Predator spooking rework / Adding threat levels

[placid ocean]

Predators spooking other animals should not all be the same .... For example bears should not be spooked by bobcats or cougars .... You need to assign some kind of spook value and threat value to all animals . Then compare one animals spook levels with the other animals threat level to see if an animal will spook.

You (EW) may already have something like this and if you do then it's not working properly.. Or maybe your values need to be looked at and adjusted.

But in theory a bobcat would have a lower threat level than the spook levels of a bison or moose, so they would not be spooked by a bobcat. However a rabbit or turkey might have a lower spook level than the bobcats threat level so those animals would be spooked. Humans of course would have the highest threat level of any animal so we would spook all animals ....

Pretty straight forward really and would make the game world feel more real .....

[ruby abyss]

Won’t let me upvote this but I’m completely on board

[high zinc]

I approve of this. A slightly more complex version I wouldn't mind seeing would give each species two thresholds: one to make them alert and one to make them flee. If the threat level exceeded the alert level but not the flee level then their alertness would increase but they wouldn't flee. So for instance the presence of a wolf wouldn't necessarily make a bison flee, but it would put it on edge, making it more likely to flee if it then also detects the player. The same could be true with deer and black bears. That middle ground would be a way for predators to present a challenge at need zones without necessarily clearing them out immediately.

[timid light]

You need to assign some kind of spook value and threat value to all animals . Then compare one animals spook levels with the other animals threat level to see if an animal will spook.

This is an existing system in the game. For example, the bloodhound has a so called threat box, which if it overlaps an animal it may get spooked by the dog. This also requires the animal to be of a certain size. I'm guessing there is a spook threshold value that varies with the species.

So if the dog is too close and the dog threat level is > threshold of that animal, then the animal will be spooked by the dog.

I do agree these values have to be tweaked. Lynx should not scare bears. Also I think the American Alligator needs to grow a pair of balls, be less skittish and maybe scare off some waterfowl when they are at surface. (Very small threat box though, as to not piss of the duck hunters).

[iron kelp]

@timid light Yes, we don’t want the Alligator to start doing a Puma with the ducks. Allthough that would look funny.

[placid ocean]

Well as I said in my OP if they already have a similar system to this then it needs to be looked at because it's not working correctly. I just know very recently I was watching a herd of moose drinking from 300yrds away and they started to spook ..... I checked my wind and my distance and knew is wasn't me. But thats when I spotted the Bobcat . So their threat system isn't working and needs to be fixed...

[timid light]

I'm talking about if an alligator goes swimming directly through a flock of greenteals. Let's say the spook radius is 2 meters and the gator needs to be surface cruising.

To be fair, the green teals were added after the fact so I'm not surprised this isn't a feature.

My main point about the Gator is rather that it should be less prone to spooking itself.

[iron kelp]

I wasn’t really making a point, just being silly, sorry.

[timid light]

no no, no need to apologize 😅

Videogame forum bro.

[iron kelp]

Oh good

[placid ocean]

Predator rework please

[quaint ocean]

Fr man im tired of my moose getting spooked by damn House cats

Which they could kill by walking over them lmao

[lilac willow]

I think they just need a full rework on all the animals spook factor. I shouldn't be climbing a hill and spooking something that I haven't seen nor made a sound. or anials 250 meters away and all im doing is walking and stalking and it gets spooked through a brush of trees I can't see through

[slim phoenix]

It cannot be changed because it is a terribly complex and basic mechanic of the game, just like the need zones, it can only reduce or expand the player's Sound Radius, the range of the animal's Senses or shorten the Fear bars.
If you accommodate your skills and remove the backpack you can run towards the animal up to 175m, then walk up to 125m, approach crouching up to 75m or lying down 30m. If the animal is on its back these distances are reduced by half, you can even go lying down to the animal that is on its back and jump on it before it is alerted xD
It's already too easy to reduce it even

[placid ocean]

You are new to the game .... As a young hunter you make sounds in the woods and do things that you don't even realize. These are things the animals hear and see but you don't. The devs have tried to simulate this by letting you earn skill and perk points .... As you gain in exp you can spend those skill points to make you a quieter, less visible and better hunter .... Have patience and learn what the old hunters will teach you ...

[placid ocean]

Predator spooking rework / Adding threat levels

[placid ocean]

In response to other threads about predators.... 53

[placid ocean]

Now that we know that most likely tigers are on the way ... Can we talk about reworking the predator threat system ???? ... 56

[proud kayak]

agreed

[placid ocean]

...86

[opaque kestrel]

Bump

[placid ocean]

Made it to the Big 1️⃣ 0️⃣ 0️⃣

[placid ocean]

A dynamic AI change would be to randomly allow some female animals to flee from predators that they would not normally be afraid of .... For example IRL a Female moose might flee from a Bobcat if they had a calf with them. So this could be a dynamic/random occurrence .... Nothing is absolute in Nature ....

[placid ocean]

Another option would be to include the Animal level into the spook equation so that smaller or lower level animals have an increased chance of spooking ....

So for example at a moose drink zone you might have a few level 1 & 2 animals along with a higher level 3-5 animal. The level 1-2 animals would have a greater chance to flee from a certain predator than the level higher 3-5 level animals would ....

Keep in mind that the hunter is also considered to be a predator .... But our predator threat level is so high that even the highest level animal will alert and flee when we are seen, heard or smelled .....

[placid ocean]

They could also have some predators that are pack hunters ... So that a single animal would have a relatively low threat level .... But when combined into a pack their combined threat level would be quiet high .....

So a single wolf might not cause a moose to spook but a pack of 3 or more would .....