Predators are hostile

[TheMeInTeam]

Players should receive an event notification when targeted by predators, or event notifications themselves should receive a re-work.

Any logic against this would apply equally to raids, mech ships, sieges, manhunter packs, infestations, and maddened animals.

What is the reason the above is given event notification?  What are the anticipated consequences of removing the event notification for all of these?

The answer is that the player would then be expected to *constantly scan the map* in case these events are happening, constantly looking away from base. 

If constantly scanning the map this way is part of the intended gameplay experience, the event notifications make no sense.  If a need to constantly scan the map is not part of the intended gameplay experience, predators hunting colonists giving no notification until hit makes no sense.

The implementation is not consistent.  I will change my mind if I can be shown that predators targeting colonists + pets w/o notification has a demonstrably and gameplay-significant difference in anticipated player counter-action to other threatening events happening w/o notification.

On that note, I request that of those that disagree: what would I need to present to you to convince you that this mechanic isn't working well and is inconsistent with other mechanics to the point where change would improve the game?  Bear in mind that for a counter position to be rational, you NEED to be capable of answering this question, even if the conditions are difficult to imagine happening.

[Jstank]

It should be a red notification, so that the game can pause so you can react to it.

Top 4 reasons why this needs to be changed.

1. Your pawn is set to run away, and all animals are faster than colonists.
2. Animals are great at melee and predators will outright kill a colonist once he is down.
3. This often is a response to hunting, which is usually far away from the players gaze.
4. Players usually ignore yellow notifications.

A yellow notification does not sufficiently represent the danger this event faces. You usually don't recognize that  a colonist is in danger until too late.

[TheMeInTeam]

I would prefer a red notification, but would be accepting of any slowdown + notification combination over "oh look, your colonist is going to die while not even hunting because you didn't take the time to scan the map tirelessly and constantly to hunt down predators".

Stuff like poison ships and sieges giving no notification is actually less threatening than a predator catching some miner, stone-hauler, or cargo pod hauler a distance from other colonists.  If the predator is close you might still lose someone in spite of the notification, but you have a lot more fair of a chance to react (similar to manhunter spawns at map edge).

As it stands right now this mechanic is straight up inconsistent with other implementations of base gameplay, best I can tell.

[Swat_Raptor]

Yea I mean really If our colony is perfectly aware of the Psychic waves which are targeted to a specific species of animal and know the moment it drives them to a man hunter state then should't it be easy to tell when a predator is hungry.

what would probably be more appropriate for notifications is something similar to the Mood alert for colonist (minor risk break, major risk break ect) , since both overall mood and hunger are both related to Need stats.

I don't see why we couldn't have something that mimics that for hunger levels of predators (predator getting hungry, predator on the hunt)

that way you could be given a preemptive warning and recall your pawns accordingly

you already are given the hunger and sleep levels of every animal on the map if you drill down on the needs tab, this would just be making practical easy use of the info we already have.

[Jstank]

While this is true, don't forget that sometimes a non hungry predator will just be pissed you are trying to hunt it and go for revenge, which is a yellow notification at the moment. It really needs to be a red one, that pauses the game because you should be able to react to a combat situation.

Red notifications = Combat
Yellow notifications = Non Combat

[TheMeInTeam]

Yea I mean really If our colony is perfectly aware of the Psychic waves which are targeted to a specific species of animal and know the moment it drives them to a man hunter state then should't it be easy to tell when a predator is hungry.

what would probably be more appropriate for notifications is something similar to the Mood alert for colonist (minor risk break, major risk break ect) , since both overall mood and hunger are both related to Need stats.

I don't see why we couldn't have something that mimics that for hunger levels of predators (predator getting hungry, predator on the hunt)

that way you could be given a preemptive warning and recall your pawns accordingly

you already are given the hunger and sleep levels of every animal on the map if you drill down on the needs tab, this would just be making practical easy use of the info we already have.

You're given all that already, plus the exact pawn/animal a predator is targeting while hunting.  But in contrast with every other threatening event in the game ever, you're given no notification, creating a need to constantly check, constantly kill predators (requires constant checking again, with no notification of a new one entering), or save scum until the mechanic gets reworked/modded.

It's a pretty big diversion from how gameplay progresses otherwise, but it doesn't add much decision-making, just a "constantly check this manually" setup that the game otherwise rightly tries to avoid.

[Jstank]

Yeah I agree there. I can literally let the game run on auto pilot except that I can't have anyone hunting because they will just die. Hunting should be a passive thing that gets done, not an active thing. If the game needs my attention it should automatically put it on pause.

[Swat_Raptor]

You're given all that already, plus the exact pawn/animal a predator is targeting while hunting. 

I think you miss read my post.

what I'm saying is a Onscreen notification similar to Mood meter we already have for when our Pawns moods level drop below certain thresholds could also be used for Predator hunger levels.

it seems to me that it would be easier to implement a system based on the Need tracking notifications we already receive for Risk break thresholds, and Starvation since these are basically tracking need levels.

Predators don't always hunt colonist but they do always hunt when their hunger Need drops down below a certain threshold. Currently we don't have something like that.

And the system already highlights in RED when a pawn has dropped below the Major Risk break threshold, a similar thing could be done from when a predator hunger drops down to hunting levels, and I would say a similar Red highlight would be sufficient warning for player to withdraw their pawns to safety, or kill it.

it seems to me that to have a RED time stop event for a need based issue would be a lot of additional work considering we already have a system which tracks need levels and provide notifications.