it looks like the website is down again, this time it looks like a server malfuntion of some kind. I was told they were moving servers, but now it seems like they are down permanently. This ticks me off as I did acutally purchace a 6 month membership.
Anyway, what I have been working on is a bit more complex than what poultryland allowed for, I'm including not only colors and comb type, but body shapes and sizes, posture of adults. color and size of eggs, as well as value for sale eggs, part of value is tied to how you feed and raise you chickens, regular feed, gives you regular eggs, organic feed boosts value, free range also, going beyond that to 'pastured chickens' on a rotating paddock system gets you the best eggs. Color of eggs also will change the value.
The game will start with only chickens available, the basic chicken will have all the possible charateristcs availabie and you will have to use breeding to select what you want your chickesn to look like. I am just starting to work on the game mechanics to control this. You will be able to breed and select your way to a standardized breed, the first person to make a true breeding bird that fits the standard for the breed in the game will get a bounus, and will then unlock the breed for everyone else letting that breed be ordered from the virtural hatchery. The orignal breeder will for a time, get royalties when the hatchery sells a chick of the type they originally bred. I am setting it up so that you can not only breed standards, orpingtons, americana, seraman marans ect, but you can make a 'custom breed' as well. letting you name the chicken breed you have created.
There will be levels of coops available, from the basic you start with to more advanced models with attached runs and tractors, and even electric portalbe poutlry netting which is more work to maintain but lets you keep your birds from escaping and move them frequntly to better forage.
I want to make the whole game as close to acutal chicken raising as possible. quality of feed giving you better birds, I have a list of variables for chicken type, helth, egg quality, and more. the more I work at it the more complex it gets, however, I think the end product will be a lot of fun to play and interesting as well.
