Cape Buffalo Changes

[drowsy sage]

Lately I've realized that the Cape Buffalo, an animal that is infamous for its aggression and resilience, even given nicknames like "the Black Death" and "the Widowmaker," doesn't really feel like "Dangerous Game" here in theHunter: CotW. In this post, I'll be highlighting some of the problem areas, from visuals to behavior and more, to make one of the Big Five a truly challenging and dangerous yet rewarding hunt, one for the most confident and skilled hunters.

Model Changes
Right now, the model really shows its age. You can tell it was made years ago, and this is especially apparent when compared to newer models like the Banteng, Wild Yak, and the Water Buffalo TLC. Updated proportions and texturing would really help bring the Cape Buffalo to life.

Aggression and Resilience
While it is a more aggressive animal in-game, it doesn't truly feel dangerous. It's very quick to flee, it's rather slow, and it's really easy to simply dodge and dance around. After my first few hunts years ago, I realized how easy it is to just mess around with Cape Buffaloes, despite it being an icon of "dangerous game" irl. Water Buffaloes and Wild Yak seem to be way more prone to aggression, and it also feels pretty easy to kill, whereas moose (an animal one class below) feel harder to bring down.

I suggest that Cape Buffaloes get raised up a lot. Making them much more prone to charging, especially when shot, would do wonders. Increasing their speed and maneuverability to make it harder to dance around them (without making it impossible to dodge them) would also definitely raise the danger factor, making good shot placement crucial before, and during, an attack. Making them last longer before dropping also gives them a chance to play out their aggression more, and again emphasize using powerful weapons and making good shot placement

Unique Behavior
One thing that Cape Buffaloes are well known for is their tendency to ambush unsuspecting hunters and trackers when wounded. Upon being shot, they may flee into dense brush, where they will wait for overly-ambitious hunters to follow them in. Here, the wounded buffalo will ambush them, taking advantage of the dense vegetation.

Bengal Tigers have a unique stalking behavior, and I feel like having a behavior like this to further increase the risk factor of the Widowmaker would be really cool, even if it is something that would be experienced more by less-experienced hunters.

When specifically charging a player, having them lower their heads would be a cool way to make it look like an actual attack, instead of it just running towards the player.

Conclusion
Overall, I feel like this iconic dangerous game species has been left behind. Its age is showing, and other animals are more dangerous and difficult to hunt. Improving the Cape Buffalo overall to be a properly dangerous and challenging animal would be an awesome change, especially if the team decides to take up the idea of "Africa 2.0"

Also, side note: I'd love for them to make "idle sounds" on occasion, especially in herds. I've seen videos where they can be heard making very deep "moo" sounds, like what Water Buffaloes currently make as their "Mating Call"
Though, these sounds could also just replace the current mating call, if them making idle sounds is too much
https://youtu.be/_HtWhxGwnYM?si=znjy9_RTDm3hQfIN

(idk why the link isn't embedding but it's just a recording of cape buffaloes lol)

Also, in regards to its durability/difficulty to bring down, I'd love for there to be a reason to actually get close to them and use the .470 NE, instead of shooting them from several hundred meters with a .300 magnum

[sudden notch]

I gotta agree on this one. Capes are one of my favorite animals in game and they feel significantly more fragile than the other class 9 bovid species and definitely not as aggressive as they should be. The idea of them hiding in brush when wounded and attacking the player as the player gets close sounds incredible too

[warm cairn]

I even posted about this before. WE NEED THIS DESPERATELY
https://discord.com/channels/393040947006406657/1260924752126672990

[timid oriole]

Thank @sonic belfry for these, he finds them all the time apparently

[sonic belfry]

Don’t thank me, thank the artists that made them

[timid oriole]

Can't read the names on the paintings or I would. Honestly would love a full size print of the buffalo wings one

[drowsy sage]

oh okay! i went and upvoted your post ^v^

Oh yeah, a few more things I wanna add:

• updated animations overall: improved locomotion animations (especially the gallop), better death animations (like what moose have for normal deaths and heart shots, instead of falling in slow motion and rolling around), aggressive and attack animations (like how moose lower their heads when aggressive, and how moose and tigers have unique attack animations)
• if possible, a custom-tuned Quick Kill calculator (ideally I want these to take a little longer on average to go down, even with good shot placement, since capes are known to stay around for a while after being shot. This also makes room for the ambush behavior I mentioned). Totally understandable if this isn't possible though
• Creepsone over in https://discord.com/channels/393040947006406657/1195097534239088720 mentioned that sometimes buffaloes will try to flank hunters when wounded (again ties into the previous point of them naturally taking longer to go down)

[warm cairn]

Thanks 🙂

[tawny shard]

Well written case for a new model and behaviours. You’ve got my 👍🏻

[cursive orchid]

Yea word

[timid oriole]

I mean, this would be perfect considering we're about to get a new .375

[drowsy sage]

Oh yeah 100%

[inland pier]

Being stalked by a Cape Buffalo would certainly improve how fun they are too hunt since they do inhabit the parts of Vurhonga that have a lot of dense cover

[timid oriole]

The amount of times I have been stalking kudu and suddenly had a buffalo standing on my back is astounding. Between the charge you from miles away attitude and constantly hearing nothing ducks I got tired of vurhonga really quick, I don't think I've played it in 2 years now

[drowsy sage]

I know water buffalo attacks can happen out of nowhere, I'd love to have a similar situation with cape buffaloes (but with them being an actual threat instead of some bumbling idiot lol)

iirc Way of the Hunter went a step in the right direction with their capes being pretty fast, but they tend to give up a charge once you dodge them (not what I want with our capes)

[cursive orchid]

Once a Cape buffalo is on you it doesn’t get off you until you’re dead. Heard that from a PH.

Water Buffalo are probably the 2nd most aggressive and are officially classed as dangerous game I’m pretty damn sure. I would like them to lock on better, but since they’re the species people complain the most about being aggressive EW would never do that I don’t think

[drowsy sage]

That's lame, the entire reason people hunt cape buffaloes irl is because of the danger of them, I feel like they should absolutely be aggressive and fairly difficult to hunt in-game

Also from my own experiences it feels like water buffaloes in-game are way more aggressive lol

[sonic belfry]

Thought of a name for Cape buffalo changes

Widowmaker mechanics

[reef spindle]

absolutely agreed, perfectly explained, and I would also like to add that if you get hit once, you are dead immidietly just like with tigers and lions, because let's be real if a cape buffalo charges at you and hits you, you are not surviving that no matter what

[cursive orchid]

well, not exactly. There's videos of people who got tossed by cape buffalo horns and survived/stood back up

[drowsy sage]

Yeah, getting hit doesn't mean you're instantly dead
it's mainly the fact that in-game it's so easy to dodge them and make followup shots that getting hit is barely a concern

[cursive orchid]

they just need to lock on better so they can consistently maul you. Like hit, turn, hit, then you're dead. They need to be faster chargers as well

[timid oriole]

Can confirm, I went to Aus a while back for a week and the guide didn't want anything to do with buffs, he said the last one that charge took 5 rounds from a .375 and 9 from his clients .300 WM to go down.

He also told me that buffalo were the reason atvs aren't as popular for hunting in Aus, buffalo see them more like a challenge and flip them easy.

[cursive orchid]

yea they're no joke

[drowsy sage]

https://discord.com/channels/393040947006406657/1260924752126672990

[warm cairn]

B

[wanton vault]

Whole thread is a brilliant idea

[gloomy bluff]

I agree that hunting Capes should feel more dangerous but there are a number of Dangerous animals in COTW that this applies to.

So rather than change the mechanics of one animal I propose changing the consequences of injury and serious wounds for all aggressive species ...

This alone would make players think twice about dancing around with a charging Cape buffalo or any other dangerous animal for that matter https://discord.com/channels/393040947006406657/1102890289774997574

[wanton vault]

Should there be some sort of "financial penalty" after being knocked out by an animal ?

[gloomy bluff]

The only financial penalty would be the necessity to purchase med kits that could mitigate some of the skill / level loss

[winged ravine]

the penalty is having to walk back out to where you died. I think thats more than enough.

[grizzled geyser]

This is needed

[grizzled geyser]

Rare fur type remodel as well

[warm cairn]

Bump

[jolly wasp]

Male African Cape Buffalo with very wide horns Aberdares National Park Kenya East Africa.

[timid oriole]

He lost half a horn, but he killed a sixteen foot croc with it. Horn breaks would be a really cool thing to see instead of constant perfection