Just a bit of info for beginners...
Believe it or not, people ask this all of the time. Petz are a computer game about well, pets. These petz come alive on your desktop with all the wants and enthusiasm of a real pet. You can buy them in either the Catz version or the Dogz version. Or you can buy them both and they become one program on your computer. There are a lot of breeds to choose from. Plus, you can breed your petz together to make brand new breeds.
So far, there have been five versions of the game. The petz community recommends versions 3 and up. Thats when you will be able to begin breeding your petz. Plus if you buy petz 5... you will be able to import your petz from any previous version. Thats very important if you adopt a petz from the internet. Unfortunately, if you import you petz to Petz 5, they can never go back to Petz 4 or 3.
You can read about petz at the Official Petz Website.
What are Petz like?
When I first got the game, I didn't understand that the petz were animated. So I was happily surprised to see them move around on their own... just like a real animal might. They are pretty much unpredictable. And they are so cute! They look and move just like cartoon characters on Saturday mornings.
You can pet them, teach them tricks, feed them, play games, take a picture... whatever. They interact with you, other petz and all kinds of toys.
They really seem to like you and want your company. Excellent programming when it comes to the character of the petz.
Are petz real? Do they have emotions?
I have to say no. They are not real animals. But they act so real they generate real emotional responses from you and make you love them or feel bad when you are mean to them. There are people who feel they are real and are very sensitive about how petz are treated. You can make a lot of enemies in the petz community if you are mean to your petz!
Are individual petz really unique?
Yes! I have to say yes. Even though many seem the same on the outside, there are behaviors/differences that can really start to show once you get to know your petz. The difference are even more marked when you create mixed breeds.
I will say that a dalmatian generally acts like another dalmatian and the voice is the same for each breed. The differences are very small, not dramatic. Not enough, I think, to say that you will notice right away.
What is a petz file?
Each individual petz has a petz file. Petz files end in ".pet". Just like any other document, a petz file contains all of the information about that particular petz. In fact, that file really is your petz. When you want to play with a petz, you put the file in the 'adopted petz' folder found in the same folder as your petz program.
When you adopt a petz from someone, they send you the file. Not the program! You have to buy the program.
Will you send me a copy of the petz program?
Sorry, although I would love for everyone to have a copy of the game, I cannot just send it too you. Ubisoft deserves to be paid for their hard work and if we want the game to have new additions & upgrades, we have to help make sure that they stay in business by supporting them. If you cannot afford it, ask your parents, save your allowance, do extra chores... trust me, its worth it.
Can I have any of your personal petz?
Sorry, The only petz that I am ever going to send someone is from the adoption center. My petz are, well, mine. I show them, train them, love them and breed them for the litters you see in the adoption center. But you are allowed to admire them and adopt from their litters. :)
Why do I have to write a long application just to adopt from you?
You don't. Unless that particular petz is in high demand and I get a lot of applications for it, I generally give petz away for less than a sentence or two. You just have to be prepared that there may be someone else trying to adopt the same petz. If you are unsure, you can either write a nice application for the petz and hope for the best, or hang around and see if it gets adopted. If it doesn't, then chances are good that all you have to do is ask nicely for the petz. :)
How will I know if I didn't get the petz I applied for?
At SilverToo, I always send out a letter. Always. Don't feel bad if you didn't get the petz. Sometimes, there were just a lot of applicants or someone got there first. It has nothing to do with you personally. I don't always get the petz I apply for either.
How soon will I hear back from you?
Most of the time I respond the same day or the next day. Sometimes, I have to wait a few days before I can get to the adoptions. But thats really rare.
If I adopt a petz, what show prefix would you like for me to use?
I don't have a policy that someone absolutely has to use my showname. But I am flattered when you do. If you really want to, I prefer SilverToo. If that doesn't work, you can add ST. If you really want to make me happy, just tell people where you got your petz.
Do you want updates on the petz I adopt from you?
Its not a requirement, but its always nice.
I adopted a petz from somebody. How do I play with it?
First of all, you need the Petz program. Most probably you will need version 3, 4 or 5. Nearly any of those three will work for all files. You can order a copy on the Official Petz Website. If you are buying a new copy, get Version 5. That will save you a lot of confusion.
If you have the program, you will need to look in your program files. Look for a file called Ubisoft or PF Magic. Inside that folder you may see other folders. You may have to open each individually, but what you are looking for is a folder called 'Adopted Petz'. That's where all of the petz that are available in the program are stored. Save your new pet in that folder.
If the new petz doesn't work, you may have to email the person who gave you the petz and ask about what may be wrong. Tell them what version of petz you have and tell them if you have the same version of both catz and dogs (some hexed files need both to run). Do be polite! Never be rude or accuse a site owner or anyone else who has given you a petz. If the file doesn't work on your computer, that doesn't mean that it didn't work on theirs or most everyone else's. Ask for advice or offer to return the petz with a generous 'thank you'.
I only have Petz 4. If I adopt a petz from a site that uses Petz 5, will it work?
I've tried this, and it doesn't work. In order to play with any petz that have been converted to Petz 5, you have to buy Petz 5. If you have Petz 5, however, you can pretty much adopt any petz you want and won't have conversion problems unless it is for a hexed breed.
How do I breed petz in Petz 3 & 4?
You need a male and female of the same species out at the same time. Make sure that the female is not already pregnant and that neither of them are fixed. You can encourage your petz to fall in love by getting rid of all other distractions, squirting them with the love potion and playing love songs on the music box.
My favorite way to do it is to take them into the toybox scene, take out a bunch of rolling green balls and about twenty love potions. Then, I just let them wander around for about 5-20 minutes. After that, I put all of the toys away and let them stare at each other. They usually fall in love right away. But... I make no promises.
Once they are in love, a giant heart appears on the screen. The baby will be born in about 2 days, provided you open the program every day. An announcement will appear on your screen and the mother will carry the newborn out with her.
The baby will stay with its mother for about 5 days. Then, it will come out all on its own. It will grow bigger every day. It takes about two weeks before the new pet is old enough to have its own babies.
Will you breed one my petz with one of yours?
Yes, I am generally very happy to do this! Just email me first before sending the petz file so we can talk about the details.
What are mutations?
Mutations are results from breeding that are not an option with a first generation petz. Most of the time, they mean a mutation from two petz that are the same breed. For instance, a 3rd generation purebred dalmatian can have a brown coat and green eyes. The mutations are random and written into the program. They really do happen but are somewhat rare. Nearly all same breed mutations are color related unless you are mixing breeds. You will not eventually get a german shepard by repeatedly breeding dalmatians!
However, if you mix breeds, then different physical aspects will combine into one. Sometimes, this can be very desirable. Other times, it looks really wierd. Every time you breed that couple together, the baby will look different from its brothers and sisters. Its really very interesting!
What is selective breeding?
Thats when you breed a petz specifically for the mutation to get entirely new breed of petz that have litters just like the parents -mutations and all. Its a lot of very hard work.
Most selective breeding programs include inbreeding. That is breeding siblings together or breeding parents to their offspring. That increases the chances that your petz will carry the same characteristics. I mean, they'll all look alike.
That doesn't mean that you have to inbreed to get those sort of results. There are selective breeds out there that don't. But the breed is more likely to 'breed true' if the breed creator used some inbreeding at least.
What is Petz Abuse?
Well, according those against petz abuse, it could be a lot of things. The number one is squirting your petz repeatedly with the squirt bottle. It can really upset a petz and make them run away forever. Other things are throwing your petz, neglecting them by never playing with them when you open the program, repeatedly hitting them with snowballs, things like that.
Other things sometimes considered abusive is overbreeding, inbreeding, putting your petz in a file other than the 'adopted petz file', having too many petz, time-forwarding, deleting them, fighting them, putting them up for download, copying them... well the list goes on and on.
What do you think of petz abuse?
**Cough** I have never done it. Seriously, I don't worry that much about what people are doing on their own computer. I worry about real pets abuse, people abuse and even environmental abuse. But petz abuse is pushing it. Besides, I think abusers will eventually get bored of it. If you think about it, he only reason why they would tell anyone that they abuse is to get attention.
But you can be anti-abuse if you want to. Tis ok with me. I understand.
Do you abuse your petz?
No, I don't abuse. I like it when my petz appear to be happy. They are easier to train that way and well, I enjoy them better.
If you don't care about abuse, why do you make people agree not to put a petz they adopted from you up for download?
First off, I don't consider putting them up for download abusive. I do feel that the petz I am emailing to someone is unique and should stay that way. If I wanted it up for download, I would have done it myself and saved a lot of time. lol.
What is hexing?
Hexing is when you open a breed or petz file in a hex editor and edit the actual programming code. There are a lot of hexed petz out there. Many of them are extremely popular and in demand. And in my opinion, some of them are even better than the original files. There are some extremely talented hexers out there.
If you want to learn to hex, there are a lot of tutorials out there. I don't hex much myself, so I can't recommend anything to you. Just remember that while hexing has never been really frowned on by the original programmers, its not encouraged either. Hexing voids any sort of guarantees provided with the program. Do it at your own risk. Most sites that have hexed petz don't take responsibility for anything that might happen to your petz, program or computer.
What is Hexie free?
That means the the petz was not bred with a hexed pet in its ancestry, not bred with a hexed file, and is not hexed itself.
Many or most petz for adoption on a petz site, have some hexing in its ancestry. They are safe for you to add to your collection. I have never heard or known otherwise.
Can you hex me a petz?
I like hexed petz too. But, I am not a hexing freak. I don't enjoy it enough to start doing it for other people. Sometimes, not even enough for my own site. So no, I don't do requests. However, there are others out there who do requests because they love hexing. So keep looking, its a big community. :(
What is Inbred free?
That means that the petz ancestors were not related to each other in anyway before being bred together.
Inbreeding is very common -even in real pets. So don't let it stop you from adopting 'the cutest petz ever'. They are still loving petz and will not have hideous mutations or other such nonsense in their litters. The original petz programmers were not that cruel.
One advantage I see in inbreeding petz is that its easier to make a selective breed that way -they all start to look alike! It's also an option if you are trying to keep your petz population small. Inbred petz are better off than neglected petz. But that is up to the individual. I try to avoid inbreeding because its harder to find the puppies/kittens new homes.
I have a lot of extra petz, will you put them on your site for adoption?
Maybe. There are some issues involved and I think it gets a little complicated in my case. There are other sites out there who specialize in this. You really should ask them first.
How do you make a website?
Web design is a great skill to have and I really encourage you to try it. It takes work on your part but its been a great experience in my life. You may find this is something that you want to make a career of.
I suggest you go to Lissa Explains it All. She has some great tutorials that will get you started. Its not that hard really. Just need a bit of practice.
Will you link to my new site?
I will if it looks like you update regularly and aren't just going to suddenly quit. I hate dead links on my links page. Impossible to keep up with! lol. Quality websites take a lot more time than you might imagine. Try not to get in over your head! :)
How can I make my site popular?
It may take a while. Telling people about your site is a good start. Don't spam! Post in forums, get reviewed, enter shows... basically become involved in the petz community. You also need to make your site something people enjoy going to by offering adoptions and other types of content. Keep the design simple and easy until you get a good feel for html and graphics.
I suggest that you start off with a few pages... something you can keep up with until you get a feel of whether you will enjoy it or not. You have to like your site for its own sake and you have to like working on it. Don't do it expecting to be instantly popular because that probably won't happen. Do it because its fun. The visitors will come in time. Remember, the most popular sites have been around for years and they didn't start off popular. Most took months to catch on. Not days. Not weeks. It took months, even years.
So take heart and keep going. It will happen for you in time. In the mean time, enjoy your site, enjoy the community and enjoy your petz.