To be clear, from my experience and from looking at other threads on the subject, most people think mutagens are useless. Over half of the time it seems like they change the best genes to something horrid before the poor genes to something better.

What I'm proposing is to put in place a mechanism that allows limited selection of genes for a mutagen to work on. Either through a new building, random encounter on the map or a guest at your inn, it would allow you to select a gene category for the mutagen to work on.

Nothing too specific, but say being able to select brain genes, paw genes or bone genes in general for the mutation. It would still allow for a margin of error, and to balance it out mutagens could be made rarer and/or more expensive in the premium shop.

It could even just allow you to select one or two categories of genes you don't want changed, to make it less powerful.

This case has already been argued but it doesn't seem like anything will be changed.

Admittedly I've had both VERY BAD and VERY GOOD results using mutagens but really it is just a gamble like the item says.

I think allowing the user to select which genes to mutate would be too powerful and would allow people to genetically engineer perfect pets which would essentially break the game.

That's why I included a margin for error, like allowing you to choose one category you don't want changed, and the mechanism that allows that to be suitably expensive or rare.

I don't think the problem is so much that mutagens are useless, it's more that the risk is very high for being as expensive as they are. I feel like they should be 1-2 gold and drop a little more often, as I tend to see them for 10K+ in th item trades and I just don't think most people are really willing to drop such amounts of money for a really small chance to turn a random gene into something not negative.

I'm fine with them being as random as they are, but make them a little less rare to balance them out.

Hmm, that would work, though I still like the idea of having a really expensive or rare way to 'lock' a gene against mutation, but I see where you're coming from.

I think I would use them more often if they were more accessable. I know they're supposed to be sorta rare, but since you have equal chances of good and bad I think they should be a little easier to obtain. I do understand that prices could change once gold is avilable for purchase.

I like the ''lock idea". And maybe you can only lock 1. Maybe there can be an invite where you can "lock" 2 genes. This will make it harder to create the perfect pet, but also not to ruin all of your work. 

If you locked anymore than two genes people can throw mutagens at a pet and eventually find a combination power...

Mutagens are too common and lets people throw lots of them at a pet- eventually they should end up with something nice.