Buying Animals

[caius]

Can the buying animals process be changed to address: 1) buying a specific size of livestock animal from among the available animals for sale, and/or 2) buying animals in bulk?

• If a village has multiple livestock animals of the same type of animal for sale but I only want one specific sized animal, it seems to be random which animal I am actually buying.  I'd really like to either A) know which animal I am trying to buy or B) be able to choose which animal I want to buy. 
  
  A) Could the dialog specify I'm trading for the "small sheep" or the "big dog" or the "bull" (referring to the normal  bull).  Right now, I can't seem to find any pattern as to which animal I am actually buying at a time and the NPC dialogue doesn't clarify either.  I've tried to determine if proximity to the bought animal or selling villager influence which animal is for sale and I can't seem to find a pattern.  For example, if the village has 5 sheep and 3 dogs for sale, could the dialog proceed as follows: ""What kind of animals [do] you need? We have a few to sell around here. 1-Small Sheep, 2-Big Dog"  The player would then bid and trade OR reject the sale offer and start a new trade dialogue to bring up a new list of animals... 1-Sheep, 2-Small Dog
  
  B) Could the animal dialog actually list all the types/sizes of animals for sale not just by the animal type but also the animal size?  For example, if a village has 5 sheep (1 big, 2 normal, and 2 small) and 3 dogs (1 big, 1 normal, and 1 small) and I only want to buy the one big dog, then it seems random which dog I actually get the opportunity to buy at a time.  There have been instances when the big dog in this scenario is bought first, second, or third.  Could the dialog actually break down to: "What kind of animals [do] you need? We have a few to sell around here. 1-Ram, 2-Small Sheep, 3-Sheep, 4-Big Sheep, 5-Small Dog, 6-Dog, 7-Big Dog"
• Can I buy multiple animals in one trade?  Right now, I need to buy multiple animals one-at-a-time.  Can I add the animals to a tally and then trade for them all at once?  This would allow the player to have more efficient trades and allow higher value items to be used for trades.  Now, a battlesword is worthless when trading for animals because it is so valuable.  But if I could buy animals in bulk, that sword might then become very handy if I could use it to buy a bull and cows/dogs.

[koteko]

The first point will already be featured in the next version (see development news). Right now, there's simply a list and you get the animals in a fixed order.

Point 2 would be cool!

[caius]

I don't think 1 is in the works... (http://www.unrealworld.fi/urw_development.html) ...based on the development notes.  Specifically, I can't find any mention that an update will feature the ability to buy the "big sheep" specifically instead of whichever sheep the seller decides to offer up first.  Am I missing that in the development page?

I'll edit the original post for clarity.

[koteko]

Here it is: http://z3.invisionfree.com/UrW_forum/index.php?showtopic=8594

Probably just not written in this new forum yet but it should be in the upcoming version. (3.5?)

[PALU]

Can we not take the furs or feathers of the wild animals we hunt to market, just gather or fishing.

That statement is rather hard to decipher, and doesn't seem to have anything to do with buying animals. Furs and leather can be sold, as can meat and fish. You cannot sell raw hides or carcasses (I think) nor can you sell feathers (and I'd imagine they'd be worth very little anyway).