This games been amazing. Brutal, (I only play Rough or higher) but amazing.
However I just lost my entire latest colony after a several RL days because of ONE panther.
Let me further clarify that.
I had 5 people with shooting skill levels between 5 and 13, all with good or better guns.
The game never announced a mad panther. None of my people were set to handling or taming.
Suddenly I get an alert "Panther is attacking Adam"
I immediately pause, the attack had barely begun. I rally all of my colonists to fire on the panther.
This thing ate bullet after bullet after bullet after bullet. (Seriously, I must have hit this thing with pistol, rifle, and sniper fire a few dozen times) Spread out in all directions, it mauled every last colonist to death or incapacitation.
In the end? Panther walks away with half health still visible.
WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK DUDE.
I WISH I was making this up. Literally no warning, and a SUPER PANTHER goes apeshit inside my base, murdering everyone.
It's one thing when the directors a masochistic dick (I mean thats why we play this right?) and hits you with like 5-6 negative things in a row.
It's another thing when one mob just randomly becomes Panther Jesus and devours your entire team, apparently with Kevlar fur.
HOW DID THIS HAPPEN?!?!?!
P.S. it would be nice if when horseshit like this happened, neighboring allies could send medics, in the same way they send cannon fodder at times when you are under attack.
As for why the panther attacked, it may have been out of other animals to eat, and was starving. That's one of the few reasons you'll see an animal attack a colonist (the others being manhunters, or revenge manhunters). If that happens, you get no warning whatsoever until the animal is already attacking your colonist.
For the rest... All I can guess is you got shitty RNG on your shooting. Normally 2 colonists with rifles can take down a panther easily (I did this several times to clear dangerous predators away from my base)
sometimes happens with hungry predators :-\
I kill all of them just in case.
Panthers gotta eats
On a positive note:
I am sure the Panther is quite thankful for the rich meal you provided for him ;)
Get your Colo-Kibble here !!!
Please watch your language
Quote from: Naeem on August 03, 2016, 07:37:57 AM
Please watch your language
2
Other than that, I liked your story. Try again.
Predators attack your pawns if they are hungry and the pawn is the nearest target. There is no warning for this, presumably because no-one suspects it (the predator stalks the pawn and suddenly attacks). They might sometimes attack an animal instead of a pawn but in general, keep your pawns away from predators unless they're trying to tame it.
This does sound a bit extreme though. I've taken out bears with fewer colonists with worse weapons. Were you kiting it or just standing still? Kiting really is your only hope against aggressive predators. You can also hide behind a closed door, the animal will stop attacking the door after a while.
Two points.
Panther is a fantastic creature.
There's no such thing as "half health". It's only an estimate, and a pretty poor one. A "Full health" creature can be taken out with one brain shot. Maybe not a Thrumbo though because it has 300 HP neck, so it may have a huge brain too.
A rat can take 3 shots to die from a pistol, animals are WAY too tough.
I lost my wife to a panther respawn, I was hunting near the limit of the map.
I still visit her grave everyday in the morning.
When I have a colonist with a high animals score, I always try and tame the predators.In one game I got a bear, and a timber wolf in addition to the two huskies I started with. That was the same game where a herd of nine yorkies joined my colony. Sadly, all nine of them died in battle. It was the most heroic and adorable thing you've ever seen.
Quote from: wolfman1911 on August 04, 2016, 01:20:04 AM
When I have a colonist with a high animals score, I always try and tame the predators.
It doesn't make other predators any less hungry. All it takes is one hungry predator to kill someone without a warning message.
Colonists should flee in panic whenever they see a large predator, same as when they see a pirate or other hostile that can kill them. Would you really continue walking along to the mine if you saw a grizzly bear sitting by the side of the trail?
Quote from: Shurp on August 04, 2016, 06:31:50 AM
Colonists should flee in panic whenever they see a large predator, same as when they see a pirate or other hostile that can kill them. Would you really continue walking along to the mine if you saw a grizzly bear sitting by the side of the trail?
Look at it from the pawns POV, Shurp: they, in all seriousness, probably don't see the bear. We can, because we have satellites-in-the-sky vision, but the pawns can't.
Most predators in real life are actually quite stealthy, even large bears. There are trees and bushes in the way. The bear isn't charging balls-out at the colonist until the very end, so the pawn really doesn't have time to run.
On a forest map maybe he's hiding behind a tree. I usually play on tundra. There's nothing for a predator to hide behind besides clumps of lichen.
And even more ridiculously, predators will frequently wander into *the middle of my base* and pawns continue to ignore him. What's the cougar hiding behind, my automated turret that's smart enough to distinguish a pirate from a trader but can't be programmed to shoot a grizzly?
Sure there is. How do you think real-life tundra predators get their prey? Terrain-mask, get down low to the ground, sneak up behind the prey. Just because there are no Z-levels doesn't mean the ground doesn't have dips and small hills.
Also, in real life, unlike in-game, there can be plenty of bushes, grasses and dwarf trees in tundra. However, that is by-and-by.
I disagree with how animals just waltz right into your colony, though. That does indeed suck.
Gotta agree with Shurp, the pawns need better passive responses to predators. Sure, sometimes they are 'terrain-masked', but not when they're leisurely milling about the main corridor of a colony. Everyone sees them, but treats them like they're nothing.
I'd prefer if colonists reacted to large predators like normal people do: hesitantly avoid, run away from, try to scare away, or attack.
I mean it's a panther, not a rabbit.
Quote from: Shurp on August 04, 2016, 06:39:01 AM
And even more ridiculously, predators will frequently wander into *the middle of my base* and pawns continue to ignore him. What's the cougar hiding behind, my automated turret that's smart enough to distinguish a pirate from a trader but can't be programmed to shoot a grizzly?
Or the fact that a manhunter bear is instantly targeted and shot by turrets, but a HUNTING bear is completely ignored...even WHILE its attacking a pawn in range of the turrets
Quote from: Naeem on August 03, 2016, 07:37:57 AM
Please watch your language
Implying anyone gives a shit about language.
On topic though, it would be nice if there were additional options with dealing with animals. Say, "Kill all wild animals in AreaX". An option you could also apply to turrets.
If this was Dwarf fortress your people would of given the panther a cool name for its valiant victory!
There needs to be a way to protect base from hungry predators, even if it's SHOOT EVERYTHING ON SIGHT. Even if turrets are able to distinguish between hungry animals and satiated colonists, there's still risk of friendly fire accident.
Your own animals should detect them from afar, start barking, hissing (cats) or attack.
Hmmm, that would actually give me an incentive not to butcher Fido on the first day. Pets would be useful to keep around as warning of predators.
(SOP presently is to order the bonded colonist to kill his pet, dig a grave, and bury it. I figure he should have the honor of doing it himself. And it gives my colony the perk of having a grave to visit immediately.)