stalker Mode: Predators realism

[chicks]

"And the purpose of this semi aggressive comment in a peaceful discussion is...?"

It just is not about expecting realistic behaviour of the wolves and it's not abusing game mechanics...

I wanted to post this reminder, and maybe should have left out my comment, sorry.

Well I may have misunderstood your post, but "Is that really so hard to understand ?" is not exactly needed I think. I just felt like it sounded a little arrogant, but maybe it's just me. Anyhow, no harms done.

[FoneBoneJay]

Were it possible to outrun a wolf real world then I would feel like it is abusing a mechanic. Wolves are not the fastest predators they are built for covering around 20 miles a day, long distances, as opposed to the cheetah which is built for high bursts of speeds to overtake a gazelle or zebra in under a half mile. In any event wolves move at least twice as fast as a human if only because they have 4 legs. My point is real simple. The AI isn't complex enough to really behave like a wolf.

[John Dow]

But the AI makes a good approach imho. In the last phase, before the wolf jumps at us, he goes into run-mode and is definitely faster then we can run.

[FoneBoneJay]

Maybe this game-play is enjoyed by you guys. I for one am sick of the cheap double wolf deaths I face routinely on Stalker. WOLVES ARE the only way I die now. I think I'm finished with Stalker in 1.83, I'll sit that mode out until they update. It just isn't worth my frustration after playing for 8 days or 17 days or 24 days or 3 days only to get cheap 1-shotted by being jumped.

[FoneBoneJay]

i dont think the wolves are even aggressive in the long dark, the rabbits and deers cannot outrun them, and they all have 4 feet,. its simple they dumbed down the wolf for you guys lol

Here are those non-aggressive wolves in action.

[bBvideo 560,340:6fkj4j9t]

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[Hylander]

If you go outside starving and encumbered, its not surprising that might happen to you.

When you go outside at the Coastal Townsite, you should be running all the time, not peeking slowly around corners. You need to avoid blind spots wherever possible. Strafe while running to look around corners while you're a good 10-15 meters away, so you have time to react before the wolf gets close enough to go into attack mode.

[FoneBoneJay]

If you go outside starving and encumbered, its not surprising that might happen to you.

When you go outside at the Coastal Townsite, you should be running all the time, not peeking slowly around corners. You need to avoid blind spots wherever possible. Strafe while running to look around corners while you're a good 10-15 meters away, so you have time to react before the wolf gets close enough to go into attack mode.

I was at 100% health, leveraging starvation it exactly what the pros do because you only lose healthy 1% per hour and can literally sleep a days lost health to starvation in 5 hours. The encumbrance level was utility just enough to carry stuff from this house to my main base on day 8. I was encumbered because I was carrying all the food looted from the Coastal Townsite, 2 wolves I'd encountered earlier and harvested meat from, and the stuff on the cabin up the just outside the Townsite...

So tell me another one. I was armed with a knife, exited the structure at 100%, after checking to make sure there were no wolves, I was jumped by 2 which were spawned in close proximity to the structure on the opposite side and they killed me instantly. In fact when you watch the video my health never dropped below 30 they just ate me instantly. Its CHEAP CHEAPCHEAPCHEAPCHEAPCHEAPCHEAPCHEAPCHEAPCHEAPCHEAPCHEAPCHEAPCHEAPCHEAPCHEAPCHEAPCHEAPCHEAPCHEAPCHEAPCHEAPCHEAPCHEAPCHEAPCHEAPCHEAPCHEAPCHEAPCHEAPCHEAPCHEAPCHEAPCHEAPCHEAPCHEAPCHEAPCHEAPCHEAPCHEAPCHEAPCHEAPCHEAP! I TELL YOU

And it needs to be adjusted! I'm not telling you I am not in favor of challenge, far from it, but this is bullshit. Every death I have in Stalker comes from this type of thing. The sad truth is I have about 2 hours of footage of me looting the whole area and effectively managing my condition including two other single wolf encounters in the prior days leading up to this point.

It is all wasted, every opportunity on this difficulty level has ended like this.

[Hylander]

I don't agree that "leveraging starvation is what pro's do". Some people do it - personally, I find it makes the game so ridiculous that I won't do it at all. I don't care if it has benefits.

Personally, the only time I am encumbered is when I am returning from a hunt. If moving your base involves that much stuff, then do it in multiple trips. When you are encumbered, you can't move as quick, and that is critical to avoiding wolves.

I've survived hundreds of days in Stalker mode in the Quonset hut - it is doable. You have to move quick, and avoid blind spots, which was something you weren't doing in that video.

[FoneBoneJay]

I don't agree that "leveraging starvation is what pro's do". Some people do it - personally, I find it makes the game so ridiculous that I won't do it at all. I don't care if it has benefits.

Personally, the only time I am encumbered is when I am returning from a hunt. If moving your base involves that much stuff, then do it in multiple trips. When you are encumbered, you can't move as quick, and that is critical to avoiding wolves.

I've survived hundreds of days in Stalker mode in the Quonset hut - it is doable. You have to move quick, and avoid blind spots, which was something you weren't doing in that video.

This was trip 2 of 3. I was moving stuff out of the high danger zone into the low danger zone. I am not disputing that Stalker mode can be endured for long periods of time. What I am saying is that in my opinion the repetition of dying solely from cheap wolf attacks is having a much higher negative impact than any positive experience.

[TLDFAN]

i dont think the wolves are even aggressive in the long dark, the rabbits and deers cannot outrun them, and they all have 4 feet,. its simple they dumbed down the wolf for you guys lol

Here are those non-aggressive wolves in action.

[bBvideo 560,340:d3z2av2o]

[/bBvideo]

I slowed this down, pausing it, The wolf was literally on you in less than 1 second from when you see it, and you were dead in 4 seconds, LOL. Great job! These situations where you know you have ample time to react, less than one second, and you scout the viewing angle and you encounter not one but two wolves, less than 50 feet from the door, those situations are ALL YOUR FAULT!

Learn to play the game loser.

[Bill Tarling]

Here are those non-aggressive wolves in action.

They aren't cheap attacks when you make beginner mistakes like that... you went outside and stood in one spot looking around for 10 real time seconds (more than enough time standing in the open when you know you're in wolf territory) rather than knowing where you planned to go, and moving to open space so you have clear runs for evasion if needed... then you walked blindly around a corner rather than strafing more to the open, so you were attacked 15 seconds after leaving the building in known wolf area (which is pretty legit)... So yeah the wolves are going to be headed your way.

Easy and common mistake when learning to handle the wolves, you just need more practice and you'll manage most wolves fairly easily.

[TLDFAN]

I was joking with Jay Bill, I thought they were going to remove wolves being right outside doors? Seems to me the most dangerous time exiting buildings is at that point where you are 10-15 feet from the door and you get jumped, too far to make it back to hit the inside click, but just far enough you get the sense the coast is clear, you know from observing that it was in fact clear. Except it isn't of course. Of course less than 1 second is enough reaction time too right? LOL Hard to argue that was legit. Unfortunate yes, probably the last time he'll exit that door going that direction.

Right on about the whole strafing idea but still would be nice if you didn't get a double jacking right outside. There was literally no decision time there at all, it was on from the moment he went around that corner.

Stalker is all about eliminating the cheap deaths by cheap attacks.

Is this satisfying gameplay for you?

For anybody else?

Not me, I would imagine Jay throwing together the video of it what was it 8 days in gone in 4 seconds, that kind of thing because it turns off a lot of new players. I'm pretty sure it is turning off those players making on the 20-100 day track. Who have mastered all other elements currently presented.

[Bill Tarling]

Of course less than 1 second is enough reaction time too right?

Except it wasn't 1 second, it was 15 seconds from leaving the building [10 seconds which were spent standing still giving the wolves plenty of time to approach]... yes 1 second warning from when he actually spotted them, but that's because he wanted to hug the wall and headed straight towards their area.

Standing around just looking around when exiting a building is a common rookie mistake that just takes some practice. Some of the hardcore Stalker players still do it occasionally as well, but we know it's our fault [we had plenty of time to get to a safer travel spot] when you're in a known heavy wolf patrol area... in those places you need to know which direction you plan on heading before you leave - that gives you a better chance to gain the time to outrun approaching wolves without much danger.

[TLDFAN]

Of course less than 1 second is enough reaction time too right?

Except it wasn't 1 second, it was 15 seconds from leaving the building [10 seconds which were spent standing still giving the wolves plenty of time to approach]... yes 1 second warning from when he actually spotted them, but that's because he wanted to hug the wall and headed straight towards their area.

Standing around just looking around when exiting a building is a common rookie mistake that just takes some practice. Some of the hardcore Stalker players still do it occasionally as well, but we know it's our fault [we had plenty of time to get to a safer travel spot] when you're in a known heavy wolf patrol area... in those places you need to know which direction you plan on heading before you leave - that gives you a better chance to gain the time to outrun approaching wolves without much danger.

As opposed to the common rookie mistake of charging out immediately and rushing headlong into the two wolves had he not looked. I don't see the difference, but then I am not in favor of any of the Wolf AI that exists. In this case the direction of travel is what killed him, the sudden no-decision time frame was clearly a factor too. I got to believe my bra Jay didn't survive living in this zone for 8 days, survived on Stalker, in the highest trafficked wolf area in the game at present, knowingly charged these two.

I was talking about the reaction time between first sight on the wolves and the amount of time there was to make a decision, gunshot to scare them off, gun to shoot them down, run to evade, or back to the door, fight. There was no 15 seconds between sight and attack. It was nearly instantaneous. Had he gone the other way around the house there probably would have been enough distance to make it back to the door. Luck of the draw.

[Bill Tarling]

I was talking about the reaction time between first sight on the wolves and the amount of time there was to make a decision, gunshot to scare them off, gun to shoot them down, run to evade, or back to the door, fight.

That part I do agree with (no time to react), and sometimes you end up startled and have no option but to fight... For myself, that's one of the reasons I tend to travel between the buildings in that town area rather than beside the buildings as much as possible, especially near corners of buildings.

The snowbank driveway entrances can be deadly too (I tend to strafe backwards a bit since there's often a number of wolves likely near the car/road area near the gas station), or I climb to the snowbanks to give me some options for escape [it also seems to give more warning barks earlier when on some of them].

And yes, there are times when I also get caught off guard running into a pack of wolves... I would say that makes all the wolf play cheap though, mostly unlucky for that run... If I survive the first attack (and yes, when you're startled you get fewer punches in because you weren't expecting a fight), I try to run off away before a 2nd attack (sometimes they're close nearby). That's why I also try to travel light when possible, and I always do my best to make sure I have plenty of fatigue bar left in case of emergencies.

He played a smartly in having 100% condition heading out, and probably still would have won the fight (especially give he had the knife), but he was also encumbered - and like being fatigued, being over encumbered may affect your fighting chance (he was doing with the power buildups and strikes though).

Different players have different techniques, but using the current fighting mechanism, if I get caught near multipl wolves, I'll usually risk just a couple of power left clicks so I can get in more striking right clicks. The striking is much weaker and does less damage to the wolf, but getting in more of them also increases the chance of getting in a shot to scare them off. That's usually just enough time to get out of the way to a safer spot and bandage up (you've just really gotta watch your condition as it drops so you have enough time to bandage up - but retreating away is priority)... if there were no other wolves I might track the blood if I'm not too injured, but it depends who close/far away I am to buildings.

[TLDFAN]

I was talking about the reaction time between first sight on the wolves and the amount of time there was to make a decision, gunshot to scare them off, gun to shoot them down, run to evade, or back to the door, fight.

That part I do agree with (no time to react), and sometimes you end up startled and have no option but to fight... For myself, that's one of the reasons I tend to travel between the buildings in that town area rather than beside the buildings as much as possible, especially near corners of buildings.

The snowbank driveway entrances can be deadly too (I tend to strafe backwards a bit since there's often a number of wolves likely near the car/road area near the gas station), or I climb to the snowbanks to give me some options for escape [it also seems to give more warning barks earlier when on some of them].

And yes, there are times when I also get caught off guard running into a pack of wolves... I would say that makes all the wolf play cheap though, mostly unlucky for that run... If I survive the first attack (and yes, when you're startled you get fewer punches in because you weren't expecting a fight), I try to run off away before a 2nd attack (sometimes they're close nearby). That's why I also try to travel light when possible, and I always do my best to make sure I have plenty of fatigue bar left in case of emergencies.

He played a smartly in having 100% condition heading out, and probably still would have won the fight (especially give he had the knife), but he was also encumbered - and like being fatigued, being over encumbered may affect your fighting chance (he was doing with the power buildups and strikes though).

Different players have different techniques, but using the current fighting mechanism, if I get caught near multipl wolves, I'll usually risk just a couple of power left clicks so I can get in more striking right clicks. The striking is much weaker and does less damage to the wolf, but getting in more of them also increases the chance of getting in a shot to scare them off. That's usually just enough time to get out of the way to a safer spot and bandage up (you've just really gotta watch your condition as it drops so you have enough time to bandage up - but retreating away is priority)... if there were no other wolves I might track the blood if I'm not too injured, but it depends who close/far away I am to buildings.

He was dead as soon as there was a 2nd wolf in close proximity. Had the other wolf only been line of sight he may have survived it but not two wolves simultaneously. All he'd have to have done was get back into the house if he beat off the first wolf but when two engage you DIE 1000 deaths in Stalkker.

[FoneBoneJay]

It just suck wasting the time building to that point and then being dead.

[mrrrmrrr]

Hi I registered on these forums just so I could say that I am in complete agreement with OP. I've been playing TLD nonstop since I got it and it's an amazing and unique experience. The only aspect to its survival challenge that diminishes my enjoyment are the wolf mechanics, which, to me, feel very contrived and "videogamey." That's probably the one thing about the game that breaks my immersion.

In their current state I feel that past a certain point, the wolves don't really add to the difficulty of the game. What I mean by that is while other aspects of survival involve careful planning, specific knowledge of the crafting and resource system, a high level of awareness about your environment, a good sense of time and direction, and patience, at a certain point the wolves stop being something you can "engage with" at the level of skill, and become instead a sort of concrete, artificial condition or limitation. Basically, whenever you're getting one-hit KO'd or just spending massive amounts of time maneuvering around wolves or waiting for them to leave, the game hasn't become more appreciably difficult but simply more time consuming and monotonous.

Anyways, I think the idea of making the wolf AI "smarter" or more responsive to the player could be a good idea--like making the wolf track you and stay relatively hidden as it waits for a moment of vulnerability in which to attack you. Or making their responses to the human player more complex or dependent on what the character is wearing/carrying/doing. (Carrying a fresh kill back to your base? Better watch out, because wolves have a killer sense of smell...)

(A bit off topic, but TLD could also use a bit of diversity in its "major threats." It would be cool to have mechanics like landslides and tree wells, which would require you to pay careful attention to your surroundings to avoid them. Also, falling/snapping trees during and after a storm.)

[coryduran]

I love this game and I've been tempted to create a profile on here so I could begin to engage in topics of strategy etc, but ultimately it's this thread that got me to post because I simply have to talk about it, because it's all over the steam posts as well.

I do not at all understand the complaints about the wolves as over powered or insta death scenarios. I just have never really experienced that. Yes, in my first few play through attempts a wolf fight was a serious life or threat situation every fight, but after a few reincarnations into the Canadian wilderness the mechanics to the fight became easy enough to memorize and understand that surviving without a weapon was certain as long as I went into the fight healthy, and if I had a knife I rarely would go below 65% condition in an attack.

Even easier than understanding the wolf fights however, is simply learning to avoid the wolves. As far as the "Oh noes they're gonna get me for sure stage" is concerned, their range is really short. You have to get pretty close to the wolf for it to go full on sprint mode, you can outrun them easily when they're only in the stalking you mode, and it only takes a simple understanding of angles to get away from a wolf when it's moving at that speed.

As far as the complaint that some people made of "oh I stumble into the wolves coming over hills" etc, I think that you have to realize you take a calculated risk by deciding to climb over a hill into something you can't see. It might be appropriate to re-frame your thought process in those situations into one of "Oh my decision to climb into the unknown got me killed" rather than blaming the wolves.

And finally, flares are super OP. You don't even have to throw them that close to at least get the wolf to stop, then you can sprint over and pick it up and throw it right at that stupid things face!

I'm ranting, but to try and make my point concise, the wolves aren't that big of a threat to survival imo, and I hope part of the new wildlife in the patch is a bear that does like 90% guaranteed if it gets ya. Just kidding. Kind of?? As it is wildlife is much less of a threat than the weather, food, water, infection, etc. If the devs like it that way and want to keep those the major threats, I think that'd be great because I'm down with it, and if they decide to create a greater diversity of wildlife including both prey and predator, well that sounds fun as well.

Love the game, rock on.

[TLDFAN]

Hi I registered on these forums just so I could say that I am in complete agreement with OP. I've been playing TLD nonstop since I got it and it's an amazing and unique experience. The only aspect to its survival challenge that diminishes my enjoyment are the wolf mechanics, which, to me, feel very contrived and "videogamey." That's probably the one thing about the game that breaks my immersion.

In their current state I feel that past a certain point, the wolves don't really add to the difficulty of the game. What I mean by that is while other aspects of survival involve careful planning, specific knowledge of the crafting and resource system, a high level of awareness about your environment, a good sense of time and direction, and patience, at a certain point the wolves stop being something you can "engage with" at the level of skill, and become instead a sort of concrete, artificial condition or limitation. Basically, whenever you're getting one-hit KO'd or just spending massive amounts of time maneuvering around wolves or waiting for them to leave, the game hasn't become more appreciably difficult but simply more time consuming and monotonous.

Anyways, I think the idea of making the wolf AI "smarter" or more responsive to the player could be a good idea--like making the wolf track you and stay relatively hidden as it waits for a moment of vulnerability in which to attack you. Or making their responses to the human player more complex or dependent on what the character is wearing/carrying/doing. (Carrying a fresh kill back to your base? Better watch out, because wolves have a killer sense of smell...)

(A bit off topic, but TLD could also use a bit of diversity in its "major threats." It would be cool to have mechanics like landslides and tree wells, which would require you to pay careful attention to your surroundings to avoid them. Also, falling/snapping trees during and after a storm.)

Welcome to the forums. Great first post. We need more of your input!

[TLDFAN]

I love this game and I've been tempted to create a profile on here so I could begin to engage in topics of strategy etc, but ultimately it's this thread that got me to post because I simply have to talk about it, because it's all over the steam posts as well.

I do not at all understand the complaints about the wolves as over powered or insta death scenarios. I just have never really experienced that. Yes, in my first few play through attempts a wolf fight was a serious life or threat situation every fight, but after a few reincarnations into the Canadian wilderness the mechanics to the fight became easy enough to memorize and understand that surviving without a weapon was certain as long as I went into the fight healthy, and if I had a knife I rarely would go below 65% condition in an attack.

Even easier than understanding the wolf fights however, is simply learning to avoid the wolves. As far as the "Oh noes they're gonna get me for sure stage" is concerned, their range is really short. You have to get pretty close to the wolf for it to go full on sprint mode, you can outrun them easily when they're only in the stalking you mode, and it only takes a simple understanding of angles to get away from a wolf when it's moving at that speed.

As far as the complaint that some people made of "oh I stumble into the wolves coming over hills" etc, I think that you have to realize you take a calculated risk by deciding to climb over a hill into something you can't see. It might be appropriate to re-frame your thought process in those situations into one of "Oh my decision to climb into the unknown got me killed" rather than blaming the wolves.

And finally, flares are super OP. You don't even have to throw them that close to at least get the wolf to stop, then you can sprint over and pick it up and throw it right at that stupid things face!

I'm ranting, but to try and make my point concise, the wolves aren't that big of a threat to survival imo, and I hope part of the new wildlife in the patch is a bear that does like 90% guaranteed if it gets ya. Just kidding. Kind of?? As it is wildlife is much less of a threat than the weather, food, water, infection, etc. If the devs like it that way and want to keep those the major threats, I think that'd be great because I'm down with it, and if they decide to create a greater diversity of wildlife including both prey and predator, well that sounds fun as well.

Love the game, rock on.

Welcome to the forums! Wow 2 first time posters in a row! Kick Ass.

I think a lot of the passionate nature of the whole "Wolf experience" is how Wolves modeled in the game aren't realistic at all. The AI behavior is too repetitive and contrived. A real wolf if u surprised it by suddenly appearing in front of you doesn't look at you like a steak it would have instant fear and anxiety as well as curiosity. Only if cornered would it attack. As it gained confidence sure it would behave differently but it just isn't realistic at all.

The major complaints about wolves and the actions necessary to evade them in the real world evasion would be scent detection and visual detection. Only one is modeled.

[coryduran]

I guess I just don't care that much if the wolves behave realistically or not, since the developers state explicitly that they aren't trying to create realistic behavior in the wildlife. I mean I don't think any of us would actually want to play a game where the wolves acted realistically. Oh cool, one wolf spotted me when I left my house, gathered itself up a hunting pack and stalked me to the fishing cabin where four of them jumped me. People say wolves are insta-death now.

Nobody complains about the unrealistic behavior of being able to chase a deer into the waiting mouth of a wolf because that benefits players. No one complains that rabbits will keep going to an area where there are four dead rabbits in snares, because again it benefits the player.

It wasn't actually my intention though to try and discuss the realism, because I don't mind people complaining about that. It seems that there are different camps in terms of the level of realism desired and I think that's normal. What I see people complaining about more than the realism though, is just that the wolves are too strong, and I don't think that's the case at all. They may justify their cries of wolves being op by saying they aren't realistic, but the base of the complaint is that the wolves are too strong, and I say Nay, if you were to nerf the wolves they would become even less of a threat than they already are (which isn't that big of a threat, imo).

Edit - I will say I have chatted with a coworker and a room mate who both play this game about the idea of scent detection by the wildlife, and how that could be incorporated with the wind (less detectable/more detectable based on wind direction). I think it could be really interesting, that being said likely pretty difficult for the developers as well? All I know is I can't wait for the new update, even if I'm disappointed that it didn't make it out in January! Just a little, still love you Hinterland babbbyyyyyy.

[TLDFAN]

Well the game is still alpha so I'll play that card to quote another poster. However, nobody complains about the deer because the deer don't end a 34 day run over a death mechanic which is lame. The whole existence of wolves is of course a central component in the game however their behavior is really flawed. The developers can state whatever they want and of course certain liberty is afforded for the magnetic disturbance. Still you can't sneak up on a wolf in the wild, like u can in this game, you can't outrun a wolf in the wild like u can in this game. You wouldn't be attacked by a single wolf in the wild unless u ran away from it in which you would trigger it's pursuit and attack instinct like you can in the game. If the deer had the same impact as the wolf you'd hear people complaining.

It also isn't complaining, it is feedback. This is the stage of the game where it is easily changed, popping wolves out is even possible if the whole team agreed it would be a better game without them, waiting until late beat or launch is not the time to remove features or make major changes, Alpha is exactly the time for that.

I don't think the key to making better wolves is to simply reduce or increase their damage level but to make them behave more intelligently and more realistically. We have lots of realism issues with the program as it stands right now but some are more tolerable than others. My opinions of course.

[coryduran]

That's the thing though people act like running into a wolf is a death scenario. I don't understand that. If you have a knife (one of the easier tools to get in game) you shouldn't be going below 60% health in a wolf fight, unless you're making a habit of running around foraging/scavenging/hunting in a low condition, in which case you can't blame the wolf for your death can you?

Again people cite realism all the time (matches decay, wolves, etc) but the developers don't want to create realism they want a challenging survival game, and all the things people suggest to create more realism (no match decay, solo wolves won't fight you) it simply makes the game easier. I think everyone would take these suggestions more seriously if they could be done in a way that also kept the game challenging. I'm at day 100 on stalker with over 100 matches, if they weren't decaying I wouldn't have to actually worry about fire for well over 100 days (not lighting a match every day or anything like that). So how can hinterland make the match decay more realistic while also keeping the game challenging?

If solo wolves never fought you, I would never have had a wolf fight so far in this entire game. So again, how do they make these realistic changes, while keeping the game challenging? Wolves only roam in packs? Again, if you want an insta death scenario there you go.

I understand that alpha is for feedback, I've been playing alphas and betas since I was a child. I'm just confused because this feedback seems disjointed. If people are complaining about wolf fight mechanics, I have little sympathy because they are not difficult. If you are complaining about wolf behavior, I can understand that, but I ask how do you create the wolves you want, while keeping the wolves a viable threat and challenge?

[mrrrmrrr]

I guess I just don't care that much if the wolves behave realistically or not, since the developers state explicitly that they aren't trying to create realistic behavior in the wildlife. I mean I don't think any of us would actually want to play a game where the wolves acted realistically. Oh cool, one wolf spotted me when I left my house, gathered itself up a hunting pack and stalked me to the fishing cabin where four of them jumped me. People say wolves are insta-death now.

Idk, I actually think that the behaviour you described here would be a great addition to the game. Having really, really subtle indications that you are being stalked, and then being able to act on those indications to try and outmaneuver the wolves and make it to safety, or throw them off your tracks (with some kind of footprint and smell/wind mechanic I guess) seems like it would definitely add to the tension and enjoyment of the game. Having a guaranteed death by wolf-pack hanging over your head would totally add to the intruige and excitement. As long as there's a sufficient element of skill, and not just chance, involved, I think that any level of difficulty is fun.

Most games involve random elements, as well as instant-death scenarios. However, what makes these mechanics really thrilling (to me, at least), is the possibility of avoiding or escaping them virtue of your own skill, situational knowledge and awareness, etc. When you are aware of them, and are acting/reacting against them, they add tension and up the stakes of the narrative. Which brings me to the other point about "realism."

I hate to make this comparison, but wolves currently remind me of zombies from most other post-apocalyptic survival games. They behave, and are implemented, in very similar ways--small detection radius, instant aggressiveness and pursuit, and the difficulty of encounters with them increases in direct proportion to the amount of them there are in an area. For me, this is what "unrealistic" means. Since they're so reminiscent of other (inferior) survival games, they aren't as effective at heightening the tension and strengthening my immersion in the narrative as other mechanics with more "character" like bad weather or resource scarcity. Even if they look and sound different, the experience of playing against wolves, from a tactical perspective, feels like playing against zombies.

This isn't to say that I don't want any aggressive NPCs or predator type mechanics--I just don't want such stale ones! Asymmetrical predator-prey type games can be amazingly fun even while they're ridiculousy hard. Alien: Isolation on hard difficulty is a perfect example of this (while it's extremely hard, it's still "hard but fair"--if you've mastered the mechanics your victory is assured...eventually). There's surely quite a lot of development challenges involved in changing the wolves, but even things like adding different models and types of wolf or making their behaviour a little more unpredictable (make some of them have much larger detection radius'? more aggressive? etc) could go a long way to spicing things up, IMO.