Stot If You Got It

[loboLoco]

[youtube]2-Grf0ncPw0[/youtube]
Video link: https://youtu.be/2-Grf0ncPw0

We’re now setting up the mule deer in the game. Many of their behaviors are similar to elk, but because they live alone or in small family groups, they don’t have the protection of the herd, so hunting them is somewhat different. As usual, this involved a lot of tweaking and iteration. Some of those tweaks happened just before I made this video, so I didn’t get the mother-defending-the-fawn behaviors as I’d intended…but there’s still enough to look and and talk about for a nine-minute video.

Correction: In the video I say that 10% of elk hunts end in failure; of course I meant to say that 10% succeed, and 90% end in failure.


Mule deer  (Odocoileus hemionus) are named for their large ears. They are most common in the summer throughout Yellowstone in brushy areas, grasslands and coniferous forests. Mule deer may sometimes gather in small groups but do not form large herds like elk. Mule deer are smaller than elk weighing on average 286 kg (130 lbs).

Wolves prey on mule deer, especially fawns, but wolves do prefer hunting larger, slower elk or bison. Fawns will start out hiding, scentless and motionless in early summer. Once they are mobile, fawns stay close to their mothers and can also run fast. Mule deer can run as fast as 72 kph (45 mph) and can change their running direction with a single bound by stotting (or pronking) which allows them to cover uneven terrain efficiently. This makes them challenging prey to catch. They also have sharp hooves that smart wolves avoid. Males grow and shed their antlers each year.

[Black Burn]

Looks amazing! These guys seem like they'd be a real challenge to run down, I can't wait!! Keep up the wonderful work WQ team!

[YellowstoneWolves1]

I haven't seen the video yet, but I can imagine this will be cool. I'll make an edit when I see, but I have no doubt I will be intrigued and amazed. I was hoping for a mule deer video!


Edit: Oh yeah. I didn't think I would be disappointed, and I wasn't. I may not want to hunt the mule deer, simply cause they are fast and I like Mule Deer. Originally, I had NO IDEA what Stotting was. My dad being a former hunter, I asked him. He didn't know either. I looked it up and we figured it out. My dad was also kind enough to find a video for me. I have another reason why they stot to add to the ring. My dad said they stot in winter when the snow is too deep to walk, which makes a lot of sense. Whenever you guys make the winter scene in Slough Creek, you may want to keep it in mind. Just an idea though, thought I share it.

[LamarWolf]

Wow. These will be hard to catch but a good challenge. I can't imagine how hard it is for wolves in Minnesota who have to prey on deer because there are no elk.

[xc92u3]

Woah! So beautiful! SO EXCITED RRRRGH
I can't wait to stot with the mule deer (and kill innocent, adorable fawns and eat them in front of their mama)!
Thank you WQ team and Dave for sharing! (not to mention, the wolf is beautiful too!!!)

[Bushmeat]

Oh, exciting! I know a little bit about this! Some people call stotting "pronking" and it's so distinctively genetically wired that whitetail/mule deer hybrids don't stot correctly- but they don't gallop either.

http://www.bio.miami.edu/dana/dox/bambi.html

[MysteryFoxSpirt]

Still, I'm getting very hyped up for the update! Even though mobile version is so far away, I can be patient! The wait will be worth! Also, how will the multiple run speeds work on mobile? Such as normal run and Sprint.

So much prey to add, so little time left for 2018! I know you all said you're going for early-ish 2019 for Slough Creek and mobile, but your planning to get Amethyst Mountain out soon as a demo! But you still have so much prey to tweak! Like the Mule Deer carcasses, and the Bighorn Sheep. And all the other prey, like the moose and the other preds as well.

I love the videos you guys make, they keep me hopeful and make me happy for the upcoming update. Keep it up, my pals.

[Itschi]

Oh I love those Mule deers they look like a real challenge to hunt.

What prey do you plan to make next Bighorn Sheep, Beavers or something else?

[xc92u3]

Oh I love those Mule deers they look like a real challenge to hunt.

What prey do you plan to make next Bighorn Sheep, Beavers or something else?

Yes, they are adding beavers to the game, and I wonder if catching one of those will be as hard as a mule deer, hehe!

[poncho0287]

A real challenge to catch food. It's a super Mule deer with super speed.

[Rustic]

AWESOME!! as always...sooo can't wait for the day this is released...there is soo many new things going on! Is there still plans for controller support for the new version?

[Neamara]

What prey do you plan to make next Bighorn Sheep, Beavers or something else?

Both are being implemented- Bighorn sheep were polled earlier in the year. Having had the most votes, it had its model revealed towards the end of the Cliff Notes devblog. As for beavers, a model was revealed in the Busy as Beavers devblog.

Is there still plans for controller support for the new version?

To my understanding, those plans haven't changed. 3.0 will have full controller support.

[Phasoli]

Wow! The new Mule deer are looking beautiful in action. The animations are so smooth, and the models are looking gorgeous. Based on the gait of the individual, will that mean that some mule deer will be able to be singled out intuitively, based on when they begin to stot, and how long?

Also, curious—what about the scent system that was introduced in WolfQuest 2.7? Will that have an effect on when the deer begin to run as well? What of stalking, too? I remember reading a reply somewhere where it was mentioned that wolves don’t stalk elk very often because they’re easily sighted, and because the elk always seem to know where wolves are, and if they’re preparing to hunt. What about other animals, such as mule deer? Will stalking have an effect on them?

You guys are doing such a great job with the game so far. I can’t wait to try this out!

[Itschi]

I saw the beaver and the Bighorn Sheep before, I was just curious which prey they fully implement next.

[Rustic]

Thanks Neamara....sorry just realized I never posted a thank you to your response to my question.