Donkeys

[bitza]

Just throwing this out there - Donkeys.

Equip a rope and tame a wild donkey, the way you would a cow or sheep.
A donkey can carry 4 large items, same as a cart (baskets, chests etc).
Leading a donkey by a rope, you can move at WALK SPEED through the forest tiles (as opposed to crawl speed with carts)
Maybe donkeys can enter a boat, and count as the second passenger?
Donkeys eat seeds and straw, and while away from the trough you can equip a seedbag to the donkey's neck for it to eat from.

Not sure about eating donkey meat though, I did a little googling and apparently donkey meat is eaten in China and some parts of Africa.

Having a domesticated animal like this could make trade and mass resource gathering easier, for example if I wanted to meet someone at RoB with a hundred chantrelles or so - or if all of the trees by my house were chopped down, I could make one trip out to the remaining forest and load him up, as opposed to several trips lifting logs, or one godawful slow trip with a cart.

[Potjeh]

Nice idea. Donkeys should always move at walk speed, I think, so that carts have an edge on roads (no sense having them otherwise).

[bitza]

Good point, but the other big advantage to the cart is that you don't have to feed it

[Flame]

i think donkey could also run, but only with bags empty.

[sabinati]

why donkeys and not horses

[warrri]

Because they are redonkeylous!

[Cookie]

Horses need a high protein diet to stay in decent working condition which means oats. Donkeys can get by on a diet much worse. We can feed them on wheat, flax and hay (when hay is implemented)

[bitza]

why donkeys and not horses

all of the suggestions so far for horses that I've seen have basically boiled down to "travel really fast and EPIC CAVALRY BATTLES KEWL"

this idea actually addresses a practical issue, like i mentioned before - carrying large quantities of items such as lumber without having to travel at crawl speed.

but horses, donkeys, it's all the same..tomato, tomatoe

[Grog]

i'd say you could connect the horse/donkey with the wagon and move both with walk speed
(then the animal can't carry thinks itself)

[Flame]

ok do this.

Horse can guide a cart -- then go at Walk speed if the cart is full of stuff. If is empthy they can run.

Donkey can bring stuff. -- ALSO they can pull a cart at walk speed - if is empty hey go at walk speed anyway.