Add Water Buffalo to Emerald Coast

[void girder]

Pretty self-explanatory. Feral Water Buffalo are pretty common in Australia, and the landscapes on Emerald Coast are very similar to the areas of Australia where Water Buffalo live. Furthermore, we only have one map with Water Buffalo currently, and I'm sure that most of the community would like to have another map to hunt this species. The Water Buffalo was also the flagship species of Piccabeen Bay in theHunter Classic, a map that was basically Classic's version of Emerald Coast. The Water Buffalo is the only species from Piccabeen Bay that isn't on Emerald Coast, and I think it might be the most obvious and glaring omission from any map we've ever seen in COTW.

I know we already have so many species on the map, but Water Buffalo wouldn't even have to be super common on Emerald Coast, just add a small population of them and spread them out across the map (excluding some areas like the outback and some other areas of the map which wouldn't really be ideal habitat for them).

I just can't understand how EW decided to include Red Deer on yet another map (there's five maps with them now) and then completely forgot about the Water Buffalo, which is currently only on two maps. Let's show this old, often-forgotten species some love.

[void girder]

Australia has some pretty big trophy water buffalo too, which makes it an even more glaring omission from Emerald Coast.

Image is from:
https://outdoors-international.com/australia-water-buffalo-hunt/

[wraith locust]

I hope you don't add them, I really hate looking behind me every moment to avoid being shot down by a buffalo when I'm within their home range, they don't let you enjoy hunting other species

[tame basin]

Personally I find it thrilling to encounter an angry buffalo in the game, especially when I’m packing the 470 Nitro Express Rifle

[wraith locust]

From the view we have on the map of the Three Sisters of the Blue Mountains, we can deduce that the map is on the NWS coast, are there really Feral Buffaloes there?

[arctic lagoon]

also we have 3 aggressive animals on emerald. do we really need another?

[wraith locust]

I can't find more recent information
https://www.daf.qld.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0018/62640/IPA-Water-Buffalo-Risk-Assessment.pdf

[tame basin]

If we are going to be referencing how things actually are

Magpie Geese can only be hunted recreationally in the Northern Territory

And Stubble Quail are only hunted recreationally in 3 states

[wraith locust]

The geografic organization of the map is quite confusing in this sense, it seems that they only took the transitional biomes and placed the species that inhabit them

[wraith locust]

Maybe I'm wrong and the map is located in NWS/Victoria far from Queensland xD
https://www.gma.vic.gov.au/hunting/duck/wetland-closures-duck-season
https://www.gma.vic.gov.au/hunting/quail

[tame basin]

Unlikely

[wraith locust]

If not, then they are just Transitional Biomes together with the species that inhabit them without taking into account the geographic location of the biomes, something similar to Rancho del Arroyo..
I think that definition would be a little more logical.

Emerald Coast=Subtropica Outback + Transicional Subtropical Forest + Rainforest + Mangroves Forest

Rancho = Dry Forest of Sierra + Pine-Oak Forest + Arid Brushland + Sonoran Desert

[tame basin]

Explains a couple of the areas they have added over the years

[strong prism]

@wraith locust I actually like that approach. It opens up more possibilities to get more Species on a map. I know it's not for everyone but it does make a better game.

[tame basin]

It was sort of the logic I went with when putting together my Arctic Reserve initially

[strong prism]

@tame basin would this open the door to adding Stone sheep to this if you decided to in the south area of the map?
https://discord.com/channels/393040947006406657/1070045518002147458

[tame basin]

Unfortunately it does not

[strong prism]

@tame basin dang it lol. I tried 🤣

[void girder]

Well it's Australia for goodness sake, nearly everything is going to try to kill you there. Honestly, I'm surprised that we only have 3 aggressive species on the map currently, I would have expected more considering the reputation Australia has for being full of dangerous animals. Emerald Coast is clearly not for the people who are scared of anything dangerous. If there's already aggressive species on it, then it's safe to assume that some people play the map specifically because they enjoy hunting animals that can fight back. In that case, why not just lean into that?

[void girder]

I'm not an expert on Australian geography, but it seems that Banteng only live in the Northern Territory of Australia. If Emerald Coast actually is on the NSW coastline, then Banteng shouldn't be there, and yet they are there in the game.

So clearly they've already taken some creative liberties with the species list for Emerald Coast.

[wraith locust]

yes, everything seems to indicate that the transition ecoregions have been taken and the animals that inhabit them have been added

[void girder]

Yep. So my point is, if that's the case, there's really nothing stopping EW from backfilling the Water Buffalo to Emerald Coast. They've already taken similar creative liberties with other species that are already on the map.

[wraith locust]

The problem with having so many aggressive species on one map is that by the time you are in their habitat ranges you won't be able to hunt anything else, when an animal attacks you or you run or shoot it, both options scare away all nearby animals. .
You can't even stalk an animal of another species because by accident you get too close to an aggressive animal without seeing it and it will attack you, it's really annoying and you can't enjoy the other species

[tame basin]

And lets not forget the following creative liberties taken in the past

Collared Peccary on Parque (Patagonia)

Lesser Kudu and Eurasian Wigeon on Vurhonga (Southern Africa)

(Northern) White-tailed Deer & Rocky Mountain Bighorns on Rancho (Sonoran Desert)

[void girder]

I mean, I get what you're saying, but I feel like that wouldn't be a huge problem if they kept the Water Buffalo numbers relatively low on the map and kept their range across the map somewhat limited. We can just agree to disagree if you have a different opinion.

[tame basin]

I figured the buffalo would be slumming it with the crocodiles anyways, leaving most of the map rather open to those who wish to not deal with angry bovines

[wraith locust]

I hope that one day they will replace the Peccary with the Wild Boar, having a Peccary in Patagonia is like having a Polar Bear in Texas

[void girder]

Wild Boar would be really nice to see on Parque, I'd support that.

[void girder]

Yeah they'd probably live in the same areas as the Crocs, maybe some other areas as well but definitely not the whole map.

Again, they probably couldn't be super common on the map, but just having a second map to hunt Water Buffalo would be great

[rough talon]

Because Banteng only drink on the coast I think water buffalo could drink in the mangrove swamps and rivers and small lakes

[ionic moth]

If it a matter of game optimization and numbers of animals in the total population that prevented water buffalo from being added in the 1st place, I would happily vote for red deer being removed to make room for them. If they can both exist, then great, and the numbers need not be massive (50-100), but there should be buffalo at least. I was hoping there would have been a buffalo vs saltie multimount; that would have been absolutley epic.

[opal kite]

We already have banteng tho

[void girder]

so? Why can't they have both Banteng and Water Buffalo?

[opal kite]

Usually only one level nine on a map

[void girder]

Vurhonga has lions and cape buffalo, they're both class nine. Why should Emerald Coast be any different?

[opal kite]

Idrc tbh

Just have water buffalo drink on the other side of the map ig most likely not gonna happen anyways

[void girder]

that could work I suppose

[void girder]

So I went and visited that location on the map (it's actually within the playable area). It has a different name in the game, so I'm assuming that it's just meant to be based on the Three Sisters. If that's the case, then it means that it's probably just something that EW added to the map for visual interest, it's probably not indicative of the map's exact location.

New England Mountains has a few landmarks based on real locations in New England too. They're just there to make the map more interesting, they don't necessarily mean that the map is supposed to be located where those real places are located irl.

[wraith locust]

NEW is different, its description literally says that it is in the White Mountains of New Hampshire

[void girder]

I know that, I'm just pointing out the similarity between the two, I'm not saying that the two situations are exactly the same.

[vestal mango]

The only way I would be okay with buffalo being added to EC would be if their aggression got a serious nerf.

I don't like hyper-aggressive animals, I do not find them fun at all whatsoever, and that's exactly what both the water and the cape buffalo are.

[tame basin]

Well it makes a fair bit of sense with Cape Buffalo
they can be rather aggressive and have been known to attack lions preemptively
They are called the Widowmaker and Black Death for a reason

[ionic moth]

This is the case with SRP. There are real landmarks from Colorado on the map, but IRL they are not located anywhere near each other.

[ionic moth]

Aggression on water buffalo (and Capes for that matter) already has been seriously nerfed, to the point they are boring. No one wants them to be cows. On the plus side, they would likely be in similar areas as the crocs, so you could easily avoid them.

[tame basin]

I did notice the water buffalo were rather skittish the last time I hunted them

[ionic moth]

Yeah, they tend to run away, particularly if they detect you at a distance. I'm not saying they need to be so aggressive that one look at you and the entire herd comes, but they definitely don't need even more of a nerf to out them on ECA.

[void girder]

Whenever I manage to get my EC map fully unlocked and explored, I'll take a screenshot of it and highlight the areas where I think the Water Buffalo would fit in well.

As of right now, I haven't explored the map fully so I don't feel comfortable making judgements on that

[void girder]

From what I've seen so far though, they'd probably be found in all of the same areas where crocodiles can be found, and maybe a few other areas as well

[void girder]

I also think that European Rabbits would be a good addition to the Emerald Coast, and someone else already made a thread that covers that. Here it is:
#1120461638663950360 message

[ionic moth]

Could even have a few horn variations for the big boys.

[void girder]

Yes that would be so awesome

[rough talon]

Since banteng avoid the mangroves they could throw them in there,maybe give them bison drink time?

[sinful sparrow]

I think 12-15 is fine for water buffalo. We already have a lotta animals drinking at the same time on this map. The only change I’d make is so that crocs don’t scare banteng and water buffalo

In terms of home ranges, I’d want the water buffalo to occupy the mangroves, give the coast and northern river to Banteng and then nearby lakes for each one

Can’t believe there’s people that don’t want to see them added but oh well

[void girder]

I think the buffalo would mainly be in the mangroves but also at some surrounding lakes and parts of the river that are outside the mangroves. I'd like to see Banteng stay in the places where they already are. There could maybe be a little bit of overlap between the ranges of the Banteng and Water Buffalo, but not a whole lot.

[pliant inlet]

I’m pretty sure emerald coast is based mostly on queensland

[still nexus]

I had water buffalo in my first Aussie reserve post

[void girder]

Yeah I think it's probably meant to be located in Queensland.

[pliant inlet]

especially because of the rainforests

[pliant ginkgo]

It felt like a missed opportunity not having them on the map. Bring on the aggression!

[sinful sparrow]

Banteng aren’t nearly aggressive enough imo. Water buffalo would definitely be a good add

[brave ice]

I NEED THE FIRST PIC

[void girder]

Now that I think about it, that one looks a lot like some of the Water Buffalo in theHunter Classic

they get bigger in that game than they do in COTW, that's for sure

[brave ice]

Yuuup

[pliant inlet]

wait there’s water buffalo in classic?

[brave ice]

Ye

And banteng

[void girder]

yep, on Piccabeen Bay (which is basically Classic's version of Emerald Coast)

[pliant inlet]

knew there was banteng but didn’t know about water buffalo

[void girder]

Classic had Sambar Deer, Rusa Deer, Banteng and Magpie Geese on Piccabeen Bay long before those species were added to COTW

[pliant inlet]

I know, just never realized there were water buffalo

[void girder]

Water Buffalo are actually the only species from Piccabeen Bay that isn't currently on EC, which is really weird imo

[brave ice]

Yeah

It would be so cool If water buffalo swam in cotw like classic

[pliant inlet]

never really played piccabeen that much

[void girder]

A Water Buffalo remodel would be great alongside the addition of them on Emerald Coast.
#1132842706956206080 message

[torpid geyser]

The fact that they have Remi Warren connected with the game and he comes to Australia specifically to hunt Water Buffalo, it baffles me that they were not added. Get rid of the Red Deer. We have them on PLENTY of maps already. They ( water buffalo ) are not too aggressive. They have actually been toned down to what they used to be ( like the Cape Buffalo ). Still nasty, but only to the point that they are a challenge. Also, a rework of them and adding a GO would be a fantastic way to introduce them to the map. Remove Reddies, add the water buffalo. It's a no brainer.

[void girder]

I completely agree with you there, Red Deer are on plenty of other maps whereas Water Buffalo aren't. I'd really love to be able to hunt Water Buffalo on another map and EC would be the perfect map for it.

[magic quest]

Yeap, but they don't even have to remove red deer, the area on the map where they'll add water Buffalo population doesn't have much red deer anyways

[torpid geyser]

I guess it depends on the impact adding them without removing reddies will have on the game ( the way it runs etc )

[magic quest]

Yea, they can reduce red deer population a little bit, at least remove any remaining drink zones from the areas that are gonna have Water Buffalos

And I think they can have few more animals added to Emerald Coast without removing any, heck Revontuli Coast runs on 19 animals without problem

[void girder]

Yeah I think EC has enough space for one more species. They could keep the Water Buffalo populations relatively low so that there would only be a few herds in a small number of areas. They'd obviously drink in the mangrove swamps and some other nearby water sources but I think they would also feed and rest outside the swamps in some surrounding areas, which would allow players to hunt the buffalo outside the dense swamp areas in some more open areas as well.

[rough talon]

I think this would be the perfect water buffalo range.

[magic quest]

Yeap, but I also would've liked to see them in southeastern jungle

[rough talon]

That’s just drinkzones,I could do a whole range map.

[magic quest]

Gotcha, I don't think they need to have drink zones on the western side of the river tho

[rough talon]

There isn’t much happening on that side of the river,there aren’t even any crocs,I think it would bring life to that area.

[magic quest]

I see what you did there, leave the Northeastern coastal fields to Bantengs

[void girder]

Thanks for making such detailed maps! If the buffalo home ranges would be like this in the game, then EC would be both a fun and challenging map for hunting them.

[void girder]

bump. Let's get Water Buffalo added to Emerald Coast this year!

[torpid geyser]

I'm sure they've seen the feedback and will try to sort something out. WB on EC is a possibility due to the IRL hunting done here

[void girder]

Based on the mention of it in the recent survey, it seems like the devs are still interested in backfilling animals to existing maps. I hope that they've seen this suggestion and are considering it.

[frozen siren]

I’ve Been Advocating For The Backfilling Of Water Buffalo Since We Found Out The EC Species List. I’m Hoping With The Next Backfill (Whenever That May Be) They Get Around To Adding Them.

[stone pine]

And european rabbit!!

[void girder]

yes, very true!

https://discord.com/channels/393040947006406657/1120461638663950360

[hot marsh]

I also would love dingos, some upland birds and oceanic waterfowl so much for EC just 1 or 2 new upland birds, water buffalo, dingo and maybe paradise shelleucks, Pacific blackducks and Australian shovelers would bring life to the sky then it would be the perfect the hunter map

[torpid geyser]

Dingoes are a threatened species and are protected. You can't kill them without authorisation.

[hot marsh]

Same goes for Crocs, and they are areas where they are a problem.

[torpid geyser]

I'd rather shoot a croc than a dingo.

[hot marsh]

That's you po

[torpid geyser]

Po?

[frozen siren]

You Can Kill Them On Private Land, Though, So It Should Be Legal Considering That EC Is All Private Land.

[glacial skiff]

^

[hot marsh]

Personal opinion, I don't want elephants but they're legal and many people want them so Im ok with them getting in the map

[torpid geyser]

I think anyone is going to have an issue with any animal in hunting games that has a personal feeling about it. I’m a huuuuuge dog person, so that’s why I’d rather shoot a croc over a dingo. But I got used to killing lions. My absolute limit is monkeys. I couldn’t kill monkeys. But back to EC, I totally forgot it’s private land. LOL.

[frozen siren]

I Think That The Only Reason EW Could/Should Add Monkeys Would Be If They’re A Pest Species In That Location, Like Rhesus Macaques, Vervet Monkeys, And Squirrel Monkeys In Florida, Baboons In Almost Everywhere In Africa, Or Snow Monkeys (To A Limited Extent) In Japan. I Wouldn’t Be Opposed If The Monkey Species Is A Pest, But If It’s Not There’s No Reason To Add Them. Now With EC, I Think A Few More Species They Could Add Could Be Feral Horses, Scrub Bulls, Feral Camels, And Maybe Feral Cats Although They’re Controversial.

[torpid geyser]

Some good points there.

[frozen siren]

The Only Reason I Think That “Controversial” Species Like Cats Or Monkeys Should Be Added Would Be If They’re Pests.

[torpid geyser]

I'm sure I'd be able to get around it. It's an emotional mentality for people ( me included ). I have to get myself in the mindset that it's a game, no animals are being killed/hurt etc. I mean....I KNOW it's a game, only pixels die, but certain animals are harder to kill. But I get over it in time.

[void girder]

In my opinion, if they were to add Water Buffalo and at least one other big game species (I'd like to see Feral Camels personally but Scrub Bulls would be awesome too), EC would probably become my favorite map in the game by far.

[magic quest]

EC is already one of my favorite but it would become better if they added water buffalo and emus as another bird species

[hot marsh]

I need more water and upland fowl and buffalo/bush bulld

[brave ice]

Yup

[void girder]

I think I'll do some research into what waterfowl live in Australia. If I find any that would fit well on EC, I'll add them to #1093270680038027294

[hot marsh]

I would think about Pacific black ducks, paradise shelducks and Australian shovelers.

It would also be nice if you would add more species for Quatro and hirsch

[void girder]

I'll definitely look into that.

[void girder]

In my opinion, if we're only going to get a few more species on EC, I think the Water Buffalo and European Rabbit would be the perfect duo. You'd get one of the biggest invasive species in Australia, along with one of the smallest (but most widespread) ones. We have so many medium/big game animals on this map (deer, feral pigs/goats, kangaroos and such), but we have a noticeable lack of tiny animals and huge ones, with both of those categories only having one or two species. Couple that together with the fact that both the rabbit and the buffalo are already in the game (so EW wouldn't need to spend tons of time modeling new species) and neither are on very many maps, and I think you have the perfect two species for backfilling on Emerald Coast.

Luckily someone else already made a thread for European Rabbits, so if you agree with me, go show that post some support!
#1120461638663950360 message

[magic quest]

Talking of Water Buffalo ...
(Not my trophy btw)

[hot marsh]

I've seen something like this on yt how rare are they, is it worth grinding

[lucid iron]

They already talked about this plenty of times when emerald coast released:
They wanted to include them, but didnt have the time to fogure out a balanced distribution for them on the map, so theyll come in a future backfill.

They said its not guaranteed to happen, but its very likely.

[void girder]

I figure that there's nothing wrong with letting EW know how much we want them.

[magic quest]

I think it's as rare as a super rare, but I would love to have one

[hushed umbra]

There are cape buffalo in Vurhonga, which is essentially the same animal, and Emerald coast already has Banteng.
Don't need a buffalo running you through in front while a saltie is eating your foot from behind.

[rough talon]

They aren’t even close to the same animal,plus they wouldn’t even live with crocs within 90% of their range as I demonstrated.

[rough talon]

☝️

[brave ice]

My friend cape buffalo are nothing like water buffalo at all in any way that's like saying moose and rme are the same

[hushed umbra]

In real life they are different animals. In the game they are virtually identical - appearance wise, stat wise, behavior wise and hunt wise. They even have the same need zone times. Get serious, we're talking about a game experience, not an actual Big game hunt.

IDC if they put them on more maps or not, but don't try to float your superior attitude with me.

[stone pine]

? They were not at all being aggressive?

[frozen siren]

Water Buffalo Don’t Look Anything Like Cape Buffalo AND Their Drink Times Are Different. Their Stats And Behaviors Are Somewhat Similar Since They’re Both Strong And Powerful Animals. There’s No Need To Act As If The People Who Were Simply Correcting You Were Being Aggressive, As They Were Respectfully Correcting You.

[void girder]

Sounds to me like you're the one trying to float a superior attitude, not the other way around.

[hot marsh]

Put both against each other ans you'll see that the horn shape is completely different and that capes are more bulky while waters have a thinner head shape also the fur texture is different.

[hushed umbra]

https://thehuntercotw.fandom.com/wiki/Cape_Buffalo
https://thehuntercotw.fandom.com/wiki/Water_Buffalo
WIKI and the COTW app both have the exact same need times.

I already sad IDC if they backfill them, where ever. T hey act the same and I hunt them just the same way, shoot the same kill spot. It's a freaking game and the critters aren't real, yet ya'll want to drag me for some digital animal. Sheesh. Take it a bit too serious why don't you?

[hot marsh]

You hunt quails and pheasants the same way are they're the same animal, nope.

[torpid geyser]

Please keep it to why you want WB added to EC and no more taking shots at each other. Let's keep it positive.

[hushed umbra]

Actually, no I don't hunt quail and pheasants the same. Quail flush far easier than pheasant. I had to almost literally step on a pheasant today to get it to fly. Quail may need a run at them, but they don't try to run away on the ground like a pheasant, they fly when you're close.

Look if you want to ask for water buffalo, go ahead. I don't think Australia needs more species, but I honestly don't care what they backfill anywhere. I'll hunt them. But quit trying to shame me for stating a simple fact. Like the need zones for water and Cape being the same ... I was told I was wrong, but I showed where I got my info, and no one has bothered to admit I was right, or prove they were wrong. I'm done trying to talk sense to the lot of you.

[tame basin]

Stat wise a Max Weight Water Buffalo outweighs a Max Weight Cape Buffalo by 300kgs (And even the Plains Bison outweighs a Cape by 250kgs) and sure they share Need Zone times, but another few animals that have similar need zone times with each other include: Black Bear and Eurasian Brown Bear share the same drink, feed and rest times. Red Fox and Grey Fox also share the same need zone times and another example are the aforementioned Plains Bison and the Banteng.

Between the map provided by ayoliam and their seperate need zone times, I could see the Water Buffalo fit nicely alongside the Banteng and referrencing a hotspot map by ProXCK there would be spots on ayoliam's map where you can hunt water buffalo without being sent to the nearest lodge or tent by the world's largest crocodilian

In summary: Water Buffalo and Banteng could both fit on Emerald Coast with little issue

[void girder]

bumping this one back up

[tame basin]

Its a good idea still

[void girder]

Here's the original post so that people don't have to scroll as much to see my original thoughts in this thread.

[severe girder]

Wouldn’t mind some blackbuck also

[rough talon]

I’m not too sure but I believe Blackbuck were extirpated from Australia fairly recently.

[frozen siren]

They Can Still Be Found In Some Places, Just Not Queensland. They’re Mostly In WA And NT.

[serene heath]

In that case, we can save Blackbuck for a future WA map

[frozen siren]

Agreed. I Think They’d Fit Nice On A More Arid Aussie Map (Maybe The Opposite Of EC, There’s A Lot Of Desert And A Little Forest).

[wild nimbus]

All the more reason for a second (potentially 3rd) Aussie map

[void girder]

Yeah another Australian map has a lot of potential tbh

[wild nimbus]

Africa could do like 3 more i think, Aus has two i'd love to see

the ones from classic spring to mind

[void girder]

150 upvotes, that's awesome! I think it's safe to say that EW must have seen this suggestion by this point. Let's hope we get this backfill with the next major update!

[frozen siren]

Australia Could Easily Have 3 Maps. There Could Be A Northern Australian Map, With Many Species From EC But Also A Few Newer Ones. There Could Also Be A Western/Central Australia Map, With The Red Desert.

[severe girder]

Red kangaroos dingos emu feral camels

[void girder]

yep

[tame basin]

There could also be a map set in Southern Australia too

[frozen siren]

True, But I Feel Like It Would Be Fairly Similar To The Rest

[void girder]

yeah I have to agree. Personally I think the perfect counterpart to EC would be a proper desert outback map, sort of like Bushrangers Run in Classic.

[tame basin]

I did start drawing the map for my Southern Australian Reserve
And lets say Bushrangers Run takes up between 1/4 and 1/2 of the map

I want to have a map drawn out before posting the reserve concept this time

All I can say is it will have Dingos on it

[void girder]

Nice, I'm excited to see what that will be like!

[wild nimbus]

hopefully this come with an update that has bigger rifles, something in the .375/.416 class

[void girder]

That would be cool

[wild nimbus]

I'd rather have more options to deal with charging buffalo than most other weapons honestly,

[terse meadow]

https://discord.com/channels/393040947006406657/1210719698166087760 In this forum, I have explained why the type of water buffalo in Parque Fernando should be changed to River Water Buffalo, and furthermore, I suggested adding the "Swamp" type water buffalo in Emerald Coast.

[void girder]

great point!

[terse meadow]

I agree

[magic quest]

I can guarantee that they're not gonna put their time and resources on changing a type of one specie on a 2018 map 💀

[hot marsh]

Unfortunately I believe the same, the old maps really need love but ew doesn't really like giving that love. 😞

[frozen siren]

I’d Bet That After The Game Has Stopped Putting Out Maps, They’ll Go Back And Fix The Old Maps, Similar To What Classic Did

[hot marsh]

I hope that this game gets many more maps for many years to come...

[frozen siren]

It’s Likely It Will, But Classic Only Put Out Maps For 7 Years (2009 - 2016). Cotw Might Put Them Out For 10 Years Or So (Maybe 2017 - 2027 Is A Good Estimate).

[hot marsh]

If they continue with the one map a year policy that would be horrible because it would mean for only 3 more maps to come out

[frozen siren]

I Feel Like The Only Reason They’re Putting Out 1 Map This Year Is Because Of How Much Effort The Dog Took. People Kept Complaining About The Lack Of Labradors, So They Added Them, And There Was No Map In December In Return.

[hot marsh]

I hope so, if you ask me that's a horrible deal but if the make more maps in the future I'm happy

[magic quest]

Emerald Coast is 14th map, they'll probably end at 20

[hot marsh]

As long as they make money and have a loving community

[rough talon]

I think they could wrap up the rest of the world quite nicely.

[magic quest]

I am thanking ... we have Banteng in the fields on Emerald Coast, shouldn't Water Buffalos be more in the Jungles? Like they are in Classic

[wild nimbus]

Would not mind a second Aus map, EC is my favorite map by far, and a true swamp map with more croc zones and water buffalo would be really nice too.

But would it be wrong to request that Emu get added to the southern side of EC and WB to the north in the thicker woodland?

[hot marsh]

WB?

[wild nimbus]

water buffalo. . .

[hot marsh]

Sorry didn't know that

[wild nimbus]

Also, Camels would add some bigger game in the deserty bit of EC

[rough talon]

Camels have been pretty much exterminated from Queensland though…

[hot marsh]

Hog deer too

It would be fun if they'd turn aggressive the first camel in Australia, Harry the camel actually killed multiple people and was sentenced to death by firing squad

[rough talon]

I definitely would’ve preferred a Western Australia map.

[hot marsh]

I like emerald coast but they'res many cool ausie ducks that they missed out on

[magic quest]

Add those too

[hot marsh]

What do you mean with add, I can post the species I missed that are native to Queensland here. They might not be legal or only with special licenses but the same goes for the magpie goose

Radjah Shelduck (coast, goes up too 200m inland from sea)

Pink eared duck/pink eared shoveler (entire map besides mangroves and coast)

Cotton pygmy goose
(All areas but the outback)

Chestnut teal (map wide besides coast, deep done deep djungler lakes, mangroves and coast)

Hardhead (3-4 bigger lakes, mangroves and the river net)

Plumed whistling duck (outback)

@zareh.b.g. offcourse they can't make all of them but some would be great I will make the same for some other maps needing waterfowl

[magic quest]

I just wouldn't mind if all the maps had almost 20 species, could even be better

[hot marsh]

Yeah

[umbral creek]

Bump

[rough talon]

Someone needs to fire their taxidermist😂😂😂

[wild nimbus]

Water Buffalo are getting a makeover, what better time to give them even more new territory

[stone pine]

So true

Who knows, maybe during the next backfill update tahr may be added to te awaora, water buffalo to emerald coast, and sambar to sundarpatan

[cloud granite]

The outback of emerald trollst needs water Buffalo. So boring to hunt seeing some Roos, twenty thousand feral goats and a couple foxes here and there

[stray beacon]

This is a really good idea, because the fact that there are jungles and crocodiles on the map means we are in the northern part of australia, which is where the water buffalo live.

[void girder]

yes

[void girder]

Now that we have the new Water Buffalo remodel, I'm really hoping that we'll see them get backfilled to EC at some point

[hot marsh]

I believe somewhere in the next 12 months I'm the same update as the tahr backfill

[void girder]

I'm still hoping for an EC Water Buffalo backfill at some point

[void girder]

It's sort of funny how this has happened now and yet we never got a buffalo backfill on EC (not yet anyway)

[hot marsh]

One day

[void girder]

one can hope so

[void girder]

maybe we can finally get Tahr on Te Awaroa and Water Buffalo on Emerald Coast later this year. That would be a game changer for those two maps.

[void girder]

Now that we're finally getting Himalayan Tahr on Te Awaroa, there's a chance that we can get Water Buffalo on Emerald Coast too, eventually.

[smoky scaffold]

Bros predicting was correct 😭 🙏

[trim radish]

More backfills in General

[smoky scaffold]

Fr, like sambar to sundapatern and MANY more

[void girder]

The Himalayan Tahr on Te Awaroa go a long way toward making that map feel more complete. I think Water Buffalo would do the same thing for Emerald Coast.

[void girder]

we have over 250 upvotes! Thanks everybody.

[rare juniper]

Still waiting for the day that the water buffalo gets added to emerald coast

[terse meadow]

Emerald Coast: Feral Swamp Water Buffalo
Sundapartan: Asian Wild Water Buffalo
Parque Fernando: Feral River Water Buffalo

[void girder]

that type of subspecies/subtype differentiation would be great and very realistic, but considering that they've never made a distinction between different subspecies of Moose, Whitetail Deer, Red Deer, etc I'm not too concerned about whether they will do that with Water Buffalo.

[terse meadow]

Some species yes, for example: Mexican Bobcat and Bobcat from New England.

[void girder]

that's fair, but Mexican Bobcats were also referred to that way ever since they were first added to the game, and the ordinary Bobcat was added later with New England Mountains. So that's sort of a special case.

[terse meadow]

I understand you

[terse meadow]

I just wanted to leave this note

[void girder]

honestly EW has been really inconsistent with the way they classify animals in the game from the very beginning.

[void girder]

yeah I totally get that, and I completely understand why you posted it here. I'd love to see EW create a proper distinction between different types of buffaloes in the game too, but it's not something I see as being essential with the way that the game is currently.

[terse meadow]

The banteng in Emerald Coast belongs to the Java banteng subspecies (Bos javanicus javanicus).

[void girder]

I always wondered why they gave us Banteng on this map but no Water Buffalo, when Water Buffalo are far more widespread in Australia. I think that was a bit of a mistake.

I think a Water Buffalo backfill would make a lot of sense just because of that alone

[smoky scaffold]

YEAAAAHHHH

[smoky scaffold]

Yes big mistake

[void girder]

If water buffalo get added to EC, then I can imagine the buffalo being found further inland and in the swampy areas, while Banteng stay closer to the open coastline. That seems like a good way to differentiate them.

[rough talon]

(For old times sake)

[tame basin]

If I recall correctly one of the missions on Sundarpatan implies that the buffalo have a number of hybrids between wild (Bubalus arnee) and domestic buffalo (Bubalius bubalus), which is considered a major threat to the wild buffalo and given how much of a problem that is I doubt many of the water buffalo on Sundarpatan are true wild buffalo but either feral swamp buffalo or hybrids

[tame basin]

This is my take on how the water buffalo could be made distinctive by map (Including Emerald Coast)

• Parque Fernando: Mediterranean Buffalo: This appears to be the river buffalo that occur as game animals in Argentina
• Emerald Coast: Australian Swamp Buffalo, which mainly live near the mangroves but do appear in the jungle areas of Emerald Coast
• Sundarpatan: Feral Water Buffalo: These are simply feral swamp type buffalo that found there way into the wild, the ones on Sundarpatan have very likely hybridized with Wild Buffalo (Bubalus arnee)

[smoky scaffold]

If they were called Australian buffalo I would go insane 😭 😭 (no offence just my opinion) I like how @terse meadow did his it made more sence (my opinion once again sorry if this sounds rude)

[tame basin]

That is fair, when it comes to all the known domestic water buffalo breeds that is what the Australian Water Buffalo are referred to, though I will be editing my version to refer to Australian Buffalo as either “Australian Water Buffalo” or “Australian Swamp Buffalo”

I do think at the same time sticking with just Water Buffalo for Parque, Sundarpatan and Emerald when they get added to that map

[smoky scaffold]

I personally like feral swamp water buffalo the most

[terse meadow]

Recommended Terminology for classifying Water Buffalo. Source: CITES

[terse meadow]

A brief history of the Banteng in Australia. From the article: Conservation Value of Non-Native Banteng in Northern Australia by COREY J. A. BRADSHAW.

[humble willow]

I’m new to the post; I haven’t read the comments but I did the description. EC is located on the eastern coast of Queensland I believe, but it seems like the Australian water buffalo range is compacted to a small area in the Northern Territory and northern Queensland. Maybe they could somehow be integrated into the map? I’m not wanting to be asking for range distribution in iffy ways - I just want dall sheep and muskox.

[void girder]

I mean the map also has Banteng, which have an even smaller range in Australia, so I don't think their irl range really matters that much in this case.

[humble willow]

Yes, right. Hey, I love water buffaloes, so sure.

[terse meadow]

Mediterranean” is the breed name, and “River” is the subspecies name.

Australian Swamp Buffalo? It doesn’t really make sense, in my opinion, because feral populations of water buffalo have been established in Tunisia, Sri Lanka, Australia, and New Guinea.

There is still a population of wild water buffalo in the Koshi Tappu Wildlife Reserve (Nepal), a Ramsar Site that spans three districts. There are at least 200 individuals.
There are also other, more wild-leaning populations in various countries, despite the ongoing debate about their genetic integrity.

Distinguishing hybrids and domestic forms from truly wild individuals is difficult — it typically requires a combination of morphometric and genetic data, along with behavioral and morphological characteristics.

Yes, hybridisation is the major potential threat to wild water buffalo, but there are important factors to consider:
Domestic bulls cannot dominate wild bulls and have virtually no chance of crossbreeding with wild females. Hybrid and domestic females, however, are likely to breed with wild bulls.

There is a high degree of segregation between domestic and wild herds — this has been observed in Nepal.

Domestic buffalo are too valuable to be easily allowed to become feral.
In fact, crossbreeding with wild bulls is often encouraged and seen as economically beneficial, as farmers allow their domestic female buffalo to roam into forested areas to mate with wild bulls.

As for me, I don’t mind if there are supposedly hybrid buffalo in the Sundarpatan, due to the reasons mentioned above and for the missions. From that point on, actions like culling hybrid buffalo or removing escaped domestic females might be justified if the goal is to preserve the pure genetic lineage of the wild water buffalo.

[void girder]

yeah in my opinion the subspecies names aren't that important for Water Buffalo, because there's a lot of interbreeding that makes things more complicated, and determining exactly what subspecies is in a specific region can be pretty difficult to do. Personally I think there are other species that need a subspecies distinction much more, like Bighorn Sheep or Moose.

[tame basin]

Agreed, we could of had Desert Bighorn Sheep, Coue’s Deer, Alaskan Moose, European Moose and Desert Mule Deer to name a few

[rare juniper]

Give me my water buffalo in emerald coast

[smoky scaffold]

pls

[terse meadow]

I wrote a post about the water buffalo in Parque Fernando.
https://discord.com/channels/393040947006406657/1210719698166087760

[void girder]

Bump

[void girder]

There's an estimated 200,000 feral Water Buffaloes in Australia, I feel like they deserve to be included on Emerald Coast.

[river blaze]

Yes they needa be added

There even on a big farm down south that you gotta pay to hunt on

[limpid fern]

Where is it?

[river blaze]

Near Kingston SA

[hot marsh]

Down south

[river blaze]

Pretty much down in South Australia the person that owns the deer farms owns a farm with water buffalo and then another with a small number of rocky elk

[smoky scaffold]

In Victoria there’s a deer farm and they have, Elk, Red, Sika and Fallow.

[river blaze]

Ye

[void girder]

Hopefully we can get this backfill eventually...

[trim radish]

maybe they will do it like with the tahr, a backfill in between. maybe even in the fall update ? who knows ...

[limpid fern]

Also in nsw

[smoky scaffold]

Where at?

[limpid fern]

idk

[smoky scaffold]

k

[humble willow]

New South Wales?

IKOG you are an Aussie are you not? Unless it stands for North South West, meaning it's probably somewhere in Japan or Cuba or somewhere around there.

[smoky scaffold]

I’m Australian, NSW stands for New South Wales.

[void girder]

come on EW, give us Water Buffalo on Emerald Coast

[river blaze]

And dingos

[void girder]

🇦🇺 🐃

[lost sparrow]

If this is gonna happen i hope for more skin variations on the water buffalo, there’s only 2 rares rn

And idk about you guys but i’ve gotten so many diamonds and i’ve barely even hunted them

[stone pine]

Real

[tardy burrow]

this would be cool but i think the banteng is alreay the big bull type animal on the map

[lost sparrow]

Can always be more, banteg aren’t aggresive like water buffalo is

[tardy burrow]

true

[mental rock]

Water buffalo

[void girder]

thanks for 300 upvotes!

[void girder]

Water Buffalo are one of the most sought-after species in Australia, they deserve to be included on Emerald Coast

[lost sparrow]

Yes but do they have more skins than just albino and orange? If we’re gonna get more of them we need more skins because they are so easy to kill and there’s so many of them so to get skins ain’t that hard

[void girder]

idk what rare fur variations exist for Water Buffalo irl so I'm not really sure, but yeah I think a couple more rare fur types would be really nice too

well after a quick google search, it looks like piebald Water Buffalo exist irl, so that could be a new fur type for them

[void girder]

they have them in theHunter Classic apparently too, I didn't even know that

Image credit: ronMctube

[lost sparrow]

That thing looks sick, well hopefully the piebald variants vary a bunch, for example if you google piebald moose you’ll see so many different variations on it

[void girder]

Emerald Coast could really use another species to make the animal roster feel more complete. The Water Buffalo is the perfect species for that.