Bear visits during the night

[Hotzn]

It's comforting to know that you're safe when going to bed in Camp Office, Trapper's Homestead or the Farmstead in PV. However, I like a game to keep me on the edge of my seat. So how about making bears occasionally visit our shelter at night? Our avatar would wake up in the middle of the night, saying something like "I think I heard something!"... all would be quiet, but then we would be able to hear something rummaging around the house, sniffing through the cracks, scratching at the windowframes... that would a bear.

It's well possible that such nightly visits do not correspond with real natural bear behaviour, but so what? I would probably get really nervous, especially with all the updates to the game I would be afraid that the bear might actually enter. Extremely bold players might go outside, place the lantern somewhere and try to shoot the bear (verrry dangerous), while others would just crawl around inside the house, trying to check where the bear is at (or whether it's bear at all) and verifying it's not getting inside. Of course one would have to light a lantern or other light source. I would imagine that would be very spooky and atmospheric.

This would also allow to remedy a problem that has become apparent with bears - they should not venture near buildings, because then it becomes too easy to hunt them (shoot once, slip inside, sleep, harvest). If they only come at night, this would be outweighed by the enormous risk of hunting a nearby bear in the dark.

Of course, the next morning the player should find bear tracks in the snow around the house. If it didn't snow afterwards, maybe the tracks could even point the player into the direction where the bear lives?

[Aelaera]

It's comforting to know that you're safe when going to bed in Camp Office, Trapper's Homestead or the Farmstead in PV. However, I like a game to keep me on the edge of my seat. So how about making bears occasionally visit our shelter at night? Our avatar would wake up in the middle of the night, saying something like "I think I heard something!"... all would be quiet, but then we would be able to hear something rummaging around the house, sniffing through the cracks, scratching at the windowframes... that would a bear.

It's well possible that such nightly visits do not correspond with real natural bear behaviour, but so what? I would probably get really nervous, especially with all the updates to the game I would be afraid that the bear might actually enter. Extremely bold players might go outside, place the lantern somewhere and try to shoot the bear (verrry dangerous), while others would just crawl around inside the house, trying to check where the bear is at (or whether it's bear at all) and verifying it's not getting inside. Of course one would have to light a lantern or other light source. I would imagine that would be very spooky and atmospheric.

This would also allow to remedy a problem that has become apparent with bears - they should not venture near buildings, because then it becomes too easy to hunt them (shoot once, slip inside, sleep, harvest). If they only come at night, this would be outweighed by the enormous risk of hunting a nearby bear in the dark.

Of course, the next morning the player should find bear tracks in the snow around the house. If it didn't snow afterwards, maybe the tracks could even point the player into the direction where the bear lives?

Actually, bears have been known to break into homes upon smelling food or in general being nosy little buggers. I personally would love to see this. I'd actually like to see bears have a higher chance of breaking in while you're leaving guts and pelts in the corners to make cured items (since they would smell the blood) and also if you don't secure your food supply in proper storage. Dumping twenty kg. of raw meat into a drawer would PROBABLY start to smell quickly.

[Scyzara]

Great idea, it would certainly add to my gameplay experience. Especially if the bears could also actually get inside your base and eat up your food reserves.

[Ninjakebab]

This is interesting. I like it! Shouldn't be impossible to implement either, just minor programming with a sound-file moving around the edge of the interior.

[tlkrushen]

The fact that the bears are wandering around in this kind of weather is already unusual but not unheard of so I suppose they could be causing trouble at night as well. The wolves are already acting out of character so the bears might as well too. Bears can also rip open a car like a tin can if they really want to get at something. But my Lord, we do need to have a little respite in the game once in awhile. I'm already thinking I'm seeing things when I'm walking through the bush watching for wolves. Sometimes I think a tree in the distance looks like a human or a sasquatch! I'm not doing very good at this game but I keep trying!

[Anelyn]

You do realize that once a bear gets inside and finds you sleeping in your bed, it's game over yes? Because you can't outrun him in close space, you will be bleeding at 10-7% inside his aggro / maul combo range (if you won't be dead from first maul combo) and pretty much a situation without any options.

If you really want to live on the edge, nobody stops you from spending some nights outside, you will most likely be found by a bear or wolf and you can live the thrill and - hopefully - to tell the story

[Scyzara]

You do realize that once a bear gets inside and finds you sleeping in your bed, it's game over yes? Because you can't outrun him in close space, you will be bleeding at 10-7% inside his aggro / maul combo range (if you won't be dead from first maul combo) and pretty much a situation without any options.

I wasn't talking about being woken up by the bear-mauling cutscene and having your condition reduced to 7% before you can react in the first place (or whatever you seem to assume.) I was merely saying that I would consider it to be fun to find my base either plundered or occupied by a bear every once in a while when I return to it.

Even if the bear could get inside your base at night and surprise you in your sleep, it doesn't have to behave like the current ones and maul you instantly. The Devs could instead make it e.g. snarl at you for 10-15 seconds before it attacks so you have enough time to escape outside.

I for one find such unpredictable rare events that force me to change my plans a lot of fun.

If you really want to live on the edge, nobody stops you from spending some nights outside, you will most likely be found by a bear or wolf and you can live the thrill and - hopefully - to tell the story

I've probably spend way more nights outside than you believe and there's not much randomness to bear and wolf attacks at night. They're quite predictable and can be completely avoided if you mind their territories (bears) and use the bearskin bedroll (wolves).

[Aelaera]

You do realize that once a bear gets inside and finds you sleeping in your bed, it's game over yes? Because you can't outrun him in close space, you will be bleeding at 10-7% inside his aggro / maul combo range (if you won't be dead from first maul combo) and pretty much a situation without any options.

I wasn't talking about being woken up by the bear-mauling cutscene and having your condition reduced to 7% before you can react in the first place (or whatever you seem to assume.) I was merely saying that I would consider it to be fun to find my base either plundered or occupied by a bear every once in a while when I return to it.

Even if the bear could get inside your base at night and surprise you in your sleep, it doesn't have to behave like the current ones and maul you instantly. The Devs could instead make it e.g. snarl at you for 10-15 seconds before it attacks so you have enough time to escape outside.

I for one find such unpredictable rare events that force me to change my plans a lot of fun.

If you really want to live on the edge, nobody stops you from spending some nights outside, you will most likely be found by a bear or wolf and you can live the thrill and - hopefully - to tell the story

I've probably spend way more nights outside than you believe and there's not much randomness to bear and wolf attacks at night. They're quite predictable and can be completely avoided if you mind their territories (bears) and use the bearskin bedroll (wolves).

I'd like to see the devs add in an "Intimidate" option, in which you can attempt to make yourself seem larger and scare the animal in question and possibly avoid an attack. It would have to be a lone wolf or bear, not guarding a kill and not in the chase stage of hunting you. If they added a feature like that in, you could have a higher probability of scaring said animal if they're in your home. Also to avoid players just being savaged by a bear in the middle of the night, they could make it so in that random event the bear would only be interested in the food and have a MUCH lower detection radius, enabling the player to either hide in their room or run outside.

[Hotzn]

To avoid confusion, I was not talking about a bear actually entering the shelter. A bear inside our shelter would be difficult to implement, I presume, with inside and outside being different loading zones. I was talking about nightly noises around the house, outside.

[ethomas21]

+1 to the idea of having the player wake up to hear bear noises, providing an opportunity to decide on the risk of hunting a bear in the dark for the potential benefit of having a fresh bear carcass right outside your door.

This would need to be an extremely rare event for it to be interesting, otherwise players would just get good at taking that one shot in the night, scurrying inside and waiting for it to bleed out and then having bear meat FOREVER.

I like the idea of bears leaving tracks in the snow too. All animals for that matter...