Can we get an option to turn off wolf aggression in storymode?

[Pandemic]

First of all I would like to say Hinterland you did a great job and the wait was well worth it! I love the music, the artwork is great. Now I would like to bring some attention to the wolves in story mode. Now before people say get good, learn to play, and all that. I have played sandbox in early access for a couple years now. I would really appreciate it if we could get an option to turn off the wolf aggression in story mode (Pilgrim difficulty).  Having to constantly watch my back, and getting jumped, and getting trapped in buildings is kind of taking the fun out of doing the quests. I play this game to relax, and I would like to just get to enjoy the story, and have fun with it.

[MarrowStone]

I agree, or at least make the amount of wolves half that it is currently. 

I used to be able to deal with them, but my laptops getting old and 24 fps does not put me at an advantage when dealing with hostile wildlife.

[Nervous Pete]

Hi Pandemic, 

It would be nice to have for those seeking a relaxing experience, though I think difficulty is tuned correctly. If it's worth anything wolves become a little less pervasive in Episode 2 and the flare gun makes for a great, "Wolf-Be-Gone" instant cure. I've come across 15 shells for it so far and have only had to use two. Once you learn a bit how to avoid wolves and note their patterns it becomes a bit less fraught. I've only been bit once so far in Episode 1. But I sympathise, I still jump a mile when I hear that bark.

[Ape88]

I wouldnt say get rid of wolf aggression completely, but definitely give more warning. I went out in the early morning with faint signs of aurora lingering. Went up a hill and a wolf comes running from my left, glowing green and without warning. I didn't see the sucker until I it was on me.

[Mroz4k]

That would just take the point out of the story, though. The Story mode is not for exploration or relaxation, it's to emit the necessity to survive and has an objective you strive to finish.

What is the problem anyway? The Story mode has a significant amount of checkpoints, if you die, you can choose to start from the checkpoint (if I wanted anything else, actually, I would like to see some sort of "Ironman" mode like in the older games, where if you die, you get to start from the episode 1 again)

This is like asking for an FPS shooter to have a campaign difficulty in which the enemy soldiers would not have any guns.

I think people often forget that this game is not meant to be realistic, but rather has a backstory which the Story mode is trying to explain... I respect your wish to play a relaxed game of exploration, but if that is the case, then the "campaign" is not meant for you.

[eberg]

Well, I've been trying to get past the bridge full of cars in episode one since the day Wintermute came out and I'm tired of trying. The combat is impossible. No matter how much I mash the damn button, I die when the wolf attacks me and with the wind, I can't keep a torch lit. So I'm bricked. I've been looking forward to this game for years, but as it stands, its unplayable for me. And I generally didn't play on Pilgrim, I played on Voyager, so it isn't like I'm not used to dealing with wolves. 

[Monsarona]

I got stuck on the bridge at first as well. But if you back up a bit and go down the path to the right side right before the bridge you can go down and take the long way around the bridge by walking across the lake underneath. I did this a few times,  taking the long way around the wolves. It seems like every few feet there is a wolf in the middle of the road. Annoying but challenging.

[Nervous Pete]

46 minutes ago, eberg said:

Well, I've been trying to get past the bridge full of cars in episode one since the day Wintermute came out and I'm tired of trying. The combat is impossible. No matter how much I mash the damn button, I die when the wolf attacks me and with the wind, I can't keep a torch lit. So I'm bricked. I've been looking forward to this game for years, but as it stands, its unplayable for me. And I generally didn't play on Pilgrim, I played on Voyager, so it isn't like I'm not used to dealing with wolves. 

Have you tried throwing stones to distract them? Before you get to the point where you're usually spotted and jumped. Try throwing a stone ahead of you and see if the wolf goes and investigates, then see if you can lead him to a different place with further ones than the one you want to go to.

Or you can try slipping around as Monsarona says by going along the gully to the side of the bridge. Try a couple of Lets Play videos to see ideas too. You could also try waiting an hour in a car and see if the wolf moves on. Lighting a fire in the shielded side of the car from the wind will also keep you warm while you do this. You could pull a torch, creep along the shielded sides, and light another fire along the side of the last car on the shielded side. Even the act of lighting a campfire should scare away a wolf, and if you keep it fed and wait for it to approach, it will run off whimpering from you and your fire, perhaps giving you time to move on.

Don't forget you can rest in cars as well, saving the game as you do so. With a fire going alongside you might even regain some condition.

Wolves are hard to take on early game as you have little in the way of clothing to protect you. Later, as you wear more, you can last longer in fights. 

[MarrowStone]

Computers with low fps also are at a disadvantage in the fight it seems. The clicking seems to not register as well and its harder to shoot/use light sources/drop bait right when youre computers struggling with frames, plus hes not threatening anyone elses experience, hes suggesting seperate difficulty levels such as in the sandbox mode.

[Kris-thepilgrim]

For me, it looks a bit unbalanced this situation. The wolves are literally everywhere. And yes i tried to avoid them by going not over the bridge, I tried to sneak around but when I get up, Fluffy was right in front of me and waited to end my life (again).

Ive been playing TDL mostly in Pilgrim Mode and understand that the story Mode need the survivalaspect but common wolves are everywhere and I dont know how I will ever end Episode 1 when I run from building to building and have to use the flares to get the wolves scared and run away. I dont think a player with less knowledge will get through Episode 1 without getting frustrated of the wolves. Its quite disappointing for me and the feeling "yes I want to play it more" sinks with every minute, cause I am not a hardcore player - maybe Mackenzie will die in my game, not rescuing her. Such a Bummer.

[RossBondReturns]

One of the biggest things that helped me was getting across the bridge before sunset...and before any nasty winds.

Did I have to sacrifice getting some things...yes...but with all the sticks I picked up I got to a car well beyond the bridge lit a very long fire on to one side of the car...and slept until daylight.

[Thrasador]

My issue isn't that there ARE wolves, it's that they don't behave, despawn, or respawn according to the mechanics we have become accustomed to in Sandbox mode.

In Story mode don't bother killing them, they won't stay dead long enough to make doing so worth it. Just frighten them with fire, bait them, and get away.

They often just reappear if you sleep or quit out of the game and reload...it's bs...

[Thrasador]

6 hours ago, eberg said:

Well, I've been trying to get past the bridge full of cars in episode one since the day Wintermute came out and I'm tired of trying. The combat is impossible. No matter how much I mash the damn button, I die when the wolf attacks me and with the wind, I can't keep a torch lit. So I'm bricked. I've been looking forward to this game for years, but as it stands, its unplayable for me. And I generally didn't play on Pilgrim, I played on Voyager, so it isn't like I'm not used to dealing with wolves. 

Getting past the bridge wolf is pretty simple....

When you get to the road the game saves. The bridge wolf is typically by the bridge. (I know this because I have started over twice and loaded a save from the cave at least 20 times and it is always EXACTLY the same) By the time you reach the first car the wolf typically sees you and immediately starts walking twords you. You can do several things:

1. You can get in the car. The wolf will walk all the way to the car door you entered, and then turn around and go back twords the bridge. If you get out of the car, he will hear you and start coming back...so you should light a fire, throw a torch, or get back in.

2. You can try to quickly search the trunk then quickly get in the front seat to search the glove box and get a summit soda. There is nothing in the back seat. Then see #1.

3. You can immediately walk to the front tire and start lighting a fire. I'd use a book for fuel to give you a 95% chance of success. Accelerant is unnecessary, as even a started fire will frighten a wolf. The fire doesn’t need to be fully completed. This will keep fearing the wolf while lit. Usually by the time I get there it is halfway till daybreak again so I put five to six hours of fuel in and sleep till daybreak. Due to patches if you started recently you should have a bedroll from the cave, not that a bedroll is even necessary to sleep in a car. You should have two coal from the cave, you should have multiple cedar logs, possibly reclaimed wood, and a metric crap ton of sticks....unless you somehow wasted everything already.

4. You could try baiting the wolf with deer meat, guts, or rabbit meat. I haven't tried this.

Typically when I wake up that wolf is gone. I think he often goes past the car towards the dead end side of the road. If not you still have fire and torch options....see above....

I too then like to search all vehicles on the bridge, make note of what is locked for when I get a prybar....in case I feel like going all the way back later, lol. Then I like to go down towards the river to pick mushrooms, more sticks, rosehips, and then all the cattails I can find as I walk the river. Get the wool gloves off the dead guy, and search the car on the river. There are more sticks on the river, more rocks, and bunnies. There is a path on the far end of the river to get back up to the road, and it is before the next car, and a shallow cave on the left.

 

[Fr0z3nW1ngs]

Only problem i see with wolfs is that they charge from miles away. Or. Very very far away. Many times i've seen a wolf 300-500 meters away that just charges at me from that distance. I was in mystery lake up on a little hill with the lake. I saw a wolf on the other side of it walking towards me. I went left, it went left. I went right, it went right. And boom it charges straight at me.

Also i've had a wolf follow me the whole railroad from hydro dam to camp office... Never attacked just followed me.

Maybe make the attack radius for wolfs 200 meter or something? 

 

(Ps. Making a campfire when wolfs are getting 2 close will scare them away. 50/50% chance to work if they are charging at you if you don't use accelerant. 100% chance of scaring them with accelerant)

[Thrasador]

11 minutes ago, Fr0z3nW1ngs said:

Only problem i see with wolfs is that they charge from miles away. Or. Very very far away. Many times i've seen a wolf 300-500 meters away that just charges at me from that distance. I was in mystery lake up on a little hill with the lake. I saw a wolf on the other side of it walking towards me. I went left, it went left. I went right, it went right. And boom it charges straight at me.

Also i've had a wolf follow me the whole railroad from hydro dam to camp office... Never attacked just followed me.

Maybe make the attack radius for wolfs 200 meter or something? 

 

(Ps. Making a campfire when wolfs are getting 2 close will scare them away. 50/50% chance to work if they are charging at you if you don't use accelerant. 100% chance of scaring them with accelerant)

So did they change the behavior of wolves in the Sandbox too with Wintermute then? I mostly have been in the Story since the update and wolves have been behaving badly in general....like the one outside the church that isn't eating the deer coming straight for you the second you pop your head up even if you are 200 feet away and have NOTHING with smell on you. I was hoping this bullcrap new behavior was a Story mode only issue.

If this is now happening in Sandbox too, it sounds like they managed to break wolf behavior somehow....

This isn't how it was in Sandbox the day before Wintermute....

[Fr0z3nW1ngs]

Haven't tried sandbox since story was released so i don't know if the wolfs behave like that there too.

I wonder if they miss-coded something about the wolfs with something that happens in part 2. That might explain the wolfs behavior really. 

(As i don't know how to make a ''hide'' post thingi i don't wanna spoil what it is. Pm)

[Thrasador]

I see...ok

To do so you have to put "spoiler" in brackets [ ] like that before the spoiler part and end it with /spoiler also in square brackets....without the quotes....just spoiler first and /spoiler in brackets

Or you could just private message me, lol

[SnowWalker]

9 hours ago, Nervous Pete said:

Have you tried throwing stones to distract them?

Man, I keep forgetting to do that. I'm just not used to it yet. I'm going to do that next I play.

[MarrowStone]

When i throw stones i end up placing them terribly and causing the wolf to find me lol.

[Gorgoroth]

Really, those wolves suck all enjoyment out of the story for me - I would pay real money for some sort of difficulty levels right now so I could go all "pilgrim" on them.

[Kris-thepilgrim]

9 hours ago, Gorgoroth said:

Really, those wolves suck all enjoyment out of the story for me - I would pay real money for some sort of difficulty levels right now so I could go all "pilgrim" on them.

Yes it would be great, if there is an option for maybe two types of difficulty 

Easy - 1-2 wolves

Normal - 4-5 wolves

Spoiler is in here:

I know that there is a little chance that they change the game after they released the storymode and work on the other parts, but this game is for me actually not playable. So there is only a solution for me to wait if the game changes or to wait for a trainer who works for the story mode. And I am not a big fan of such mechanics, but this game for now and the storymode is more a horrorgame than a survivalgame.

Again, I dont mind wolfes, they make the game challenging, but I really wish to reduce the animals. I am not really far in this game, I make it to Milton and had to fight and run away from 4 wolfes. 

1 Wolf directly after the cave (sometimes you can trow a torch at him and he runs away - but sometimes not.)

2 Wolfes at the church - one is eating a deer and will not finish eating (I slept in the church and the next day the wolf was still at the deer "eating") and another Wolf will wait at the car. I thought I was clever and started running, when I left the church and I ran directly to the other wolf who was waiting at the car on the street to get to me.

1 Wolf at the bridge - sometimes you can pass the bridge without gettting into the fight, sometimes you have to walk around the bridge but the chance is very little that the wolf will not attack you and again, torches are not always working.

When you enter the Town Milton at least 1 Wolf is in this town and hunting you through every house. Its useless to sleep in the house, when you leave the building, the wolf is still there and waiting for you.

And thats are only the wolfes I have seen and I am not really far in this game.

I like this game and I dont want to use Trainers and such things to go through it, but at this time its not possible for me to go on

[Gorgoroth]

13 hours ago, Kris-thepilgrim said:

When you enter the Town Milton at least 1 Wolf is in this town and hunting you through every house. Its useless to sleep in the house, when you leave the building, the wolf is still there and waiting for you.

And thats are only the wolfes I have seen and I am not really far in this game.

I like this game and I dont want to use Trainers and such things to go through it, but at this time its not possible for me to go on

I hear you, man - the other wolves are annoying enough already, but I can usually bypass them or have a torch ready. The one in Milton? Got me each and every time and that's where I basically stopped playing at this moment.

Script in the "bear event" that I've read about, that seems to be some sort of storyline-event, but really, pretty please, give me a pilgrim mode.

[Kris-thepilgrim]

Funny thing - in my last game there were three wolves in the town. In the middle - directly near the old Ladys House.

I tried to become one of them in their herd...but they only wanted to eat me 

[RossBondReturns]

Very strange...I had no problems at all in town.

The wolves staked out at the Orca Gas Station...waiting overnight to try and take me out over again.

[SnowWalker]

The wolves in story mode aren't a problem at all. I don't get it? Are you guys all just in this game for the Pilgrim mode, because imo, this game is boring without the danger element? Without the danger, it's just a walking sim with some interaction.