The player crafts a rubber ball (explained below). The rubber ball can be thrown much like a snowball, egg, or ender pearl, except with a slightly farther range. If a dog (tamed wolf) is within 8 blocks of the player, the dog will fetch the ball and return it to the player (provided the dog is able to do so). Every time the dog successfully returns the ball, a hidden counter increases by 1. When the hidden counter reaches 10, the dog enters a happy/loyal state, indicated by some visual cue (i.e. a wagging tail or a single red heart floating over its head), and remains in that state as long as the hidden counter remains above 0. While in this happy/loyal state, the dog receives a hefty bonus (25% or 50%, depending on difficulty level) when dealing damage to hostile mobs.
The hidden counter decreases to 0 over time, and may also be reduced whenever the dog is injured. When the counter is equal to or less than 0, the dog returns to its normal (neutral) state, and no longer receives its damage bonus. In order to regain the happy/loyal state, the player must once again play with the dog until the hidden counter is increased to 10.
The hidden counter can go negative as well as positive. If the player injures the dog (abusing the poor thing, even accidentally) or allows the dog to starve, the hidden counter will decrease until it reaches -10, at which point the dog will enter a demoralized state, indicated by a different visual cue (i.e. a black heart floating over its head). While in this state, the dog receives a penalty, doing less damage to hostile mobs. Provided the dog is not starving and is at full heath, the hidden counter will slowly increase back to 0, at which point the dog will return to its normal (neutral) state. Playing with the dog, or feeding it, will also increase the counter to bring it back up to 0. (Feeding the dog will not increase the counter above 0.)
A dog will only engage in play if it is at full health, and is not starving.
So you may ask, "How do I obtain a rubber ball in order to make my puppy happy?"
Here's how:
First you must craft a spigot (tap) from 3 iron ingots in a > or < pattern.
What is a spigot?
This is a spigot.
When you place a spigot on a jungle tree, rubbery latex sap will drip out of it.
You then have to hang an empty bucket on the spigot to catch the sap like so ...
After ten minutes, the bucket fills up with latex, and you can put the "bucket of latex" (or "bucket of sap") in your inventory by placing your crosshair on the spigot and pressing the use button. (If you try to take the bucket before it is full you will only get an empty bucket back.)
You place the bucket of latex into a furnace, to boil the latex into rubber. (You also get the bucket back.)
You then place 4 rubber in a square pattern on the crafting table to create a rubber ball.
Then you can go play with your dog.
(I know it sounds like a lot of work, but I suppose rubber can also be used for crafting other items, such as rubber bands for slingshots, hipwaders for wading into 2 block deep water without drowning, rubber rafts, diving suits, or bouncey blocks.)
New items: Spigot (Tap), rubber, rubber ball.
The idea is thus:
The player crafts a rubber ball (explained below). The rubber ball can be thrown much like a snowball, egg, or ender pearl, except with a slightly farther range. If a dog (tamed wolf) is within 8 blocks of the player, the dog will fetch the ball and return it to the player (provided the dog is able to do so). Every time the dog successfully returns the ball, a hidden counter increases by 1. When the hidden counter reaches 10, the dog enters a happy/loyal state, indicated by some visual cue (i.e. a wagging tail or a single red heart floating over its head), and remains in that state as long as the hidden counter remains above 0. While in this happy/loyal state, the dog receives a hefty bonus (25% or 50%, depending on difficulty level) when dealing damage to hostile mobs.
The hidden counter decreases to 0 over time, and may also be reduced whenever the dog is injured. When the counter is equal to or less than 0, the dog returns to its normal (neutral) state, and no longer receives its damage bonus. In order to regain the happy/loyal state, the player must once again play with the dog until the hidden counter is increased to 10.
The hidden counter can go negative as well as positive. If the player injures the dog (abusing the poor thing, even accidentally) or allows the dog to starve, the hidden counter will decrease until it reaches -10, at which point the dog will enter a demoralized state, indicated by a different visual cue (i.e. a black heart floating over its head). While in this state, the dog receives a penalty, doing less damage to hostile mobs. Provided the dog is not starving and is at full heath, the hidden counter will slowly increase back to 0, at which point the dog will return to its normal (neutral) state. Playing with the dog, or feeding it, will also increase the counter to bring it back up to 0. (Feeding the dog will not increase the counter above 0.)
A dog will only engage in play if it is at full health, and is not starving.
So you may ask, "How do I obtain a rubber ball in order to make my puppy happy?"
Here's how:
First you must craft a spigot (tap) from 3 iron ingots in a > or < pattern.
What is a spigot?
This is a spigot.
When you place a spigot on a jungle tree, rubbery latex sap will drip out of it.
You then have to hang an empty bucket on the spigot to catch the sap like so ...
http://chefsconsortiumny.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/maple1.jpeg
... by using the bucket on the spigot.
After ten minutes, the bucket fills up with latex, and you can put the "bucket of latex" (or "bucket of sap") in your inventory by placing your crosshair on the spigot and pressing the use button. (If you try to take the bucket before it is full you will only get an empty bucket back.)
You place the bucket of latex into a furnace, to boil the latex into rubber. (You also get the bucket back.)
You then place 4 rubber in a square pattern on the crafting table to create a rubber ball.
Then you can go play with your dog.
(I know it sounds like a lot of work, but I suppose rubber can also be used for crafting other items, such as rubber bands for slingshots, hipwaders for wading into 2 block deep water without drowning, rubber rafts, diving suits, or bouncey blocks.)
Ceci n'est pas une signature.
Obviously I hadn't seen that other thread before posting this one.
However, I would like to point out one advantage my idea has over the other one, and that advantage is ...
... I thought of it.
I should also point out that my idea is the simpler of the two.
Ceci n'est pas une signature.