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theHunter: Call of the Wild is a gorgeous game.

Comandr

Comandr

Member
So theHunter: Call of the Wild released the other day on Steam. I've never played a wildlife hunting game of any kind in my life, but this one caught my eye and after watching the trailer I decided to jump in.

Wow. This is one of the prettiest games I've ever played. I have never before in a game just wandered around taking photos.

Here are a few of the ones I snapped yesterday.

7rOiRLr.jpg
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Anyone else playing this game? I find the hunting aspect itself to be pretty difficult. Somehow animals that are over 100 yards away can hear me walking in the rain. Seems ... like a bit of a stretch, but at least the walking around is pretty.
 
T

Tinúviel

Member
NeoRaider said:
It really is!
But is it also fun to play??

Edit: Is that UE4 btw. Or something else?
Click to expand...

Just Cause 3's engine if i'm not mistaken.

This looks like a super relaxing game i wonder if it has tiny bit of survival elements in it or just shooting some animals.
 
Comandr

Comandr

Member
Tinúviel;230567962 said:
Just Cause 3's engine if i'm not mistaken.

This looks like a super relaxing game i wonder if it has tiny bit of survival elements in it or just shooting some animals.
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I haven't experienced any survival elements like gathering or crafting, food/water etc. So far the most extensive crafting I have done is walking up to certain points on the map where you can build tree stands and ground hides to wait for animals in.

Mousnis said:
How is the performance with those dense foliage effects?
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I have everything at Ultra with 2 970s and I get about 40fps average, dropped as low as 20 in one particularly heavy scene.
 
S

Sakujou

Banned
how is the performance, and whats the point in the game?
looks astonishing, but is it fun?

i usually dont play graphics (only graphical achievements such as okami)
 
Comandr

Comandr

Member
Sakujou said:
how is the performance, and whats the point in the game?
looks astonishing, but is it fun?

i usually dont play graphics (only graphical achievements such as okami)
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Performance is pretty good in my opinion. I get good fps on my old 970s with everything on ultra. It's a hunting game. You shoot animals with various weapons and are awarded points for how good the kill was, leveling you up and allowing you to buy perks and skills to further your hunting prowess.

drotahorror said:
Is that path from where you just came from? Does grass lay down like that dynamically and stay put? If so that's really impressive.

Game is on my wishlist, in no hurry to buy it but I do want to play it some time.

Dang it's got co-op too?
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That could have also been the path that an animal walked on recently. Grass does get pressed down when you or animals walk on it. It's a nice touch and impressive tech.
 
E

Evolution of Metal

Member
Sakujou said:
how is the performance, and whats the point in the game?
looks astonishing, but is it fun?
Click to expand...

It is not fun...

It is a niche hunting simulator which is a simulator. It is not all about tracking animals as opposed to shooting them, not like the Activision one. If you don't enjoy walking around the forest examining tracks/droppings, listening for sounds and observing, then the game is pointless.

Walking mechanics are not something like where you parkour and climb your way around. It is more of the survival games where you are just a walking camera on sticks with a pretty slim environment interaction.

Don't think of it as a game where you have rules and mechanics, think of it as a visual experience with minor puzzle elements.
 
H

Hoo-doo

Banned
Damn, I used to play The Hunter back in what, 2010 or something. It was F2P then, is it now a standalone paid title?

Evolution of Metal said:
It is not fun...

It is a niche hunting simulator which is a simulator. It is not all about tracking animals as opposed to shooting them, not like the Activision one. If you don't enjoy walking around the forest examining tracks/droppings, listening for sounds and observing, then the game is pointless.

Walking mechanics are not something like where you parkour and climb your way around. It is more of the survival games where you are just a walking camera on sticks with a pretty slim environment interaction.

Don't think of it as a game where you have rules and mechanics, think of it as a visual experience with minor puzzle elements.
Click to expand...

Lol yeah, this is a hunting simulator. That is kinda the point, and it is a lot of fun if you know what you're getting into.

I used to play this non-stop tracking down a single buck for over an hour just to get that perfect shot off. It's incredibly zen and worth checking out.
There's plenty of rules and mechanics. Getting to the point where you actually shoot a buck is very hard but incredibly satisfying. Like landing a Kerbal on the Mun.

Comandr said:
Anyone else playing this game? I find the hunting aspect itself to be pretty difficult. Somehow animals that are over 100 yards away can hear me walking in the rain. Seems ... like a bit of a stretch, but at least the walking around is pretty.
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You're probably walking upwind of the animals you're trying to shoot.

Take heed of the direction of the wind. NEVER walk upwind of a deer because it will smell you from miles away. Also, if you can see them, they can see you. So hit the deck and go prone.
 
Comandr

Comandr

Member
Hoo-doo said:
You're probably walking upwind of the animals you're trying to shoot.

Take heed of the direction of the wind. NEVER walk upwind of a deer because it will smell you from miles away. Also, if you can see them, they can see you. So hit the deck and go prone.
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Alright thanks. I've never played a hunting game. Or hunted in real life. I guess you just kind of underestimate senses of animals like that. I'm just out here standing next to a tree honking on this squeaky toy they're passing off as a deer lure. I don't know any better. Haha.
 
C

Coriolanus

Banned
Hoo-doo said:
You're probably walking upwind of the animals you're trying to shoot.

Take heed of the direction of the wind. NEVER walk upwind of a deer because it will smell you from miles away. Also, if you can see them, they can see you. So hit the deck and go prone.
Click to expand...
Shouldnt an animal be unable to pick up the hunter's scent during rain? Or at least have the detection range via smell be severely decreased?
 
H

Hoo-doo

Banned
Coriolanus said:
Shouldnt an animal be unable to pick up the hunter's scent during rain? Or at least have the detection range via smell be severely decreased?
Click to expand...

I don't know exactly how deep the simulation goes, but I think you are correct. Heavy rain mitigates the sounds you make by walking, that's for sure.

But people need to realize that shooting a buck in these games is not going to be easy. First you need to actually get some trace of the animals either by sound or tracks, then you need to track these suckers for miles, get close to them without spooking them, and then shoot them in specific areas so they die instantly, or else you end up having to track a blood trail for 10 minutes until you find it.

I mean, i've had 45-minute hunts go bad instantly because I forgot to reload and the racking of the gun caused the entire herd to jump and flee.

It's a whole process. But if you do manage to prep well and take one down, it feels like an achievement.
 
F

flipswitch

Member
At first I thought this was another Skyrim mod in the screenshot thread.

Mad Max uses an older version of this engine I think. There were some slides somewhere showing this, but JC3 uses the newer version.
 
F

FlyinJ

Douchebag. Yes, me.
I put a few hours into this.

It is bar none the best looking open world game. Stunning.

The game play is pretty compelling as well. There is a lot of strategy and nuance to stalking your prey. The larger game can be quite difficult to take down.

I really like the loop- stalking prey, exploring new places and upgrading your stats and abilities.

They is a bit of jank though. The UI is buggy and feels unfinished. Opening the map sometimes results in the territory name appearing so large on the map that you can't see anything else. The inventory management screen is just awful design. Not sure what they were thinking with it.

The water shader is really bad as well. It looks like a very bad full screen shader over just the water part... so jarring given how beautiful everything else in the game is.

Aside from the graphics, the sound design is top notch. It really adds to feeling you are in a forest. There are also man made noises you need to deal with as well. I was lining up a deer and off in the distance someone started up a chainsaw and it spooked it off.


Overall it gets a big thumbs up from me. The bugs seem easy enough to be fixed, and hopefully will be addressed.
 
P

ph1l0z0ph3r

Member
Game looks and plays amazing. Showed it off to my brother in law who hunts and he found it amazing but got disappointed when he found out its pc only. Hopefully they add more locations and animals. They got a real gem on their hands here if they can pull it off.
 
Elven_Star

Elven_Star

Member
Would love to play a walking simulator (with a good story) that uses this engine. Of course the engine is not everything. I'm sure many people have worked hard to make the game look like this.
 
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