd' ranch.

It's possible to have more animals, you just need help of other people
It's also aimed that nobody will be able to maintain all interesting animal species in own location.
I think that system is pretty well balanced. Scythes already offer quite good crop gathering rate. Adding grass harvesters with double production would require doubling feed requirement or reduction of milk/wool output.

[notsure]

I have hay. How do I give it to my starving animal?

[Bmot]

I have hay. How do I give it to my starving animal?

In a trough. http://wiki.cantr.net/index.php/Trough

Some animals don't eat hay, though...

[saztronic]

There's no in-game mechanism to limit number of wild species in location. Peaceful animals are just free source of meat and other stuff. There'd be nothing to stop people from eventually seeding an island with ~200 animal species (or at least not aggressive ones).
It'd be extreme exploitation of the system. I think that, for example, even importing one type of sheep to an island which lacks them would have negative impact on economy. Why spend time for feeding sheep when you can have similar wool source for free? If it's not enough then import black sheep, fat-tailed sheep, snow sheep. Of course, it would require much effort, but generally it's example of a very bad principle: one time cost => no upkeep + infinitive benefits.

It's the red that causes the blue. Change the red, you eliminate the blue.

There are many ways to do this.

1) Limit wild species or set conditions of habitat for introduced species.
2) Create consequences for new species introduction:
-- Putting sheep on new island and they overgraze, natural wild populations die off (see rabbits: Australia)
-- Introducing new species reduces resource slots in that town by set number
-- Introducing new species attracts other new, dangerous predators that also prey on people
-- Interbreeding/hybridization
-- Animal diseases/die offs that can jump species

I know those are all programming challenges and I'm not necessarily suggesting them as good ideas, I'm just saying that seeding of animals in new places does not have to be an inherent problem. It's only a problem because of the game's current structure, which could be changed.

[Chroma Key]

I have hay. How do I give it to my starving animal?

In a trough. http://wiki.cantr.net/index.php/Trough

Some animals don't eat hay, though...

Not just in a trough. You can also use a grass basket, plates, silver platter, or a canvas duffel. Those are the ones I have tested so far.

[SekoETC]

I can post a list of everything that can be used as a makeshift animal feeder, unless it's supposed to be a secret. Is there a policy about this?

[EchoMan]

You can post that info.

[SekoETC]

burlap sack
canvas duffel
ceramic plate
earthenware bowl
fine china plate
grass basket
iron trough
reed basket
silver platter
stone trough
wooden plate
wooden trough

Of course this is only the current situation, new ones may be added later on.

[hyrle]

Animals eating off of fine china plates and silver platters... hilarious.

[EchoMan]

They would eat off from a diamond plate, as long as there was suitable food on it. Bling is only human (and maybe magpie).

[Wolfsong]

So they'll eat out of any container object?

[EchoMan]

No, only the list SekoETC provided. My comment was about bling.

[Chroma Key]

Animals eating off of fine china plates and silver platters... hilarious.

Yep, my char is very posh like that, even down to her pets.
I think it's great that there are multiple options to choose from. Building a trough isn't always the most practical thing.