In Which Tanner Suggests A New Winter Animal

[Dr Tanner]

I always feel kind of self-conscious about suggesting things, like I'm being presumptuous or something - I think that's the right word, like I'm just assuming that anyone would even like my suggestions - but I feel like this might be worth posting. I don't know. If you think it's ass I'd appreciate it if you told me so I can make it better.

Rather than being a completely non-threatening, non-aggressive meatbag like the Beefalo, the Wooly Rhino should be something the player would ideally want to keep well away from. If this guy wanders into your camp with his family and starts digging up and eating whatever's left of your farms under the snow, you're pretty much going to have to let him do it. He won't come after you, but if you get too near he'll turn on a dime and kick your ass. Just like a real rhino!

However, you don't have to kill this guy to get food out of him. Wooly Rhino only appear in the winter, and they essentially move about the map (they don't stay in one place like the Beefalo) digging up the snow with their horns, looking for food. If you're brave, it might be worth following them around at a safe distance to see if you can find any leftovers in the holes they dig. The fact that they move about constantly also means that you can't just set up camp next to them like you can with the Beefalo.

I also wondered if it might be a thing to have their little family groups occasionally include adorable babies that are, just like with real rhino, much softer targets than the adults. An adult rhino essentially has no predators in the wild, but the babies do occasionally get preyed on - if a predator can get a baby away from its mother, that is. Getting the meat out of these guys should be ridiculously difficult since they're so tough, but if you're a terrible, awful, wicked person, you might have a go at killing the cute, fluffy babies instead.

But yeah, no. That's pretty much that, I don't know. v( ._.)v Tell me what you think.

Edited December 18, 2012 by Dr Tanner

[Trollgaard]

Nice Rhino

[Dapper xLogski]

Good idea! It would be very cool to see these in-game sometime.

[jujubomber]

More creatures? Yes. A winter mob that eats your plants? Yes! Aggressive-when-close mob with fluffy killable babies? Hell yes!!!

I must say, I like your idea Dr Tanner. Another suggestion to the idea, since they move like family units I was wondering if there would be a chance of a lone wanderer of the species that is bigger and tougher than the regular ones. Maybe it would also have a larger radius for what it considers "too close?"

Also, cool pic!

[MinkeTheKitty]

I think you should do a skinny and fast animal, like a winter deer that spreads slippery snow. But this rhino.. Oh lord its perfect. I'd run the HECK away~!

[Dr Tanner]

More creatures? Yes. A winter mob that eats your plants? Yes! Aggressive-when-close mob with fluffy killable babies? Hell yes!!!

I must say, I like your idea Dr Tanner. Another suggestion to the idea, since they move like family units I was wondering if there would be a chance of a lone wanderer of the species that is bigger and tougher than the regular ones. Maybe it would also have a larger radius for what it considers "too close?"

Also, cool pic!

That's such a great idea! Like a lone bull or something, right? I like it.

As for the radius, I think it'd only be fair if there was two, really. Like, one radius within which the rhino would attack, and then another wider one in which they'd turn to face the player as a warning not to come nearer. That way there's no guesswork involved, although one could make it harder or easier on the player by adjusting how much "warning" radius there is before they step into the "attack" radius.

The lone bull type would be super aggressive, so the "warning" radius would be narrower and the "attack" radius would be larger.

[jujubomber]

Oooh! Yes! Warning radius sounds good. Also in the warning zone maybe the lone bull will additionally do an "about to attack" type animation (like the Tallbirds) only it would only go through with the attack if you are in the warning area for too long?

[JoeW]

Wow, impressive!

[Dr Tanner]

Oooh! Yes! Warning radius sounds good. Also in the warning zone maybe the lone bull will additionally do an "about to attack" type animation (like the Tallbirds) only it would only go through with the attack if you are in the warning area for too long?

I figured they'd all have that, like in the rhino's case it would be all of them suddenly turning to face you. If one of the group sees you, they ALL see you, and they'd have the behaviour of all turning to face you to form a kind of wall between you and the babies.

In the lone bull, though, the range within which they trouble themselves to warn you and turn to face you to threaten you is distinctly narrower than that of the family group rhino, making them a lot more dangerous and unpredictable, again, just like in a real lone bull rhino.

I just really love rhinos, you guys. ;__;

[pdodd]

Oh, that looks sweet! I'd love to see something like this in the game.

[Dr Tanner]

I drew a baby rhino.

Its behavior should be distinctly different from that of the adult woollies, in that it won't try to attack the player. It will follow its mother closely - or any member of its family group, they're all the same, and if its primary mark is killed it'll just follow a different family member instead - but should all members of its unit be killed, or the baby sufficiently separated from them by other means, it will attempt to flee. It will only turn and attack the player, albeit still packing a fair punch, if cornered.

Getting a baby away from its family should be hugely challenging. The behavior of the adults is geared around putting themselves between the player and any young they might have. The baby's behavior is to stay behind the family member it follows. The baby might manage to hurt the player, but ultimately shouldn't be much of a match. Accordingly, the player shouldn't be rewarded with too much loot for killing it, and obviously you'd have to be an awful, awful person to kill a cute, fluffy baby like that, you monster.

I should mention probably that I drew this on my laptop, which seems to hate Photoshop and my tablet. I am not very impressed. (ノಠ益ಠ)ノ彡┻━┻

[inf3ctedsystem]

I see you mentioned a tablet what tablet do you suggest for drawing in photoshop I'm looking into starting that!

[Dr Tanner]

I see you mentioned a tablet what tablet do you suggest for drawing in photoshop I'm looking into starting that!

I sent you a PM, don't want this thread getting off topic. ( ._.)b