Petopia Needs a New Mascot

Unread post by **Mania** » Thu Mar 31, 2011 10:23 pm

As much as I love my little ghost saber, I think Petopia needs a new hunter pet as its mascot.

Should it be:
The most popular pet?
The most recognizable pet?
A Cataclysm pet to represent the expansion?
A spirit beast to represent the pinnacle of Beast Mastery?
A starter pet to represent young hunters?
A pet that has specific meaning to me, or the community here?

What are your thoughts? Suggestions?

Edited: I want to skip the discussion of exotic/non-exotic right now. Give me suggestions of each for now and we'll go from there.

Thu Mar 31, 2011 10:27 pm

The most recognizable pet?
A pet that has specific meaning to me?

I feel that either of these two would work. I also foresee this potential getting heated because everyone has their own ideas of the "best" pet and what represents Petopia.

I remember being told that you really like red crabs, so if I had to pick one pet, I'd say that one.

Unread post by **Mania** » Thu Mar 31, 2011 10:31 pm

TygerDarkstorm wrote:I also foresee this potential getting heated because everyone has their own ideas of the "best" pet and what represents Petopia.

Good point.

People: Don't get heated!

There ... that should help.

TygerDarkstorm wrote:I remember being told that you really like red crabs, so if I had to pick one pet, I'd say that one.

Not a bad idea, but I'd want to be careful about running up on Ghostcrawler's territory. Hmm ... pity we don't know Noah's favorite pet.

Unread post by **Lupis** » Thu Mar 31, 2011 10:32 pm

A red crab, and a nice relaxing Beach Sunset theme!
Okay, too much detail. If you're going for just a pet, I'd choose... I think I'd go for a normal blue raptor, or a black wolf. Both recognizable pets that any hunter can tame - as not all hunters here are BM!

Unread post by **cowmuflage** » Thu Mar 31, 2011 10:32 pm

I second red crabs! god I love them!

Unread post by **Azunara** » Thu Mar 31, 2011 10:42 pm

I agree. Exotics aren't a good idea, not everyone can get them.

...

Druid kitty. NE model. White. Yes. *looks around shiftily, beams.*

In all seriousness though, what about...a wolf or cat? For a while, both were cream of the crop pets, heavily recognized. Rak'shiri! He's caused a lot of controversy and is heavily known now.

Or the worgen. Hehehe.

Unread post by **Vephriel** » Thu Mar 31, 2011 10:45 pm

Ooh, such a hard decision to make with the hundreds of options available.

My personal thoughts:

I can definitely see why a Spirit Beast would be an iconic choice, as many people regard Spirit Beasts as the recognizable specialty of Hunters. They represent a thrill of the hunt, dedication, and a unique flavor. I find, however, that they almost seem...*too* obvious of a choice, and overdone in a sense. Though technically considered extremely rare, they are so prevalent everywhere that as a mascot I find they wouldn't have much presence.

I think that a lesser-seen common beast would be a good candidate. By choosing a pet that is not often used, it becomes noticeable and memorable, giving a more distinct personality rather than a beast that is seen everywhere else.

EDIT:
Hmm, perhaps one idea.
I still associate Mazzranache with Mania's Arcania...perhaps the Strider Clutchmother as the pairing for Petopia? She's rare, recognizable, but non-exotic and a species that isn't overly popular. Plus she has a green/blue colouration to stick with that hue type.

EDIT 2:
Not sure why, but going through the Pet Gallery I also think the Green Scorpid caught my eye.

I remember the anxiety before Cataclysm on whether or not the skin would survive, and it's such a striking colour.

Thu Mar 31, 2011 10:48 pm

Both under-used and yet well-known by those who remember when Broken Tooth was one of the premiere pets to have. Also a really gorgeous skin. ^_^

Unread post by **Azunara** » Thu Mar 31, 2011 10:52 pm

I like Broken Tooth. Or the Rake. And we aren't leaving the poor Ghost Saber behind that much.

Maybe even combine both?

Pokefarm · Unread post by **Lisaara** » Thu Mar 31, 2011 10:57 pm

I say it should be a cata pet or a spirit beast.

Cata Pet: Sambas or Chromaggus(He wasnt tameable til technically cata)
Spirit Beast: Loque'nahak(He's an icon of any hunter plus he's the most sought after spirit beast in the game by hunters of any type[class or achievement].)

I will say....while not all hunters are BM, BM shouldnt be the one kicked out. That would be like us BM hunters saying "Well we're not MM or SV so we shouldnt use nonexotics." A lot of non-hunters see a spirit beast and think "Oh hey this hunter spent a lot of time to get that!" So please don't knock on exotics just because 'not everyone is a BM'. I'm not SV or MM. Why should my favorites not get a chance to be a candidate? So personally, let's stop saying exotics shouldn't be used. The argument shouldn't even be started.

Check me out on youtube! · Unread post by **Rottingham** » Thu Mar 31, 2011 11:00 pm

I think the Red crab would be a great idea! Sitting on a bech with little sunglasses and a martini in his claw! How nice

But yes, I vote red crab!

But if you're worried about ghostcrawler territiory, then I vote Devilsaur Tyrant! Nothing shows power and fortitude moreso then a Devilsaur!
...
Also, nothing is more Welcome then a Devilsaur either!

Unread post by **Azunara** » Thu Mar 31, 2011 11:01 pm

I'm not saying "Oh noes, BM bad!" I'm saying while everyone can tame Broken Tooth, not everyone can tame Loque'nahak. I don't think it's a good idea to have a mascot only one spec of hunters can tame. If we choose a non-exotic, we're choosing a pet every hunter could tame.\

I'm not trying to kick out BM, I'm actually wanting the opposite. Choose something everyone can get.

I don't know though. I didn't mean to come off harsh or anti-BM.

Thu Mar 31, 2011 11:02 pm

Since the theme of Petopia seems to be a greenish color, perhaps King Krush is a suggestion?

Unread post by **Bulletdance** » Thu Mar 31, 2011 11:06 pm

What about the silithid pet named after you in game Mania?

Unread post by **Vephriel** » Thu Mar 31, 2011 11:07 pm

I can see the Exotic/Non-Exotic subject on both sides.

On the one hand, Exotic pets are associated with Beast Mastery, a spec that is focused on the pet. As a pet-oriented website it seems that an Exotic could be a good choice to illustrate that bond with the beast, and also representing the talent tree that has the highest number of pet skins available for taming. Now, BM does not mean an exclusive love for pets. MM and SV hunter love their pets just as much, there is no distinction there, however overall a Beast Master seems to tie in the relationship of a hunter and its pet in a greater way.

Now on the other hand, choosing a Non-Exotic pet ensures that absolutely every hunter has access to that beast and can relate to it no matter what, excluding no one.

I think it can go either way really.

Pokefarm · Unread post by **Lisaara** » Thu Mar 31, 2011 11:09 pm

Azunara wrote:I'm not saying "Oh noes, BM bad!" I'm saying while everyone can tame Broken Tooth, not everyone can tame Loque'nahak. I don't think it's a good idea to have a mascot only one spec of hunters can tame. If we choose a non-exotic, we're choosing a pet every hunter could tame.\

I'm not trying to kick out BM, I'm actually wanting the opposite. Choose something everyone can get.

I don't know though. I didn't mean to come off harsh or anti-BM.

Thing is....this isnt about who can tame what. It's about an icon. No ones gonna care if all hunters can tame him or not. Saying it shouldnt be Loque for just that reason does sound very anti-BM. I know you probably didnt mean it to sound like it.

Half the people don't even know who Broken Tooth is. Only the vanilla players or well educated will know his significance. When I first started a hunter, I had no idea who that was. I know now cause I did the research. I still don't care about him. Infact, I find him extremely bland out of all the cats we can tame. An icon needs to catch the eyes of people beyond heavy hunters like us. Broken Tooth just doesn't have that pizzazz or popularity. Everyone knows who Loque'nahak is. Loque'nahak always catches the eyes of people no matter in the wild or on the streets of Stormwind or in dungeons. I still get whispers on Moon Guard about my Loque'nahak. When I roleplay, my Loque'nahak always gets "oooh! He's so beautiful!" "Oh wow! What a unique cat!" "Oh I love his design! I want one someday!"

Not trying to be harsh or be mean. Just stating my view and the information I have as well as Petopia has.

I will say if we are to do a normal pet....then I do heavily lean on Sambas cause every hunter I know wants him somethin fierce.

@Tyger: Krush would be wonderful too. He's also a big favorite and almost every hunter desires him.

I do think Mania should take a few suggestions from here and make a poll.

Unread post by **Mania** » Thu Mar 31, 2011 11:16 pm

*nod* I figured we might have a poll eventually. For now, let's skip the exotic/non-exotic discussion and just throw out some suggestions on either side.

Unread post by **Azunara** » Thu Mar 31, 2011 11:18 pm

Eh. I think no matter what happens, our opinion will be different. That can be said and agreed upon. I honestly am still leery about the idea, but if people want exotics, then that's fine. Like you did, I'm just laying out my opinion in thinking that a pet only one spec can tame seems like a bad idea and exclusive.

But, yeah. That's been laid out. Moving on. Do as the Overlord suggests!

What about something like a moth? They're neat. And flashy. And everyone underestimates them.

Or sporebat. XD

Thu Mar 31, 2011 11:20 pm

Some other suggestions (with some repetition from other people):

Unread post by **Moore** » Thu Mar 31, 2011 11:39 pm

You could pick something easy to scale down, I mean like you know how in firefox next to the URL sometimes it has a little logo thing o3o could pick a new animal, and then make one of those tiny things so people would more readily associate it with petopia. Like a tiny terrorpene or something even for instance. D:

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