Desktop Pet WishList

By Zubaz on January 10, 2006 10:55:52 AM from

I picked up the desktop pet and think it's pretty cool . . . but there are some things right off the bat I wish for:

A better ball, something like this: Link. Maybe being able to play kick with him.
More interaction with the little guy (all it appears I can do is tickle/pet and move). Being able to put him to bed. Or making him take medicine. Or a behavior change when I move him away from the trash can.
Give him a radio/BoomBox.

With access to my playlist. Let him pick the music.
Give him access to my desktop icons and/or windows. Let him decorate (move, apply icons via Icon Packager if available) his living space.
Give him a matching skin/suite (with wallpaper)
Give him more sounds (louder too, kicking the ball is much louder than his tickle giggle)
Fix layering (every once in a while the ball goes behind an object (usually the box) and the lil' guy will be in front of it and still kick it.
Always on top option. I almost always have windows open.
Be able to skin him (in the Windoblinds sense, not the taxidermist).
Allow for tribblization: Advanced Sex Link

For $8.95 he does what he does well. I got my money's worth. But I know he can do much more . . .

Any other wishes?

+735 Karma | 20 Replies

Suggestions noted, and will be considered for any future development. Thanks for taking the time to make them.

Those are just the Day 1 items Laurence . . we'll have to see what tomorrow brings.

I have mixed feelings about being such a crappy DX developer. On one hand I wish I could make the changes myself, on the other . . . making changes seems a lot like work.

Thanks for the DP (and Natural Desktop). They make sitting in front of PCs all day much more tolerable. {Hmmm . . how could the pet interact with ND?}

I also appreciate that Stardock is so responsive to user feedback. Great customer support!

Posted via WinCustomize Browser/Stardock Central

Thanks for the DP (and Natural Desktop). They make sitting in front of PCs all day much more tolerable. {Hmmm . . how could the pet interact with ND?}

That would be interesting...such as giving the DP a wardrobe. If you have ND, the wallpaper changes to match the weather outside, so why couldn't the Pet? A rain coat and galoshes for the wet days; a coat, hat, gloves, boots, and scarf for snow or icy days; a bathing suit or shorts/tank top for hot days, and maybe just a dress (if it's a girl..lol) for those pleasant Spring days.
DD

Dual monitor support would be nice.

. . . through Multiplicity.

Actually, one of my earliest thoughts was to make it travel between computers. I think it would be a little over the top for a DesktopX gadget, though. Maybe someday.

Actually, one of my earliest thoughts was to make it travel between computers.

Great minds I guess.

If these are the only enhancements that folks come up with . . . you did good with what you did.

Day 2 requests:
Make/unmake the bed on click (placing DP on unmade bed put him to sleep}
  Aim the fireworks cannon
  Add ticker to top of box
  Add moods to DP (if hungry he cries or gets angry and gets in the way under your mouse, if tired he trudges slowly, if sick have him get sick; provide a rag to clean up.
  Clicking one side of ball or the other affects movement [cool!]. . . but poking DP in the eye makes him laugh. You are a sick man Laurence.
  More system information available (and better UI for what's there).
    ? Butterfly changes color if internet access available
    Improve default DX bar graph on drive space to fit DP environment
    ? Fireworks height dependant on free resources
  User mods {who knows, maybe I'll learn some DX scripting}

I guess I'm looking for more interaction with the pet. Not sure if that's possible for the price point . . . but if I don't ask . . .

My little guy needs a mate. He starting to spray all over my screen.

That would be so cool [from a certain point of view].

My pet locked up. He's become catatonic. Boredom and sleep are maxed out. Waste is yellow. Hunger and sickness are nil. But he won't do anything. I may have to put him down and get another.

It's just like my goldfish all over again!

Poor, poor bubbles.
Ashes to ashes, flush to flush.

Day 3.

On restart the objects are not where I left them.

More day 3.

Throw the little guy: watch him roll/fly!

Yes, the object movement on restart is a little annoying. Hoping to get a fix for that in the underlying platform (DesktopX), as it should be saving them . . .

Zubaz: There should be a a reset script in the pet's app folder, if you need to.

Yes, the object movement on restart is a little annoying.

Day four.

Why doesn't the little guy put the other objects where he wants them on load?

Day 7
Why doesn't the medicine open cleanmgr.exe or some such thing?

Don't worry GR, I'm running out of objects to tweak.

Surely that would be another function on the outhouse?

As an aside, I find it annoying that cleanmgr always tries to compress files. Maybe that worked when there were, like, 10,000 files on disk. No longer. And yes, I know you can disable it, but most people don't.

GR, I hope your done with any GalCiv ][ work that you have and aren't wasting valuable time reading newsgroups or forum posts.

Priorities man, priorities!

Surely that would be another function on the outhouse?

I think from a PC functionality standpoint the Outhouse and Trash bin are equal. Not so much from the pet's point of view. {And don't call me Shirly}

Agreed. I use "cleanmgr /sageset:99" to configure cleanmgr and "cleanmgr /sagerun:99" to run said config. Further I have a batch file that deletes all "other" temp files, defrags, runs spybot, and does a defrag. It rocks!

If you know of a good command line registry cleaner, let me know so I can add that too.

I'd like to see a bit of mischief from the lil fella....like throwing rotten eggs at your screen, peeing on the outhouse wall instead (to be sure he went)....and maybe some green gas clouds coming from behind him with fart sounds added to them

, like in Oddworld: Abe's Odysee, etc. Oh yeah, and a fridge full of beer...burp sounds as well.

Okay, okay, so I'm a little warped, but they'd be fun additions for others too.
Besides, I need a decadence fix since the wife banned me from sick.com and the Playboy site.

I had started a similar thread elsewhere, but this one seems more active. I'd love to see the ability to save the layout as mentioned above. Also, it would be nice to be able to give the little fella a name.

I don't think Sir Starkers is so warped. A few more oddball behaviors would do well as comic relief.

Regards,
Doug Barnhart aka NetBadger

Technically, he does have a name, you just can't set it. We decided to hold off on that until we actually did something with it.

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Desktop Pet WishList