[Suggestion] Improve creature AI
currently the predators mostly have in incredibly basic, very stupid AI. all enemy behavior is basically aggro and then relentlessly run at and attack until dead or too far away. it would be great if the behavior of animals was more varied, like a bear seeing you and trying to intimidate you by standing up or slowly walking towards you instead of just charging on sight, or wolves that will keep their distance if they’re alone but will surround you in a pack and start attacking, maybe even running away if you kill enough of the pack. jaguars are hunters, but instead of using stealth and surprise attacks they act the same as basically every other animal in the game. different animals should require a different approach to them, which would make it more rewarding for the player to figure out how to best fight against the different animals and get better at the game, not just spam arrows and stabs
Comments: 59
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14 Sep, '21
Teagan MergedThe animals are the thing that completely breaks "immersion." For one, there's waaaaay too many deer and they just bounce around like the DVD logo.
If the deer/goats moved in cycles -- they move to water in the morning/evening, took shelter in the trees in the day, grazed in open areas in the afternoon, etc, they'd be more fun to hunt and add strategy. Leave wolves/bears to wander randomly.
Hunting big game should be a hard but rewarding way to get food/leather, especially if you let us salt/dry/smoke meat to keep it longer (like bread).
Make big animals drop significantly more leather, add some more small game to scamper around for variety (rabbits, turkeys, grouse?) If you added ground birds, you could also have eggs be a food resource for low-level players, like berries.
Now I'm down a rabbit hole, because if you had wild chickens, imagine building a pen and keeping them for eggs...! -
15 Sep, '21
Prybar Bas MergedThey should have a look at Horizon Zero Dawn, and the herd like behavior. Yes they a robot/machine like creatures that mimic animal like behaviors, but it feels just right, even though instead of grazing, they are plowing the ground and cultivating the soul.
It's the small groups, that mimic herd like behavior, mostly grazing and frequently having a look up to inspect there surroundings. -
16 Sep, '21
Kyit MergedHaving a predator like a bear or wolf attack a deer or goat occasionally and then not be aggressive for a short period of time afterwards (like a full status) would also be nice. Wolves moving in more defined packs as well.
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12 Nov, '21
Natrash MergedHI,
BW#6
I've noticed hunting in BW#6 was a little bit more difficult, as wilds run faster when seen. it's still too easy to find animals and it should not.
Anyway,I suggest the Elephants should be found in group. It's very rare to find an old male alone, and it usually is very aggressive in that case.
Same observation for other groups, like wolves, deers...
We should also have to dislodge bears from open caves
thanks -
20 Nov, '21
Dinkelbrot MergedAny fight against a bear that I lost, I lost because there were minimum 1 extra wolf teaming with the bear to get me. They should attack each other and not working together.
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05 Dec, '21
Robert Mergedpredator attack are a bit to often, even if not they also show no fear of fire. If its dark and holding a torch a wolf attacks. So hit the wolf with a torch that they should fear some but they don't. It does no damage. So I die. Next wolf attack maybe less than 5 later I have to swap to weapon but cant see anything cause its pitch black. Opps die again. An improved AI would help game balance a bit.
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08 Dec, '21
Dan MergedA bear, all alone - i can takem... enter 4 wolves and a boar that weren't there a second ago all the sudden with a common goal - me. makes no sense.
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10 Dec, '21
mr steal your job MergedYea seriously, what's with the inter-species team-ups? in real life most of these animals would be fighting amongst themselves for territory.
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12 Dec, '21
Dalker888 Mergedseen bears actively patrolling with two wolfs in tow. this is in full release and is only the start of what needs to be fixed with the bears
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19 Dec, '21
Alan MergedLions and Tigers and Bears, all at once, oh my! Getting into a fight with a bear is tricky business, but when a pack of wolves and any boars in the same zip code join the fun, and single out the humans exclusively in a giant collaborative gang hit, well it's a bit silly.
How come they don't fight each other? They almost never do. It's like humans are the only things on the menu, and predators are only predators when Icarus staff hit the ground. Until we show up it's one big peaceful ecosystem of love and kindness for all. We should rename this moon Eden. :)
Seriously though, maybe give some degree of random targeting in a group fight when multiple species are involved. Maybe the wolves hit the bear and vice versa a bit in the chaos? The wildlife on Icarus seem unrealistically well coordinated for collaborative combat against the player. -
19 Dec, '21
Chimere MergedGood point. If bears are territorial have them chase out other predators in the area.
Have them hunt prey.
Packs of wolves/hyenas challenge lion prides and bears territory.
Maybe add some wildlife training /domestication. Leave out raw meat for them and they leave your area.
Fight or flight mechanics in ai would be nice as well. All deer do is run, have them stand ground 10% of the time... -
03 Jan, '22
Goblin0311 MergedThe first couple of hours of the River Lands Expedition was absolutely brutal. Cougars, boars, and hyenas were literally joining forces to swarm me. Occasionally an elephant would join in if they were close enough. There was four or more at any given time attacking me. After I was dead, they walked off slapping each other on the back. Some stayed an aggro my house. Not once did they fight each other.
I eventually started building on a cliff so they would stop attacking me. I then needed to build a fence so they would stop attacking my pillars.
Once I was established, I made quick work of them throughout the rest of the mission. However, I did contemplate walking away during those first couple of hours.
All that said, it would be nice if I didn't have to worry about a wolf, a boar, and a bear attacking every time they are close enough to join in.
It would be nice to see them attack each other occasionally. -
04 Jan, '22
Kobura MergedAs stated. Bears are hard enough. But wolves flying out of the woodwork every time you attack (or are attacked by) one is incredibly, ridiculously unfair. And it's so consistent me and my team even have a pet name for them. "the bear's b&&&&". We see a bear and instantly start looking for its' b&&&& pack and shoot them first, because we know they "pack up" together, despite every single instance of both real-life, and gameplay-balance logic.
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04 Jan, '22
Alex MergedWhile I agree that it is kind of ridiculous, just like Elephants get upset if you kill predators near them, it does make some sense.
It's not so much that they come to the defense of the bear, as they see a threat to them, and respond to it.
You shooting your arrows at a bear, will announce your presence to the other predators.
I only think that should be consistent with all animals, not just bears.
To me it feels like a bug where, if you one-shot an enemy (even a bear) the predators close by don't notice it.
If you start a prolonged fight they all activate. They should always notice you shooting arrows, even if it is one-shot. -
08 Feb, '22
BigKid MergedI feel your pain... A bear on your heels is bad enough but boy... That boar teaming up with some wolfs to come to his rescue...
I would also love to see wolfes attacking the bleeding deer instead of the unhurt me in stealth armor and stealth ...
I would generally love to see some predators actually hunting other prey than me... -
11 Feb, '22
John MergedYeah, it makes absolutely no sense that animals gang up on you. Probably the worst 'feature' in this early acce... I mean full game.
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19 Feb, '22
dullah MergedTotally agree with this. Nobody is expecting Red Dead level hunting just want animal ai to keep us emersed. Also, the predators never hunt the other animals. They just walk by each other like pals. Also, birds would be great to have in the game!
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24 Feb, '22
DaVinci MergedI believe wolves should be more cautious amd stand back and observe more. Rather than straight attacking for no reason. But boars are nasty vicious animals. They are fine to me.
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15 Jun, '22
cmopatrick MergedI agree with the wolves not attacking. Bears are direct competition as apex predators to a wolf pack, they would not engage, at least while the bear was alive. Boars... they are a different animal and quite willing to attack any threat, though they would go after a wounded bear just as quickly. Scorpions would attack anything else that moves close to them, cougars generally won't attack anything bigger than themselves unless they are starving and then they attack the closest thing that won't likely kill them.
In other words, animal behavior is broken and should eventually be reworked. -
26 Nov, '22
George Mergedagreed, wolves would not team up with a bear for sure. But they would hang around to see if something dies for eating.
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08 Apr, '23
cmopatrick MergedAnother annoyance: this kind of unrealistic pred behaviour. To paraphrase Tolkien: "What do they live on when they can't get people?"
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24 Apr, '23
Elissa - Producer System Merged"[Suggestion] Wolves and boars rushing to defend bears is illogical, overpowered and incredibly unfun" (suggested by Kobura on 2022-01-04), including upvotes (53) and comments (3), was merged into this suggestion.
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24 Apr, '23
Elissa - Producer System Merged"[Suggestion] Bears with wolf friends" (suggested by Dinkelbrot on 2021-11-20), including upvotes (39) and comments (4), was merged into this suggestion.
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10 Jul, '23
Elissa - Producer System Merged"[Suggestion] Wild social groups" (suggested by Natrash on 2021-11-12), including upvotes (3) and comments (0), was merged into this suggestion.
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28 Jul, '23
synI agree. And if they can't reach you for whatever reason, some should back away and wait, or give up or for a bear keep attacking maybe. They tend to just bug out on a rock when you stand on it and let you kill them. It would also be neat to see predators attacking prey in the wild, like wolves attacking deer or rabbits, and parents defending their young. I know this is in a community made addon already, but it should be a part of the base game and included with the AI overhaul.
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31 Jul, '23
Alisha MergedYeah the wild life behavior is a little ridiculous when it comes to combat and wandering animals. I go out hunting and see bears, boars, and wolves just walk by each other without any conflict, this just breaks emersion as they would not do that in real life. Also am I the only hunter on the planet? I don't see any other animals hunting nor do I come across any animal corpses from other predator's. I think it would be cool to be traveling and then suddenly you come across say a bear who is feasting on a carcass or something. It would add some cool elements if you had to keep an eye out for animals who are on the hunt for something other than you.
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14 Aug, '23
Kiwicast MergedIf your player has died from a animal.. make the animals move away not staying there makes it impossible to respawn without being killed if you have nothing. Pretty pointless if people cannot respawn safely
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17 Aug, '23
Elissa - Producer System"Better AI" (suggested by Kiwicast on 2023-08-14), including upvotes (1) and comments (0), was merged into this suggestion.
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19 Aug, '23
juspar MergedAgree, wolves should probably pack more, hunt herbivores, and run from a bear not join it in taking out a prospector.
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04 Sep, '23
Titled FishThis needs more upvotes. Would definitely add a new dynamic and enjoyment to the game.
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10 Oct, '23
Darena Bryant MergedI've seen a Terenus with a baby hanging out with a wolf. Not only is this hilarious in it's own way, but highly unlikely. Any female with a child should attack any other predator that comes near, or avoid them entirely if they're not likely to win the fight, not cuddle up to them and introduce their baby.
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20 Dec, '23
Sup3r Mergedtrainable animals are really stupid, for example young animals in training wander around the base and kill themselves by crashing into the defenses of the base, same thing for adult animals, when you return from missions or expeditions as soon as you get off your animal to open the gate of the base he begins to kill himself by crashing into the defenses of the walls trying to eat from the manger, they are very weak and die immediately against a predator and often when trying to defend themselves they attack you who are the master, furthermore if they are attacked while they are on base they also do damage to your things for example the horse that does area damage and is more harmful than the same predator that attacks it when it is on base, when you are exploring if you stop looking at them for 30 seconds they are promptly killed, it seems made specifically for make you angry, you turn around and they die killed by some animal that has just appeared. and then they eat too much!
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20 Dec, '23
Elissa - Producer System"make animals less stupid!" (suggested by <Hidden> on 2023-12-20), including upvotes (1) and comments (0), was merged into this suggestion.
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15 Mar, '24
Danielshouldn't "[Suggestion] Animals are too cooperative" be merged with this suggestion? I'd say in that order and not the other way around because this suggestion encompasses that one and more but either way seems like the same core principle
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02 Apr, '24
Elissa - Producer System"[Suggestion] Animals are too cooperative" (suggested by <Hidden> on 2021-12-19), including upvotes (401) and comments (22), was merged into this suggestion.
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18 Jun, '24
DramIn line with what people are saying, Why are prospectors the only thing on the menu? Yet if we kill something the corpse will attract predators, and if a predator sees the prospector it will ignore the easy meal. Animals are not stupid, they should be going for the easy meal, not the one that can fight back. I should be able to drop an animal, and use it as bait while I head in a different direction. It's a mechanic that is already in the game, yet being under utilized.
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25 Jul, '24
Malnaur MergedThe tamed wolf AI is badly in need of improvement. They insist on sitting in doorways and WON'T MOVE! Either put in a heuristic to not do this or add a way to tell them to go to a designated spot. See ARK Survival Evolved for better mechanics in general for directing tames via whistle commands. It would also be nice for them to have a hunting mode to capture small game.
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03 Aug, '24
SztellaFighting a bear is actually quite boring, because it keeps charging at the player, and it misses by a bit, it doesn't even swipe to the side, so the player can kill a bear with a knife, without taking any damage.
My suggestions:
1) The bear should at least swipe when charging past a player
2) knives should deal less damage to bears (reasons: fur, thick hide, etc.)
3) spears should deal critical damage against a charging bear -
13 Sep, '24
RustyLHI'm presently also playing Generation Zero. I'm really surprised how good the AI is in that game. It's not a game that's ever going to win GOTY, and yet the AI has been quite impressive. This alone makes the game more fun to play. I too noticed the predictable way the AI reacts to you in this game.
I would love to see the AI improve to the point that loud activities attract predators, and I would love it if those predators we smart, and used tactics. Like on Prometheus, I have noticed that Dracs move in when you turn away from them, and then stop when you look in their direction. Now, imagine them being so smart that they crouch crawl, unseen, through tall grass to get close to you...and the number being random, but on hard mode, they could come in quite large numbers. Imagine looking up to see several Drac within 25 meters, crawling towards you. No howls to warn you. (hard mode) The howl comes as an order to charge at you, making the hair on the back of your neck stand up. -
04 Oct, '24
DragensSince there is no huge variety of animals on the map AI changes would actually make up for it. If animals would behave differently or more authentic like predators running away when they are hurt enough. Wolfs attracting other wolves for pack action ect. THis would at least give it enough life to be more enjoyable.
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01 Nov, '24
Ben N.I would like to see more variety in the "Mutation" based on the animal level and with that affect how they attack. Example, a level 99 rabbit should be purple, super fast, and aggressive, think Monty Pyton rabbit but not with the instant kill. The higher the level more obvious they are mutated by size or color or both, but then make them faster, stronger, more aggressive, and smarter. Also, more rare....like the black wolf, but they don't need to be a boss level.
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22 Nov, '24
TaragonraNot to mention the pathing AI is dumb as rocks. I cannot believe this game is almost 3 years old and the pathing AI for animals is still this horrendous. The ai is obviously programed to just "go from point A to point B in the shortest straight line possible" with no obstacle detection or anything! The vapor condenser is practically worthless because mobs will spawn behind rocks or down cliffs and just....sit there. They either de-aggro and run off or just despawn. You have to run around to find them in order to progress the condenser. Pets ad mounts will face plant into walls trying to get to their food and water instead of going through the door next to them. They will also just impale themselves on hedgehogs, making these defensive structures pretty much worthless to put around your base. Seriously, is it that hard to code animals to go AROUND a freaking rock?!
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18 Dec, '24
Russ MergedThis goes beyond just wolves, but all tamed creatures.
It's rather crazy that a grown person can't even kick the wolf out of the way. I've resorted to the point of always creating two doors to every outpost just so that I have a way to get out of the building when I have my pet wolf tagging along. -
18 Dec, '24
Russ MergedI'd like to see a bit of intelligence added to the tamed creatures.
One time I got caught in my wooden structure when it caught fire. I had no way of putting it out, and escaped but cornered myself by the edge of a cliff. My pet wolf, set to follow, found himself inside the burning building, taking damage, and wimpering the whole time. All he had to do was walk a single square out the nearby door, and he'd be safe, but he chose instead to die a slow and painful death. I'd like to suggest adding a bit of intelligence here--when the creature takes non-npc damage, then take priority over the Follow/Wander/Stay/Lie down command and get to the nearest safety.
Also--fix their pathing. When they have a target, such as the feeding trough, they go only in a straight line to that target. If something blocks their path, they stop at that obstacle and don't try to go around to get to their target, when simple pathing could be established to get around that obstacle. -
19 Dec, '24
Elissa - Producer System"Improve Tamed Creature AI" (suggested by <Hidden> on 2024-12-18), including upvotes (1) and comments (0), was merged into this suggestion.
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19 Dec, '24
Elissa - Producer System"[Suggestion] Improved Animal AI, Make Deer Scare + Ground birds/Eggs" (suggested by <Hidden> on 2021-09-14), including upvotes (14) and comments (3), was merged into this suggestion.
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19 Dec, '24
Elissa - Producer System"Fix or improve predators AI, Should have some fear of fire." (suggested by <Hidden> on 2021-12-05), including upvotes (1) and comments (0), was merged into this suggestion.
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19 Dec, '24
Elissa - Producer System"[Suggestion] Improve Tamed Wolf AI - Tamed Wolves block doorways" (suggested by <Hidden> on 2024-07-25), including upvotes (13) and comments (1), was merged into this suggestion.
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07 Mar, '25
wizuAnimals could use a "Fear Debuff" that makes them run away or avoid you if you; swing a flame or make loud noises or take down their alpha.