Catmeat!

[UltimateLynx]

This is the discussion thread for my upcoming mod, now in preliminary production. The mod reintroduces cats into the Fallout universe, along with holotapes, locations and set-pieces for a more "complete" back-story as to the cats' presence. A Catmeat follower will also be added.

 

Bear in mind that I live in South Africa and my internet connection is buggy at best, so updates won't exactly be "by the hour" but I plan to let you know every week or so how things are going.

 

A full description of the details of the mod will be posted once we have a full backstory and have chosen our concepts for cat species.

 

Feel free to post away! Give us your ideas and your commentary!

[SweFerk]

You should make a crazy cat lady that will buy cats that you manage to capture using some cool trap that you make! Cats aren't easy to catch.

 

And maybe not call it Catmeat? To similar to Dogmeat.

 

Maybe make them climb trees if scared or wounded? Gives you a chance to still shoot the bastards without running around everywhere.

 

I know cats aren't pack animals, but a catcave! Like the deathclaw cave, but with cats. LOTS and LOTS of cats. Nah that was a bad idea.

 

I read the your pre-specification of the races and such. Maybe a melee cat claw weapon. Or even a weapon that shoots cat claws. Poisoned or not. And cat claw grenades! like bottlecap grenades, but with claws. Logic...

 

Maybe make use for catfur to do something?

 

Cat armor! You know, so the cat doesn't die.

 

And If catmeat dies, you can buy a new one from the crazy cat lady.

 

Maybe catmeat starts as a cub, and the longer you have him, the older he/she gets and more powerful he/she becomes.

Ya know, you find a poor little kitten hiding under a rock.

 

Milk bottles are useless. Maybe feed the cat with milk giving bonuses or health regeneration?

 

Okay. That will have to be enough for me.

 

Good luck!

Ferk

[Justin11111]

I cant wait to say, "MY IGUANAS ATE MY CAT"! :devil:

[SweFerk]

hey just a thought, i mean while your at it. cats gotta eat something right? What about squirrels and iguanas and other creepy little animals? Possibly followers too. You could be crazy animal man. Bahuha

 

Ferk

[UltimateLynx]

Wow! It's good to see so many ideas coming out so early. Just to let you know, we're still going through the designs of the cats, and the backstory is still being worked out, but we're definitely moving forward. I'll be giving out further (almost all) details next week. Oh, and I'd like to remind/inform everybody that the mod will be fully integrated into the Fallout 3 world. The cats will behave as realistically as possible, and growth (from a kitten), interaction etc. are planned features.

 

As for the crazy cat lady, that was actually one of my earlier ideas on supplementing the backstory, and on to food sources for the cats, all I can say is that it's a very likely possibility.

 

On climbing trees, it's a good idea, just very difficult to implement. The thing is, I like cats, hence the mod. The cats will be realistic, and won't just sit there being shot, they'll do something (hide, run or fight). If you really must kill them, it'll definitely be possible, but I can't say it'll be too easy (they won't just stay in a tree to die) or too beneficial (really, it's not like cat claws are feasible when you've got deathclaws and radscorpions for both melee and poison). We are planning to do something with the cats, but it'll focus more on them being alive than dead. :)

 

As for my fellow cat lovers, cats will be added to the Animal Friend list, and, whilst they won't be terribly helpful, this will allow further interaction with the "tame" cats and some "wild" cats (perhaps even storyline advancement of the backstory we'll be adding).

 

PS: The "Catmeat" name is indeed a reference to Dogmeat, as my original idea was just a cat replacement for Dogmeat. It won't, however, be the final name of the mod or your follower, but it suits the topic for now.

 

Next update in a week (sorry: exams, and poor internet), please feel free to comment, I do listen. Just don't be too ridiculous.

[UltimateLynx]

Hey. It's update time!

 

Since I don't want to spoil the mod for you, I'm simply going to outline the key features and a few of the new things we'll be putting in. Unfortunately, I'm having trouble uploading concept images but what the heck, you'll see the images when we put the beta up on the nexus. Oh, and since quite a few of the mods with which we hope to integrate change damage levels etc, different versions will be released; so please don't expect exact details on damage, damage resistance etc.

 

First of all, the backstory:

 

The general idea of cats across the Fallout series is that domestic cats have been wiped out, used as a source of food until they died off completely. In my opinion, whilst this is a sad thing indeed, it thankfully leaves the field open for the species as a whole.

 

Since I'd like this mod to be (mostly) canon, I've decided to take a more "Vault-Tec approach to the reintroduction of cats. Not to reveal too much info (you'll still need to play the mod to find out more), several species of cat were kept in a makeshift experimental centre in order to study the effects of a peculiar mutagen produced by the cats upon the reactivation of dormant DNA. I'll leave it at that for now.

 

Following several years of experimentation, a catastrophe (I'm not telling you what) released the cats into the wasteland, whereupon several distinct species begun to develop and breed. This would all have occurred about 20-30 years before the appearance of the Lone Wanderer.

 

The species decided upon for the use of this mod are as follows:

 

Domestics: Quite simply the few cats taken in by human settlements, these lucky creatures show no or very few signs of irradiation. They are loyal and trusting of their keepers, but will take a long while to become accustomed to newer visitors. This species, although larger than a real-life house cat, is relatively weak, but exceptional at hiding in the nooks and crannies of their settlement. These cats will be very rare, and quite skittish. Planned behaviours are avoidance and "hissing" before running away when they don't know you, and everything from petting to feeding once they're used to you.

 

Radcats: Essentially "ghouls" of the cat world, these poorly individuals can be found in dark, irradiated areas, wild or accompanying ghouls. Wild radcats will show no desire to get to know the player, and will defend their territory if provoked. Domesticated radcats (as will be found in Underworld) will share similar behaviours with the domestic cat. Whilst still quite weak, these cats will experience a bonus in general ability and healing in the presence of radiation.

 

Wildcats: Huge, tiger-like beasts in thick, armoured skin; you wouldn't want to piss one off. In combat, effectively a yao guai with armour, these cats will be a force with which to be reckoned. Descended from several species of large jungle cat used in the original experimentation, these cats will exhibit hunting and territorial behaviours. Leave them alone, and they'll do the same for you, but cross them and you've got a fight on your hands. Will be found in packs across the Wasteland.

 

Poisonclaw: Small, speedy variations of the radcat, these cats will have mutated the ability to produce and use a powerful venom. These cats will be fond of the ambush, and otherwise quite skittish. Whilst they are incredibly weak in terms of HP and DR, these cats will experience similar boosts to the radcat in the presence of radiation, and enhanced healing upon the ingestion of glowing mushrooms. Guess where they'll be found. :)

 

Strays: Whilst very far from being stray domestics, these cats are called such since they don't seem to fit in anywhere. Their name might change further along the line, but a disjointed "group" of ragtag cats are planned for the mod. Variation in this "species" will (hopefully) be quite high, but their basic shape and size will correspond to "medium sized" modern-day wildcats such as the lynx.

 

O'Malley: The Lone Wanderer's trusty companion, O'Malley (the alley cat :P) will be a slightly larger domestic or possibly stray, sharing as a tribute dogmeat's oddly coloured eyes. He will be able to do everything Dogmeat could, and more. Interaction is planned to be as complete as possible, and we hope to make O'Malley the most believable companion yet.

 

Several NPCs and locations will also be introduced, with the specific aim of creating a cat-related quest which unlocks the story of the cats' presence. Part of the quest will only unlock with the Animal Friend perk though, and considering new behaviours, this perk will now be all the more worth it, especially for those cat lovers playing this mod in future.

 

Thank you, and please give any suggestions you might have. I won't be overhauling the mod by this stage, but if there's anything you feel must absolutely be added or removed feel free to communicate. Oh, and questions are also welcome, I'd be glad to answer any queries.

[boozhah]

Everything sounds awesome.

 

one idea i have, is some how, when you first meet "catmeat" you are prompted "do you want to name him" -yes- -no- my thoughts this can be done using set player name in the beginning of the game, im not sure how ud do it, but im sure it can be done. also can be implemented when you buy a cat from crazy cat lady.

 

Cat Launcher? (sorry i was watching family guy, lol Adam west).

 

maybe if you get a chance, fix dogmeat so he will also actually help in battle.

 

ive only begun modding, and only really used the Geck, to make a new location and a plunger launcher (to replace the not so great Plunger rifle) both still in the making, but if there is anything basic i can do to help, give me a holler.

 

i will be awaiting this mod with great enthusiasm.

[UltimateLynx]

That is an excellent idea, by the way. As for dogmeat, there are already many existing mods that fix him up (I have most of them).

 

I'm afraid that for the moment work on the mod has halted/slowed-to-a-crawl, since I'm currently writing final exams. I'll be back to working on the mod by the end of November, however, and I hope to finish the project (beta) by late December or mid-January.

 

I look forward to further feedback and I'll let you know of anything that needs to be done.

[Hoppyhead]

As a cat lover I would love to see this! It's funny the other day I was wondering why I have never seen any cats in Fallout and decided to see if anyone else was thinking the same thing. After searching I came to this thread!

I hope it is still being worked on.

[JohnAracle]

In case anybody checks in on this things, I am in fact the user "Lynx the Ultimate" and would like to express my regrets that the Catmeat mod never came to fruition. Following the inception of the mod, several family troubles and health concerns got in the way; Sufficed to say that I will not have the free time or resources to be making mods in the foreseeable future. Perhaps some day I'll be making mods for the community, but sadly that won't be any time soon.

 

Apologies from Lynx the Ultimate,

 

Now JohnAracle.