Topic

The Pig Stick Conundrum: Different niches for different glitches

While designing my street, I ran into a problem with my animals. I couldn't decide what was the best way to organize my pigs. It seems like using the pig stick to control your animals solves some problems but creates others. And what might be good for the street owner, might be annoying for the street user.

I'm on a few routes, and I was just curious what most people thought about pigs, and what they preferred while visiting other people's streets. The main problem is that when you condense the pigs' travels it becomes more difficult to exhaustively harvest every pig, because they are difficult to click on and identify by sight or by name. But as their travels expand, especially during free roam, the pigs are easy to identify, but are in the way of other resources on the street, making it harder to click on a tree or rock.

I was just wondering what people preferred:

1 - Free roam. Medium herd. - Pigs are easy to identify and you can exhaustively nibble every piggy but they are constantly walking by resources.
2 - Pig Stick, widest zone. Small to medium herd. - Pigs are somewhat difficult to exhaustively nibble, but are conveniently grouped together, and away from most resources.
3 - The Pig Cube. Pig Stick, smallest zone. Extra large herd. - Impossible to exhaustively nibble, but easy to grab a fair amount of meat before giving up and moving on. Easy to keep away from resources.
4 - Use a Pig Cube or get rid of them. - I hate pigs getting in my way while I'm using routes.

Also, how often do you sneak in some pig nibbling or chicken squeezing while using routes:

Always
Sometimes
Never

To be clear: I'm wondering what you prefer as a user of others' streets. I'm just trying to be the most efficient and hospitable resource provider possible. Give the people what they want, and what will work best for everyone.

Posted 6 months ago by Haze Subscriber! | Permalink

Replies

  • 3.
    Posted 6 months ago by Kittn Subscriber! | Permalink
  • On my street, #2. In my backyard, #1.
    Posted 6 months ago by Mal'akh Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I like 3 for harvesting piggies, but I don't care if otherwise.
    TIP: (I'll try to explain this the best that I can) When using the keyboard to harvest meat and you press enter on the heard the order of the pigs in the selection menu will always be the same. You can take advantage of this by hovering your mouse over the first pig and then jamming enter for two pets and two nibbles. Then move your mouse to the next pig and repeat. This way you never lose your place and you can harvest meat at the speed of light!

    That's why I like the very tight setting pig stick herds, I don't even bother with anything else when I'm mass harvesting on home streets.
    Posted 6 months ago by La Mariposa Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I prefer my pigs to roam free, for the harvesting potential... *however* with the style of house I've chosen, they trap themselves on the left side of my street and gather on my porch.  So I've resorted to using a pig stick with widest range. 

    I rarely nibble piggies on others' home streets but LOVE to find a large group of tightly ranged chickens.  My chicken squeezing habit is, um, high.  Does this info help?  Or merely incriminate me as a chiggenmugger?
    Posted 6 months ago by acro, obviously Subscriber! | Permalink
  • 1. On both my street and another person's street I visit. I like to see the animals roaming free and like to see people's personality coming out when they choose to name their animals. When they are too closely packed in it makes it hard to see the names.

    And I always nibble, pet and squeeze on a route.
    Posted 6 months ago by Oristia Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Yea, the Chicken Cube is amazing! I was gonna say something about how the cube is great for chickens, but the situation with pigs seems more complex in my original post, but I tend to be a little long-winded so I left that out.
    Posted 6 months ago by Haze Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I have no preference for pigs. I notice that when I am using a resource (trees, mining, fireflies, etc) pigs are almost always (if not always, someone correct me if i'm wrong) the second selection when I hit enter, so they never get in my way.

    Chickens however seem to always be number one when you hit enter, so if they are free roaming they are constantly getting in my way when I'm trying to quickly harvest a resource on another street.

    So while I have no opinion for piggies, I tend to avoid streets that have wandering chickens and I prefer streets with #3 - The Chicken Cube :) I am also an avid chicken squeezer, so this not only keeps them out of the way, but makes them easily squeezable. muahahaha!
    Posted 6 months ago by absolute Subscriber! | Permalink
  • One thing I really don't like is pigs roaming in front of the gardens of people on a garden route :)
    Posted 6 months ago by diaveborn ♥ Subscriber! | Permalink
  • 5. Exhaustively nibble a large herd easily

    From http://www.glitch.com/forum/general/23052/  by TRB4:

    Use a Piggy Stick and set the radius to Very Tight, you will need Piggy Control Freak upgrade card to do this. What this does is it allows you to stand in front of the Piggy Stick and have all Piggies highlighted AT THE SAME TIME. As long as no piggies become unhighlighted and rehighlighted the order that the Piggies are displayed on the "Enter menu" WILL NOT CHANGE. So you can very systematically Pet and Nibble each Piggy twice and not lose track of which Piggies you've already interacted with. This method makes Gurly Drinks ridiculously effective, I harvested a group of 30 Piggies with one Gurly Drink and got 1440 iMG and about 400-500 meat without using any energy at all!
    .
    Posted 6 months ago by IrenicRhonda Subscriber! | Permalink
  • This last post confuses me!
    Posted 6 months ago by Tintael Subscriber! | Permalink
  • 2 and sometimes
    Posted 6 months ago by Eye Wonder Subscriber! | Permalink
  • 1 in the front yard but only 4 pigs.
    2 in the back yard - 4 pigs

    I don't like a lot of pigs in the way and the same goes for Butterflies and chickens.  My chickens have a stick in the back yard and free roam in the front.  Butterfly sticks in both yards.

    I use sticks in the back yard so I can garden in peace.  Several streets that I have visited have narrow range butterfly sticks and they are  very pretty so I did that in my front yard.  It also makes it easier for my guests to massage, sing, milk.  Again, I have minimal butterflies.

    If there are a lot of animals making harvesting or petting difficult I just ignore them and move on.
    Posted 6 months ago by Brib Annie Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I want to keep my piggies in a cage
    Posted 6 months ago by shhexy corin Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I just wish there was a KFC for piggies :)
    Posted 6 months ago by Momo McGlitch Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I want customisable animal sticks - ones that dress my animals in silly costumes
    Posted 6 months ago by shhexy corin Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I'm in the crowd of the very tight pig group.  Doesn't matter the size, but lots would be preferable.  With 40 very tight pigs, I can get a massive amount of meat and almost 2000 img with a couple minutes work. 
      If there is a stick not set to very tight that has more than 6 piggies, I ignore it.  If there are free range piggies sometimes I'll switch to my mouse but as soon as a non petted pig hides behind one that has been nibbled out, I get frustrated and stop with the piggies. 
      Again, for the reasons listed above on how easy it is to get petting and nibbling done to a group of very tight, I'd advocate it for all!
    Posted 6 months ago by Malus Agricola Subscriber! | Permalink
  • My piggies range free, because I hate seeing them all jumbled up, even if the method above is much easier. I will usually nibble piggies on someone's street unless my bags are nearing full (the Civility route will fill my bags quickly, we have so many resources!)

    I don't care how other people arrange their piggies, but mine will stay free.
    Posted 6 months ago by Aliera Subscriber! | Permalink
  • 3 and 2; I prefer to nibble from cubes, but I think they look best when sticked at a medium range- but only in front of trees! Piggies in front of rocks blocks my laser-like mining focus, but they're kind enough to let the trees take precedence.
    Posted 6 months ago by Wrench Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I prefer free-roaming. 
    Posted 6 months ago by Mollie Subscriber! | Permalink
  • 2&3, + what Wrench said  

    I rarely nibble on a route -- I find collecting from my feeders a few times a day more than covers my needs
    Posted 6 months ago by Red Sauce Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I hate the cube, I wont touch it.  Its partly esthetic, it seems like animal cruelty (yes, I realize thats silly, lol).  But mostly, I just cant keep track of which ones I've petted & nibbled.  I hit quite a few streets when I tour, so in all I see plenty of pigs.  They don't have to be all on one street.  If you're in a hurry, they can get in the way of harvesting, so be annoying, so I suppose the stick set on wide range, and put in the right area would be most helpful. to me anyway.  The street I like best for the pigs, has them free range, with the feeders on a far side of the street.  They seem to do fine, I haven't seen them hungry.  (I spot-feed after nibbling sometimes.)
    Gaaah, I have to stop thinking these things have feelings!  haha
    Posted 6 months ago by Phoebe Springback Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Do you have to exclusively choose? I opt for the pigs to roam near the pig stick (large herd). When it's time for nibble & pet, I pick up the pig stick & let 'em roam for a few minutes to stretch their legs. 

    When done with the petting & nibbling, put the pig stick back in the ground. The pigs come back to their limited roam range, and your visitors don't have the nuisance of pigs-in-front-of-resources.
    Posted 6 months ago by CleverCharacterName Subscriber! | Permalink
  • 3!   Pig Cube all the way!

    Although difficult to explain words (other have made a valiant effort already so I wont try myself), the pig cube is by far the most efficient way to pet and nibble a large herd.  You can systematically go through every single piggie and get SO much iMG and meat in a very short amount of time.  If it isn't in a Very Tight cube, I don't bother with it.  Also, this alleviates the problem of having pigs in the way of other resources. 
    Posted 6 months ago by Coconut Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I like to see piggies roaming free.
    Posted 6 months ago by Reida Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Ditto what Merth said. Those are usually the only pigs I bother to harvest from for the sake of efficiency.
    Posted 6 months ago by Koftun Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I have no animals in my backyard and just butterflies and chickens in my front. I haven't expanded my yard or done much with it so it'll stay as it is until I feel like expanding it, also haven't picked up Animal Husbrandry either.

    I prefer the pig cube when I am out on resource routes, it makes for easy pettings and nibblings. I also like the chickens on a loose stick and butterflies flying widely around their sticks. If you have animals on your streets, chances are, I'll harvest from them as well.
    Posted 6 months ago by Kouki Sangoma Subscriber! | Permalink
  • #1. I'm a free range nommer
    Posted 6 months ago by Avery♥ Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I despise the tight formations -- they make my screen look super twitchy, and the beautiful walking animations are reduced to a strobe effect that actually gives me a headache to look at.  Is "efficiency" really the most important thing in this game for people?  Doesn't anyone play Glitch because it's lovely to look at?  My revulsion for #3 is "just" aesthetic, but it's enough to make me avoid streets that use it.
    Posted 6 months ago by Pale Queen Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Personally, I prefer 1.

    I do frequently pet/nibble piggies when on a route.
    Posted 6 months ago by Mocha Maid Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Free range for me!  I am against battery farming of glitch piggies and chickens.  Maybe I should start a group lol!
    Posted 6 months ago by Charliesmom Subscriber! | Permalink
  • For some reason, I adore chicken cubes but feel a bit queasy when I see a sea of writhing pink piggies.  I don't know if it actually lags my computer or if I just feel like everything's going in slow motion. 

    I guess my preference is for Option 1 when I'm visiting other people's streets. Option 2 is okay too. Pig sticks can be very useful in keeping piggies clear of other resources.
    Posted 6 months ago by Twotone Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Just to touch on the aesthetics point, I don't really see home streets as a place to see the beauty of Ur (maybe some cases of showing personal creativity).  I can only see background X so many times before it loses a bit of its majesty.  I see home streets, at least with the cookie cutters we have to work with, as efficient sources of material gathering.  If I truly want to go sight seeing, I'll walk the non player streets of Ur.  But that said, there is no HOA.  No one will make you move all those machines missing engines from your front lawn.  If you want to bury a dullite rock behind a mass of butterfly milkers, you can. In the end the other people coming to partake will leave, but you have to deal with street every time you go /home. 
    Posted 6 months ago by Malus Agricola Subscriber! | Permalink
  • #3 . there is a technique to make it quick & efficient. It has been discussed for awhile via TRB4's post. I can fully nibble a large herd faster than a medium sized free roaming.
    Posted 6 months ago by Yog-Sothoth Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I'd rather the pigs run free.
    Pig sticks are fine for small groups, but for large groups, it is not recommended.
    It can cause not only inconvenience, but can also cause some pigs to become forgotten, and die.
    (All my opinion, of course.)
    Posted 6 months ago by Kuloril Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I haven't started worrying about herds yet, but...

    Isn't it simpler to just set the tightest radius, cram in as much pork as you can, and let feeding and harvesting machines do their work?
    Posted 6 months ago by Ayzad Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I only nibble pigs on other people streets if I'm bored and I found out the tight pig stick to be hard to nibble-- both mouse and keyboard. I don't mind free roaming pigs as I use keyboard for small stuffs like gardens.

    On my own street though I have 30 free-roaming pigs around 12 fruit trees. Doesn't seems there is problem on harvesting the froots. The chickens and butterfly might be a bit annoying for people but I only have 3 and 1 of them.
    Posted 6 months ago by rosedragon Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I don't have a pig stick on my home street so theoretically they are able to run free but a couple days ago they all spontaneously decided to hang out in a big pig clump on my front porch. It makes it really hard to get in and out the front door.

    www.glitch.com/snaps/PIF6G8...

    Feel free to come to my street and see for yourselves and check out my genius pig names. (Tho I'm thinking of renaming them all to Porch Monkey)
    Posted 6 months ago by Anthropocene Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I used to have free roaming piggies, until it was lagging my street so hard it was unbearble, with the sticks, it's less lag to me. The only time I'll get a bump in lag is when I go near the stick with a bunch of animals. Streets with tons of free roaming pigs lags me hard sometimes and can disconnect me, I don't get that with streets with sticked creatures.

    I prefer harvesting from a pig cube and I harvest from the pigs on every street I come to with them. Pig cube is efficient to me at least.

    I guess I can now see another reason people come to my street and skip it. Thanks guys.
    Posted 6 months ago by Ayasta Subscriber! | Permalink
  • When I'm on a resource route, I prefer not having pigs in the way (#3). I have accidentally fed them before when they were in the way.

    I have enough meat for now so I usually don't nibble when I'm on a resource route.

    If you aren't on a resource route, I agree that aesthetically it looks better if they have a wide range or no stick.
    Posted 6 months ago by Yendor Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I like free roaming piggies, and when I'm on other people's streets, I pet them but rarely nibble.
    Posted 6 months ago by LulaJaenelle Subscriber! | Permalink