Currently Winter isn't much of a challenge food wise, as all I have to do is wait for a predator to make a big kill.
They only eat about ~30% of a big kill in one sitting, so I just waltz in and take the rest and they seem ok with it?
I mean even if it is only ~60% of the meat it is for almost no effort and no consequence...
in the wild, predators often don't eat all of their kills...its the reason for the existence of scavengers. Once the predator is full, what does it care?
Real life is fine and all, but it kills any dire need to store food for winter. The balance is off.
Im not sure what the interaction is between wild animals and corpses they did not kill.
Like maybe a kill could attract other carnivores or omnivores on the map and they all go at it till its gone.
It would be fine, and actually really cool, if there was some kind of competition for the kill.
As it is I can get to the kill and steal it unchallenged.
dead bodies do attract anything capable of eating it.
Winter already has reduced animals. In my tundra and boreal forest maps that i prefer to play on, I eagerly watch the map for any passing herds during winter, as well as any predators, since animals are nearly nonexistent during winter. My winters often feature a map with a grand total of 2 squirrels and a rabbit.
In a more temperate climate, there really ISN'T a dire need to store food for winter...in the temperate parts of the world, there is still an abundance of wildlife during the winter months, as would be expected. Hunting in the winter is still risky, with predators sometimes hunting your hunters, and an unexpected raid possibly making it impossible to save a hunter who strayed across the map.
When I have someone who can tame the bigger animals, I like to hold a graveyard for raiders rather than harvesting them for skin, come winter I open up the graves and tame some bears while the corpses freeze.
Or shoot the bears now that they are in range of backup and turrets...