The collection loop is easy to understand and the field-guide idea gives the catches more meaning than just filling a counter. The place I’d watch is the waiting phase before the animal commits to bait — if that delay doesn’t create tension, it can start feeling passive. Giving the player something meaningful to read or prepare during that wait could help.
Thanks — that's exactly the spot I've been unsure about. Right now the wait is just "crouch and hope." I'm going to make the approach visible before the animal shows itself (rustling grass, footsteps getting louder) and let you hold your aim while crouched so a steady first shot hits harder once it starts eating. Should turn the wait into a "don't move" moment instead of dead time. Will be in the next build.
1.0.43 is up with the stakeout in. From the moment an animal picks your bait, the grass rustles wherever it is (even behind trees or off-screen), footsteps get louder as it closes in, and the HUD goes "…footsteps" → "Coming. Don't move." While you wait, crouch and hold right-click: the reticle tightens at 1.5s and 3s, and the first shot on an animal that has started eating hits ×1.15 / ×1.3. Walking resets it, so where you stand while it comes is now a real choice. Rare variants leave a colored dot in the rustle so you know it's a good one before you shoot.
Same link, no install. If you get a chance to try the wait again, I'd like to hear whether it reads as tension now or just as more waiting.