In Defense (sort of) Of The Cougar

[mackenzieapologist]

I think there's some truth in the myriad complaints about the cougar's implementation, and some truth in those defending it. I'm gonna leave my own thoughts as someone who has been playing TLD for about 4-5 years and purchased the DLC expansion the second it was available.

In real life, cougars are TERRIFYING. Friends of mine who've lived in mountainous areas of the west coast have told me their horror stories about cougars. It is an entirely silent and invisible predator- if you see a cougar, it is because the cougar has ALLOWED you to see it. Unless you're a seasoned park ranger, there's no such thing as proactively hunting a cougar. In that regard, I really enjoy the cougar. You shouldn't have the option to proactively take down an alpha predator that has long since mastered stealth and stalking. You're a human, moving at human speeds, making human amounts of noise. In a showdown between Will Mackenzie and a cougar, the cougar wins. Easy. I'm already scared shitless by the idea of bears and moose- you bet your ass I give predators a wide, wide berth, and even I got excited by the idea of a stalking alpha predator that forces you to remain vigilant nonstop. 

That being said, the immersion is really, really lacking. And that is ruining some of the suspense! Having a HUD indicator flat-out informing you of the cougar's whereabouts is terrible. I would much rather prefer something more vague, like, "You feel like you are being watched" or "Something is following you". Hell, even a unique status affliction could communicate that information! I also wish there were more environmental cues. Shredded tree bark, paw prints, carcasses up in trees, the cougar yowling in the night, et cetera. These signs would require the survivor to pay close attention and would really instill a sense of impending doom. The cougar is something to be afraid of, not something to only care about once some invisible timer has run out. The lack of immersion turns the cougar into a mere mechanic, and that cheapens the experience. 

I think adding environmental cues that occur at random intervals once the cougar has arrived could be a simple enough fix, but the debate of whether or not the cougar should have its own AI and in-game model is a larger one. Maybe the cougar could be treated like the Old Bear from story mode, before you get the spear- you turn around and see it once or twice, but it's always too far away to attack, and you're too petrified to pursue it anyway. A literal game of cat and mouse- or cat and Mackenzie, as it were.

Overall, I like the cougar. I know I'm in a small minority, but I enjoy that Hinterland took a creative risk with the implementation of this predator. An animal we can hunt and attack at will is just another wolf, and I think folks would be disappointed by just another wolf. While this new approach is ambitious and potentially flavorful, the simple mechanical presentation cheapens it, and it falls flat. I hope Hinterland absorbs some of this feedback without totally gutting the cougar. Looking forward to seeing where it goes!

[Just some guy being a dude]

I agree if they just changed a few small things I would love it 

[itsLydt]

I agree we shouldn't be able to hunt it let alone farm it, although I'm sure the top players will find a way. But the way it is now is not interesting in my opinion, sorry to say. Once you have been attacked once, you've experienced the extent of the cougar interaction. I mean, how many ways are there to watch a cutscene 

[Stranzua]

I hope that the cougar hunts you but doesn't openly stalk you like the wolves. Running directly at you from a distance is exactly what it shouldn't do, and hopefully they can make it so it can pounce on you from behind certain terrain like hills, boulders, scrub brush patches, and structures. Maybe seeing the cougar run in the distance can be a sign that it's hunting you, and maybe different sound/visual cues can tell you it's getting closer and closer. If you're going through an area that leaves you vulnerable of an ambush, maybe throwing a noisemaker or shooting a gun can scare it away enough to pass through that area safely. If you throw a noisemaker close enough to a cougar in hiding, maybe it can get stunned briefly enough to have a chance to kill it. If the cougar pounces, it should be extremely quick and hard to kill. If it starts a struggle, it should automatically win like the bear. 

After it wins the struggle, instead of giving the player one shot to kill it in a painfully slow disorientated state, maybe the player can get one shot to kill it at a normal /slightly slower speed and then they collapse. 

Honestly, I'm not even sure if this is technically possible, but it also sounds like they already have most of these mechanics in the game already. Wolves will already pounce at you from behind trees, around boulders, or at the top of hills, but they bark before they strike. If they can just implement this with the cougar and make the cougar silent, I think it would work perfectly. 

[Kranium]

Just an aside: I think most people over-state how stealthy and "invisible" cougars are IRL. I live in cougar country, they're not some mythical invisible 100% silent creature. I see them quite often, often because they don't know I'm there until the last moment (hiking on our ranch, mostly). 2 weekends ago I heard one jump down from a tree, even. (checked it out, found the tracks) Last fall I came close to running one over on my mountain bike, 2nd time that's happened! LOL They're totally like "regular/house" cats - get 99% of the way across the [logging] road but then run back to the other side when it's too late. haha Stealthy my butt!

 

I'll tell you what, though: they hate being seen. The instant they think they've been spotted, they take off.* That would be a cool & realistic mechanic to utilize, in order to have them "in the wild" while also being a [near] impossible shot. Shouldn't be huntable in the way the other animals are in this game.

 

(* Only exception I've encountered was when they were guarding a fresh kill. I do know they can & will stalk people, but that's very rare & I've never experienced it myself, in the almost 20 years I've been here)

[Ghurcb]

16 hours ago, itsLydt said:

Once you have been attacked once, you've experienced the extent of the cougar interaction. I mean, how many ways are there to watch a cutscene 

This is a great point actually. Couldn't put it better myself. The bears, wolves, timberwolves, and moose all provide a unique experience depending on different environments. But if it's just a cutscene, there can't be any variety. Every cougar encounter would play out the same. Good thing Hinterland decided to re-work it.

Edited June 28 by Ghurcb

[Leeanda]

The difference being though that there's only one cougar and there's lots of other animals ,which respawn regularly....

Just a thought

[Stranzua]

5 hours ago, Kranium said:

Just an aside: I think most people over-state how stealthy and "invisible" cougars are IRL. I live in cougar country, they're not some mythical invisible 100% silent creature. 

True, but remember, in TLD the wildlife is acting strange because of the phenomenon that occurred on the island. Wolves don't usually stalk people either. If the cougar was actually hunting you, I'm sure that it would be sneaky.

In my opinion, I would love it if the game made it so that the cougar would instantly run away if spotted. This would make it impossible to hunt. Walking on snow is loud. 

Plus, cats can generally be fearless which is why they let their guard down so easily. Maybe the game can offer a few rare instances where you can catch it off guard, but I think it would only be interesting if those opportunities were rare.