Rat Breeding Simulation

[nightcloud]

Hi guys :)

I hope this is the right playce for a topic like this. I love playing simulation games where the goal is to breed an animal. I have played a game with rats before but sadly it is no longer available. I would love to get back into web design though and thought about creating an own website for this. Maybe I won't do it or someone else will make one quicker than me or it might take me some time, but I had hoped to maybe get some people that are interested in these type of games here and I just wanted to ask some questions.

So, for the poeple that like these types of games (I could name a few, but I think one of the most popular is maybe howrse?), what gameplay mechanics do you absolutely need in these type of games? What gameplay mechanics would be nice? What do you like with other games that you play (maybe even link to the other games) and what aspects of these games do you not like?

Thank you in advance <3

Also I might add that I do not support actually breeding rats, I own some and only get them from rescue shelters, which would play a big aspect in my hypothetical game.

[Adamented]

Howrse is definitely one of very many of these games- Mweor, Felisfire, Leporidae, Fish Tycoon, Wolvden, Furry Paws, Reptile Breeder Game, Dog Breeder Game... etc!

One that's definitely a "must" for me is having traits/genes/markings inherited with trackable genetics. Mweor does this well, listing the traits individually with A/a representing all the alleles. ie a trait that's dominant will be visible if it's Aa or AA, while recessive traits are able to be passed on through breeding but aren't visible if Aa, and are able to be passed and are visible if aa.

Having a "shelter" to adopt first-gen pets is a must, one of Mweor's many shortcomings is not being able to "clean" bloodlines and create genetic diversity. You have to pay irl currency to make a gen 1 pet, and they rarely breed well with others because the colors can literally be anything- a pro and a con of the system. Leporidae has breed clubs where you can adopt pets given up by other users, they are compensated for doing it and it "erases" previous lineage iirc while still showing who the user who originally bred the pet was.

Wolvden has an important feature where time only passes on the days you log in, so the game doesn't progress ahead of you if you don't have time for a while to pop in. Daily tasks are there too, and they're fantastic- definitely needed to keep me engaged! I also like their stud system. Earning expansions to house more pets is awesome, for a rat breeding game I'd love to see customisable habitats! I really do hate the Pay-to-Win model though, and it does immediately suck the interest out if it to have no way to earn expansion, I actively avoid those games (Lorwolf was terrible).

I prefer natural traits and colors, and a general sense of realism even if the traits used aren't necessarily 100% accurate, including in their genetic function. Having an "exploration" mechanic where you can pick up currency, decorations, special items, and even find line-age-removed animals would also be wonderful, I love this mechanic in Wolvden especially, Mweor does this too. Both have a combat mechanic and energy mechanic involved, I'm not a fan of Wolvden's energy system, it's very limiting... the combat isn't bad, but I find Mweor's is really random and Wolvden's is a bit overcomplicated. A turn-based type thing is cool, if it's not limited to "attack, use item, defend, flee" options and actually has some substance to it. Both Mweor and Wolvden punish you for taking any damage by using your energy as a health bar, I'm definitely not a fan of that. It discourages engaging combat at all, and the rewards are almost never worth the risk.

A sale & stud system is definitely necessary in a game like this, I'd say, being able to "dress up" the animals is unnecessary but a good draw for players, if the pet images aren't too complex, allowing users to make and sell their own custom apparel is a really nice feature that keeps people coming back to the game... as long as it's something they can actually make some in-game profit off of. If it's only a loss to create 5 copies of a custom item and sell 4 of the copies, then there's no reason to invest in doing it in the first place. Otherwise, players can make in-game profit off their artwork and it benefits the site by bringing traffic, a sense of customizability, and since custom stuff usually costs irl currency or premium in-game currency (purchased typically with irl currency, or earned via achievements- better that both options were available) it can help support the costs of running such a game as well.

I'm not a fan of subscription type services, but giving users the option for custom User profile & Pet profile customization via CSS and access to quality-of-life improvements to the game via some kind of membership is also popular on these sites and is a more reliable form of support for the game's expenses. Flightrising- although I have many many nitpicks about them- was wonderful when I had avoided the forums, their gameplay is fantastic if the leveling system is a bit overcomplicated, the random assortment of items in the marketplace is great, their system for custom items, their daily achievement goals and other quests with rewards, having lots of different kinds of on-site games where you can earn substantial in-game currency (up to a certain number per day, resetting at midnight). It also gives you the option to preview potential offspring of a pair before you commit, a feature that Wolvden also has and that I wish many other games would add.

And of course- growing! A baby stage and adult stage at minimum. Breeding cooldowns aren't my favorite, but they're also necessary. I'd avoid having large litters though- 1 to 4 is the standard, with 5-6 on rare occasions would be great but litters larger than that will take up a lot of space, time, and resources and is what pushed me away from Leporidae (rabbits have big litters).

I hope that helps!

[nightcloud]

Oh my god, thank you SO SO much!!! This helps so much! I am currently definitely in the misery and fun part where I am planning the game mechanics so this is so great and also helps me maybe check out the other simulation games to actually see how and why they are doing things!

This is especially important since I need to create an engaging gameplay that is evenly balanced. I have so many ideas but a good genetic is definitely one of my main goals. Again, thank you SO SO MUCH <3

[Adamented]

Oh my god, thank you SO SO much!!! This helps so much! I am currently definitely in the misery and fun part where I am planning the game mechanics so this is so great and also helps me maybe check out the other simulation games to actually see how and why they are doing things!

This is especially important since I need to create an engaging gameplay that is evenly balanced. I have so many ideas but a good genetic is definitely one of my main goals. Again, thank you SO SO MUCH <3

Yw! I hope it helps ultimately n.n

Also! I really do recommend checking out other games, familiarizing yourself with what's out there, asking yourself how it could be better and how you would do it, and dig for the stuff that people don't like about those games. It can be very helpful to see what to avoid, based on how the community responds! You're already doing great by looking for opinions... there are many browser sim games where the devs/admins do not care about the thoughts, needs, and wants of their community, both growing and old, and communities that communicate openly and with transparency tend to do the best!