suggestion New animal: FOX

[Ghurcb]

With all of the speculation going on right now about what sort of "fauna" Hinterland are going to add in the Tales from the Far Territory, I'd like to present my idea for a new forest animal.

It seems like the wildlife in the long dark is overwhelmingly hostile. Timberwolves, bears and moose want nothing more than to see your lifeless body. Boars and cougars that are being suggested by the community don't sound very friendly either. I wouldn't be surprised if in the next update, even the rabbits would start to attack us.

I wouldn't want foxes to pose any danger. Sure, any animal can hurt you when provoked, but generally, foxes are scared of people. And if one were to attack you, it wouldn't be nearly as dangerous as a wolf (and you fight those regularly in TLD). No, I'd like foxes to be harmless creatures, who still wouldn't mind stealing a rabbit you killed. Observant and agile, they would be nearly impossible to hunt in the same way you hunt dear of wolves. I can even imagine them dodging your aim, once they become aware of you. When you aim at a wolf, it tries to flank you, but its path is predictable and you can easily line up your shot. But foxes would do anything not to have the end of your boom-stick pointed at them.

So, how do you hunt foxes then? You'd have to use decoys, a rabbit, a fish, or a piece of meat will surely make a fox lower its guard. No, it won't come anywhere near you, but it will become careless enough for you to take a shot. But you better be quick! Once a fox grabs your decoy, it will run away to safety.

Why would you hunt them? A fox's fur could be used for a long warm scarf. I do feel like scarfs are not treated fairly in the long dark. I can't recall a single time when I'd leave my home wearing two hats, but going outside in winter without a scarf? That is not a good idea. Still, in TLD scarfs are an inferior type of clothing, which can be fixed with this addition.

The relationship between foxes and other animals is simple. They hunt rabbits and avoid everything else. If you find a fox running through the forest, it might be smart to follow it instead of pulling out your gun. It will either lead you to a rabbit growth, or to its den. I suspect, with the new animal spawning system, rabbit growths will become more random, and thus, harder to find. If you're quick enough you can flip the script and steal a fox's kill by scaring it off with a stone when it kills a rabbit. Fox dens are little holes hidden between rocks, or under the trees, inside them, you can find some rabbit carcasses. You shouldn't expect a lot of meat to be left, but the guts and the pelt might still be intact.

What do you think about this idea? I'd love to hear your suggestions for how foxes could function in the long dark.

Edited November 17, 2022 by Ghurcb

[Pencil]

A fox sounds awesome! I would happily welcome a non-hostile animal to the game.

[javijungle]

I like the idea of including non-aggressive animals, even ones that cannot be hunted to enhance the immersion in the natural environment.
Sometimes in the game I hear birds singing but I've never seen anything but crows everywhere 🐦

[bascolais]

I see the fox more as a friendly animal. keeping a distance with human, not really domesticated, more like a presence. the idea is that we can't master nature, but we can fit to it. it can walk with us, and warn us upon wildlife. maybe to make diversion as it is quicker than a wolf, it will have no problem. the price could be to feed it as an exchange, but it doesn't eat so much.  the modders have done something interesting on that. the downside is that it could atract wolves as it is a prey too. for hunting, from my point of view,  we have enough to hunt and fish.

[Glflegolas]

If you want a fox in the game, there's actually a mod that adds this! Just scroll down to the Fox Companion mod and your wish shall be answered.

https://xpazeman.com/tld-mod-list/

[Ghurcb]

4 hours ago, bascolais said:

the modders have done something interesting on that.

2 hours ago, Glflegolas said:

If you want a fox in the game, there's actually a mod that adds this! Just scroll down to the Fox Companion mod and your wish shall be answered.

I like mods and I can't wait for Hinterland to put out the modding tools they promise. Seriously, I'm as mod-positive as one can get. Never played neither Skyrim nor Minecraft without mods (for both of them I have 100+ mods installed). But the Fox Companion is not what I'm looking for. I want a fox to be a new type of animal, not a sidekick. And the idea of having a fox as a pet who helps you hunt sounds a little too video-gamey. Foxes are wild animals, and even a dog, if untrained, wouldn't help you too much in a survival situation.

And unless an animal is just a part of ambiance, I think it should be huntable. But I would welcome animals that you'd be discouraged from killing, as they might be more useful alive (or at least, their loot isn't worth the trouble). That's why when I suggested adding calves and cubs I said you shouldn't be able to harvest their pelts. No need to hunt down the little ones. Leading you to rabbit growths and rabbit stashes is the best utility for foxes I could come up with that doesn't go against the down-to-earth vibe of TLD.

Edited November 18, 2022 by Ghurcb

[xanna]

I think of the fox mod more like an extra piece of scenery. A visual version of the owls and other birds (hundreds, I believe). But I concede the point about a pet that helps you hunt feeling video-gamey; I completely agree. I'm not sure I knew it did that (I couldn't get the mod to work on my machine ). I'd like a pet to have as a pet but not in a way that actually affects gameplay at all, just something nice in the environment. I often feel the survivor's loneliness and wish I had a dog for them.

[Leeanda]

I'd like a fox in the game..  wild  but unhuntable. I couldn't bring myself to kill one,the bunnies are bad enough. 

 It could follow you sometimes ,looking for bits of scraps that you leave behind.  Otherwise just seen in the not too far distance.   I do realize that it would be hard to implement it though .

Edited November 22, 2022 by Leeanda

[Ghurcb]

On 11/22/2022 at 7:47 PM, Leeanda said:

I'd like a fox in the game..  wild  but unhuntable. I couldn't bring myself to kill one,the bunnies are bad enough.

Yeah, I get it, but at the same time I feel like being able to hunt every living thing in the game greatly improves the immersion. Like the upcoming ptarmigans, who you can pluck and harvest for meat. I am sure, these birds will feel much more real than crows specifically because of this distinction.

If bullets would pass through foxes without harming them, they would feel fake. But I think that hunting foxes should be so difficult, you'd rarely try it. They should be very cautious, and if you get close enough to shoot one, it would hear you and run away. You'd only have a good chance of hitting it, if you use a decoy, so most of the time when you run into a fox you wouldn't even be tempted. 

Edited November 25, 2022 by Ghurcb

[Leeanda]

I used to shoot everything when I first started but now I hardly bother with any unless it's very necessary. I think I'm losing my bloodlust.😊 

Half my bullets seem  like they go through them anyway.  But it's no different to hearing the coons or the owls,just the other way round. 

[49skier]

I like the idea of the presence of foxes. Companion animals seem like it could exist in wintermute, but not in survival. As for what they could be good for, I like the scarf idea. I agree that a lot of the wildlife seems really scarce. If the Aurora was enough to shock bears awake, surely other animals would be out and about as well. Hearing birds has never really bothered me. I mean, how much of a finch is edible anyway? Most birds are a pain in the butt to hunt and clean. However, foxes are a bit bigger, and would make and intermediate-sized animal between the rabbits and wolves.