Predator Phases and Behaviors
ResolutionBlaze
The Dunes Join Date: 2016-04-06 Member: 215392Members
The Dunes Join Date: 2016-04-06 Member: 215392Members
I got this idea after watching "Observation of a Stalker", which is a cute little video of a guy/gal watching a stalker do its thing.
It really made me want some in depth predator behavior, especially for smaller predators such as the Sandshark and Stalker. I wanna look at these fish and think "Natural predator" rather than "mindless monster with fins".
I wanted to write some behaviors that I kinda want in general:
Resting Phase: Where the predator is the least aggressive. They will usually swim around the general vicinity, not bothering to eat fish or catch any fish by surprise unless attacked. The predator will still attack if close enough but is harder to provoke and won't chase for long.
Hunting Phase: Much more aggressive, the predator will swim around the biome, using techniques to catch unwary prey. Will be provoked much more easily and from a greater distance. Will also chase longer.
Hoarding Phase (Stalkers Only): The Stalker goes around the Creepvine Forest, collecting scrap metal and putting it in its hoard. They eat fish if they happen to be in it's way. The aggressiveness of the Stalker usually depends on how close to it's hoard you are.
Caring Phase: Predators will (unless it doesn't want to expose the location of its eggs, which varies from species to species) either rest by it's egg(s) or swim above it at a reasonable distance (male or female depending on species). They are the most aggressive at this stage, and will provoke easily and not run away once attacked. They will keep attacking until you are long gone or until you are dead.
Please, developers, we would love to see some symmetry between the nature of Subnautica. Peepers don't seem to run from the sight of a Stalker despite it being their main prey, and Stalkers don't seem to use many techniques to ambush the prey. They just kinda eat them as they run into fish. Please give these fish some instincts and brains. It would really help the immersion of being on a aquatic world!
It really made me want some in depth predator behavior, especially for smaller predators such as the Sandshark and Stalker. I wanna look at these fish and think "Natural predator" rather than "mindless monster with fins".
I wanted to write some behaviors that I kinda want in general:
Resting Phase: Where the predator is the least aggressive. They will usually swim around the general vicinity, not bothering to eat fish or catch any fish by surprise unless attacked. The predator will still attack if close enough but is harder to provoke and won't chase for long.
Hunting Phase: Much more aggressive, the predator will swim around the biome, using techniques to catch unwary prey. Will be provoked much more easily and from a greater distance. Will also chase longer.
Hoarding Phase (Stalkers Only): The Stalker goes around the Creepvine Forest, collecting scrap metal and putting it in its hoard. They eat fish if they happen to be in it's way. The aggressiveness of the Stalker usually depends on how close to it's hoard you are.
Caring Phase: Predators will (unless it doesn't want to expose the location of its eggs, which varies from species to species) either rest by it's egg(s) or swim above it at a reasonable distance (male or female depending on species). They are the most aggressive at this stage, and will provoke easily and not run away once attacked. They will keep attacking until you are long gone or until you are dead.
Please, developers, we would love to see some symmetry between the nature of Subnautica. Peepers don't seem to run from the sight of a Stalker despite it being their main prey, and Stalkers don't seem to use many techniques to ambush the prey. They just kinda eat them as they run into fish. Please give these fish some instincts and brains. It would really help the immersion of being on a aquatic world!
Comments
And you need different strategies for different predators, not just classes of phases you apply. Like the sandshark needs more a seeking-hiding-striking cycle with resting after eating, while the stalker a day-night dependent resting-hunting and sometimes hoarding. And each predator in a different way. But caring might be better to drop as being too rare behaviour. Or some predators start spawning caring and after egg laying they go to normal behaviour.
Well, as I said in the OP, it's just a general run-down of I would like to see, obviously it would need to be variant based on species.
"EXTERMINATE! EXTERMINATE!"