Category:V3

Zetapets Version Three FAQ

 * 1) What is "version 3"/"v3"?
 * 2) *Version 3 is the new version of Zetapets that is currently being developed. Calling it a "recode" would be an understatement; all aspects of the site, from the code to the art to the game play itself, are being rebuilt from the ground-up. We are working very hard to ensure that it is a game unlike any other.
 * 3) Why is it called "version 3"?
 * 4) *It's called version 3 because it is the third major iteration of Zetapets. This site is the second iteration and is informally known as version 2. Version 2 was released way back in January of '04. "Version 1" was the first iteration, and it came into existence sometime in 2003.
 * 5) When is it going to be done?
 * 6) *We're unable to give you an exact release date, sorry. Not even an estimated release date. Our current release plans depend on quite a few factors. All we can say is that version 3 will never truly be "done" - even after we release it to the public, we're always going to be working on adding new features and refining and improving on current ones. Way back when, we wanted to finish every single feature for the site before we released v3, but we've since decided that it would be more reasonable to release with the most important features first and then to expand and continue building after that point. We are always thinking up new ideas for v3 and if we waited until we implemented every single idea we come up with, it would never be released!
 * 7) I've heard it's never going to be released. Is that true?
 * 8) *We've always dodged around giving exact release dates, and version 3 has been in development for over three years now, so many people have concluded that version 3 is never going to become a reality. The way I see it is that as long as we are making progress with v3, it will eventually reach a point where we deem it worthy of release to the public. Whether or not you choose to believe it will ever be done, it's not really a matter worth arguing about; the only thing that will prove these opinions wrong is actually releasing version 3, and we are working our hardest to do that.
 * 9) Why has it taken so long for v3 to be developed?
 * 10) *The reason for the three-year span of development is because version 3 itself has been restarted a number of times. I can recall at least two instances in which we've thrown out all the old code and started anew. Fortunately, we've stopped doing that - the last time we "started anew" was sometime around August 2007, over a year ago, and we've been happy with the foundation from which we've been building since then. These restarts were largely a result of our progress and growing experience as PHP developers - as we learned more about PHP, we became unhappy with our old code and decided to rewrite it to be better. At this point we have pretty much mastered PHP, so these rewrites don't happen anymore.
 * 11) What's going to happen to version 2 when v3 is released?
 * 12) *Version 2 (the site you're browsing right now) is going to be completely replaced with version 3. However, your accounts, pets, ZP, and items will all be preserved. All items in your shops will also be preserved, although they will be returned to your inventory in their own separate section, and the money you spent increasing the size of your shop will be returned to you. Clubs, shops, forum posts, profiles, signatures, homepages, Zetamails, and Zetapal lists will not be preserved. If you have a secondary account, you will be able to merge it with your primary account, but you can only keep up to six pets combined from both accounts. Your account will not be transferred until you voluntarily transfer it; at this point in time we plan on holding on to old accounts for at least three months, but we can't guarantee any longer.
 * 13) What will happen to our pets when v3 is released?
 * 14) *Your pets will be voluntarily transferred to v3, like your accounts. All users with current pets will be able to customize their pets from a selection of colors, markings, and phenotypes - essentially the same as if a new user were creating their first customized pet. Users who have painted their pets Arctic, Shadow, Gold, Atomic, Mercury, Quicksilver, or Emerald will receive a wider selection of colors and markings to put on their pet - equivalent to what would be available if a user used dyes to paint markings on their pet. Users who have painted their pet Vampiric, Dark, or Valentine's will receive the additional colors and markings as well as all phenotypes, even those that normally aren't available to created pets.
 * 15) What will happen to water distillers?
 * 16) *You can do one of two things with water distillers; you can keep them as they are, perhaps for keepsake or as part of a collection, or if you prefer, you can convert them to dyes. Water distillers themselves will serve no function in v3 other than a collector's item.
 * 17) What new features is v3 promising?
 * 18) *Currently, we have a set of features which we plan to release with, no matter what. This includes pet customization and breeding, and our long-awaited multi-player combat system also, which allows up to eight pets to participate in a fight. There are also many other less "outstanding" features we're working on, such as a refined and vastly improved clubs system, distinct shops/galleries with a variety of new features, the trading and auctioning features, and more. These features aren't our big draws, but they are essential nonetheless and we are making sure that v3 is released with them. Besides these above-described features, there are other features we are planning to develop later, including our explore system (which will probably be half-done when we release v3), battle clans, and more ideas which are still vaguely floating around our heads.
 * 19) I want to know more about the pet features in v3, can you tell me?
 * 20) *Of course. Pets, as you might imagine, occupy the spotlight when it comes to features in v3, and all of the game play in v3 will focus around them. There will be fundamental changes made to pets: They will be given true "personalities" with a variety of different aspects, and this will affect how they interact with you and other pets and characters in the world. Pets react to how they are treated and bond to their owners if they are well-treated; they become mistrustful, aggressive and disobedient if they are mistreated and abused. Unlike other pet games, this game doesn't require you to babysit your pets; you can raise your pets like that if you choose, but pets can be taught to hunt and gather their own food and feed themselves. In essence, our ultimate goal with pets in v3 is to make them seem like intelligent, learning beings, not helpless dependents who need you to feed them and clean their litter boxes and so on.
 * 21) What about pet customization and breeding?
 * 22) *All new users are given a special item when they join the site which allows them to create their own customized pet. This first pet is bonded to them and becomes their primary companion throughout the world. When creating this customized pets, users are able to choose from a variety of colors, markings, and phenotypes to make their pet. Not all colors, markings, and phenotypes are available, mind you! Many markings are "artificial" markings which can only be painted on, and some phenotypes will only appear through breeding. A huge variety of different dyes are available to use for painting colors and markings on pets, with more colors to choose from than are naturally available. Ultimately, however, the only way to get access to every single shade of every color is through careful breeding - if the exact shade of red you want isn't available naturally or through dyes, you'll have to breed up your dream pet! Most colors are available, however, so this should almost never be an issue.
 * 23) You also mentioned a combat system, can you tell me about that?
 * 24) *v3's combat system, firstly, is real-time, not turn-based. This means that you won't need to wait for other pets to take action before you have your own turn; all actions occur immediately when you perform them (although there may be charge times, lag times, etc.) Secondly, the system is currently planned to accommodate up to eight participating players. These players can form teams in any arrangement; 4v4, 2v5, 2v2v2v2, 1v1, free-for-alls, and so on. Other people can also spectate on battles, watching the fight as it unfolds. Pets train by gaining experience and leveling, and they can equip themselves with a variety of armor and weapons. The magic system is also well-developed, with a unique rune system that allows pets to craft their own customized spells and use them in combat.
 * 25) You mentioned leveling and experience - how do pets gain experience?
 * 26) *We can't disclose too much about that as we haven't quite planned it out completely. There will be the traditional methods of fighting creatures and completing quests, but we want to make leveling more interesting and fun than that. It's not too hard to achieve the maximum level of 100 anyways - the goal is to make things fun, not to make players fight millions of monsters in an attempt to reach the maximum level. So don't worry, we're specifically avoiding turning v3 into a big grind-fest!

Development
Zetapets Version Three has seen more that Just Ironwulf and Tigress working on it. There have been other programmers that have called it quits and since there it has been Tigress and Ironwulf only. It is because of that that we must be patient and wait it out. To see changes made, you can check out the |Development Blog