Animals are insane.

[Geckat]

Sorry for just registering to gripe, but it's weird that there aren't a dozen threads about this already.

Animals are nuts in this game.  Rimworld is touted as a realistic story-telling sim, but the animal AI seriously needs work.  We've got pet cats wandering into fire and frying themselves, or heading outside to see what the cougar who's hunting them is up to.  We've got lynxes attacking humans (y'know these fuzzy fuckers are like fifty pounds at the absolute most and want nothing to do with people, yeah?) And I've had to end two games because a herd of elk decided to come and completely wreck my shit because a tender offered them some hay.  Whatever weird psychic phenomena are going on in this game, it really doesn't make sense, and completely takes me out of it, when a ton of herbivores up and decide that because I tried to tame one of them, my entire village on the other side of the map deserves to die a stompy death.

[cultist]

Rimworld is touted as a realistic story-telling sim

Uh... by who exactly? Rimworld is complex, but not especially realistic.

All of the animal events are basically there to balance out the fact that they are an endless, easily farmable and valuable resource.

[Kayrah]

I think its weird and it happens way too often, but its not earth we are playing on, but rimworld and the animals could be driven mad by psychic drones and stuff like that.

[Third_Of_Five]

We've got lynxes attacking humans

Well to be fair, most carnivorous animals seem to only attack humans as a last resort, if no other prey is in the vicinity. Only big carnivores like bears or wargs will attack humans outright.

Other than that I tentatively agree with you. It's not game-breaking for me, but the animal AI could definitely use some work.

[Klomster]

Most weird animal behaviour can be attributed to the psychic drones that do affect rimworlds frequently.

Except for one.
Why isn't animals afraid of fire?
If this is added all the other weirdness is fine, but they need to be afraid of fire.

Countless times i've seen animals just chilling and going to sleep next to a forest fire..... yeah.... NO!!
It feels like since there exist a mechanic in the game for pawns to flee from things, this should be added to animals when near fire.
And not like the open fire, wildfire. Since it would get silly fast if all the pets panic all the time from the cooking fire or torches.
Having those as fear causing would make pets unplayable for tribes, which would be boring.

[Third_Of_Five]

Most weird animal behaviour can be attributed to the psychic drones that do affect rimworlds frequently.

Except for one.
Why isn't animals afraid of fire?
If this is added all the other weirdness is fine, but they need to be afraid of fire.

Countless times i've seen animals just chilling and going to sleep next to a forest fire..... yeah.... NO!!
It feels like since there exist a mechanic in the game for pawns to flee from things, this should be added to animals when near fire.
And not like the open fire, wildfire. Since it would get silly fast if all the pets panic all the time from the cooking fire or torches.
Having those as fear causing would make pets unplayable for tribes, which would be boring.

This. Never thought about it really but this is kinda true.

[Klomster]

Although yesterday, i saw caribous fleeing from fire, i assume.
Which was good. Their pathfinding was a bit funny though since it was a migrating herd which kept walking towards the fire every time they finished fleeing....

But on the other side of my base i saw a squirrel sleeping surrounded by fire and with a fire sprite on the square it was sleeping..... and it burned its paw....

So animals, and other pawns when i think of it, should wake from being near fire and animals should flee.
Trained animals with a master get emotional strength from their master and should not flee as long as the master is not fleeing.