cannibal behavior

[calabacina]

I read somewhere that you could play it in a way that doesn't piss off the cannibals too much and keep them neutral BUT it doesn't really seem possible to me. in my last game, i didn't cut down a tree, i didn't touch effigies and i avoided all the open fights, yet the cannibals seem hostile anyway and the more time passes the more they increase in quantity.

I mean, despite what I've read, I understand that it's more a matter of time played than how you relate to them...


Has anyone managed to keep them neutral until the end of the game? how did you do?

[RequiemsRose]

It is sort of possible, but the system is a bit more complicated than it first appears and can be more restrictive than most enjoy playing. First thing to note is that there is a sort of local, and global aggression system. The local aggression is based on the area(s) you frequent and your interactions in them. Global aggression does take overall local aggressions into account but it will also rise daily with no way to reduce it either. In both cases these aggression systems mostly apply to the behaviors of specifically the tribal cannibals, though higher aggression will also be a determining factor in the spawn rates and types of enemies in general (though some of that is also specifically tied to days passed). Tribal cannibals are the ones with adornments essentially, like the grass skirts, CD necklaces, skull lights, etc.

Whether you play nice or not has little effect on how the feral or creepies feel about you. Ferals start out somewhat curious but mostly they are just, well, feral. They will even attack the tribals sometimes (not always when the player is around either, it is part of why you sometimes just find dead cannibals randomly). The creepies on the other hand seem to be in agreement that you are only "good" when dead, regardless of when or where you encounter them or how high aggression is at the time. Worth noting that as near as I can tell the greys seem to be a part of the creepy faction when it comes to behaviors.

As far as trying to play peacefully, that will mostly apply to specifically the tribals but there is a long list of things they generally don't like. They don't like the destruction of nature (including cutting down bushes, but they dont seem to mind hunting/fishing), they don't like large or multiple fires, they don't like when the player is aggressive or kills them (even if they started it), they don't like trespassing (mostly in villages, sacred sites, and pretty much anywhere they leave totems from the start of the game. The totems they create later on are a slightly different mechanic), they don't like large or invasive player structures (especially if they block patrol routes), they dont like the logging involved in making such structures, and they don't even like the player "fleeing" which is seemingly just defined as sprinting while gaining distance from them regardless of whether the player is aware that they are there or not. Probably missing a few, it can be a pretty exhaustive list. Even if you do stick to all of that though, aggression does still rise as time passes, so to remain peaceful while finishing the game you also tend to want to not dawdle too much when it comes to progression. Although you can actually maintain something resembling a tense truce for a surprising amount of time. Think my longest was around day 70 before i got bored and decided to play normally again. In that one my main weapon was a stick. If they did get aggressive i would usually maintain blocking and back away slowly, but if they decided to attack anyway they'd get a poke. Not a full blown attack, just sort of the equivalent of bopping a dog with a rolled newspaper and going "No, bad!" to them.

[calabacina]

thanks a lot! ;)