Aggression toggle?

[terse moon]

After the release of Askiy today, I've been thinking of a toggle where aggressive behaviour can be turned on or off? Wouldn't help many but I have anxiety and being suddenly hunted down by a pack of wolves isn't the most fun and is kinda panic inducing.

Obviously, this wouldn't work for everyone, but it's just an idea. Thanks ❤️

[lean mauve]

Aggressive animals is the main reason I play this game and the biggest advantage this game has over Way of the Hunter.

I want to fear the predators and I want to get ambushed and attacked. I have all the indicators and HUD off to increase the immersion and make sure that I cant easily see animals approaching. This is what makes this game for me.

I wouldnt mind if the animal aggression had On/Off toggle only if it meant that Aggressive Behaviours will be actively worked on and expanded (like adding Tiger stalking mechanics to other predators and adding more dangerous animals)

If they introduce an ON/OFF switch and start treating animal aggression as an afterthought that doesnt require any further work and doesnt need evolving- Im out.

[terse moon]

Honestly I love that idea of adding aggressive behaviour to other animals. Lions stalking would be really cool for some. Tbh, I'm actually quite into that for the sake of others enjoying it, too.

My main fear is that people would try to make the game too easy – such as people using cheats on Minecraft to advance quickly and show off – but it could be helpful for some.

I agree with you, I think if they were to add a toggle they could also advance stalking mechanics and make aggression better for those who may enjoy predator animals.

Thank you!!

[gilded karma]

Many older hunting games I played had a toggle for animals being actively dangerous.

It'd be a nice accessibility thing, as I am an extremely anxious person and don't like being on maps where I have to be looking over my shoulder for a buffalo that got aggro'd from the edge of render range. I also have still yet to try Sundar, as I do not want to touch a map where all three primary regions contain a hyperaggressive animal.

[prime sonnet]

After Sundapatan I don't hunt in the grizzly, lion and puma maps. Because they didn't attack. Now they a static picture not are predators for me. I'm experienced hunter (in game) and bunch of wolves like flock of flies for me but I understand you. My wife don't play in the maps with wolves. Afraid.

[gilded karma]

Wolves at least respect the ATV.

buffalo and tigers, not so much

[terse moon]

Yeah absolutely, I like being able to be in one part of a map where aggro animals aren't. Hirsch and Emerald Coast are great for me because I can choose where to be and bison and crocs only really go aggro once shot or provoked, which gives an option for a fight if I want one.

Sundarpatan looks amazing and the species are some idlove to hunt, like muntjacs, barasingha and greylag geese, but the tigers, yak and buffalo sort of ruin it for me.

[terse moon]

I find that lions didn't attack much, yeah. More scurried away once I shopt anything in distance, really. Buffalo are quite nice on any map they're on because I can actively avoid them unlike Vurhonga which for some reason they come out of the bushes looking for blood.

[shell blade]

Yes yes yes! I also made a post about this. Please read it and let me know your thought @terse moon

[shell blade]

yeah but I don't like it, many people have anxiety while playing sundarpatan

[shell blade]

Himigri doesn't contain an aggressive animal. Yaks are limited to Chauri Himal

[gilded karma]

Water buffalo?

[prime sonnet]

When I bought Vurhonga map years ago, lions were more aggressive. When injured they attacked. Now they do flee.

[sleek basalt]

i want more aggression

[terse moon]

Was talking with emroth about this — having more aggressive behaviour in other animals could be a good payoff if a toggle is implemented. Giving a toggle feature and not improving aggression anymore will make the experience bland for other users and moght discourage playong, so I get where you're coming from and think its a good idea to upgrade aggression alongside a toggle.

[sleek basalt]

thats why i love tigers theyre so aggressive :D

[hollow yarrow]

I normally don t down vote but when I do I try to leave a valid reason ....

This game is already arcadey enough .... When your hunting in very remote and wild areas there is danger involved with wild animals ... Especially predators ...

If anything we should have a toggle to make animals more aggressive and damage to players more meaningful .....

IMO Its a waste of development time to turn aggression off.

https://discord.com/channels/393040947006406657/1102890289774997574

[sleek basalt]

i want more qol updates instead of g1s

[terse moon]

I understand that completely. TBH, I've heard a lot from this topic and a lot of people who disagree do want animals to be more aggressive. As said previously, having a toggle should also mean an upgrade to current mechanics.

[sleek basalt]

also would this really be hard to make?

[prime sonnet]

How about Off/On/Dreadfully

[sleek basalt]

it seems pretty easy to make so this shouldnt waste alot of development time i think

[white parcel]

I think one of the reasons that EW has never made a "play like you want" version of the game via settings is that everyone has a baseline, esp. in Multiplayer. And, frankly, it simplifies development considerably. I cannot imagine trying to track down a bug with that added complexity to consider; it's bad enough as things are now.

[terse moon]

I can see it taking a while, but then again this is just an idea. Not something necessary or life changing aha

[gilded karma]

Exactly. It can be a slowly-developed QoL thing.

it's not urgent, it'd just be nice to have.

for accessibility reasons. Which in itself honestly has me suspicious of anyone who doesn't like it.

[hollow yarrow]

Rather than adding a toggle to turn aggression off how about guard dog that will more effectively draw aggro away from the hunter....

This would be a specialized guard dog specifically for protecting the hunter ... (think mastiff or large Pitt Bull ) .... The agressive animals go after the Dog and are much more likely to flee .... This gives the hunter time to get away ....

The Dog may need to rest to recoup its wounds or a medkit can be used on the dog

[gilded karma]

I sincerely doubt they'd do that

-# ngl I can see that attracting unwanted attention from groups like PETA

[sleek basalt]

petergriffin

[hollow yarrow]

Nah there wouldn't be any fighting animation just a lot of growling and barking like it is now when a hunter is attacked ... The guard dog would just do a better job of causing the agressor to flee .... Nothing for PETA to be concerned with ....

And now with Dogs being able to have a secondary skill it could be added to your favorite tracker ....

[terse moon]

Sounds more theHunter-y but just gives a higher chance of flee as you said. When looking for accessible or even easier alternatives, aggression can still occur which may make people unhappier. idk tho

[gilded karma]

this. I'd still be having to look over my shoulder at all times on maps with hyperaggro animals.

I don't like having to do that.

I want to play a hunting game, not a horror game.

[sleek basalt]

i want to play a horror game thats why i want this

[gilded karma]

or you could look for games under the "horror" tag in the Steam store 🤷‍♀️

there's a lot of them out there.

[sleek basalt]

any horror hunting games on steam?

[gilded karma]

idk, I don't like horror games.

with the exception of Subnautica, where things are easily avoidable if you know what to do, I actually hate horror...anything, really.

[sleek basalt]

i find horror hilarious for some reason getting jumpscared is so funny to me

[gilded karma]

And yet some people have to actively avoid things with jumpscares for IRL health reasons.

[terse moon]

Case in point I was just checking a lake for bighorn, heard a wolf howl and panicked so hard I fled to a tent half way across the map 👍

[sleek basalt]

also black bear calls might be a jumpscare

[shell blade]

They're limited to Upper Pahad

[hollow yarrow]

I think most players will agree that aggressive animals are easy to avoid as well ... . For example I always carry a tent with me ... Not to avoid aggressive animals but it's kind of a save game feature ....

So you hear a pack of wolves just throw down you tent and fast travel to the nearest outpost wait a bit till they are gone and then fast travel back to your tent ....

Easy to avoid if you know what to do ....

[gilded karma]

Unless you're on a map where the animal is aggro'd by you just existing...

buffalo jumpscares are why I don't like going on Vurhonga and Parque

[coarse cove]

Most aggro animals are attracted by gunshots i feel like. I only bow hunt and i never get attacked

[sleek basalt]

maybe its because you're loud
i hear people say being loud makes tigers angry

[gilded karma]

mhm, ATV sets off the hyperaggro ones too

even if they're at the edge of render range

[coarse cove]

interesting

[gilded karma]

A compromise for a toggle could be a possible third setting, where aggression is heightened.

[prime sonnet]

When I was a newbie in game and hunt with bow only I carried a tripod. It ideally for wolves defense. While the dog was barking I had time to fit it.

[shell blade]

bump

[prime sonnet]

Hint. If you afraid of wolves don't hunt at night and after 5 o'clock. Because level of wolf aggression grow up after afternoon. I like morning hunt. After 3 days of hunt I see only "flee".

[kind sluice]

Not on steam (anymore) but theHunter: primal sounds exactly what your after.

Made by EW as well, though the "classic" series (predecessors to COTW)

[sleek basalt]

cool thanks

[coarse osprey]

I rarely encounter aggressive buffalo in the game, even if I drive the ATV, but that is my experience

[shell blade]

Go to pahad once

[coarse osprey]

Todays session was spent in the parts of Pahad I knew had buffalo and out of several Buffalo encounters only 3 were aggressive and two of them I watched them charge at me and one of the buffalo I saw coming was when I was on an ATV

The one that snuck up on me wasn’t hard to manage either because all you have to do is side step then and let your chosen buffalo gun do the talking

Also encountered 3 tigers today, 2 at one lake (the screenshot isn’t great but its proof) and a tigress later on only got me because I was distracted by my phone, it was a fun encounter though and I would happily risk my characters life by chasing after more tigers

I may continue similar test regarding Buffalo aggression elsewhere on Sundarpatan and on Vurhonga to find out weather their aggression is just right, nerfed or over exaggerated

A better look at the males

First one got bolted by a crossbow, second got blasted by the 375

[shell blade]

Have you seen a water buffalo while on foot?

Because I have. And Water Buffalo do not want to charge at you. But if they do then they'll chase you out of this universe. You'll be driving a spaceship and then you'll see a spaceship behind you which the water buffalo is driving.
In short, Water Buffalo do bluff charges more, and certainly they're not this aggressive. And they certainly make more than 1 warning call before charging.

[coarse osprey]

Out of 3 aggressive buffalo on my Pahad test, the first two were on foot and the one that somehow snuck up on me was gunning for the kill

I do feel my testing is so far inconclusive at this time and I will have to also test more buffalo across Sundarpatan and also test Cape Buffalo on Vurhonga as apparently they are less aggressive then they used to be and I wish to see it for myself (my more recent hunts on Vurhonga focus on Lion mostly)

[gilded karma]

honestly aggro behavior as a whole could do with a rework.

Classic's buffalo (and bison) will stare into your soul if they realize you exist, and will continue to stare until you get too close. Then they charge.

[shell blade]

I'm saying IRL water buffalo

[coarse osprey]

Ah I see