Hey Guardsman111,
I stumbled upon this after finding a comment of yours on Reddit that linked me here. A proper hunting simulation in VR is something I have really been compelled to play. I played all of the old hunting games: Deer Hunter, Hunting Unlimited, theHunter: Classic, and more recently theHunter: COTW. I understand that hunting games in and of themselves are made up of a really niche genre, not to mention VR gaming in combination of that. It must be hard to get support and awareness out there.
I was just simply curious if you had any intention to continue working on The Hunting Season or not. I haven't seen any recent news or updates. I've not yet had the chance to tinker with what you've managed to build now, but I can't wait to try it out. I think a proper hunting sim in VR is desperately needed for the handful of folks who would really enjoy it! I know it requires a lot of work, effort, and time, but I want there to be potential in this. I hope this can become something more than just an experiment, but I understand if you don't have the time to keep up with it.
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I know I'm writing a lot and we may never see this stuff. Regardless, here are things I believe a proper hunting game needs at minimum:
- Realistic weapon mechanics and ballistics. Sound is very important. The oomf behind a rifle firing, and the rolling echo over the surrounding terrain makes things so much more immersion.
- Damage, tracking, and spotting mechanics
- An extended arsenal of firearms, ammo types, and bows (rifles - bolt action, lever, and semi-automatic, revolvers, muzzle loaders, compound bows, crossbows, shotguns, etc.).
- Multiple scopes, possibly bipod stands.
- Multiple varying species that provide a diverse hunting experience (deer, moose, elk, bison, boar, rabbit, bear, birds, etc.). Along with that, varying landscapes and environments inspired by real world regions.
- Smart AI design.
- Callers, lures, scents, camouflage. tree stands, blinds, etc.
- An in depth scoring and trophy system
- Procedurally generated animals to keep them from all looking the same - varying fur types, weight, antler sizes, width, points, dimensions, tusk length, etc.
- A trophy lodge of some sort to save harvests and view them later
Things that are not necessary, but welcome:
- Vehicles
- Fishing
- Hunting dogs
- Multiplayer support
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Again, these are not necessarily suggestions as they are very ambitious, and I do not know what we should expect (if anything) in the future. Just something I wanted to share!