Animal is hunting colonist!

Started by TheMeInTeam, June 12, 2017, 12:40:36 PM

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TheMeInTeam

This notification needs to exist before you get hit.  When an animals is "hunting x" where x = colonist, give a notification for it similar to "x revenge", but instead "x hunting colonist".

The justification is the same as the reason you get notifications for raids, diseases, fires, mental break risks, and yes even an animal turning hostile because you freaking shot it, something that you SHOULD be more aware is happening.

The present implementation is inconsistent to the game's standards, hiding an event that is frankly more dangerous to a colonist's life than most of the above in many cases.  I have yet to see a justification for this implementation that would not similarly argue the game should turn off raid notifications etc.

Is it possible to fix this in A18?  Constantly, manually scanning the map for predators is not a gameplay-friendly solution.

Toast

+1 billion, currently I refuse to play in the more predator-heavy biomes because this nonsense irritates me so much.

BlackSmokeDMax

I too would like to see this in vanilla.

Until then, Britnoth has a mod that will take care of that need: Hunting Alert

Can be found in this thread: https://ludeon.com/forums/index.php?topic=17094.0

TheMeInTeam

Quote from: BlackSmokeDMax on June 13, 2017, 11:50:42 AM
I too would like to see this in vanilla.

Until then, Britnoth has a mod that will take care of that need: Hunting Alert

Can be found in this thread: https://ludeon.com/forums/index.php?topic=17094.0

Very much appreciated.  The game really needs this by default.

BetaSpectre

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                           TO WAR WE GO

O Negative

+1

I've been pretty apathetic about the issue for a while, but I'm actually in favor of the alert being added to the game now. I have a wall around my base, and it mitigates most predatorial threats, but I've lost at least one colonist in every A17 playthrough so far to predators because I had no way to react to what was happening until it was already too late.

I've only been able to save ONE colonist with a heroic pacifist doctor after that pawn was already downed and being beaten to death by a grizzly bear. It was a close call, to say the least... As interesting as that story is, though, it was more frustrating than interesting when it happened. I'm still salty about it, actually.

IronSquid501

when you lose a bloody colonist to a Fennec Fox because the game doesn't notify you is just the worst

ChillinVillian13

lol i had one of my colonists being hunted by a fox but then it stopped when a rat wandered nearby so lucky me!

I think that instead of a predator hunting something specifically, it should wander around "hunting" until it spots its prey because then you would be able to see the animal coming towards your base without it making a beeline towards one of your colonists.(SACRIFICE THE USELESS TERRIER)

I think there should also be a seasonal event when bears go into hibernation during the winter and when spring comes there is a notification that bears are out of hibernation

Limdood

as mentioned in loads of threads already:

The game needs a notification for predators hunting colonists.
This is because it is the ONLY event or happening in the game that can hurt or kill a pawn that has no notification (here defined as red envelope event, yellow envelope event, or notification text in the upper left corner).  It is inconsistent game design, which for new players means frustration over something that all other gameplay experience would imply that they would be notified for.  For experienced players, it means removing meaningful choice, as the current notification of the actual melee attack on the pawn happens AFTER the point where player decision would have made a difference.

Whether an individual player loses colonists to predators hunting pawns or not, the game design point stands, and any argument for "realism" flies in the face of it being inconsistent with other events that could be denied notifications based on realism as well as the fact that for games, meaningful choice trumps "realism" (since games are ABOUT choice, removing the opportunity for me to make a choice at the point where it matters (predator BEGINS hunting colonist) means diminishing the game).

Rimrue

I tend to agree it seems odd that we get notifications for pretty much everything else but this. Or at least it would be nice if the game would pause when an animal attacks so we can react to it. In the time it takes to hammer the space bar, the damage is often done. :(

Quote from: ChillinVillian13 on June 15, 2017, 02:05:49 PM
I think there should also be a seasonal event when bears go into hibernation during the winter and when spring comes there is a notification that bears are out of hibernation

Yes, hungry bears should only show up in the spring and fall. Bears roaming the forest in the dead of winter is completely unrealistic!

ChillinVillian13

As the last two people commented having a notification that a predator is going to hunt your colonist is completely unrealistic and people need to figure out strategies on how to prevent against it. For me, I tested out having my base on tundra or boreal forest and putting single spaced stockpile zones surrounding my colony that were designated for animal/human corpses. The point was that the predator would be looking for food and the game recognizes that there is a dead animal already and will have the predator eat the corpse. This will fill it up plenty so that i will be able to realize the predator and take care of it. This worked for me about 75% of the time as long as my colonists stayed within the "boundary wall". This however can only work in winter when the corpses can remain frozen

TheMeInTeam

#11
Quote from: ChillinVillian13 on June 15, 2017, 08:53:06 PM
As the last two people commented having a notification that a predator is going to hunt your colonist is completely unrealistic and people need to figure out strategies on how to prevent against it. For me, I tested out having my base on tundra or boreal forest and putting single spaced stockpile zones surrounding my colony that were designated for animal/human corpses. The point was that the predator would be looking for food and the game recognizes that there is a dead animal already and will have the predator eat the corpse. This will fill it up plenty so that i will be able to realize the predator and take care of it. This worked for me about 75% of the time as long as my colonists stayed within the "boundary wall". This however can only work in winter when the corpses can remain frozen

A realism argument by itself with regards to the current mechanic is incoherent.  To have it be coherent the realism standard one uses would have to be consistently applied to other mechanics interacting with this one (it isn't).

An argument that suggests animals targeting colonists (from assault rifle range!) can't be rational if also okay that you can aim an assault rifle at a panther and spray it from nearly its max effective range, and have it go "revenge", figure out attack direction, and close the distance.  Same with herd retaliation or even what you can see in the game, or the game's notifications for other events. 

It's not reasonable to say "it's realistic that x happens" in regard to one mechanic and then "it's okay because it's a game" with regard to another, while shifting standards when considering each.  That's what every realism argument wrt animals does.  This is not valid reasoning for the mechanic, because it is not coherent reasoning.

A rational position needs to apply its standards consistently when making the argument.  Realism argument by itself wrt this mechanical interaction does not have a rational basis in the context of the game...and this mechanic is absolutely awful in gameplay terms for the reasons Limdood highlighted.

Swat_Raptor

I'm not sure we need a full blown Red siren event every time a predator gets hungry because their hunting target can change as soon as someone walks through a door.
The animal isn't targeting your pawns to take you down a peg, they are just going after the easiest available food source (which does make me think a item which functions as poisoned Food would be cool to have).

But I don't see why we couldn't have a wild animal starvation notice, just like you get one for your own animals when they are starving.

Limdood

we just need the same type of notification as:
"the trade caravan from Red Dawn Outpost is leaving"
"DebbieDowner is no longer sad wandering"
...
...
...
"Meatstick is being hunted by a panther"

Rimrue

^^^Yes, and then a letter notification if they get attacked and then the game pauses. Ditto animal revenge (which gives you a letter but no pause).