Steam Backlog: Way of the Hunter

This post is part of my running series: My Steam Backlog (see all MySteamBacklog tagged posts).

 Ever since I was a kid I have been a fan of "hunting" games on PCs.  There was a long period where I didn't play any, but that changed when I got into theHunter:Call of the Wild.  With a renewed interest in the genre I grabbed Way of the Hunter on Steam and added to my backlog.  Now I've gotten around to giving it a whirl!

 As most of the game reviews on Steam note it is impossible to evaluate Way of the Hunter (WotH) without making comparisons to theHunter.  The games are similar, if not almost exactly the same, at least at the surface.  WotH differs in some key areas and I've found myself enjoying it more.

 The first aspect of WotH that I found more enjoyable than theHunter is the story and missions.  I never spent much time on them in theHunter but in WotH I've found myself following along the main story line.  It is not anything to write home about, but it has a much better storytelling mechanism with it's comicbook-like cutscenes.

 Another aspect of WotH that helps with the story line is that travel feels much faster. Whether walking or taking a vehicle I feel like I get from A to B much faster than I did in theHunter.  There are still moments where you slow down to hunt, but between then it feels much faster.  WotH also gives you a vehicle from the start which is a welcome sigh!

 WotH also has a much larger render distance than theHunter.  In WotH you can spot animals and landmarks for what feels like thousands of yards/meters where as in theHunter it cuts off abruptly at 430.  Combined with faster travel I spend a lot less time "roaming" in WotH than I did in theHunter.  In WotH I can find targets at a distance and get there quickly.

 The inventory management in WotH is more straightforward and simplified.  While theHunter offers a ton of variety as far as load outs go the interface to manage all of it is a mess (better than it was in the past with recent patches but still a long ways off from what I expect in games made in the last decade).

 Speaking of variety that is one area that WotH lags behind theHunter.  theHunter has more reserves (aka maps) than I can remember and the variety of target species to hunt to go with them.  theHunter also has more weapons and hunting options such as bow that WotH does not have.  You can spend a lot of time with theHunter before you have to repeat content (if you pay up for the add on packs that is).

  As far as how the games play they are very similar.  Find animals, stalk, shoot, follow the blood trail, and harvest the animal.  Starting out both games felt the same, but the more I played (and paid for add ons) the theHunter became "arcade-like" as far as hunting went.  WotH has yet to get that "arcade" feel.  Hunts in WotH feel purposeful and engaging even if it sometimes takes a bit of time to track down an animal that you shot.  I shoot and kill less in WotH than I do in theHunter but somehow it feels better in WotH and unlike theHunter I never struggle to find animals in WotH.

 I am still early in WotH and I am enjoying it.  If asked I would recommend WotH over theHunter, but we'll have to see if that new-game sheen wears off and where the team behind WotH takes it.

 

theHunter: Showcase Update

Call of the Showcase!

 theHunter: Call of the Wild (don't worry I get confused to on what part comes first; theHunter or the CotW) has released it's Showcase Update. I enjoy this game but don't follow it closely.  What I wanted to check out with this update were a) the free trophy lodge, b) gear load outs, and c) the change to spook range.  So I jumped in and shot some animals.

Promo image for the new lodge

 I already owned a lodge (which I bought as an add on) so the lodge system was not new to me.  I am glad to see that they've added a free lodge because it's a great part of the game that every player should get a chance at without having to buy extra.  While I don't make my lodge public it is fun to browse through my lodge every time I revisit the game (and this is a regular on my "return to" list).

 I jumped in and checked out the lodge and the free lodge is amazing.  Forget for a moment the trophy slots and just the visuals (see the promo screenshot above) of this lodge are spectacular.  It feels like the quintessential hunting lodge: rustic, wood everywhere, and all the accessories.  I loved it so much I had to grab a trophy from my main lodge and slap it over the fireplace.

My trophy moose in the new lodge

 Next on the list to check out was gear load outs. 

Spend less time prepping and more time hunting with Loadouts

Shorten the time between hunts by saving your favorite configurations of weapons and equipment into different loadouts. You can switch between them at any time by heading to your nearest Cache.

 I will admit my interest was influenced by the drama from New World over gear sets coming in the New World March update.   Combine that with Ashes of Creation recently talking about user interface and gear sets as part of the interface and it seems like gear sets are all the rage in my gaming circle.

 Load outs (yes with a space; what the bleep is the problem with these devs and using spaces properly... the SPACE Hunter.... load SPACE outs) are a great addition to theHunter.  I will admit that I have never sang the praises of the UI in theHunter; getting gear from storage and into your inventory is a nightmare at times.  I can't tell you how many times I've gone into the field without the right ammo, guns, or accessories.  

 Players get 5 load outs to start and 5 more can be unlocked for a total of 10.  This feels like the right number for the way the game is designed.  The average hunter needs load outs for small, medium, and large game animals so 3 was the minimum.  Throw in that most folks like to dabble with bow and then most of us have our "fun" load out (like black powder) and five meets most players at how they play the game.  *cough* New World developers can take note on this front *cough*

 Lastly the spook range changes

 The distances at which animals will spook when hearing gunshots have been adjusted.

 Not a lot of detail to go on.  After reviewing the community feedback it seems like the range is shorter (i.e. less likely to spook).  I nabbed about five harvests when I played earlier and it did seem like nearby members of the same herd were less likely to bolt when you nabbed their friend.  I could not tell if I was spooking them less by my movement but I am also lazy and sprint/4-wheel all over the place.

 Jumping back in and stalking some animals reminded me how much I enjoy this game.  The visuals are great and the hunting balances perfectly between realism and arcade.  I've bought quite a few add-ons now for the game but I feel like I've gotten more than my money's worth from every one.  If you haven't tried the game out I'd highly recommend it!

Call of the Wild: The Angler Multiplayer Woes

  The multiplayer system in Call of the Wild: The Angler does not work and is poorly designed.  It should be the top priority for the development team to fix and make fundamental changes to.

The multiplayer mode in CotW: The Angler allows up to twelve fishergamers to drive, boat, and fish together on a single map (known as a reserve in the game).  Unfortunately the "join friend's game" does not seem to work as I have yet, after dozens of times trying, been able to join a friend's game.  In fact most of the time the game doesn't even represent the online/offline status of friends correctly (usually saying they are offline when they are online playing).  The "join game" option on the friends list does throw an error at the user though and then connects to an online map anyways.

More irritating than "join friend" not working is the mind boggling decision that random match making
online multiplayer would be defaulted to ON with no option to have friends-only or private sessions.  To top it off the setting for turning mutliplayer off does not save properly so every time you launch the game you have to remember to go turn it OFF again.  Fortunately there is no chat or way to communicate with other players in the game so right now there is no risk of getting spammed or told something that would make my mother blush.

Defaulting to ON may seem harmless, but it can mess with the new player experience.  What I ran into in my first fishing trip is that I couldn't do the boat driving 101 or driving 101 because another player had spawned a boat or vehicle and it wouldn't allow me to spawn another from the same terminal.  Also since we were all playing right at the launch of the game I have no doubt some of my early frustrations not being able to catch fish in the beginner spots for the tutorial was directly because a dozen other players fished the area out (which is a real possibility with how the game works in populating fish in the world).

Anyways; it is 2022 and there is no reason to be defaulting players to multiplayer match making with random strangers unless that is what they explicitly want to do.  I do not understand why the system does not work exactly like Expansive World's other game theHunter Call of the Wild.  In theHunter you have to actively turn your map into a multiplayer session and then you can control if its public or friends only.  It is just baffling that the Angler went with random match making turned on and provides ZERO options for setting up a friends-only session.

Other improvements needed in multiplayer.  Voice or chat communication is a must have if there is going to be random match making and public servers.  Ideally we'd also get the "search for available games" browser available in theHunter so we can find games (especially important when new maps launch).  There also needs to be away to share your catches with others nearby or over chat.  How am I supposed to brag about that monster I just landed?   I guess I'll just lie about the catches like I do in real life.

At least it is neat to see other players fishing.