The new mini pet, a Krytan Floppy Fish, is a fish out of water. It has a gasping for air animation and flops around on the ground. The question is, should ANet keep this animation or change it to a swimming animation. On one hand it is only pixels. No animals are being harmed. On the other hand, it’s depicting an animal suffocating and dying. As for myself, while I know it’s not real it does give me an “Ick feeling” as I watched it lie there gasping for air, so I would vote for a change in animation. Your thoughts?
I guess I am a heartless kitten, I thought it was kinda funny watching the fish flop around. I am fine with it as a little joke thing, but I don’t really care either way. If it bothers a lot of people I wouldn’t mind if they changed it either.
It did make me feel a little sad and yucky to watch it flopping around on land. But it doesn’t bother me enough that I’d want to ask Anet to change it.
Swimming in the air is silly, there’s not enough water in the air to do that. It’s not suffering. It’s a magic fish and it follows me by it’s own choice. Otherwise it would go back to water on it’s own.
| Fort Aspenwood (NA): Sylvari Daredevil Thief Main: All Classes 80. | Please Remove/Fix Thief Trait: “Last Refuge.” “Hard to Catch” is a Horrible and Useless Trait. Fixed 6/23/15. Praise Dwayna.
Just as a thought question, what if it wasn’t a fish. What if it was say….. a mini pet of a dog with a lying on its side gasping animation and flopping after you when you run. Would a change in species make that ok? Is it ok if it’s only a fish?
Be careful what you ask for
ANet may give it to you.
I do think there are more important things than modifying a joke mini-pet that you’re unlikely to cross that often, given that it’s kinda of bad taste, and won’t probably appeal to that many people in the first place.
Just as a thought question, what if it wasn’t a fish. What if it was say….. a mini pet of a dog with a lying on its side gasping animation and flopping after you when you run. Would a change in species make that ok? Is it ok if it’s only a fish?
The Mini Pet Dogs, cats, etc and ranger pets don’t have rebreathers underwater but they don’t drown. Hows the fish in the reverse situation any difference? These critters live in a magical world and don’t play by the rules we do IRL.
| Fort Aspenwood (NA): Sylvari Daredevil Thief Main: All Classes 80. | Please Remove/Fix Thief Trait: “Last Refuge.” “Hard to Catch” is a Horrible and Useless Trait. Fixed 6/23/15. Praise Dwayna.
They should at least take way the gasping part of it. We all, at least at some point killed a wild boar or fish or baby bears, so it’s a bit of a same sided coin problem.
They could add a tiny helmet filled with water, at least it would be more adventurous.
See also rabbit animation when lit on fire
Guardian of Maguuma
Grand Warden of I Crit Under Pressure.
message me for an invite ^_^
Just as a thought question, what if it wasn’t a fish. What if it was say….. a mini pet of a dog with a lying on its side gasping animation and flopping after you when you run. Would a change in species make that ok? Is it ok if it’s only a fish?
The Mini Pet Dogs, cats, etc don’t have rebreathers underwater but they don’t drown. Hows the fish in the reverse situation any difference? These critters live in a magical world and don’t play by the rules we do IRL.
It’s not the “logic” of the situation. It’s whether or not an animation of a dying animal is a good fit for a mini pet. Even though we kill people and animals in the game, it’s a different situation if it’s a mini of a suffocating animal that you’re dragging around behind you.
Be careful what you ask for
ANet may give it to you.
I mean, since it never stops flopping after you it could be argued that it’s actually breathing air and just hasn’t evolved legs yet so flopping is it’s only means of traversal.
*edit, I mean I’d be gasping too if I had to arc my body, tense and release every time I wanted to move hehe. =)
Just as a thought question, what if it wasn’t a fish. What if it was say….. a mini pet of a dog with a lying on its side gasping animation and flopping after you when you run. Would a change in species make that ok? Is it ok if it’s only a fish?
The Mini Pet Dogs, cats, etc don’t have rebreathers underwater but they don’t drown. Hows the fish in the reverse situation any difference? These critters live in a magical world and don’t play by the rules we do IRL.
It’s not the “logic” of the situation. It’s whether or not an animation of a dying animal is a good fit for a mini pet. Even though we kill people and animals in the game, it’s a different situation if it’s a mini of a suffocating animal that you’re dragging around behind you.
It’s not dying though and he’s following you onto land by his own choice. He’s not tied to you with a rope or anything.
Just as a thought question, what if it wasn’t a fish. What if it was say….. a mini pet of a dog with a lying on its side gasping animation and flopping after you when you run. Would a change in species make that ok? Is it ok if it’s only a fish?
The Mini Pet Dogs, cats, etc don’t have rebreathers underwater but they don’t drown. Hows the fish in the reverse situation any difference? These critters live in a magical world and don’t play by the rules we do IRL.
It’s not the “logic” of the situation. It’s whether or not an animation of a dying animal is a good fit for a mini pet. Even though we kill people and animals in the game, it’s a different situation if it’s a mini of a suffocating animal that you’re dragging around behind you.
It’s not dying though and he’s following you onto land by his own choice. He’s not tied to you with a rope or anything.
Or like all minis it has an invisible rope tying it to you and you’re pulling it around behind you as you run and it has no choice but to follow.
Be careful what you ask for
ANet may give it to you.
Just as a thought question, what if it wasn’t a fish. What if it was say….. a mini pet of a dog with a lying on its side gasping animation and flopping after you when you run. Would a change in species make that ok? Is it ok if it’s only a fish?
The Mini Pet Dogs, cats, etc don’t have rebreathers underwater but they don’t drown. Hows the fish in the reverse situation any difference? These critters live in a magical world and don’t play by the rules we do IRL.
It’s not the “logic” of the situation. It’s whether or not an animation of a dying animal is a good fit for a mini pet. Even though we kill people and animals in the game, it’s a different situation if it’s a mini of a suffocating animal that you’re dragging around behind you.
It’s not dying though and he’s following you onto land by his own choice. He’s not tied to you with a rope or anything.
Or like all minis it has an invisible rope tying it to you and you’re pulling it around behind you as you run and it has no choice but to follow.
Mini pets follow you because they love you.
| Fort Aspenwood (NA): Sylvari Daredevil Thief Main: All Classes 80. | Please Remove/Fix Thief Trait: “Last Refuge.” “Hard to Catch” is a Horrible and Useless Trait. Fixed 6/23/15. Praise Dwayna.
Just as a thought question, what if it wasn’t a fish. What if it was say….. a mini pet of a dog with a lying on its side gasping animation and flopping after you when you run. Would a change in species make that ok? Is it ok if it’s only a fish?
The Mini Pet Dogs, cats, etc don’t have rebreathers underwater but they don’t drown. Hows the fish in the reverse situation any difference? These critters live in a magical world and don’t play by the rules we do IRL.
It’s not the “logic” of the situation. It’s whether or not an animation of a dying animal is a good fit for a mini pet. Even though we kill people and animals in the game, it’s a different situation if it’s a mini of a suffocating animal that you’re dragging around behind you.
It’s not dying though and he’s following you onto land by his own choice. He’s not tied to you with a rope or anything.
Or like all minis it has an invisible rope tying it to you and you’re pulling it around behind you as you run and it has no choice but to follow.
Mini pets follow you because they love you.
No doubt. ^^
The point of my thread was is the animation a good fit for this mini? It does have an ick factor to it that would mean it might not sell as well as a fish with a different animation. I know I’m not going to buy it and I saw conversations in map chat about it and whether or not a mini of a dying fish was appropriate, with some people saying it made them uncomfortable. I don’t think ANet wants to sell minis that have a negative to them and if this one does then ANet should reconsider the animation and maybe make it a swimming fish, even on land.
Be careful what you ask for
ANet may give it to you.
I’ll admit that, yeah, it makes me kind of uncomfortable too. It feels like when I see people laughing at a “… kicked in the balls” video: “You enjoy the pain and suffering of others. That’s … something.”
I’d much rather the WoW solution of “fish in a bubble in the air” here, which is kinda cute in a hamster ball sort of way.
The fish swimming in a bubble in the air could be a good substitution animation. I would like that and would buy it if they did.
Be careful what you ask for
ANet may give it to you.
You can stand on land for an infinite amount of time without it dying, so we have established that it is immune to death due to exposure to air.
Eternal torture for the poor fishy, dying forever
Don’t forget that there’s an event in Caledon Forest where we see that the minis are made from oozes. They just take on the shape of something else. They don’t actually need to breathe.
Now, with that said… I do find this a bit disturbing to look at. The flopping is amusing, but the gasping is disquieting. And for an ooze to copy this shape and behavior, it has to have been exposed to it, right? So…. yeah. It’s not a fish dying, more like a recording of a fish dying. Still not cool.
Sarcasm, delivered with a
delicate, brick-like subtlety.
I haven’t actually seen it yet, but from your descriptions I certainly won’t be going out of my way to purchase it. I like my pets happy and perky, not looking like they are dying at my feet.
I remember the fish in a bubble from WoW and I think that would have been a good alternative, or if they want it properly on land then base it on something like a lung fish that is adapted to survive out of water for a short time and can use its fins to move about.
There are also minis of people like Jennah and Rytlock. If you start looking at minis with an eye to ethics and realism, then I think there would raise a lot more problematic questions. I think they are just for fun, you aren’t supposed to think about the hows and whys too much. But clearly Anet may want to look into it, as it seems to sit poorly with many people.
It’s an interesting question, OP. My short answer is: no, ANet should not change it.
I think it’s similar to whether it’s okay to allow drinking and drunkenness in the game, when we know that some players have suffered due to addictions to drink (either themselves or loved ones). That definitely bugs some people.
However, the vast majority of people aren’t bothered by drinking in game (on the contrary: it’s a fun component for some) and the vast majority won’t see a fish-out-of-water animation as anything more than a silly joke, like an angry BL chest.
(That said, I think it’s worth asking the question — ANet might not have thought of it when giving the go-ahead.)
John Smith: “you should kill monsters, because killing monsters is awesome.”
I’ll admit that, yeah, it makes me kind of uncomfortable too. It feels like when I see people laughing at a “… kicked in the balls” video: “You enjoy the pain and suffering of others. That’s … something.”
I’d much rather the WoW solution of “fish in a bubble in the air” here, which is kinda cute in a hamster ball sort of way.
The fish swimming in a bubble in the air could be a good substitution animation. I would like that and would buy it if they did.
I agree with you jafw.
New Main- 80 Thief – P/P- Vault Spam Pro
221 hours over 1,581 days of bank space/hot pve/lion’s arch afk and some wvw.
Well, the chicken doesn’t flop around and have that “gasp” animation; it happily clucks and pecks at the ground. Unless I’m thinking of a different mini undead chicken?
You’re ruining a gag mini people are looking forward to for no reason other then your personal preferences. I want unique minis. I don’t desire a fish swimming though the air, but that’s my personal preference. However, I’m not demanding any changes when I see new minis, because that’s childish. You’re pushing the game in a very bad direction by saying you can’t joke about something like a flopping fish. It just opens all bad doors, such as throwing dementia into the joke at Lake Doric between the father and daughter near the dam. If it’s not there don’t pretend it’s there.
The fish isn’t dying. It’s not real, and it’s animation will always show it being alive. It would be like calling anyone who’s ever fished a monster, because every single fish ever caught throughout history is without air for awhile.
Also what about a robotic fish with the same animations in real life?
You’re ruining a gag mini people are looking forward to for no reason other then your personal preferences. I want unique minis. I don’t desire a fish swimming though the air, but that’s my personal preference. However, I’m not demanding any changes when I see new minis, because that’s childish. You’re pushing the game in a very bad direction by saying you can’t joke about something like a flopping fish. It just opens all bad doors, such as throwing dementia into the joke at Lake Doric between the father and daughter near the dam. If it’s not there don’t pretend it’s there.
The fish isn’t dying. It’s not real, and it’s animation will always show it being alive. It would be like calling anyone who’s ever fished a monster, because every single fish ever caught throughout history is without air for awhile.
Also what about a robotic fish with the same animations in real life?
No one is demanding changes. I’m pointing out that this animation makes people uncomfortable and since ANet is selling this mini to make money it may not be an appropriate choice. If enough people dislike it then it’s not a successful mini for ANet to sell.
It’s also possible that removing the gasping animation would be sufficient. For me it’s the gasping for air that makes the mini’s animation unpleasant. The flopping, for me, is not a problem and can be left in place.
Be careful what you ask for
ANet may give it to you.
I’m with Flesh Wound. It’s pretty disgusting as it is. Very uncool joke.
Telling the devs they aren’t allowed to joke is far more disgusting to me.
Nobody here is demanding anything. The OP asked for peoples thoughts after presenting their own in a very civil manner. Not all of the thoughts were in agreement, but that happens in a discussion.
I think it’s funny and would be an error to change it. If you don’t like it, don’t buy it.
If I, and all my miniatures can breath water, this fish can breath air.
It just happen that flipping around like this is the most effective way a fish can move around on land. If it was dying and agonizing, it wouldn’t be following.
You’re ruining a gag mini people are looking forward to for no reason other then your personal preferences. I want unique minis. I don’t desire a fish swimming though the air, but that’s my personal preference. However, I’m not demanding any changes when I see new minis, because that’s childish. You’re pushing the game in a very bad direction by saying you can’t joke about something like a flopping fish. It just opens all bad doors, such as throwing dementia into the joke at Lake Doric between the father and daughter near the dam. If it’s not there don’t pretend it’s there.
The fish isn’t dying. It’s not real, and it’s animation will always show it being alive. It would be like calling anyone who’s ever fished a monster, because every single fish ever caught throughout history is without air for awhile.
Also what about a robotic fish with the same animations in real life?
No one is demanding changes. I’m pointing out that this animation makes people uncomfortable and since ANet is selling this mini to make money it may not be an appropriate choice. If enough people dislike it then it’s not a successful mini for ANet to sell.
It’s also possible that removing the gasping animation would be sufficient. For me it’s the gasping for air that makes the mini’s animation unpleasant. The flopping, for me, is not a problem and can be left in place.
Fish don’t even breath with lungs so it’s not suffocating. Although if this one did it’d explain how it lives on land. With that in mind the sound it makes could be perfectly normal and comfortable for this type of lifeform.
It’s an appropriate choice for people like me who enjoy floppy fishiez and fish in general, which is why I bought it. I’m actually offended by the complaints toward it. Some people find spiders traumatically terrifying and avoid them in GW2 and there are a lot of spider mini pets. That doesn’t mean Anet should suddenly ban them because of that. You can’t accommodate everyone’s crazy preferences. People nowadays seem to demand the world revolves around theirs at all times.
| Fort Aspenwood (NA): Sylvari Daredevil Thief Main: All Classes 80. | Please Remove/Fix Thief Trait: “Last Refuge.” “Hard to Catch” is a Horrible and Useless Trait. Fixed 6/23/15. Praise Dwayna.
You’re ruining a gag mini people are looking forward to for no reason other then your personal preferences. I want unique minis. I don’t desire a fish swimming though the air, but that’s my personal preference. However, I’m not demanding any changes when I see new minis, because that’s childish. You’re pushing the game in a very bad direction by saying you can’t joke about something like a flopping fish. It just opens all bad doors, such as throwing dementia into the joke at Lake Doric between the father and daughter near the dam. If it’s not there don’t pretend it’s there.
The fish isn’t dying. It’s not real, and it’s animation will always show it being alive. It would be like calling anyone who’s ever fished a monster, because every single fish ever caught throughout history is without air for awhile.
Also what about a robotic fish with the same animations in real life?
No one is demanding changes. I’m pointing out that this animation makes people uncomfortable and since ANet is selling this mini to make money it may not be an appropriate choice. If enough people dislike it then it’s not a successful mini for ANet to sell.
It’s also possible that removing the gasping animation would be sufficient. For me it’s the gasping for air that makes the mini’s animation unpleasant. The flopping, for me, is not a problem and can be left in place.
Fish don’t even breath with lungs so it’s not suffocating. Although if this one did it’d explain how it lives on land. With that in mind the sound it makes could be perfectly normal and comfortable for this type of lifeform.
It’s an appropriate choice for people like me who enjoy floppy fishiez and fish in general, which is why I bought it. I’m actually offended by the complaints toward it. Some people find spiders traumatically terrifying and avoid them in GW2 and there are a lot of spider mini pets. That doesn’t mean Anet should suddenly ban them because of that. You can’t accommodate everyone’s crazy preferences. People nowadays seem to demand the world revolves around theirs at all times.
It’s true that most fish don’t breathe with lungs (some do). The average fish breathes through its gills, which are adapted to pull oxygen from the water in the way that lungs are adapted to pull oxygen from the air. What they are doing then is “drowning on land” as their gills are adapted to pull oxygen from a dense medium, water. Their gills can’t pull sufficient oxygen from air. The technical term might not be suffocation. It’s probably closer to what happens when people are so high up in altitude that they can’t get sufficient oxygen from the air, and they get “altitude sickness” and die.
Be careful what you ask for
ANet may give it to you.
I think the point is that any personal discomfort one feels on seeing the mini is a result of the narrative one is applying to it rather than an intrinsic element of the mini itself.
The question I’m curious about is, are you capable of removing the “ick feeling” for yourself by making a conscious decision to alter the narrative you’re projecting onto it? Now that equally valid alternative narratives have been presented I mean. (Fair do’s to you if you can btw, it’s not an easy thing to do)
I think the point is that any personal discomfort one feels on seeing the mini is a result of the narrative one is applying to it rather than an intrinsic element of the mini itself.
The question I’m curious about is, are you capable of removing the “ick feeling” for yourself by making a conscious decision to alter the narrative you’re projecting onto it? Now that equally valid alternative narratives have been presented I mean. (Fair do’s to you if you can btw, it’s not an easy thing to do)
Someone may be able to “change the story in their mind” after reading the thread. However, most people in the game who dislike the mini’s animation will never see this thread. They simply won’t buy the mini. And that’s my point. ANet made this mini to make money. If it doesn’t meet their projected sales then it’s not a success for them. If it doesn’t sell well and ANet doesn’t know why people aren’t buying the mini then they won’t know they made a mistake or how to correct it.
I made the thread to point out to ANet that there is an Ick factor to the animation. If the animation is hurting sales and they don’t know why, then here is the reason. If after looking it over they decide to change the animation then I’ll buy it. If they don’t, then that’s their choice. I’m perfectly capable of ignoring it as is, but neither will I buy it.
Be careful what you ask for
ANet may give it to you.
He’s such a cutie.
