A BIT more realistic hunting

In many games, hunting is a very simple aspect & not very relevant in regards of acquiring materials. Usually anyone can do it, regardless of what weapons you use, you can run next to a rabbit or a deer, and bury a battleaxe in its head if you like.

What I'm proposing is that we could think about creating a role for hunters by making it more realistic. It'd require a ranged weapon, some sneaking / stealth skill, perhaps tracking, trapping or throwing skills to catch game efficiently ALONE. Seeing a warrior in full armor, killing game with a sword is a bit funny if you've done any hunting yourself in real life...

As a result hides, furs, antlers, bone materials, game meat, or other materials acquired from game would not be in abundance without good hunters. Hunting is not easy, and most animals will evade or outrun you (if you don't possess the skills to make it closer or finding them), with some exceptions that you can engange in melee range. I would love to see hunting as an important profession and contribute the economy of the SoTA world.
Cheers!

 

I like the idea. Now the trick is making the gathered resources valuable and useful.

 

This is a good idea in my opinion. Hunting is a realistic profession. Not only could tracking be good for hunting deer, but it's a skill that translates well in PvP.

Imagine somebody running from you in PvP and goes through some trees... POP they take an invisibility potion and you lose them. However, if you can track them, then you might be able to swing your sword at the spot you believe they are standing.

 

What I would like is that hunting actually required a skillset that enabled you to hunt efficiently in the game. Not everyone is going to be a hunter, since it'd probably determine major choices of playstyle. It'd require you to be stealthy, capable of ranged attacks, and able to track beasts. However if anyone can do the hunting and gathering related to it, then hunting is a trifling aspect anyway... which would be a shame in my opinion!

@Isaiah: I agree, I think tracking could/should have a place in PVP as well. I think players that do hunting (assuming it'll require specific skills) would also have a place in pvp: stealthy marksmen that'll find you if you decide to run

As I'm thinking of stealth, I'm wondering if it'd be too radical to ask to make hunting ranged weapons only, (in my opinion it's not) and whether melee weapons could be used after sneaking up on your prey. Even though in real life it's practically impossible to sneak up on animals, a game is different.

Another aspect to discuss about hunting is the use of pets: dogs, birds of prey come to my mind first, the definitely could be used to hunt, though perhaps with some reality, a limit to the size they could take down on their own. Tracking with dogs would be another matter to consider... Perhaps this could be a chance to use a non-combat pet: to track your prey. This could also open up a cooperation chance, tamers and hunters grouping up to gather raw materials by hunting even more efficiently.

 

Also some good ideas from Dom John on tracking using the overland map.
Yea the video is about the map but if you listen close he does bring some tracking into it.

1. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EFwjendP2IU&t=4m23s

2. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EFwjendP2IU&t=7m05s

 

@jondavis: thanks for the link, nice job by Dom John. Well I liked his ideas! It's taking the tracking skill a bit further, and I can imagine it being implemented in game like that, having an effect on the map view as well. I guess the hunter could then track a good hunting spot etc.

 

Mobs in a game usually have thresholds for establishing aggro. For animals that you want to hunt, you just give them a wide range of visibility, and fast movement. If the spot you, then run away quickly. Then use traditional stealth checks, and ranged combat.

 

@enderandrew: makes sense & sounds good to me, I'm hoping hunting in SoTA will be inspired by these ideas.

 

I very much like the notion of more realistic hunting, particularly not having the majority of animals engage in melee. I think ranged attacks make the mot sense, save for perhaps aggressive creatures.

How about having characters take a small virtue hit for killing over a certain amount of neutral creatures within a certain amount of time. This would of course depend on how the virtues are implemented. It would not limit someone's ability to kill more than the limit, but would simply lessen certain virtues, say compassion for instance. This would simulate taking more than one needs. Attacking non-"evil" creatures had a similar effect in certain of the the single player Ultimas. Just a thought.

 

@Archaaz: I'm not sure I like your suggestion about taking a virtue hit: say I want to be a hunter and make my living by delivering my catch to sell further as raw materials, I'm not sure I want to have a limit, unless it's a reasonable limit before taking virtue hits. I do however see your point... I'm just a bit greedy hunter you know
Perhaps those "neutral" animals you speak of would not cover all the game I want to hunt.

There is a thread about taxidermy furniture and animal hats etc. in the wish list, I like that... I see another good chance for a hunter like myself to make some extra money by delivering some good looking trophies! https://www.shroudoftheavatar.com/forum/index.php?threads/animal-helms-and-taxidermy-funiture.1183/