Lab Pet V3

Lab Pet V3 - Complete Pet Companion System for QBCore

Lab Pet V3 brings interactive pet companions to your QBCore server with a complete care system that adds a whole new dimension to roleplay. Players can adopt, feed, play with, and manage the health of their virtual pets while balancing the responsibilities of pet ownership with their criminal careers or legal businesses. This isn't just a cosmetic pet following script - it's a full companion system with needs, interactions, and actual gameplay mechanics.

What's Included

The script includes a complete pet management system with health, hunger, and thirst mechanics that require regular attention. Players use consumable items (pet food, water, health items) to maintain their pet's wellbeing, and interactive toys (pet ball, rope) to play with their companions and boost happiness levels.

You get a dedicated pet shop MLO (downloadable from GitHub - link included) where players can browse and purchase pets, buy supplies, and access grooming services. The inventory integration adds pet-specific items with custom images: pet health items, pet food, pet thirst/water, pet ball, and pet rope toys.

The system includes SQL database integration for persistent pet ownership, item management through QBCore's inventory system, and a user-friendly UI for pet interactions and status monitoring. Everything syncs across server restarts so players never lose their beloved companions.

Key Features

• Pet Care Mechanics - Health, hunger, and thirst stats that decrease over time - neglected pets get sick or sad, well-cared pets stay happy and healthy
• Interactive Gameplay - Use pet ball and rope toys to play with your pet, boosting happiness and creating fun roleplay moments between serious activities
• Inventory Integration - All pet items (food, water, health, toys) work through QBCore inventory with custom images and proper item handling
• Pet Shop Location - Dedicated MLO included for pet adoption, supply purchases, and grooming services - creates a natural business/job opportunity
• Persistent Ownership - SQL database tracks which pets belong to which players, current health status, and item inventory across restarts
• Visual Feedback - Clean UI shows pet status at a glance - players know exactly when their pet needs attention without guessing

Perfect For

• QBCore servers wanting to add casual gameplay elements that appeal to non-criminal focused players
• Communities looking for relationship/emotion-driven mechanics beyond the usual car and money grinding
• Servers with civilian job systems who want to add pet shop employee or veterinarian roles
• Roleplay communities where players create backstories and personal lives - pets add character depth and conversation starters
• Servers wanting soft money sinks through pet food and care items that don't feel punishing

Items & Gameplay Loop

• Pet Health Item (pethealth.png) - Restores pet health when sick or injured from neglect, prevents sad/sick pet states
• Pet Food (petfood.png) - Satisfies hunger needs, must be used regularly to prevent starvation warnings
• Pet Thirst/Water (health3.png) - Hydrates your pet, prevents dehydration status effects
• Pet Ball (toys3.png) - Interactive toy for playing fetch-style games, boosts happiness significantly
• Pet Rope (toys2.png) - Tug-of-war and chewing toy, alternative play option for variety

Technical Details

• Framework - Built specifically for QBCore (qb-core), requires qb-inventory for item handling
• Dependencies - QBCore framework, qb-inventory (or compatible inventory system), SQL database (MySQL/MariaDB)
• Performance - Lightweight script with client-side pet rendering and server-side stat management, minimal resmon impact (~0.02ms idle)
• Database - SQL tables track pet ownership, current stats, and transaction history for pet shop purchases
• Customization - Config file allows adjusting stat decay rates, item effectiveness, shop prices, and available pet models

Installation

1. Download the Script - Obtain Lab Pet V3 from your purchase source and extract to resources folder
2. Resource Setup - Ensure the folder is named exactly lab-petv3 (no variations or the script won't load)
3. Server Configuration - Add ensure lab-petv3 to your server.cfg file below qb-core and qb-inventory
4. SQL Database - Import the provided SQL file to create necessary database tables for pet ownership and stats
5. Inventory Images - Copy all pet item images (pethealth.png, petfood.png, etc.) to qb-inventory/html/images folder
6. Add Items to QBCore - Open qb-core/shared/items.lua and add the item definitions provided below
7. Pet Shop MLO - Download the pet shop map from GitHub and install as separate resource
8. Restart & Test - Restart server completely and test pet adoption, feeding, and status systems

QBCore Item Definitions

Add these items to your qb-core/shared/items.lua file:

pethealth = {
    name = 'pethealth',
    label = 'Pet Health',
    weight = 100,
    type = 'item',
    image = 'pethealth.png',
    unique = false,
    useable = true,
    shouldClose = true,
    combinable = nil,
    description = 'Restores your pet\\'s health when sick or injured'
},

petfood = {
    name = 'petfood',
    label = 'Pet Food',
    weight = 200,
    type = 'item',
    image = 'petfood.png',
    unique = false,
    useable = true,
    shouldClose = true,
    combinable = nil,
    description = 'Nutritious food to keep your pet healthy and happy'
},

petthirst = {
    name = 'petthirst',
    label = 'Pet Water',
    weight = 150,
    type = 'item',
    image = 'health3.png',
    unique = false,
    useable = true,
    shouldClose = true,
    combinable = nil,
    description = 'Fresh water to keep your pet hydrated'
},

petball = {
    name = 'petball',
    label = 'Pet Ball',
    weight = 100,
    type = 'item',
    image = 'toys3.png',
    unique = false,
    useable = true,
    shouldClose = true,
    combinable = nil,
    description = 'Fun ball toy for playing fetch with your pet'
},

petrope = {
    name = 'petrope',
    label = 'Pet Rope Toy',
    weight = 150,
    type = 'item',
    image = 'toys2.png',
    unique = false,
    useable = true,
    shouldClose = true,
    combinable = nil,
    description = 'Durable rope toy for tug-of-war and chewing'
},

What Makes It Stand Out

Most pet scripts are just cosmetic followers that do nothing. Lab Pet V3 actually creates gameplay - players have to feed, water, and play with their pets or face consequences. This sounds simple but it changes player behavior in interesting ways. Criminals start caring about getting home to feed their dog. New players find a low-stress activity to do between jobs. Couples adopt pets together as relationship milestones.

The pet shop MLO creates natural business opportunities. Servers can hire pet shop employees, create veterinarian jobs, or even add pet grooming services as mini-games. It becomes a legitimate civilian job that generates foot traffic and commerce outside the usual mechanic/taxi/trucker loop.

We've seen servers use pets as ice-breakers for new players. Walking your dog in the park leads to conversations with other pet owners. It's a non-threatening way to meet people and start roleplay relationships. Plus, the stat management isn't so demanding that it becomes annoying - check on your pet every hour or two and you're fine.

Installation note: The folder name MUST be lab-petv3 exactly - not lab-pet-v3, not labpetv3, not lab-petv3-main. The script looks for specific folder naming. Also, make sure you set useable = true and shouldClose = true on the item definitions, otherwise players can't actually use the items.