Trampled by deer

[Morgan le Fay]

After having several deer come dangerously close to running into me, and then today having a deer run right *through* me, it might be nice to have the mechanic of getting trampled by deer for some pretty significant health damage (or even wolves and bears, if they are fleeing in a panic and running toward you).

[Pillock]

I'd prefer it if they fixed part of the animal AI that handles fleeing: then it wouldn't happen. Animals shouldn't run away from something by running towards it. I'm sure that must be on the to-do list!

Maybe once the full year-round seasons have been finished, it might be worthwhile having the possibility for stags to get aggressive under some circumstances?

[Morgan le Fay]

On 5/2/2016 at 6:57 AM, Pillock said:

I'd prefer it if they fixed part of the animal AI that handles fleeing: then it wouldn't happen. Animals shouldn't run away from something by running towards it. I'm sure that must be on the to-do list!

Maybe once the full year-round seasons have been finished, it might be worthwhile having the possibility for stags to get aggressive under some circumstances?

I don't know that much about deer, but what you're saying sounds right. I know bucks get aggressive during mating season, and maybe the electromagnetic situation might affect their behavior? I think in some rare instances they might startle and run right at you. Not sure, though.

[cekivi]

I think @Scyzara actually had a post on this a while ago. I'd merge your thread with hers but I can't find the link

[Morgan le Fay]

Oh, shoot. Sorry about that. I'll see if I can find it.

[Scyzara]

Guess the two of you were searching this post of mine: 

I wouldn't merge both threads, though. The "new risk ideas" thread was about various different potential new risks and collision damage was just one of the suggestions. Don't worry, @Morgan le Fay, your thread is totally fine.

And I still support the idea of colision damage, of course.^^

[palbi]

I think this could only be possible (in real life, at least) in case of "mass flee" of deer. I.e. when many of them, a dozen or more, runs away from something.

Bears are lonely types, so one fleeing bear could cause severe damage.

I don't know what is the case with wolfs.

[Pillock]

It depends what they are running away from. If the animal is running away from you then it can't trample you because it should be running away. The fact that they sometimes run at you is presumably a flaw in the way the AI handles pathing around environmental obstacles.

If deer are running away from wolves or a bear, however, and you are in their path, then I suppose there is the chance that you might be trampled - the same could be applied to moose when they get implemented. If a wolf is running away from a bear (they do this in game already), then I think it's very unlikely that it would run headlong into you, but I guess it's just about possible?

However, bear don't flee from anything, except for the player... sometimes. They have two reactions to player confrontations: one is an aggressive charge, and the other is a defensive flight. If they charge you and you don't escape or bring them down first, you get mauled. But if they flee, they ought to run in the opposite direction. That's what fleeing is.

[cekivi]

Deer and moose charges would probably both be more appropriate in the spring and fall actually. In the spring the mothers would protect their calves and in the fall mating season makes the animals more aggressive.

[Morgan le Fay]

Thanks for all the info and suggestions, everyone! I am not very familiar with deer behavior.