Hunting Ground Zone

[Hyena]

Given the AI's propensity to waltz in front of people shooting guns/bows, it's incredibly frustrating when you find out a colonist has been injured because your hunter is taking potshots at a rabbit that wandered into your home area.

The idea is that you must hunt in a hunting zone. You would select the area you want to hunt in, and it would be handled similarly to the areas and animal areas (it would be invisible unless being managed). Your hunters will not attack animals outside of these zones, thus avoiding most cases of friendly fire.

By default, if no hunting ground is set, hunters will hunt anywhere on the map.

[Zombra]

Not bad, but I probably wouldn't use it.

I'd rather see some better detection on the AI when hunting.  Friendly fire makes sense when hostiles are attacking, for the obvious reason that there isn't always time to seek out ideal positioning.  But friendly fire when stalking a docile target makes pretty much no sense.  A colonist should move to the side if a friendly is in the line of fire when setting up hunting shots.

[b0rsuk]

There are many reasons to use it!

- hunters with peg legs are autokilled if a raid happens
- it's very wasteful to hunt very far away animals, especially in snow
- it would let people to protect devilstrand from mufallos. Mufallos, alpacas etc eat growing devilstrand (and other growing plants).
- it would enable "shoot on sight" policy towards bears, which can hunt colonists

[cultist]

It's not gonna work. Animals move around too much, especially when you shoot at them or the map is cold. You'd constantly run into situations where your hunter just stops dead in their tracks and walks home because an animal moved 3 inches outside the zone. Just accept that hunting is dangerous and not something you just auto 5 pawns at once.

[Zombra]

- it's very wasteful to hunt very far away animals, especially in snow

Well, you could simply not flag far away animals to be hunted?  Am I missing something?

[Hyena]

It's not gonna work. Animals move around too much, especially when you shoot at them or the map is cold. You'd constantly run into situations where your hunter just stops dead in their tracks and walks home because an animal moved 3 inches outside the zone. Just accept that hunting is dangerous and not something you just auto 5 pawns at once.

I think you're really misunderstanding the intention here. The intent isn't to create small zones where you want to hunt, but to create zones where you don't want to hunt. 90% of the map could be hunting grounds. But there's no reason to run around your farms chasing a rabbit (unless you are going to micro it).

I don't think it's going to be difficult or cause complications if your hunter decides to not fire the weapon around your other working pawns.

If it makes you feel better, could always reverse it and call it a 'no hunting zone' and just paint the area you don't want your hunters to hunt. Because it's stupid and dangerous to fire off weapons around other pawns when you're not directing them manually.

[JimmyAgnt007]

I was going to suggest a no hunting zone until i saw it at the end there.  I think that would work better.  Also id like to add an automatic no hunting zone around colonists. So that nobody fires at animals near other people.

As for selecting what gets hunted and such, id like a job bill (maybe at the butcher table) that lets you prioritize what gets hunted.  Hunt big game bill, hunts anything over a certain size but lets you deselect things so that you can avoid killing animals you want to tame but havent specified them for taming just yet.  Hunt small game is the same just for the smaller critters, deselect boomrats for safety. 

finally a hunt predators bill.  In this case I think several hunters should rally together to hunt the dangerous beasts out there.

[b0rsuk]

- it's very wasteful to hunt very far away animals, especially in snow

Well, you could simply not flag far away animals to be hunted?  Am I missing something?

Yes. Animals move.

[Vaporisor]

- it's very wasteful to hunt very far away animals, especially in snow

Well, you could simply not flag far away animals to be hunted?  Am I missing something?

Yes. Animals move.

I hate it when there is that herd of deer right near my front door, give the hunt order.  Look away for a minute to focus on something and next thing I know they are on the edge of the map and six guys are walking to chase em with that half aim, move a step issue.