An Enriching World for a Digital Cat

People say that pets only get to experience the world we show them, so I wanted to make sure the virtual cat in Catode32 has a fulfilling virtual world to experience.

Locations

The pet lives in a little "house" with you.

Right from the start the pet has several places around the house it can explore. Beyond the places looking different, the locations each have unique attributes and perks.

There is a living room that acts as a main hub. And the pet gets extra benefits from lounging here, and they're more playful here.

There is a bedroom where the pet falls asleep more easily, and they get more energy and comfort out of their sleep here... especially if they sleep in the little cat bed.

There is a kitchen, and the pet gets a bit more benefit from being fed their meals and snacks in this room.

And there are two outdoor scenes, the backyard and the treehouse. The pet likes to lounge and play in the outdoor scenes, as well as hunt in them. However, they're also vulnerable to bad weather (heat, cold, rain, and snow) if they're left outside.

The backyard also has different critters that might show up to say hello. And they'll change depending on the time of day and the season.

The player can decide to take the pet to different locations. The pet also has its own mind and will also wander around the house itself. It might go to the bedroom to take naps, or wander around the kitchen if its hungry. If the pet is outside when the weather turns bad, it might decide to head indoors.

Each pet has their own favorite location where they enjoy lounging the most.

Vacations

There are also a few special locations that you can take your pet to, outside of the house. By going to the store and paying for a "trip" you can take your pet on a little vacation.

You'll have to take your pet on some trips to see them all!

Weather

Catode32 also has a pretty detailed group of systems for its natural world.

Night Sky

The night sky is special. Every pet gets their own unique pattern of stars in their night sky. And the moon moves through different phases as the days pass. Sometimes you might see a shooting star or two, and on special nights you might even see a meteor shower with lots of shooting stars.

Seasonal

The weather is also dynamic and moves with the seasons. It's based on a seeded markov chain and is forecastable.

In the spring you're likely to see more rainy, stormy, windy, and cloudy days, with cool nights. As you move into the summer you'll see more clear days and warmer temperatures, potentially some very hot days at the peak of summer. Once fall comes around you'll see the temperatures start to drop and more overcast days. And then in the winter the temperatures get very cold and some days will be snowy.

By going to the forecast page you can see a prediction of the weather for the next ~72 in-game hours. It'll even clue you in to when a meteor shower might show up.

Economy

The store is a very important place in the game. It's where you can spend the in-game coins to buy essentials, and things to improve your pet's life.

The store shows you how many coins you have. In this screenshot, the player has 150 coins.

Food and snacks keep your pet nourished and healthy.

You can buy (or replace broken) toys to play with your pet in new ways.

There are supplies for gardening, services for your pet (like professional grooming), the previously mentioned vacations, and medicine to help your pet if they end up sick.

You can earn coins to spend at the store by playing minigames with your pet, and your pet might even find a coin or two over time when they're hunting or poking around.

Gardening

The game has a pretty detailed gardening system that skilled players can use to improve their pets environment (giving the pet some perks).

Through the store you can buy various pots, seeds, and some gardening tools. And then through the gardening menu in any of the main locations you can place pots, plant seeds, and tend to the plants by inspecting them and watering them when needed. You can even buy fertilizer to help give some plants a boost.

In the back yard you can plant seeds directly in the ground, no pots needed.

Plants will slowly grow over time if they're kept healthy. And a well tended plant, in a proper sized pot, can reach a thriving state.

Having healthy plants around makes your pet extra happy. On the other hand, empty pots and dead plants can make your pet bummed out.

Minigames

There are dozens of minigames for you and your pet to play. They're a lot of fun and one of my favorite parts of the project.

There is a mix of both action and strategy games, all designed to fit on the small 128x64 screen.

Each game has its own set of rewards for your pet. Depending on how well you do and how far you get into the game, they'll reward coins and adjustments to your pets stats. It's a good way to help improve things like your pets intelligence, fitness, loyalty, maturity, etc... even though some of them might leave your pet a bit hungry or exhausted and in need of a nap

Playdates

One of the most special parts of Catode32 is the ability to have wireless playdates between devices.

If you're near another Catode32 device, you can both go to the "Social" menu, and trigger a request to play together. If accepted, you'll see both cats show up on both devices, and the cats will interact with each other. They'll sniff, play, run around, and explore their houses together.

It provides a lot of social rewards to your pet to play with their friends. And if they've seen the same cat a few times they'll start to become more familiar with them.

The wireless system uses the ESP-NOW protocol over WiFi to handle all the communication in a low-overhead way.

When your pet is in the outside or the treehouse scene, any time they vocalize it will be broadcast over wireless, and any other pet that's also outside and nearby can hear those vocalizations and can respond.

Feeling "At Home"

One interesting and subtle feature is the "at home" feeling for your pet.

The Catode32 devices will occasionally do a quick and simple WiFi scan to see what networks are nearby. If your pet sees the same networks over and over again they'll start to become familiar with them, and consider being around them as being "at home".

If your pet feels like they're at home then they'll be more relaxed, sleep more easily, be more playful and chatty, and generally healthier.

If you travel with your Catode32 and they find themselves surrounded with WiFi networks they're unfamiliar with then they might be a bit more shy for a while, until they become familiar with them.