azure garden
As many people have said, the Grizzly Bear in-game definitely needs some work to be brought up to par with the newer animal models. It looks goofy, its fur (both texture and color) is just wrong, and more. I know a lot of people have pointed to the updated Brown Bear, but I feel it has a few issues as well that I want to address. Below I will highlight what each one does well, what each one falls short in, and other changes I would suggest making:
Grizzly Bear Pros
- the overall body silhouette seems to better match irl brown bears, particularly in the length of the body.
- the head mostly resembles irl brown bears, with the back being very wide and round
- Its running animation better resembles the way brown bears run, with more deliberate strides
Grizzly Bear Cons - the fur is constantly very dark, while irl grizzly bears tend to be a lighter shade of brown
- the texturing of the fur is rather odd, looking less like the long, shaggy coats of brown bears
- the eyes are very small and close to the base of the snout
- when it opens its mouth, its lips curl back very far, something that bears don't do, even during fights
- the claws seem to be excessively long. Bears have huge claws, but the grizzly bear's claws in-game are particularly long
- i'm not sure what sound it makes when making a warning call, it doesn't sound like a brown bear at all
- they really don't feel dangerous at all, even when they go aggressive
Brown Bear Pros:
- the fur is very shaggy and dense, fitting for an animal that resides in very cold climates
- it has several fur types, somewhat resembling the variation seen in irl brown bears while also granting some vivid variation in-game
- when opening its mouth to vocalize, its lips form the proper shape, rather than curling all the way back like the in-game Grizzly Bear
- the claws are partially obscured by fur and appear to be a more appropriate length
Brown Bear Cons: - while this may just be due to the longer, shaggy fur, its body looks more round and short than irl brown bears usually look
- its running animation looks more like a wobbly gallop, rather than the longer, more deliberate strides of the Grizzly Bear
- its head shape doesn't seem to match irl brown bears as well as the Grizzly Bear, with the back of the head being less around and the snout being less prominent. It almost looks like a Black Bear with longer fur
- Brown Bears also don't pose a big threat when bumped
- their warning call also isn't particularly a sound that they make when stressed, it's more akin to a bear challenging another bear to a fight
- why are Brown Bears only class 7 animals? With Grizzly Bears being class 8, I feel that Brown Bears should be raised to that same standard, given their similar size
General Changes for Both Bears:
- give Grizzly Bears a similar coat to the Brown Bear. Shaggier, longer, etc.
- give Grizzly Bears more appropriate coloration (honestly even going off of the Brown Bear would suffice)
- share the Grizzly's running animation with the Brown Bear
- update the Brown Bear's head shape to match their irl counterpart
- rename the Brown Bear to "Eurasian Brown Bear" (Ursus arctos arctos), as that is most likely the subspecies depicted in places like Revontuli Coast and Medved-Taiga (especially since the Grizzly Bear (Ursus arctos horribilus) is another subspecies of Brown Bear)
- increase the aggression and overall danger level of both brown bears. With wolves, moose, and tigers having unique aggression behaviors, I would love to see these bears have something to help them live up to their reputations in bear country
- Optional: Change the Warning Call. While I understand that this means the bears won't sound as "cool," add the chuffing and teeth clacking that bears do irl when stressed, rather than issuing what is essentially a challenge to the player
Feel free to discuss below! I'd love to hear your thoughts and suggestions ^-^
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