Wolves now spawning during blizzards?

[JAFO]

I was just watching a playthrough posted a few days ago by @Hadrian, and saw something that was supposedly impossible.

He slept in the cabin across the road from the Quonset, on awakening he found that a blizzard was blowing, and so he took advantage of the opportunity to get to the Quonset unmolested. Or so he (and I) thought. Instead he encountered 3 wolves, two of which jumped him.

Now, according to long-established principles, wolves and bears that had spawned before a blizzard blew up should be the only ones encountered. If the blizzard was blowing before you exit a loading-screen building, then no predators will spawn. This seems to be no longer the case.

@Patrick Carlson, can you please tell us if this is (new) intended behaviour, or a bug?

 

I've set the video to start shortly before he exits the house to make the dash to the Quonset.

 

[Hadrian]

Would be interested in a general discussion on this from folks with different experiences. I am unaccustomed to having to deal with any wildlife in the midst of a blizzard. I just haven't observed it to be something that happens. Since this episode (and the surprise the OP noted), I have since had a wolf aggro toward me in a subsequent (unpublished) recording, also in a blizzard. Similarly creepy orange blizzard, too.

Maybe it's just the orange ones. :-P Thanks for bringing this up, JAFO.

-H

[JAFO]

16 hours ago, Hadrian said:

Thanks for bringing this up, JAFO.

You're welcome, mate.

In my experience, predator attacks during blizzards are relatively rare. They can occur if you are already outdoors when a blizzard starts, because all the animals have already spawned. But no new animals will be spawned for the duration of the blizzard. So... if a blizzard is already in progress before you exit a loading-screen building/cave, no animals should spawn, because exiting the building is the normal trigger that causes spawning, but the presence of the blizzard inhibits said spawning.

At least, this is the way things have worked until now.

So we either have a bug, or a change to the blizzard mechanic that Hinterland haven't told us about. It would be nice if @Patrick Carlson or @Mel Guille could tell us which it is, so that we know whether or not to file bug reports.

[Hackfleisch]

Well I for one wasn't even aware that wildlife didn't spawn if you went outside during a blizzard. That makes them a great tactical option instead of just superdeath hell. Always something new to learn about this game.

[JAFO]

4 hours ago, Hackfleisch said:

That makes them a great tactical option instead of just superdeath hell.

Well, it used to be a great tactical option. But it looks like Hinterland may have nerfed it.. because @Hadrian has now encountered 4 or 5 wolves that spawned in a blizzard that began before he left a building.

Or, it might simply be a bug. But we don't know which of the two possibilities it is, because Hinterland have so far chosen to ignore all questions about it.

[Mixxut]

Damn, that gas station gang never leaves you alone ;D

 

Same happened to me today, blizzard rolled in, I went out to test this, walked to the gas station and there were wolves who attacked me. If this is not a bug, it's another reason to camp inside during blizzards.

[JAFO]

2 hours ago, Mixxut said:

If this is not a bug, it's another reason to camp inside during blizzards.

I'm beginning to think it's not a bug. Hinterland's reluctance to say anything seems rather suspicious, to me.

[hozz1235]

I've seen some hovering around my fishing hut during a storm...maybe they're just really hungry 

[RossBondReturns]

I've had this happen too.

I'm fine with it...why really wouldn't wildlife spawn in a blizzard?

In RL they live through them all the time.

[JAFO]

34 minutes ago, RossBondReturns said:

why really wouldn't wildlife spawn in a blizzard?

Well, the logic used to be that in a blizzard, they're hunkered down in their dens.. 

35 minutes ago, RossBondReturns said:

In RL they live through them all the time.

Yup.. but I doubt they go wandering around during the blizzard. Holed up somewhere out of the wind makes a lot more sense.

[RossBondReturns]

Maybe so but I kinda like it.

Make you always be ready...always on the lookout.

Straining to hear approaching danger over the blasting wind.

[Mixxut]

I kinda like it too. I would like to see that when blizzard starts, the wildlife would try to seek for caves and stuff while still being able to spot you.

[Riotintheair]

Don't think I've ever had a wolf/bear encounter during a blizzard that started while I was indoors (and after a while I stop seeing them even if I'm outside long enough for blizzards that start while I'm outside). I use blizzards to transit to Quonset in the early game often. Very interested to know what happened! 

[JAFO]

1 hour ago, Riotintheair said:

I use blizzards to transit to ...

As do a lot of us.. apparently Hinterland don't like that.

[LucidFugue]

I can't say for sure if I have followed the conditions precisely (specifically, exiting an interior during a blizzard), but I have encountered a wolves in the middle of a blizzard. 

Privately, I've never actually believed that wolves are de-spawned during blizzards. I have never seen it documented, and it always seemed rather prone to causing more problems than it solves (are wolf struggles in blizzards even a problem?). My theory is that wolf detection range is just reduced during a blizzard. 

Think about it - we already know multiple variables can and do impact wolf detection ranges. Condition, exhaustion, wounds, scent... Most significant of all - the Aurora itself implements the inverse of this exact behaviour.  It is a type of weather condition (at least in game implementation terms - it has to run exclusive to overcast/blizzard conditions), during which wolf detection is practically doubled.  

It makes a lot more sense that wolves simply can't see very far, can't track scent in such high winds, and also struggle to make out prey sounds during a blizzard. Hence, even though they are out there, you are far less likely to encounter them because you pretty much have to stumble into them. Unfortunately for Hadrian in this instance, it is much more likely to occur if you're wandering into Quonset, notorious for its lupine neighborhood watch.

[MarrowStone]

Hmmm, Ive noticed before however there are weather conditions that look like blizzards that really arent, where visibility is still quite high, it plays the blizzard audio but the wildlife stays. 

However, that creepy orange blizzard looks like an authentic one albelit a bit further visibility. Perhaps it wasnt "blizzard enough"? 

[Nervous Pete]

I've never encountered a wolf in a blizzard before. I hope they're not roaming in general during them as it's the only time I feel safe from them out and about, and the logic that they're all snug in their burrows and what-not makes perfect sense for me. Only mad dogs and Canadians go out in the midnight blizzard, after all. 

...

Oh no!