Nintendogs In-Depth Strategy Guide

heday writes "1up.com has a comprehensive strategy guide for Nintendogs, which was released this Monday. The article explains a lot of the nuances and idiosyncratic stuff with videos and pics." From the article: "The subtle sounds of shuffling feet running towards you. Those adoring eyes glazing at you with complete obedience. The moist soft tongue running up and down the back of your feet. That pendulum tail wagging back and forth that embodies the dog's adoration for you. If there were any companion animals vying to be man's best friend, the dog would be unmatched in terms of friendship, loyalty, and devotion. Anyone who has loved a dog would testify that raising one is truly one of the most rewarding experiences in life. But owning a dog is no walk in the park--it requires the utmost responsibility. "

Comments

Slow news day?

[BinaryOpty]

Is it such a slow news day that a website putting up a strategy guide is considered news?

Honestly...what the hell?

[TripMaster Monkey]

"The subtle sounds of shuffling feet running towards you. Those adoring eyes glazing at you with complete obedience. The moist soft tongue running up and down the back of your feet. That pendulum tail wagging back and forth that embodies the dog's adoration for you. If there were any companion animals vying to be man's best friend, the dog would be unmatched in terms of friendship, loyalty, and devotion.

If this is what you're looking for, how about you go down to you local Animal Shelter and get an actual dog? I'm sure they'll love you for getting them off Death Row...

Anyone who has loved a dog would testify that raising one is truly one of the most rewarding experiences in life. But owning a dog is no walk in the park--it requires the utmost responsibility.

Interesting commentary on today's society...people would rather invest in a virtual dog than accept the responsibility of owning an actual pet.

Re:Honestly...what the hell?

[pnice]

Interesting commentary on today's society...people would rather invest in a virtual dog than accept the responsibility of owning an actual pet.

I could see it helping from a parents standpoint. Their child is begging them for a dog but the parents "know" that their child won't take care of it, give it water, feed it on a regular basis, etc. Instead they get the child Nintendogs. It helps teach responsibility to the child (the dog will run out into the neighborhood if you neglect it) and show whether or not the child could be trusted with a real animal....maybe, I don't know, I'm just going with it.

Re:Honestly...what the hell?

[jclast]

Why the hostility here? Not all of us have living arrangements that allow pets. And some children aren't allowed real pets even if their living situation would allow it.

For a child whose parents have forbidden a dog in the house, this could actually be a good alternative. I could also see it going over pretty well as a precursor to a real dog to see if the child is ready for the responsibilities of pet ownership. Obviously, some things can't be simulated well (walking, cleaning up mess, etc.).

And what of the people who are allergic or just prefer simulations? We don't all have the time for real pets. If you do, that's great, but there's no need to chastise those who would make choices different from yours. Couldn't the same really be said for all games? Why aren't you outside playing? Don't you like real games? Wouldn't actual physical activity be better from a societal standpoint than button-mashing?

Re:Honestly...what the hell?

[alienw]

Interesting commentary on today's society...people would rather invest in a virtual dog than accept the responsibility of owning an actual pet.

Why should everyone accept the responsibility of having an actual pet? If anything, this would show that people are more responsible: instead of getting a dog and not being able to care for it properly, people get a virtual pet.

Re:Honestly...what the hell?

[radicalskeptic]

Interesting commentary on today's society...people would rather invest in a virtual dog than accept the responsibility of owning an actual pet.

That's going a little far. There are plenty of people who shouldn't or can't have a real dog for whatever reason: living in a dorm or apartment that forbids pet ownership, too young, too old, allergies, have a job where they are out of town a lot, etc.

Also, it is just a game. You might as well look at a RTS game and say "interesting commentary on today's society... people would rather invest time in a virtual war with no consequences than accept the responsibility of starting an actual war." Or you could say the same thing for birth control: "people would rather invest in consequence-free sex than accept the responsibility of a child." Well, yeah... Having a virtual dog is fun. It's not a sign that people nowadays are all flakey and less responsible than previous generations.

Just to play the devil's advocate

[Moraelin]

"Couldn't the same really be said for all games? Why aren't you outside playing?"

Now I'm not going to completely aggree with him or anything, and I'm not opposed to a pet simulation as such. But still, just for pointing out the obvious, there's a difference between a dog sim and, say, a jet fighter sim or a Formula 1 sim in that aspect.

You _can_ get a dog fairly cheaply, whereas I don't think most of us could afford an F-16 or MiG-29, even if it was legal to buy one.

Plus, very few people are physically unable to have a dog. Yes, people with allergies do exist, but they're not a majority. Whereas piloting a fighter jet is something which has a lot more strict requirements.

Plus, there are a lot of situations in games which are too risky in real life. If you crash a F1 car, you may well be dead or crippled. (Even a few premier league drivers discovered that.)

Even something more mundane like trying to replicate a medieval duel (e.g., if you want to do that instead of playing WoW) with something even vaguely resembling 6 ft worth of steel blade (as opposed to a silly PVC tube wrapped in foam), even unsharpened, you might break a bone or two. Historically, european straight swords were used to break ribs even through a maille hauberk: even if it didn't penetrate, a hard hit as with an axe or mace could still cause enough damage to disable an opponent.

So there are a lot of situations where doing something in a game is anywhere between the only safe choice, and the only choice, period. Having a dog, on the other hand, just doesn't fit that bill for most people. You don't absolutely _need_ a simulation to play with a dog.

The other aspect is that simulations are but an imperfect replica of the real thing. That goes doubly for any sim that involves AI. Just above anything above the intellect of a goldfish, is just too complex for a modern computer. (And not to mention it would be a full time job for academic AI researchers and psychologists to stimulate, not of a game designer who thinks "AI == hard-coded triggers for simple scripts".)

Having pretty much grown around various pets (but especially cats, hence they're still my preference), and on summer vacations around other farm animals too, I can tell you that the real thing differs _massively_ from anything I've ever seen simulated on the screen. It has quirks, it has moods, it has a personality, etc. E.g., a real dog won't be just unconditional puppy-love, but might as well one day challenge you for leadership of the "pack" if he thinks you're doing an awful job as a pack-leader.

A pet sim can be a substitute for that just about as much as a dating sim is a substitute for having a girlfriend. I.e., not at all.

Plus, there's the whole aspect that it's a living being you physically touch, and which you know isn't hard-coded to just simulate puppy-love. You know that that's a real being reacting to your actions, good or bad, not just some script being triggered. Personally I just don't see how a script can possibly really replace that.

Again, personally I won't lose any sleep if you do use a simulation for that. But just saying I can see where a "get a real dog" recommendation would come from.

Re:Icky...

[ShawnDoc]

If the DS can simulate a moist, soft tongue

... I'd never need to go on another date again!