Okavango River Reserve (Eland,NILE CROCS AND GREATER KUDU)

[modern heart]

Welcome to to Botswana! The Final Hurdle for the hunter.In the scorching heat,it beats down on the traveling Wildebeest and various Antelope, the Mighty Lion patrols it’s kingdom and the stalks while the Spotted Hyena stalks its next meal under the cover of darkness,laughing,tormenting its prey like a poltergeist,The Nile Crocodile Stalks from beneath in the cover of the murky depths ready to strike.

New Species
•Harlequin Quail -Class 1
•Helmeted Gunieafowl-Class 1
•Bat Eared Fox-Class 2
•Aardwolf-Class 2
•Common Duiker-Class 2
•Chacma Baboon-Class 3
•Impala-Class 4
•Honey Badger-Class 5
•Spotted Hyena-Class 5
•Black Wildebeest-Class 6
•Plains Zebra-Class 6
•Greater Kudu-Class 6
•Waterbuck-Class 6
•African Leopard-Class 7
•Nile Crocodile-Class 7
•Common Eland-Class 8
•Sable-Class 8
•Roan-Class 8
•Hippopotamus-Class 9 (maybe 10)

Returning Species
•Lion
•Cape Buffalo (Bumped to class 10)
•Blue Wildebeest
•Springbok

Questionable species??? (I need opinions)
•African Elephants?-Class 10
•Ostrich-Class 6
•Bushpig-Class 4/5
•African Bullfrog-Class 0? Maybe 1

New Weapons
The beautiful .416 Rigby

[thorn wyvern]

This map is begging for a proper rifle to match, say a .416 Professional, the go to weapon for hunters and guides stalking dangerous game like the Widowmaker and river horse

[modern heart]

Absolutely.I was also thinking 7mm-08, .416 would be a perfect mission weapon because then it could go into detail the history behind African Big Game Hunting.

[native viper]

Probably won’t be it the game but it is legal to hunt elephants there https://www.grahamsalessafaris.com/elephant-hunting-botswana/

[modern heart]

Could be a mission,I mean Elephants are becoming overpopulated in places,there’s also old bulls fighting younger males that can breed.

[native viper]

Botswana does have 130,000 elephants https://www.awf.org/country/botswana

[modern heart]

Oof,native plant life!

[modern heart]

Could be like a Hirsh Euro Bison Situation!

[native viper]

Maybe

[native viper]

Imagine how much they eat

[thorn wyvern]

This might be another option a falling block single shot, popular as light weight low recoil rifles they call Stalking Rifles in England. They'd usually be chambered in light calibers like 7mm-08 or .270, sometimes even lighter calibers
.270/7mm 08 would do best 3-7
6mm (Remington's) would be roughly equal to a .243, just with a little more thump thanks to a longer case

[half vortex]

If anything Botswana would be perfect for introducing Elephant

[modern heart]

Right! The conditions are just right!

[modern heart]

I would also really like to see African Bullfrogs,whether they are A.I animals like the gulls of Layton or one of the smallest animals ingame.I’d love a mission where we have to plink them with a .22

[thorn wyvern]

I'm actually kinda excited to see the black wildebeest in game, much more interesting than the blue ones.

[modern heart]

I absolutely love their horns,since I bought Cotw inbetween Mississippi and Rev,and wasn’t very active when it came to CC and Companion apps,let me tell you I was a little disappointed when I bought vurhonga,and Black Wildebeest were nowhere in sight hahaha!

[thorn wyvern]

Honestly, the lack of impalas on vurhonga got me, they're iconic African Safari animals to me
doesn't help that i keep hearing they're the official camp meat in most places

[modern heart]

That too! The lack zebras,their sounds are so iconic was also oh so disappointing.

[thorn wyvern]

I gotta admit, I don't see how they made an African map without them
It's not like vurhonga is bad (until ducks ffs), but the animals were weird choices lesser kudu is unusual, the sheer number of gemsbok is annoying, and there's so much small game aside from rabbits and jackals

[modern heart]

And that is why I think they should do a map with smaller animals and have all of the big 5 on one map at the end of the life cycle.I mean half of these would use the same animations,Tikamoon plains is the perfect example of what vurhonga should’ve been.

While they don’t have the overall look of the animals just yet the species roster is nearly perfect missing only a few animals.

[thorn wyvern]

I mean, yeah elephants would be cool but they ARE NOT WORTH THE LITERAL HUNDRED OTHER SPECIES AFRICA HAS

[modern heart]

Honestly.if they change their stance on elephants awesome if we got more variety instead of elephants awesome dare I say even better. Also…Blesbok on Vurhonga.

[thorn wyvern]

blesbok, haretbeest (all of 'em), sable, impala, gazelles( bunch of them too), baboons, nyala, Greater kudu, Greater eland, common eland, zebra, waterbuck, lechwe, leopard, red river hogs, giant forest hogs, duiker, blue duiker, suni, klipspringers.. . . pont is there's a friggin long list of animals that are hunted in Africa aside from the big five. Sure, buffalo and lion are fine to add, but if i'm honest I don't really care about elephants, giraffes or rhinos,

I do want hippos and a dedicated 8-9 rifle in a classic style
other than that? gimme plains game maps

[modern heart]

Absolutely.The fact that they want to save a continent capable of holding 4 maybe even 5 more maps for last infuriates me.

[half vortex]

A dedicated Plains Game map is why I put together my Eastern Cape Reserve ages ago (https://discord.com/channels/393040947006406657/1089731563308204153)

Other potential locations for Plain Game Focused Reserves include
• Uganda: Lots of unique antelope like Sitatunga and Kob, can also add Cape Buffalo here
• Liberia: Forest Duikers, Bushbuck, Small Cats and more, lots of Jungle with some clearcuts and roads
• Namibia: https://discord.com/channels/393040947006406657/1070108417819156631 (despite having 2 big cats it is very much a Plains Game reserve)

[modern heart]

How could I forget about Uganda!

I’m thinking the layout would be desert in the south to replicate the Kalahari,central would be very similar to vurhonga and the rest would be a wide delta

[modern heart]

With the addition of hyena I think it would be much more fun if the nights were a bit darker especially on this map.

[thorn wyvern]

it feels like an absolute waste to make Africa 2 the last map, its so much wasted potential on a literal continent of game and hunting traditions that go back hundreds of years

[dire vigil]

There could be way more than 2 africa maps lol

[pastel remnant]

If Cape Buffalo gets Buffed to class 10, then i think that the .470 should be made into a Class 9-10 or a Class 10 only. It is used to hunt Elephants irl so i mean ye.

[modern heart]

Yup.

[modern heart]

Opinions on the Questionable species?

[half vortex]

Giant Forest Hogs don’t live anywhere near Botswana

[modern heart]

Ah,I was thinking of the bushpig,I apologize.

[half vortex]

Fair enough

[frail folio]

Honey Badgers being Class 5 animals? I thought they would be at least Class 2 or even 3 but if this is in reference to how tough these bastards can be then i can see a higher class rating.

Ostrich would be a cool species to hunt, and i think for the largest bird on the planet Class 6 would fit them also they could be like Kangaroo levels of aggressive especially the males, a kick from them could kill a Lion.

[modern heart]

That is indeed what it is referencing!

[modern heart]

Sounds good!

[pastel remnant]

Bull frogs doesnt seem like it would work good. Elephants and Ostrich sounds sick tho.

[modern heart]

I think Bullfrog would work much like Quail,Rabbits,Alligators you’ve got to plink them before they run.

[pastel remnant]

So a mix of Quail of Gators could work. Would you get a penalty like the quail for shooting them in water then?

[modern heart]

That would be for the devs to decide but I’m thinking before they submerge

[pastel remnant]

Ye thats what i meant, it would prob be like instantly tough right? Considering that they would sit close in the water. And i think Class 1 is prob enough, doesnt really matter which one. Could be cool to get another class 'symbol' thingy. (i.e it says Class 0 and then in the corner a small picture of a frog)

[modern heart]

Yes! I’d also want to see the Quail and the smaller Rabbits join the Frogs in Class 0 as well!

[pastel remnant]

Quails look too small to be class 1. If we could get Class 10 we should get class 0 with Frogs and Quail.

Could also make people use the .22 Pistol more. Frogs wouldnt really spook easily right? Doesnt really matter anyway, you can sit from 75m with a handgun telescopic sight, but the holographic sights could also b cool

[harsh sage]

class 0.5 should be a thing instead of just going class 0 lol

[modern heart]

Class 0 rolls off the tongue much better imo.

And I think class 0.5 is way is way less than something compared an animal in class 1.5 Turkey,Larger Rabbits,Raccoons.

[modern heart]

Bump

[modern heart]

Bump

[terse wave]

harlequin quail
instant upvote

[modern heart]

They are so beautiful!

[terse wave]

fr

[harsh sage]

there'll probably be more photos taken than kills on harlequin quails

[terse wave]

leopard too probably

also do people even hunt african bullfrogs via gun lol?? thought they'd just yoink the mfs

[river gate]

Maybe for the extremely big animals like the elephant and or giraffes and stuff, add like a licence so you can't hunt too much of them. Because you want them to be out there like a lot, but not like Buffalo, where you can just kill the entire herd with no consequence. Or make hunting pressure for elephants only map/ area related, that when you kill like more than 10 on your map they leave for some time, making you more conscious about shooting them.

[terse wave]

i will say, as much as leopard in class 7 makes sense, it probably should be bumped down to 5.
mountain lions/pumas are similarly sized to a leopard and yet are class 5 in the game if i recall correctly.

[terse wave]

also they arent much bigger than a hyena (photos coming soon)

Anyways heres a cool little multimount i found. would love for it to be in the game. leopards and hyenas are actually my top 2 fave african animals and for them to be in the same mount would be freakin incredible

[wide fern]

I put leopards at 7 because if just how efficient and stealthily deadly they are,for the same reasons lions are 9.

[lapis hill]

definitely elephants

[fleet ermine]

We need this,,, nice work!!!! An like a lot of ppl 416 Rigby would be nice for Botswana, I hope this gets a lot of likes

[modern heart]

Bigger???

[half vortex]

No its not

The average Nile Crocodile is between 11 and 17 feet long (3.5 to 5 meters) and weigh between 225 and 750 kgs (500 to 1650 pounds)

The largest Nile Crocodiles that was accurately measured out was 21 feet & 2 inches (6.45 meters) and weighed 2400 pounds (1089 kgs)

The average saltwater crocodile can be between 11 and 20 feet, depending on habitat and weigh up to 1000 kgs

The largest accepted maximum length for saltwater crocodiles is 23 feet/7 meters

The largest saltwater crocodile in recent history, Lolong, was almost 1100 kgs

[modern heart]

Yeah,thought so.

[modern heart]

Nile Crocs being 7 isn’t half as bad as Salties being 7,salties should be 8/9 max.

[terse wave]

bump

[river gate]

I think both should the same class 7 or 8 due to their anatomy (definitely same class if black bears and grisly are in the same category), they are not that gun resistant. And a male salty averaging 404-770 and bigger males going to 1000 and male Niles going from 250 to 750 having very similar average.

[modern heart]

That’s the thing.Black Bears and Grizzlies shouldn’t be in the same class,Salties should be pretty damn bulletproof.

[river gate]

Yeah, I agree on that but to be honest they then should make more classes and I think for gameplayisability it doesn't matter much if it is class 7 or 8. Most guns in that range are 7,8,9 and if they make the individual more resistant than the other but same class should be fine. I'm now just looking at it gameplay wise.

[modern heart]

Ive been saying this. https://discord.com/channels/393040947006406657/1130804517399691274

[river gate]

i agree on the concept there but for someone like me who never hunted irl before that isn't much of an issue to me

[modern heart]

Bump

[thorn wyvern]

Seriously, a .416 and hippos would make a killer map, it doesn't need elephants or rhinos, just plains game ( A LOT OF SPECIES PLEASE), lions, cape buffalo (these two are fine to return cuz they're fun to hunt) Leopards and hyenas (neither is very different from cougars or wolves as far as gameplay will matter) And best of all, a new African environment to explore.

Edit: a new scope or two would be very welcome, please devs?
Edit 2: A nice 3x fixed scope with a heavy duplex or German #4 reticle specifically for heavy kicking weapons, like the .416 and .470

[harsh sage]

i feel like a scope with higher magnification would probably be useless judging the render distance ingame

[thorn wyvern]

Yeah, they've said before that they haven't made new scopes because they have to keep the render distance as it's set for older consoles

What I'm saying is: screw that

Give us a handful of new scopes in like 2-7, 3-9, and 4-12. Something that fits between the ones in game but with new reticles to enjoy because I'm sick of the same scope on every gun and the stupid mil-dots. Gimme a scope with a 6x fixed view and heavy duplex reticle for hunting in thick woods, or a 10x that doesn't shake like a chihuahua in Nome

[modern heart]

Also I’d be ok with getting scopes within the current magnification range.Just new scopes dear god!

[thorn wyvern]

Like 3 or 4 with some new reticles would be fine, just anything new

[modern heart]

Also I’d be ok with getting scopes within the current magnification range.Just new scopes dear god!

[harsh sage]

i freaked out when i saw nothing about render distance in settings for the first time

[modern heart]

Whenever we get a africa 2.0 I’ll definitely be needing a Leopard and impala multi mount.

[river gate]

bump

[low robin]

@terse wave idea is amazing (it is 2 messages up) i think not only that should be a mount but i think we need to able to add a tree or a log animals can be on for example a black bear climbing a tree to get to something or maybe we could add eagles to the game but anyway i side tracked and WE WANT ELEPHANTS. We already have the 470. Which works on elephant’s and even if you just put it on savannah without making a new map I think everyone would love it

also Liam is that a banteng in ur pfp or water buffalo it looks like it could be a gigantic banteng thats edited or just a water buffalo

[terse wave]

EW does not want to add any endangered species to the game, and elephants are especially endangered. You cannot legally hunt elephants anywhere. It would not be wise for EW to add elephants as a huntable species.

[modern heart]

It’s my first Diamond Water Buffalo! After long days of searching.

[low robin]

congrats liam! Also @terse wave people have hunted elephants and it is on youtube also i know elephants are endangered but it would be kinda obvious to make them hard to hunt and all but it would be cool to have but i get you on the endangered thing

[modern heart]

It is legal to hunt Elephant in Botswana,because there’s an excess of elephants.

[terse wave]

Oh shit fr?

I still don't agree with the idea of adding elephant to the game. I already draw a thin line with Euro. bison, granted they are populous on Hirschfelden (in COTW's universe).

[modern heart]

Since 2019 https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2019/09/28/763994654/why-botswana-is-lifting-its-ban-on-elephant-trophy-hunting#:~:text=Officials say it's what the,been declining because of poaching.

[terse wave]

Elephant hunting in the game would just be a really bad idea imo since they're so demanded by poachers and such, Euro bison don't get as much attention (as far as I know)

[low robin]

i could find a vid and send it if allowed

[modern heart]

That still doesn’t excuse the absolute nightmare it would’ve been for hirsh’s warden to allow it,atleast it’s legal where this reserve is set

[terse wave]

Yup

[low robin]

TW

[coarse crystal]

Considering How Big African Bullfrogs Can Get, I Wouldn’t Be Surprised If They We’re A Class 1.

[coarse crystal]

See That Is Proper Management. Plus, You Could Say That All Of The Meat From Those Elephants Go To Nearby Tribes, Since That’s What Happens Irl. In Fact, Most People Only Get Replicas Of Their Elephants, And They Give Everything To Nearby Tribes.

[low robin]

yeah

imo you should be able to have the choice of going to that place but ur in a small area only with elephants ( about a mile or something of african plains ) in botswana because its legal to hunt them there so again they are endangered but its LEGAL to hunt them in botswana

[coarse crystal]

In Several Countries It Is Legal To Hunt Them. Their Populations Are Getting So Out Of Hand And Without Large Predators Like Lions To Hunt Them It’s Actually Recommended In Botswana, Zambia, Zimbabwe, And South Africa Ti Hunt Them, As Well As Parts Of Mozambique I Believe.

[terse wave]

coming back to share my opinion on this
i understand that elephants are legal to hunt in the area this map would be taking place in but i'd rather see elephants be represented in a good light, the sort of light that encourages animal conservation, rather than being in a hunting game because "lol people wanna hunt elephants"
education is very important to me, so i personally think elephants are better off not included. but if they do get included then i woudn't be opposed either. ultimately it's up to the game devs and i can't do much to influence their opinion.
sometimes things that happen in games and other media can influence what people do irl. take into consideration wolf hunting in america. they almost became extinct because media at the time so commonly decipted them as bloodthirsty monsters. of course i doubt cotw alone would influence people to actually go out there and hunt elephants irl (despite the severe consiquences that can bring) but i'd still dislike to see a species so threatened by poaching be included in a hunting game as an actual huntable species.
but in the hypothetical situation that this map does get added and with it huntable elephants i'll still continue to play the game.

i hope y'all can understad where i'm coming from

actually i'm saying all of this yet i suggested polar bears in #1122396586866135181 so now thinking about it, i'm kinda being a hypocrite.

[coarse crystal]

We’ll Just Remember, Elephants, Just Like Every Other Species That Does Not Have Large Predators That Can Threaten Them, Must Be Managed. If A Big, Angry Bull Was Hoarding All The Cows For Himself, Then It May Cause Inbreeding, Which Is Something We Do Not Want. I Don’t Support Mass Hunting Of Elephants, But When An Animal With Next To No Predators Is Left To It’s Own Devices To Cause Havoc On Farms And Potentially Cause Inbreeding To Happen, Then Hunting Is Necessary.

[coarse crystal]

Well The Media Over Exaggerates How Endangered And Threatened Polar Bears, Elephants, And Several Subspecies Of Rhinos Are, And All Of Them Are Able To Be Hunted. Rhinos Can Be Hunted When They Become Problems For Farmers And Other Animals. Elephants Can Be Hunted When They Become Problems For Farms Or Villages As Well As Causing The Deprivation Of Forest Habitats. Polar Bears Can Be Hunted If You Are An Inuit Or Are Given Permission By An Inuit (As Far As I Know That Is Only I’m Canada, Though).

[river gate]

they should add hunting tickets back to the game for elephants, making it a once every day opportunity or so or very expensive, giving you a huge fine or a ban on the reserve for a while. With this should also come elephant deterent weapons so that when you get charged you can scare it instead of killing it wich will cost you. I know these aren't the best options but i think it goes in the right direction.

[half vortex]

When did Call of the Wild ever have hunting tickets for certain species?
I do recall something similar being talked about if they did add Forest Reindeer to Revontouli (only a few licenses are issued every year in Finland for Forest Reindeer apparently)

[river gate]

in classic

[half vortex]

Oh yeah the hunting licenses, I think they scrapped that a few years ago

From memory the only 3 ways you could hunt the vast majority of animals in the game before it became free to play was either
• those hunting licenses, which had a limited number of days before they ran out,
• memberships
• or hope it was that week to hunt a particular animal

Not a good system to model after in my opinion

[river gate]

I think it can be if it uses in game cash like you have to pay 15000 to hunt an elephant and get like 4000 from the animal.

It still costs you like, 11000, but that makes it more like real life you can't just grind an elephant. And in game you can't because you wouldn't have the money for it.

[terse wave]

I understand this completely! Giraffes are a prime example. Old males are occasionally hunted.

[terse wave]

Sure, it may be exaggerated a bit, but that does not mean that those animals aren't endangered. They still are. I understand that problem elephants will be shot and that elephants and polar bears must be managed but idk, it just seems iffy when you consider that in cotw you can blast whatever you want with little to no consiquence. But alas, this is just a game.

[river gate]

see what i just posted

[terse wave]

I like the idea but i doubt it'd ever be implimented

[coarse crystal]

But They’re Not Endangered. African Bush Elephants Got Moved Off The “Endangered” Status A While Back. Polar Bears Have Never Been In The “Endangered” Status And Have Always Been Classes As “Vulnerable”.

[modern heart]

The reasons would probably be stated in the missions,maybe even go as far as to say elephants won’t spawn until you’ve finished the missions

[terse wave]

Sure! If elephants do get added i hope the missions explain it all
I appreciate y'all hearing me out and being civil

[terse wave]

Also, this is great to know. I thought maybe polar bears were no longer endangered since they can be hunted in some places (but wasnt 100% sure and thought maybe they're only hunting oveepopulated & problem bears), but I never heard of elephant hunting aside from poaching until just recently (this discussion)

[modern heart]

Bump

[low robin]

Bump

[queen tapir]

African bullfrog is an interesting choice. I wouldn't mind seeing that in the game.

[queen tapir]

They should. the people who complain are very unlikely to play cotw to begin with. The ''negative press'' would only attract people who like hunting games and make them more money. Stop listening to activists, that's what companies need to understand, give the people who are paying your bills what they want.

[queen tapir]

arent polar bears in cotw classic? If so then there should be no issues.

[lean sorrel]

It is the policy of the creators to keep the game as a Game Species Hunting Simulator, trying to show the ethical side of hunting and its applications, adding animals that are not Game Species will give the opposite message

[queen tapir]

I know other players have said the same thing many times before, but there are many ways to get around the taboo of hunting non traditional game animals. Elephants for instance irl can be hunted in places with stable populations. This can be incorporated into the narrative of the story if EW chooses to go this route. They can make so much money from an africa 2.0 type map and attract new players from other hunting games.

[lean sorrel]

The discussion of the Elephants has been going on for 5 years now, even several years ago a lawyer listed many laws that allowed hunting elephants, permits, locations, etc., the response of the developers was always the same, they did not change their policy and did not modify the graphics engine to move large animals..
Keeping requesting them is a waste of time

[modern heart]

Bump

[astral gust]

@compact onyx

[mellow plume]

bump

[modern heart]

.