So, pigs were rideable ever since infdev, and 1.6 will add horses. The inclusion of horses appears to make pigs a bit obsolete as mounts, and lots of people have come up with interesting ideas to fix that issue. So I figured I'd send in my own mount suggestion, inspired by playing Zelda: Twilight Princess a while ago and having some fun while riding on Epona.
Tell me more!
Since we can expect rideable horses in 1.6, we should also expect the risks involved. Horses are big animals, and if you don't get out of the way of a stampeding horse, either the horse will try to jump over you or you could get trampled if the horse can't swerve in time. Pigs likewise charge foes using their tusks in the wild, and they can get pretty hefty sometimes. So my idea is that saddled mounts should be able to get a charging attack, which damages foes in different ways depending on the beast you're riding upon.
What kind of ways? How does this make the pig useful?
Well, since horses primarily flee from danger, they will move around or over you whenever possible. Pigs, on the other hand, are like cows in that they charge, gore, and trample you. So based on natural behavior, what each mount does upon colliding with that zombie it's barreling towards will likely differ. The horse will probably try to jump over the mob automatically; if the jump is too low, the mob will probably be knocked away a very short distance, probably to the side like in Twilight Princess, since I'm not sure if there's a way to program actually running over the mob into the game just yet. Pigs, however, will just flat-out plow snout-first into their opponents, knocking them over a greater distance. A charging pig could also knock away multiple opponents at once, making them much more effective when taking on groups of hostile opponents.
But you can't make pigs charge! And you'll need a carrot on a stick to control the pig... right?
You can actually use the carrot+stick to give the pig a speed boost, simply by right-clicking. I think this speed boost would be great for not only moving faster, but also building up the inertia required for a charging attack. Additionally, to go with a suggestion by Wiimaster I read earlier on these forums, feeding the pig a mushroom might also provide the same speed boost; however, you can't control a mushroom-fed pig as easily, if at all.
So, does this balance pigs and horses as mounts?
We won't be sure until this idea is implemented, should that be the case. But if I had to speculate, I'd say that this would shift about the pros and cons of each mount somewhat. Horses, since they won't be as good at bashing enemies' faces in, would probably be more suitable for quick and reliable transportation (not that they can't be used in battle, of course, provided you have skilled reflexes and a damn good aim with that bow!). Pigs, meanwhile, could be used for direct physical combat, giving the pig the opportunity to make the first few blows directly and then strafe the stunned opponent to let you finish the job.
Those are my two cents. I wonder if anyone else would be willing to provide theirs.
I /really/ like this idea, trample is a real threat from horses. I'm not sure I agree with you about pigs, though; I think that the pig mounts have always been kind of a joke, and I don't know if pigs need to be salvaged from being an obsolete mount. I mean, I certainly never used them for regular travel before horses were introduced, and I don't really think that many others used pigs either (that having been said, I could definitely be wrong here). I guess I don't think that horses devalue pigs at all. They're a hilarious mount that you can receive an achievement for, but they never had much value in combat or travel.
... All that to say, I appreciate that the idea for trample damage came to you. In my opinion, I think that minecraft could greatly benefit from incorporating Twilight Princess-esque horse mechanics.
I /really/ like this idea, trample is a real threat from horses. I'm not sure I agree with you about pigs, though; I think that the pig mounts have always been kind of a joke, and I don't know if pigs need to be salvaged from being an obsolete mount. I mean, I certainly never used them for regular travel before horses were introduced, and I don't really think that many others used pigs either (that having been said, I could definitely be wrong here). I guess I don't think that horses devalue pigs at all. They're a hilarious mount that you can receive an achievement for, but they never had much value in combat or travel.
... All that to say, I appreciate that the idea for trample damage came to you. In my opinion, I think that minecraft could greatly benefit from incorporating Twilight Princess-esque horse mechanics.
Thank you kindly ^^. I was thinking from a functional standpoint, honestly - horses would still be less suited for combat than pigs even if they can knock enemies over. With a horse you'll probably be swerving around and jumping too much for the horse to be much good physically, but on the flipside, behavior- and AI-wise, the pig has good grounds for acting like a carrot-powered bowling ball, which would indeed be practical, hilarious, and awesome if such was implemented. XD
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Since we can expect rideable horses in 1.6, we should also expect the risks involved. Horses are big animals, and if you don't get out of the way of a stampeding horse, either the horse will try to jump over you or you could get trampled if the horse can't swerve in time. Pigs likewise charge foes using their tusks in the wild, and they can get pretty hefty sometimes. So my idea is that saddled mounts should be able to get a charging attack, which damages foes in different ways depending on the beast you're riding upon.
What kind of ways? How does this make the pig useful?
Well, since horses primarily flee from danger, they will move around or over you whenever possible. Pigs, on the other hand, are like cows in that they charge, gore, and trample you. So based on natural behavior, what each mount does upon colliding with that zombie it's barreling towards will likely differ. The horse will probably try to jump over the mob automatically; if the jump is too low, the mob will probably be knocked away a very short distance, probably to the side like in Twilight Princess, since I'm not sure if there's a way to program actually running over the mob into the game just yet. Pigs, however, will just flat-out plow snout-first into their opponents, knocking them over a greater distance. A charging pig could also knock away multiple opponents at once, making them much more effective when taking on groups of hostile opponents.
But you can't make pigs charge! And you'll need a carrot on a stick to control the pig... right?
You can actually use the carrot+stick to give the pig a speed boost, simply by right-clicking. I think this speed boost would be great for not only moving faster, but also building up the inertia required for a charging attack. Additionally, to go with a suggestion by Wiimaster I read earlier on these forums, feeding the pig a mushroom might also provide the same speed boost; however, you can't control a mushroom-fed pig as easily, if at all.
So, does this balance pigs and horses as mounts?
We won't be sure until this idea is implemented, should that be the case. But if I had to speculate, I'd say that this would shift about the pros and cons of each mount somewhat. Horses, since they won't be as good at bashing enemies' faces in, would probably be more suitable for quick and reliable transportation (not that they can't be used in battle, of course, provided you have skilled reflexes and a damn good aim with that bow!). Pigs, meanwhile, could be used for direct physical combat, giving the pig the opportunity to make the first few blows directly and then strafe the stunned opponent to let you finish the job.
Those are my two cents. I wonder if anyone else would be willing to provide theirs.
I /really/ like this idea, trample is a real threat from horses. I'm not sure I agree with you about pigs, though; I think that the pig mounts have always been kind of a joke, and I don't know if pigs need to be salvaged from being an obsolete mount. I mean, I certainly never used them for regular travel before horses were introduced, and I don't really think that many others used pigs either (that having been said, I could definitely be wrong here). I guess I don't think that horses devalue pigs at all. They're a hilarious mount that you can receive an achievement for, but they never had much value in combat or travel.
... All that to say, I appreciate that the idea for trample damage came to you. In my opinion, I think that minecraft could greatly benefit from incorporating Twilight Princess-esque horse mechanics.
Thank you kindly ^^. I was thinking from a functional standpoint, honestly - horses would still be less suited for combat than pigs even if they can knock enemies over. With a horse you'll probably be swerving around and jumping too much for the horse to be much good physically, but on the flipside, behavior- and AI-wise, the pig has good grounds for acting like a carrot-powered bowling ball, which would indeed be practical, hilarious, and awesome if such was implemented. XD