Otter

Otters are trainable pets that can be purchased for $50 USD from the Utility -> Billing menu. The proceeds go towards the purchase of a service dog for Otter, one of the game's first volunteer world builders.

No doubt some of you may have noticed that our newest immigrants are otters. Let me tell you what that's all about, and how some of you may be able to help out a fellow ATITD friend. Otter, who you may have encountered doing world building or camp decoration, has been with ATITD since pretty much the beginning - before the release of Tale 1. [...] Otter has always done this for fun. However, she's had some health problems lately and could really make good use of a service dog. These dogs are highly trained - you can read about them here: http://www.pawswithacause.org

So I thought it might be a good idea to code up a new kind of pet, an otter, and sell them for $50, and all the money would go to buy a service dog for Otter. And so that's what we've done. The dogs cost $15,000, and already we've raised [in the first day] $3,550.

Otters will last for the entire Tale, they're adorable, fun to train, and you're helping out someone who's always been a big part of creating this experience, So if you're able, adopt an otter!

-- Teppy - Year 1, Akhet II-10 (12/26/2008)

Otter Training

After you purchase your otter, you can access it the first time by going to the Special Menu and choose name your otter. You will be prompted to name your otter, at which time it will appear.

Once it is named, you can drop it and pick it up.

To train your otter, put it on the ground, walk a short distance and using the Special Menu, Call your otter. The otter will walk to you and back to its drop point.

If you move again, and call it again, it will path from its drop point, to the first call point, then to the second call point.

You can make your otter walk around in a pattern in this way.

Otters can be guilded, and guild members can also call the otter.

You can use "/info <otter's name>" to see where an otter is.

It seems that an otter when dropped sometimes teleports to the last place you dropped her. This can be inconvenient, as she then is too far away to hear you call, and you have to travel back to pick her up.

If you also feel that it is wrong for a company to solicit donations for its employees through its product then please add your comments!

Funds Raised

• In the first day of otter imports, $3,550 was raised (12/26/2008)
• As of December 29, 2008, 114 Otters at a total of $5,700 have been imported into Egypt.