Cougars need to be REDUX-ed (SPOILERS) - Criticism, Feedback

[athuez]

I agree with everything you've said here OP.

The UI makes the whole experience very underwhelming and disappointing. Hinterland should've focused more time into the new region and tale (haven't played in it yet so I don't know if its really great or not) as opposed to working on the cougar. It should have been saved for the sixth expansion so that Hinterland could have more time to flesh its AI and gameplay out.

For now, I think I'll play with the cougar turned off. I really hope they make some changes.

[ManicManiac]

Critique... thoughts... feelings... about the cougar are all fine (of course)

However, I will warn folks to keep it civil and respectful.  Rude/disrespectful speculation, accusations, and assumptions about the Hinterland team, their intentions, work ethic, or internal decision making (which none of us know anything about)... that's bad form.  If you'd like this thread to continue, I urge folks to keep things civil and respectful.  (most of you have)

[Laika Ivanova]

13 hours ago, TheTraditionalGentleman said:

This perfectly sums up my thoughts on the cougar. I'm really hoping it gets a redux, and we get it as an actual animal in the world. I'm at the point where I'm just waiting for the final part of the DLC before playing, so hopefully the devs consider changing it. I'm excited about the new region, and I like the option to cheat death, but the cougar really feels like something that they wanted to have more fleshed out, but rushed out the door (gives me original wintermute ep 1-2 vibes).

I would play now, but on my main save I got locked inside the final Tale location 😅

[Monke]

1 hour ago, ManicManiac said:

Critique... thoughts... feelings... about the cougar are all fine (of course)

However, I will warn folks to keep it civil and respectful.  Rude/disrespectful speculation, accusations, and assumptions about the Hinterland team, their intentions, work ethic, or internal decision making (which none of us know anything about)... that's bad form.  If you'd like this thread to continue, I urge folks to keep things civil and respectful.  (most of you have)

He was being respectful and civil?

[Leeanda]

I have to say that from what I've seen so far, it looks good.. just because it can't be seen beforehand doesn't make it bad.. it means it's acting how a cougar does in real life. I might be wrong but I think that that's what htl were trying to do ,within the confines of what is possible for the Devs..

I also think some are just a bit peeved because it's not how they want it to be...  I'm not having a go at anyone,each to their own but I think hinterland deserve credit  for trying a new way of doing it...  

[Monke]

5 minutes ago, Leeanda said:

I have to say that from what I've seen so far, it looks good.. just because it can't be seen beforehand doesn't make it bad.. it means it's acting how a cougar does in real life. I might be wrong but I think that that's what htl were trying to do ,within the confines of what is possible for the Devs..

I also think some are just a bit peeved because it's not how they want it to be...  I'm not having a go at anyone,each to their own but I think hinterland deserve credit  for trying a new way of doing it...  

It has some bugs and issues, for example it can get you in the closed porch in pleasant valley farmstead, it can get you while your in a car. (already known bug) 

[thekillergreece]

2 minutes ago, Monke said:

It has some bugs and issues, for example it can get you in the closed porch in pleasant valley farmstead, it can get you while your in a car. (already known bug) 

I'm sure the closed porch is a known issue. If not, it needs to be reported. 👍
This criticism thread is for the Cougar system as a whole (ie. design choice, spawn logic, etc), not counting the bugs.

Edited Wednesday at 12:03 PM by thekillergreece

[Leeanda]

Just now, Monke said:

It has some bugs and issues, for example it can get you in the closed porch in pleasant valley farmstead, it can get you while your in a car. (already known bug) 

Bugs are to be expected ,and I'm sure they'll be fixed when they can....   

 

[ElSuperGecko]

Good morning all.  Long time lurker here, finally creating an account to discuss the latest update - constructively.

Intro:

Bit of background, I first learned about The Long Dark thanks to an interview with Mark Meer where he discussed working an episodic project alongside Jennifer Hale.  As a big fan of both the Mass Effect series and open world survival games in general, I quickly looked it up.  I started playing right around the time Episode 4 was released, ad I've been loving life (brief as it might be) on Great Bear ever since.  So much so I bought in to Tales immediately, and I've been enjoying the regular roll out of updates.

So, first and foremost, please note any criticisms raised here are intended to be constructive and come from a place of love and a desire to see more and better.  I'll admit straight away - I'm no game developer or programmer.  I have no idea of the challenges and difficulties of implementing ideas, suggestions and wish lists into a game like this, let alone trying to keep everyone happy in the process.  I'm just writing down my own thoughts and opinions, and hoping they're noted.

So, first up:  I love the idea of the Cougar.  I'm sure the vast majority of the player base loves the idea of the Cougar.  It's pretty clear the development team does as well, and they've been wanting to include it for a while.

It's also pretty clear that the current implementation has left a lot of players feeling underwhelmed or unhappy, and I'm sure this has been noted by the team.

So what are my own thoughts?

1:  Show Don't Tell

I've seen a lot of player complaints that the cougar doesn't have a physical presence in the world - that it can't be spotted, tracked or hunted before it attacks, and that you don't have a chance to defend yourself before the attack takes place.  I totally understand this point of view, because it's such a different implementation from every other animal in the game, and because players agency is limited to either a: avoiding it altogether or b: ignoring all warnings and waiting until the timer reaches zero and an attack occurs.

Neither option is particularly fun or satisfying - you either resign yourself to suffering an attack, or you miss the opportunity to see what should be one of the most nerve-wracking experiences in the game completely.  There's no middle ground here.

Conversely, I do understand Hinterland's point of view as well.  The cougar is an elusive creature, and they clearly wanted it to act differently to other animals in the game.  We're not stalking it - it's stalking us.  So a spawn-in-ambush-mechanic rather than a persistent presence should be enough.  It just doesn't seem to be implemented in a satisfying manner.

Either way, I agree with the author here:  put simply, the UI notifications should go.  They're immersion breaking in a game that is all about immersion.  I can kind of understand including them for accessibility, but from my own point of view at least they diminish the entire experience.  At the very least, let us toggle the in-game UI prompts on or off (and this would go for the Timberwolf Morale Meter too!)

The cougar's encroachment and presence in a territory should be visible and audible to the players via in game cues alone.  Changing the environment in which you're playing would create a much more immersive and stressful experience than sitting and waiting through a set timer and on-screen notifications.  So...

2:  Environmental Storytelling

It seems to me that rather than the intrusive UI prompts and notifications in place at the moment, various existing in game assets could be re-purposed to signal the cougar's encroachment and arrival in an area.  We already have some audible cues distinct to the cougar itself - it's audible hisses and growls.  But what about the following?

Audible Cues:  There are already sound effects in game for snapping twigs, rustling bushes, falling rocks, bunny squeals, other creaking and mechanical noises.  Some of these sound effects are mainly played in bad weather and blizzards, but could they be repurposed to signal cougar activity?  Imagine hearing bunny squeals out of nowhere, or rustling bushes and snapping twigs on clear, still days?

Visual Cues:  Animal corpses and blood streaks in the snow are already present in the game as well, triggered by hunting/harvesting, so maybe spawning these in high traffic areas (roads, clearings, near buildings etc) could be a straightforward way to signal cougar encroachment?  I'd love to see additional visual clues like claw marks on tree trunks similar to moose sign, bloody trails leading to animal corpses, pawprints in the snow etc, but I'm trying to stick solely to what's already present in the game for now.

Wildlife Behaviour:  The cougar is an alpha predator.  It makes sense that other wildlife would want to avoid it's presence as well as you.  So maybe when a cougar is encroaching, other wildlife becomes scarce.  The ambient and corpse crows go silent and vanish.  The deer vanish.  There are less wolves, they stop howling, and are more likely to be spooked and flee than attack you.  The region you're in starts to feel a lot emptier and quieter, adding to the sense of dread and foreboding.  A change in the standard wildlife behaviour and population for the difficulty combined with ravaged carcasses spawning as above would be an unsettling indicator for players.

The Insomnia Affliction:  Currently limited to Glimmer Fog events in the Far Territory regions, this could also be used to signal the cougar's presence in other regions.  Imagine waking up indoors to the "something disturbed your rest" prompt, then hearing scratching or scrabbling noises, breaking glass or thumps on the roof, and seeing dust fall from the ceiling.  Or seeing the same prompt while asleep outdoors, in a non-loading building, in a cave or by a campfire, and hearing the previously mentioned snapping twigs, rustling leaves, falling rocks or rustling bushes and a faint hiss or growl...  And of course, the longer you remain in the region, the more your insomnia risk increases.  Not always accompanied by ambient noises, reflecting your increasing dread and paranoia.

Cues like these could also be used to indicate the region that contains the Cougar's nest from the moment you arrive.

Finally (for now):

3:  A (Really) Rare Event

While I can understand wanting to err on the side of caution when making a change as big - and as potentially punishing - as this, the time needed to trigger a cougar attack seems to me to be way too long.  On lower difficulties especially, it is long enough for a player who doesn't read the dev diaries, forum posts and game updates to completely miss and never experience it.  And for players who are aware, potentially a month plus in game is a long, long time to stay in a single region. 

Personally, I would like to see the encroachment time reduced to a month in game, maximum - with certain player actions attracting it earlier.  Say for example:

Misery - 10 days.
Interloper - 15 days.
Stalker - 20 days.
Voyager - 25 days.
Pilgrim - 30 days.

- If you're in the region containing the cougar's next, the encroachment could begin immediately, regardless of difficulty.
- If you're in a neighbouring region to the cougar's nest, the encroachment could begin 5 days earlier.
- Cougars encroachment could also triggered by scent and animal remains, so if you're hunting excessively or leaving a mess behind (for example, 5 or more wolf/deer/near/moose carcasses in a region at any one time, or if you've quartered an animal), the remaining time could be immediately reduced by 5 days.

This seems to me like it would trigger cougar experiences more often doing normal play - that is, without deliberately trying to make it happen.  Combining this with the removal of the UI aids means players would need to be more on guard, more cautious and more observant of their surroundings, even without the cougar being physically present in the game.

Anyway, that's my initial thoughts (and my first post!)  Sorry for the wall of text, but please let me know what you think.

Edited Wednesday at 03:24 PM by ElSuperGecko

[Pencil]

@ElSuperGecko this is what we need. Well said, very detailed, and realistic to implement. If Hinterland only saw one post regarding the cougar I would hope they saw this one 

To be completely honest, I would be more ok with the insta-attack the cougar currently has if they replaced the UI with in-game cougar signs. Although, of course, I'd still love the cougar to at least be a sprite in the distance we can rarely see or a model that appears a couple seconds before an attack, but if nothing else I think changing the UI would be a huge improvement. 

[ElSuperGecko]

Thanks @Pencil - don't get me wrong, I'd love to see the cougar stalking around the environment, racing at us from cover or taking down a stag, wolf or moose, but yes, I'd be enough happy with the insta-attack as well if the event was built up to via in-game cues and gameplay rather than UI and a visible timer.

[Dan_]

Kudos to the OP for the amazingly written piece. Tons of good stuff there. 

The struggle animation and cougar model are masterfully crafted, props to the artists, modelers, sound designers and everybody involved. Bravo! 👏

The severity of the affliction is on point, it is supposed to be really life threatening and it achieved that with high marks. 

The "bad" stuff is the same as everybody pointed. The intrusive UI elements and the way it just gets you with no option.

At this point, it's just a choice of trading severe clothing and health damage for a 50% shot at a special headgear item. Not fun. I'm happy we got the hotfix so I can have a choice to remove the cougar on my existing saves. Props to HL for giving players a choice, can't really complain about that. 

 

[Laika Ivanova]

48 minutes ago, Dan_ said:

Kudos to the OP for the amazingly written piece. Tons of good stuff there. 

The struggle animation and cougar model are masterfully crafted, props to the artists, modelers, sound designers and everybody involved. Bravo! 👏

The severity of the affliction is on point, it is supposed to be really life threatening and it achieved that with high marks. 

The "bad" stuff is the same as everybody pointed. The intrusive UI elements and the way it just gets you with no option.

At this point, it's just a choice of trading severe clothing and health damage for a 50% shot at a special headgear item. Not fun. I'm happy we got the hotfix so I can have a choice to remove the cougar on my existing saves. Props to HL for giving players a choice, can't really complain about that. 

 

Yeah, the fact they give us a choice regarding existing saves is great. I just wish that would work with Scurvy as well (some told me it also activates Scurvy but my first post Tales Interloper save doesn't activate Scurvy that way). 

Anyway, I can support the idea of less or no UI elements regarding the Cougar and instead having more in world signs. Just, get rid of the out of the blue instant attack. I get the idea behind it and I respect Hinterland for trying something new, but this just ain't it for a game in my opinion. 

[Serenity]

5 hours ago, ElSuperGecko said:

While I can understand wanting to err on the side of caution when making a change as big - and as potentially punishing - as this, the time needed to trigger a cougar attack seems to me to be way too long.  

Personally, I would like to see the encroachment time reduced to a month in game, maximum - with certain player actions attracting it earlier. 

This is personal preference and depends on the play style, but while I do like being nomadic and don't spend months in one area, I sometimes like staying somewhere for a while. Especially if it's a bit more remote and/or complicated like HRV or AC. A month is fine for that. 15 days less so. That would feel very hurried for me.

I see the cougar more as something that discourages really hibernating in one area where you concentrate all your loot. While still allowing you to stay somewhere for a while. And about a month is a good time frame for that.

[Enigmaecho]

5 hours ago, Laika Ivanova said:

Yeah, the fact they give us a choice regarding existing saves is great. I just wish that would work with Scurvy as well (some told me it also activates Scurvy but my first post Tales Interloper save doesn't activate Scurvy that way). 

Anyway, I can support the idea of less or no UI elements regarding the Cougar and instead having more in world signs. Just, get rid of the out of the blue instant attack. I get the idea behind it and I respect Hinterland for trying something new, but this just ain't it for a game in my opinion. 

It should have implemented scurvy for you, it did in my pre part 4 save file 🤔 did you check your food to see if it has vit c indicators? If not the patch the dropped for steam should give you the option if you load the save not resume it

[Hazelnut]

6 hours ago, Laika Ivanova said:

Yeah, the fact they give us a choice regarding existing saves is great. I just wish that would work with Scurvy as well (some told me it also activates Scurvy but my first post Tales Interloper save doesn't activate Scurvy that way). 

Anyway, I can support the idea of less or no UI elements regarding the Cougar and instead having more in world signs. Just, get rid of the out of the blue instant attack. I get the idea behind it and I respect Hinterland for trying something new, but this just ain't it for a game in my opinion. 

WHen I got the enable/disable question post-hotfix it showed the cougar toggle on screen and I noticed a triangle on the RHS of the screen which when clicked moved over to the question to enable/disable scurvy. Maybe you missed that UI element, it's easy to miss.

[Fuarian]

12 hours ago, Leeanda said:

I have to say that from what I've seen so far, it looks good.. just because it can't be seen beforehand doesn't make it bad.. it means it's acting how a cougar does in real life. I might be wrong but I think that that's what htl were trying to do ,within the confines of what is possible for the Devs..

I also think some are just a bit peeved because it's not how they want it to be...  I'm not having a go at anyone,each to their own but I think hinterland deserve credit  for trying a new way of doing it...  

Well in real life if a cougar snuck up on you in a mile wide open field you'd probably be able to see it at least somewhat. It's fine if the cougar is stealthy and can sneak up on you, but I find it a bit strange how you can never see it before it attacks. Imo it would be slightly better if it would spawn right behind you a couple of metres when it attacks and you'd have a split second to turn around and shoot it. This should be a difficult feat and as a result an attack is still more likely than not, but having the ability to fend it off before it almost kills you instead of requiring it to attack you to kill it would be better imo

[Lexilogo]

Hinterland needed to make the Cougar dangerous, but a lot of animals are cheesable from things like ducking into cars or abusing weird geometry to stop their pathfinding. Bears/Moose get around that via tankiness, and so encourage getting close for precise shots, but that wasn't really an option for the Cougar, so I understand tackling it from this new angle.

IMO spawning it right into a struggle isn't the best approach though. Other people's suggestions of the Cougar spawning outside your FOV and rushing you for a small chance of shooting it would be much better, but it would probably need some safety nets in implementation, like:

• Before the cougar can spawn, it should check your local geometry. If the area outside your FOV is mostly occupied by solid terrain/lack of solid ground to approach from (eg. your back is facing a wall, or you're on a bridge,) then the Cougar won't spawn, it needs a good range of angles to attack you from. This does mean people could block the cougar by keeping their backs to the walls and playing like they're watching paranoid for cougar attacks, but TBH I think that would be a cool way to counter the cougar anyway, (and certainly wouldn't be something you could keep up forever, not to mention a lot harder than simply moving region) so why not? Of course, this would need a lot of testing and adjustment to make sure the cougar will still attack players in a timely manner and the system itself works properly, but I think it could work to make when exactly a cougar attacks you even more unpredictable.
• To keep the sense of the cougar being super dangerous rather than just being a wolf (and hopefully minimise abuse of weird geometry) the grab range to enter a Struggle could be larger than a normal animal, too.
• If the cougar fails the rush towards you for whatever reason, it should probably bolt off outside your view and despawn again.

 

This way the cougar still isn't a fully typical animal, you won't get the drop on it, but you have a chance to fight back and there's more natural anticipation/tension in the cougar stalking you, not a flat inevitability.

Edited Thursday at 01:34 AM by Lexilogo
(quick rewording in the first bulletpoint)

[Sherri]

While I'm super excited about this update (man have I ever been loving Tales & the new maps!), but this cougar confuses me. I distinctly recall some mention of a new "reason to look up" and a lot of hints that we'll have to be on our guard &  stay alert. But none of that applies.

If the cougar doesn't really exist in the world, then to me it's just another affliction timer like cabin fever. Here's a timer until 'bad thing' happens. So it's a "keep moving" prod that doesn't allow for much creative problem solving (like catching it hunting you & turning the tables on it). Albeit much cooler than cabin fever! 

 

Personally think I'll usually keep it disabled. And I agree it could be nice if it gets a future revamp to make it actually exist. 

But... TBH there's more than enough awesome goodies in this update... the game just keeps getting better.

Edited Thursday at 04:10 AM by Sherri

[Cold In July]

My 5 cents how I would see implementation of cougar:

1. The cougar may appear in the region with some delay after the start of the game, depending on the difficulty (90/60/30/15 days - from pilgrim to interlooper, respectively)

2. You are never directly informed that a predator has appeared in the region. The fact that a predator has appeared is indicated by the fact that the player can visually see the predator.

3. The predator appears in the region with a delay of 15+x/25+x/30+x/40+x days after changing the region, where x is random from -3 to +5.

4. The number of spawn points depends on the size of the territory, but is limited to 2-3. Number of cougars at a point - 1 unit. The predator appears in the region in a random place, the behavior corresponds to the behavior of a bear. The predator is assigned a certain zone, which it guards; when the player tries to enter it, the puma moves towards the player. This will limit the ability to explore the region unhindered. For example, he can settle near the church in Milton. Or near the farm. Not necessarily near houses

6. Wolves avoid pumas, bears and mooses do not cross paths with pumas. Hunts deer and rabbits

7. The speed of movement is equal to the speed of the wolf. The beginning of the fight corresponds to a fight with a bear, then there is a competition similar to that of a wolf. Can jump to get over low ledges.

8. Affliction Severe Lacerations changed: duration reduced to 24 hours. once an hour there is a check for the danger of infection, maximum fatigue and movement speed is reduced by 25%. Water consumption has doubled.
The player needs rest, so if fatigue reaches 0 or a fight with predators occurs while the ailment is active, the timer is reset to the original, similar to hypothermia.
If a player runs, then once every 20 game minutes there is a 20% chance of a wound opening (bleeding)
Threats with no special meds, over time, however, using painkillers or rosehip tea for 2 hours removes the movement penalty.

9. Puma respawn time is 4-5 days, the destruction of the nest pushes the timer of a new invasion to 30+ days.

10. The nest may contain loot, human bodies or the remains of deer, as well as industrial containers and backpacks.

Sorry for bad writing, I am not native english speaker, translater works here) Also its not complete picture. Just dislike cheap trick when predator spawns on top of my head.

Edited Thursday at 06:59 AM by Cold In July

[Muk_Pile]

I agree with most of the other commenters in this thread: the cougar should be a creature you can interact with, not a ghost that only appears when it's literally right on top of you. Here's what I would expect to see for a redux cougar.

SPAWNING. Rather than persisting in a specific area of a region (like wolves & bears), the cougar should only exist briefly in a location (~1-3 hours in game) before vanishing and reappearing in a new spot, making it very difficult to track down. It should also have a higher chance of appearing near the survivor the longer it sticks around, incentivizing the survivor to deal with the cougar sooner rather than later.

STALKING. Once the cougar has detected the survivor, it will attempt to silently stalk the survivor; unlike other predators, it doesn't vocalize while stalking its prey. The cougar will only approach if the survivor can't see it (ex. facing away, behind a tree, over a hill), freezing in place while the survivor is looking in its direction. Staring long enough at the cougar can be enough to discourage it, causing it to flee; though there would always be a very small chance that it will commit to a charge and attack the survivor. The cougar will always snarl when it charges, granting the survivor a brief moment to react to the assault.

FLEEING. Unlike a wolf, the cougar will always flee if the survivor aims or shoots a ranged weapon at the cougar, unless it is already charging. If the fleeing cougar moves out-of-sight or out-of-rending-distance, it will vanish and reappear at a new location far away from the survivor.

SIGNS. The cougar will leave signs of its presence in the areas it occupies (ex. ravaged carcasses, claw marked trees & structures, screeching during the night). Should the survivor observe any of these signs, they will gain the Paranoid affliction (see below) for the next 8 hours (12 hours on Stalker Mode, 16 hours on Interloper, & 24 hours on Misery); if the survivor is already Paranoid, the duration of the current affliction is reset rather than gaining another one.

PARANOID (Disease Affliction)

Survivor looses their focus: mending and crafting items takes 50% longer to complete; can't read training books.

Cabin Fever Risk increased by 20%.

Insomnia Risk increased by 20%.

Treatment: Wait for the duration to end, or Slay the cougar.

Edited Thursday at 07:05 AM by Muk_Pile
Spelling errors.

[Renn]

I was just thinking, wouldn't it be possible to, instead of a big, immersion-breaking HUD warning, to do some more dialogue instead. The cougar is starting to hunt you, and your character starts saying things like "What was that?" "I feel like I'm being watched...". Of course, I know some people turn dialogue off altogether, but then what about a little dread gauge, much like your other need-gauges, but this one fills up as the chance of a cougar attack increases? 

This might seem random or it might have been suggested before (I didn't read the whole thread nor have I encountered the cougar myself yet), but this popped into my head last night and I thought I'd add my suggestion to the pile.

[Tyler111762]

Because someone in the reddit thread recommended i post here, im copying the text of my suggestion on this topic. 

=======

i know we all want the cougar to spawn in world. and I agree. but at an absolute bare minimum, the cougar struggle needs to be changed to allow you to fight back like you can with a wolf, rather than just doing a set amount of damage to you like the bear and moose. 

i know button mashing isn't the most engaging of mechanics, but giving you the chance to fight and in doing so either extend the time you have to take a shot at it, reduce the damage you take and even possible avoid the deep lacerations affliction, or all of the above. 

But there is an even better option. 

Have the cutscene where you get a moment to shoot the cougar play before it tackles you.

you hear a growl, the game prompts you to select a weapon, then you have a few seconds in the slow motion to look for the cougar and line up your sights to take a shot. miss the shot? then you enter the struggle and get mauled. 

this would give you some amount of counter play and ability to fight the cougar without forcing you to be severely injured by it in the process regardless of your skill without having the cougar just be another animal in game if that's not what hinterland wants for this entity.

Edited Thursday at 06:47 PM by Tyler111762

[ridankrad]

2 hours ago, Tyler111762 said:

Because someone in the reddit thread recommended i post here, im copying the text of my suggestion on this topic. 

=======

i know we all want the cougar to spawn in world. and I agree. but at an absolute bare minimum, the cougar struggle needs to be changed to allow you to fight back like you can with a wolf, rather than just doing a set amount of damage to you like the bear and moose. 

i know button mashing isn't the most engaging of mechanics, but giving you the chance to fight and in doing so either extend the time you have to take a shot at it, reduce the damage you take and even possible avoid the deep lacerations affliction, or all of the above. 

But there is an even better option. 

Have the cutscene where you get a moment to shoot the cougar play before it tackles you.

you hear a growl, the game prompts you to select a weapon, then you have a few seconds in the slow motion to look for the cougar and line up your sights to take a shot. miss the shot? then you enter the struggle and get mauled. 

this would give you some amount of counter play and ability to fight the cougar without forcing you to be severely injured by it in the process regardless of your skill without having the cougar just be another animal in game if that's not what hinterland wants for this entity.

I just want to offer my thoughts about your suggestion. I would prefer to not have rigid, quick time events because they just aren't as fun as the dynamic hunting that the player encounters when dealing with every other animal in the game. 

I'll try to explain a little bit what I mean. The appeal of TLD is in large part, at least for me, the dynamic, fluid nature of the gameplay. The player is given a lot of freedom to set their own goals and tackle challenges (or not) in ways they deem best.  I will grant that more fluid gameplay allows more opportunities to "cheese" the AI. For example, shooting bears from the porch at the PV farmstead. On the other hand, I think other solutions like hunting a bear from the top of a fallen tree or a steep hillside is totally reasonable and moreover makes encounters more fun. Using little nuances in the environment to gain an advantage while hunting adds an element of strategy and planning to TLD that I really enjoy, and that I think compliments the planning and strategy that takes place in other parts of the game (e.g. planning what to pack for a long journey). Even though the AI isn't perfect and can sometimes be exploited, I don't think the solution is to make interactions with wildlife more rigid.

With all that said, I like your idea insofar as giving the player the opportunity to kill the cougar without a guaranteed mauling. I can appreciate that Hinterland wants the cougar to be dangerous. I also can appreciate that there may be a desire to represent the cougar's ambush hunting style. Even so, what I want to see is that danger and elusiveness represented in a way that preserves the fluid, free nature of TLD.

Edited Thursday at 09:24 PM by ridankrad

[itsLydt]

On 6/25/2024 at 12:17 PM, Gracia_WolfSlayer said:

How would I know it'll arrive in 4 days? Did the cougar send me a calendar invite?

Cracking up at this one. Accurate though. The survivor has preternatural cougar sensing abilities apparently, except when it counts. The UI notifications seem like such an odd choice considering how the rest of the game rewards the player for having a keen eye and paying attention.