Are attack animals useless?

[AnDelusionalDog]

Hello I'm still fairly new got the game like 3 or 4 weeks ago(although I think I have 75-100 hours)

Anyway I have a colony with 3 bears 2 cougars and 3 or 4 wargs trained. Supposedly some of the best attack animals.

Typically all they will do is stand around getting shot and walk right in front of you as your going to shoot. I understand without release they wont go after the ranged attackers but even with melee attackers unless the animal is directly attacked they wont help no matter how close an enemy is.

I am trying to train release on them as I hope this will help but will it or do they just suck? and why without release will they attack no one unless provoked. That seems silly.

Thanks for any info.

[RazorHed]

They have uses . For example , I had a colony going pretty well . I had the perfect plan on where to wall in , what defenses to build etc.   Early on a large pack of Yorkshire Terriers joined me . I set them to animal area 1 and forgot about them.  A few hours later I get the animal is starving alert , but I was just going to let them die. Shortly after that I get a raid warning that is attacking immediately .

At that point I had one entry to the base, no defenses at it and crappy weapons. I knew I would die. Then I remembered the Terriers and moved animal area 1 to the base entryway. They arrived just in time to distract the raid , allowing my one survival rifle guy time to kill them .   I had to butcher a lot of terriers after so they saved me then fed me !

[Vaporisor]

Well, they are trained to keep with owner not attack.  They will defend melee or attack others in range.  To prevent the wander animal, remove handler assignment or assign them to a non violent to handle them and keep behind the lines.

[Adamazing28]

I had a colony which was defended almost entirely by bears. If the colony was under attack I set a zone (called "BEAR ATTACK") and the army of bears would head over there and attack anything nearby!

[b0rsuk]

They're bad in the open because they're bad at prioritizing targets. But they shine in twisty corridors, especially mining corridors when dealing with sappers.

You can also use ambushes by jumping out of doors. Wait until pirates find some cozy cover - typically around corners of your base. Once they're spread out and pinned down, lead some bears from behind.

[Songleaves]

Small attack animals, like squirrels, are good at distracting shooters.

[AnDelusionalDog]

Well, they are trained to keep with owner not attack.  They will defend melee or attack others in range.  To prevent the wander animal, remove handler assignment or assign them to a non violent to handle them and keep behind the lines.

Mine didn't seem to want to.

They're bad in the open because they're bad at prioritizing targets. But they shine in twisty corridors, especially mining corridors when dealing with sappers.

You can also use ambushes by jumping out of doors. Wait until pirates find some cozy cover - typically around corners of your base. Once they're spread out and pinned down, lead some bears from behind.

That makes sense. Must be why they don't seem to do much until directly attacked. 

Thanks for the answers.

[Mr. Ego]

 Attack animales aren´t useless. But remember it´s not the same to order a muffalo to attack a pirate tan order a turtle to attack a mech...
And also, animals un RW for me are better like cattle or pets. It can depends on how you play RW too.

[xlockeed]

All I can say is chickens, swarms of them. You won't need walls or weapons. Just buy two and in less time it takes to research stone cutting. You'll have a feather maelstrom of nightmares. Make a restricted area all around base, let them eat grass or build hay fields. All it takes is one raider to kill or harm a single chicken and the rest will attack. Wish there was fear or panic modes. As long as the animal zone is the entire outside map not a single raider can flee. They can try, but in my experiences they can't out run 100+ chickens. Loot + Chicken meat = win win.

[Kaballah]

If you're heavily into melee defense, animals trained for fighting are super good because you don't have the problem of friendly fire killing them.

[Wex]

I usually have the cook or my best grower train animals (or my researcher) so they usually don't go in combat. But if my soldiers have to retreat, they are excellent tunnel fighter.
The last thing you want to see appear from the door 2 square away is 4 turtles, surrounding you.

[Mutineer]

I found an efficient us of boom rats with realize command against sieges,

Send them agains attackers and watch them explode and starting fires. Because that will be in siege camp home zone you can safely kill attackers when they try to put out fires.

[milon]

^ That's a great idea!  But if you're raising boomrats, keep an eye on their age/health and move the old ones OUT of your colony!

[webkilla]

All I can say is chickens, swarms of them. You won't need walls or weapons. Just buy two and in less time it takes to research stone cutting. You'll have a feather maelstrom of nightmares. Make a restricted area all around base, let them eat grass or build hay fields. All it takes is one raider to kill or harm a single chicken and the rest will attack. Wish there was fear or panic modes. As long as the animal zone is the entire outside map not a single raider can flee. They can try, but in my experiences they can't out run 100+ chickens. Loot + Chicken meat = win win.

this is brilliant - the chicken zerg is real

[The-MathMog]

I release my cougars when the raiders are running away! Those cats can quickly track them down, and tear them to pieces!