Petz
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Petz (Dogz and Catz) is a series of games dating back to 1995, in which the player can adopt, raise, care for and breed their own virtual pets.
Petz were the world's first virtual pets, first released before Tamagotchi (Neko was released before Windows 3.1, but it is so simple, it may not be considered a virtual pet.) Petz were among the most advanced, directly interactive virtual characters, with rich personality, emotion, and artificial intelligence. They were among the first 3D characters as well, rendered in a non-photorealistic cartoony style. Over its lifetime Petz have sold over 2 million copies worldwide, popular among both kids and adults.
A player starts the game by visiting the Adoption Center, where they choose their preferred breed and then a pet, of random gender, will come outside to play. Once they have found a pet they like the user can adopt and name the new puppy or kitten. After around three days (real time) the petz become adults. Adult petz can then breed and have kittenz or puppyz of their own. Cross-breeding can create different types of petz, called 'Mixed Breeds'.
There are a number of toyz, food/water bowls and treats available. Petz can learn trickz with positive rewards such as tickling and treatz, or trained not to do something using the punishment (water) spray bottle. Petz must be looked after properly; abused or neglected petz may run away.
Players may share their petz with others who have the game. Each version allows the importing of petz from all earlier versions. There is also a camera feature, permitting snapshots of petz to be taken and saved as .bmp files.
One can choose to look after dogz, catz or both, as well as a small selection of other animals such as pigz and bunniez. Later versions of the games included a Petz Web Fun Pack, Petz Publisher and a Petz Player web browser plug-in, allowing players to publish their petz online in playable webpages.
Users soon learned how to reverse-engineer the system, and began producing additional breedz, toyz, playscenes, clothes, and developer tools for the games, as permitted by PF Magic, Mindscape, and Ubisoft Entertainment.
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[edit] Game history
The game is available in several different versions and, for all but the first pair of the PC titles, installing both Dogz and Catz combines the pair into a single game where dogz and catz can play (or fight) together.
[edit] Dogz and Catz
Dogz was released by PF Magic in the fall of 1995 with Virgin Interactive Entertainment as their publishers. There were five dogz breedz available and a small number of toyz in a supply shelf. The game, although quite simple, was the first of many titles in the series.
A year later, in the spring of 1996, PF Magic released Catz, with improved graphics and a wider selection of toyz. The game's main two addition features were a screensaver and "Desktop Mode" in which the pet could live on the computer desktop instead of their normal playpen. These items were included in the following games as well. Both games were available for Windows and Mac. Note that cats and dogs do not age quickly in all Petz games.
- See also: Oddballz (released Autumn 1996)
[edit] Petz II
Petz II, published 1997 by Mindscape, had five dogz breedz and five catz breedz, expandable to ten breedz per game with the Dogz II Catz Add-on Pack. It also offered a huge range of toyz in a new toy box, of which twenty items could be transported around in the supply shelf. As the first game in the series to combine Dogz and Catz if both titles were installed onto the same computer, the user was allowed to have two petz out at any one time; other adoptions had to play in an off-screen garden.
The same year, Dogz and Catz plush toys were introduced into the toy market by Trendmasters Inc. under a licensing agreement with PF Magic.
[edit] Petz 3
In 1998 Mindscape purchased PF Magic and Petz 3 was released. Among its new elements was the ability for petz to breed and produce offspring that could age from baby petz to adulthood. A new clothes closet was added in addition to the toy closet, allowing pets to be dressed in shirts, trousers, socks and hats. The Beach, Backyard, Family Room and Kitchen rooms were also introduced. The game was packaged with the Petz Web Publisher and Web Fun Pack, a website making tool and a collection of clipart, banners and other items that could be freely used in player's website. The Petz Web Publisher and Fun Pack were included in all Petz games from this point on.
[edit] Petz 4
Petz 4 was released in 1999 and allowed the petz to travel the world, with a range of themed rooms set in different worldwide locations. The new playscenes - Arabia, a Gypsy Circus, a Snow Scene, South Seas Island and the Wild West - each had a guest pet character and Pigz and Bunniez were added. This game was the only title to have support for voice recognition, so the petz could be trained to respond to the user's voice commands. It had an updated Petz Web Publisher and the Petz Player, which meant that any adopted pet could be exported into a new webpage applet. If the Petz Player was installed the applet showed a playpen with a bottle of milk, toy and the pet in, able to walk around, play and interact with the user as if still in the game. Although, there was a problem with new versions of Internet Explorer.
- See also: Babyz (released 1999)
[edit] Dogz and Catz GBC
In 2000, Mindscape produced Dogz and Catz for the Game Boy Color. Each game offered a choice of three petz to adopt and had three rooms - the playpen, adoption center and toy cupboard - that the user could move between. You can play with your dog, feed it, walk it, (I think,) and give it baths. It's a very fun little game.
[edit] Petz 5
Petz 5 was developed in 2002 by Studio Mythos for Ubisoft Entertainment, who had recently purchased the Entertainment Division of The Learning Company (after they in turn had purchased Mindscape). The highlights of Petz 5 were that petz could then have litters of offspring, "Mini games", weather effects and day & night cycles, along with the usual new breeds, playscenes, toys and clothes. The toy closet was built into the supply case.
[edit] PetzA
PetzA was developed by Nicholas Sherlock just after Petz5. People could do actions in the game that could never have otherwise been done. One of these was 'instant breeding', one of the most popular, which only required the player to select which two petz to breed and they would do so automatically. Unfortunately, you still can't breed a Dog and a Cat together. Another feature is the Brain Sliders, where you can edit the pet's brain e.g; age, energy, neglect, fatness etc. But the most popular one is that you can have any number of Petz out at a time. Despite all these brilliant features, some people call this cheating, and refuse to install it.
[edit] Dogz and Catz GBA
Dogz and Catz for the Game Boy Advance were released by Ubisoft in August 2005. They hit the market at around the same time as Nintendo's Nintendogs. Many more people have prefured Nintindo's Nintendogs over this.
[edit] Dogz and Catz DS
Dogz and Catz were released by Ubisoft for the Nintendo DS in November 2006. It uses the touch screens to walk, bathe and play with the puppies. You are only allowed to have three puppies out at a time and five (I think) in the Doggie hotel maybe more. The dogs can't breed but the overall game play is fun and able to hold the attention of a four year old.
No, you are thinking of Nintendogs. In Dogz, you are a third-grader who is going to the pet shop. Your parents buy you a dog. Then you have 30 days game time with it.
[edit] Dogz 2006 and Catz 2006 (PC)
"Dogz" and "Catz" (PC) have been released by Ubisoft for the PC on November 2006. There are fewer breedz in the game, only giving 5 instead of Petz 5's 20. There are a few changes in the game like the change to 3D graphic rendering. You can also train the Petz to do tricks. you can also no longer breed animals because you can't have more than one animal out at a time.
[edit] Hamsterz Life
Released for the Nintendo DS by Ubisoft on November 28, 2006. Hamsterz Life lets you raise several breeds of hamsters and build fully customizable homes for them to grow up in. Teach them words like "good morning." It's also knowen as Love ♥ Hamster or Love Love Hamster in Japan.Hamsterz is one of the new offerings in the Petz series from Ubisoft for the handheld systems. In Hamsterz, just as in the other Petz games, players will interact with their personal pets by training, playing with and feeding them. In Hamsterz DS, players will first choose a hamster to call their own. After naming it, the hamster will appear in a cage and be ready to play. Various actions can be chosen including training, feeding, care and other options. Training consists of teaching the hamster words (which they repeat back; in Hamsterz, the hamsters speak!) by speaking the set phrases into the DS microphone. The hamster can repeat these phrases back, but inaudibly. Players can also clean the cage, brush their pet and feed it.
[edit] Horsez
Released for the, NDS, PS2 and PC By Ubisoft, MTO It was released on November 16, 2006. Horsez is the first game that allows you to care for your very own foal, ensuring he grows into a strong adult horse.Adopt a cute pony, care for him, and train him. In Horsez, you join a new academy where you need to train your horse to make him into a champion. You get to take care of an adorable foal. Pick your perfect pony from lots of adorable breeds. Learn how to raise, groom and feed him. Turn your young pony into a champion horse at the new academy. Compete in style with lots of cool outfits and riding gear for you and your horse. Compete all over the world in different contests such as cross, jumping, dressage and more.
[edit] Ball style design
The petz are modelled as a set of balls joined by lines with variable parameters. The concept for this was developed in an early PF Magic title, the fighting game Ballz for Sega Genesis. This model was scrapped in the 2006 games "Dogz" and "Catz" for the PC for a more "realistic" look (e.g. Fur patterns).
