Auto-Unpartner kitties that age out?

[Vrem Vaniva]

I've been seeing people dismayed when one kitty ages out, and its partner is still stuck in the marriage for a week or more.
Without a free auto-breakup, you can just know in advance that pressing the auto-partner button will cost you 200L in the end for breakup drink-- and I've heard that sometimes it takes 2 breakup drinks to free up the bereaved partner!
A lot of people never make use of auto-partner because of this trap. It struck me as a "bug" when I first encountered the "still-partnered for 11 more days to a kitty who's gone" feature.
Usually we avoid partnering kitties who are not certain to "make it" before they age out. So, this element, "Pay 200L to break up a widow/er," seems like it penalizes new breeders the most. Is someone laughing at us for being foolish enough to partner an old kitty? I'd like to see the joke ended ...
Free auto-breakup for aged-out kitties and their partners. All in favor say "aye"
--Vrem

[Kayleigh McMillan]

Yes I think the unpartner vita is too expensive for what it is anyway.
Most of the time this vita is used by me in oopsy cases so combined with the price it feels indeed like a penalty.
I say free unpartnering for every cat but certainly for widows or widowers?
Or for a happy cat vita price or something.

[Sara Franco]

I think unpartenring shouldn't cost money at all and I don't understand why it does.
I never auto-partner because I never want my kitties committed to a specific partner for a long time, so I have to partner them every week which is a pain. I wish I could partner them for few weeks then unpartner then easily wiohout a vitamin.
I have seen some other breedables unpartner for free, and I don't think unpartnering is like boosting love, energy or happiness to cost money, in my opinion it should be free and not only for retired kitties.

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(12-21-2012 10:15 AM)Vrem Vaniva Wrote:  So, this element, "Pay 200L to break up a widow/er," seems like it penalizes new breeders the most.

As I remember it was 290L$ but I see it for 200L$ now in the online cattery, maybe it is my bad memory.
Anyway it is more expensive than the Love 5 vitamin which is illogical to me. The Love 5 vitamin boosts love with 5% which is an advantage I can understand, but unpartnering isn't the same.

[Saga Felix]

I NEVER use auto-repartnering because I have always been mad at the fact that it costs money to break them up again. I have many cats that I would like to just mate automatically each week - But then sooner or later I'd have to pay 200L to break them up if I find a better partner, if one age out or something.

I would use the auto-repartnering if it was free to separate them again, but until then: Never!
-Also because of the many glitches that seem to happen with those break-up-bottles, especially if only one cat is present. I had quite a few problems myself a long time ago when I first started breeding, and was stupid enough to buy a cat that turned out to be partnered.

All in all, auto-repartnering just seems like a trap for those that don't yet know better... which is rather sad imho

[Kayleigh McMillan]

LOL Saga, when I was new it made sense to me as well to auto-partner my cats out of both options I learned it the hard way as well
But yes I so want to auto-partner my cats because sometimes that is just more convenient indeed.
Obviously I use only one time partnerships as is now.

[Nocshadue Balbozar]

I have asked for this as well http://kittycats.biz/forum/showthread.php?tid=6318 and really hope we see it happen.

[Adriannah Ping]

Geez, wish as a newbie I would have seen this earlier, LOL. Seems I won't be making THAT mistake again!!

[Kitten Longmeadow]

Auto-repartnering isn't intended as a trap. It's a convenience option for people who want to keep the same pair of cats breeding without having to re-partner them after each successful breeding. Auto-repartnering will expire if the two cats do not produce a kitten within the 11 day time frame. We extended the partnership period to accommodate people that do not breed their cats every 7 days since they don't use the milk/cuddle buff.

In situations where a cat is partnered to another cat that was sent to the menagerie (or perma-petted) you can send the remaining cat to the cattery and use a break-up drink there. This functionality will eventually be available with in-world break up drinks but will require an update first.

Going back to my first statement, the idea of convenience products or features is something very important to us at KittyCatS. It is entirely possible to "play" the KittyCatS "game" without spending anything other that what you would spend on food. Our other products - Vita-Milk, various vitamins, Perma Pet, the HUD, the auto-feeder, etc. - are what we consider "convenience products". If you purchase them, you are basically purchasing the convenience it provides; in the case of the break up drink, that would be the convenience of breaking a partnership RIGHT NOW instead of waiting it out. Remember, even though we make heavy use of convenience products and features, we also provide many zero-cost alternatives to our customers.

I think of it like a toll road. I could drive on the highway for free, or pay to take the toll road and get to my destination quicker and with less hassle. It's a personal choice.

[Nocshadue Balbozar]

I can see how autopartnering could have originated that way Kitten, but as a breeder I can tell you, I never have and most likely never will keep a certain pair of cats partnered for their lifetime. It doesn't make good breeding sense to do so. So it really is no convenience at all. Perhaps one of those things that "looked good on paper" =o). Anyway, I would like to see it reversed to where if someone did for some reason want two cats to autopartner..you make a drink for THAT. Especially since when you are new and caught up in the fever..you don't always read the manual before you go out and buy and autorepartner 50+ cats. Then discovering you now need 25+ bottles of breakup drink..that could very well be a deal breaker for a new customer. And pointing out to them that "it was all in the manual" will not win any brownie points lol.

Wish I had known a breakup drink would have worked in cattery before I waited out the 11 days on my boy. When I asked I was told they both had to be there. Water and breeding time under the bridge now. So thanks for letting us all know for future reference.

While I understand your point about all the 'extras', I think that we need to consider numbers. I have no idea what the average number of cats per breeder is..but I am gonna throw out 50 just for an example. Yes, it's possible to just set out food, but you'd sure have to stay on top of it without an auto feeder. And if you want to breed every 7 days..and who doesn't..that's at least 1 hour a day spent cuddling if you strip down and attach half at a time..oh if they are awake..gotta watch their sleep cycles too. Well you get the picture. The products you mention remove frustration more than really add convenience. Don't really mean that as a complaint either..just think we should keep it real and be upfront about the day to day reality of breeding.

Hugs,
Noc

[Kayleigh McMillan]

Yes convenience products is not how I see most of the zillion available frequently pricy vita's indeed especially since the breeding/ grow up cycle is long compaired to ...
They are more or less essential depending on the vita.
And milk for me is not optional at all and therefore to me milk+food=the price to breed.
No matter how we put it.
I tried to breed without milk: lets just say that is so inconvenient all together with sleeping cycles and unhappy cats in a fairly big cattery that is absolutely not even close to doable.
Eventhough I understand that the official statement is all those vita's including milk are convenience options in that sense it is a clever design why it can be claimed that way.
The reality is obviously different ofcourse.