[PATCH] Make killing (skittish) hunting animals easier

[sanderd17]

See #2091 for a part of the hunting improvements. Other helping factors are:

• set vision range of all fauna to 0, except for aggressive animals. This means that
  • Skittish animals will only flee when being attacked, so a melee unit can finally kill something
  • You can't use animals to do the scouting for you (particularly useful when converting animals is implemented)
  • agressive animals would still attack around a small range

• Bonus all ranged units against animals. Currently, they have to try too many times before they can kill an animal, but melee units can kill most with ease (given they don't run away). A bonus would solve it without influencing battle.

[fabio]

There is a ticket with this same title, BTW: #2047.

[sanderd17]

Indeed, I missed that. Although #2047 is more code logic fixing, while this is more animal behaviour fixing and balancing.

I'll change the titles to reflect that.

[mimo]

I don't think putting the vision range to 0 is the right way to go. It's one thing which gives a bit of realism to the behaviour of wild animals (fleeing on human approach). There are other ways to ease the hunting which are better imo :

• decrease a bit the flee distance

• give to wild animal a starting position, and if they are far away from it (i.e. if they have fled), let them drift slowly towards this initial position during their random move (see #1724 where I started to do something in that direction)

• implementing #2047 would also make hunting less micro-management

• your other propositions in #2091 and the bonus of range unit against animals looks good to me.

[leper]

I agree with mimo that setting the range to 0 is a hack.

[sanderd17]

In some way, it can indeed be seen as a hack. But is there any reason they would not run from a cavalry javelinist throwing javelins right next to their feet while they do run from melee units? Imo there isn't, so the hack is already in the game, (just a little disguised by giving them a lot smaller vision range than prey animals actually have).

Secondly, I think melee units should be able to hunt those animals, otherwise, you'd give the civilisations with a ranged horseman to start with a huge advantage. And there is no other way of achieving this when they start to run at a very high speed the moment you get in their vision range. Real hunting with melee units requires strategy, like surrounding and hiding. The last one equals with giving a zero vision range to animals (as there is no other way to hide in the game).

Also, should sheep really have a vision range and report back to the player what they're seeing?

[michael]

In 14027:

Fixed building requirements for Town Phase.

Changed Brit Wonder to the new Stonehenge model. :)

Trying out some new hunting changes from sanderd. Might just be temporary. Refs #2092

[wraitii]

Isn't this issue linked intricately to #1537 too?

[sanderd17]

Is better now with units chasing.