Animal traps...especially for hardcore mode

[Zuleica]

I've posted about the need for multiple avenues to satisfy the basic survival needs. Specifically this post addresses the need for multiple routes to fill the need for protein. I'm mostly speaking of early and mid game, not when you are raising animals for high level protein and eggs.

Sources of protein currently are;
1. protein bars - 100% RNG from crates/bags, which are much more scarse in hardcore
2. rabbits - can only either find ones stuck on terrain or use (in survival) hard to come by ammo for minimal protein.
3. chickens - shoot with the same issues as rabbits, or chase and catch. The later is a good skill to learn but depending upon the area and the spawn may result in large amounts of time spent for little return (level 0 chickens, like rabbits, provide very little sustenence).
4. wolves - single steak or liver (sometimes but rarely two) but requires ammo that in hardcore is not plentiful. Risk is high for anything but level 1 and 2 using a pistol. Shotgun does the trick but shotgun ammo is rare, especially rare in hardcore. It's not a solid plan for protein. I've seen only one level 1 wolf for example in many days of hardcore play.
5. bears - not worth the ammo nor especially the risk in hardcore, though the protein recieved is often quite substantial.
6. eggs - mid to later game protein and by that time not really necessary

So my suggestions all revolve around traps and snares that can be built outside of the RNG fickleness (some RNG in distribution of fiber and blueberries but still so plentiful that it shouldn't be a factor).

1. Small animal (rabbit, chicken) snares. Uses some number of sticks, cordage, and blueberry for bait. This trap captures live animal, can be picked up then killed or kept alive. Has relatively small chance of success. I'd say apples and tomatoes also but that would be a huge waste to use those in a trap.

2. Large animal (wolf) snares. Uses some amouont of scrap metal (for wire), logs, and perhaps a live chicken for bait (perhaps you get the dead chicken as well as the wolf so the tradeoff is a bit more in your favor). This trap captures live wolf but only one pistol shot is required to kill it in the trap. Has relatively small chance of success.

3. Spanish Windlass type trap (as someone else suggested). For small animals, uses sticks, logs, cordage, and blueberry bait. Has a much higher chance of success than the small animal snare but kills the animal which starts its spoilage timer.

4. Deadfall of two sizes; small and large. Uses some amount of logs and cordage. No bait, set in animal paths. Kills animal, spoilage timer starts. Fairly high chance of success.

5. Arrow trap, small animal only. Uses sticks and cordage, blueberry bait. Kills animal always and starts spoilage timer.

6. Eventually, when there are bodies of water, fish traps.

Traps success is updated during the respawn time...every 5 real minutes for example.
Live captures die after one day/night cycle and spoilage timer starts.
Traps have a chance of being sprung with no capture.
Traps have a small chance of being damaged during capture. Damaged traps can be picked up with 50% loss of mats.
Traps do NOT have waypoint markers. You set them, you remember where you set them. Forget where and too bad, so sad. :)
If a trap has a spoiled animal in it you can still harvest it for spoiled meat, hide, feathers, fat, etc.

Traps and snares have a low success rate but the time and risk management come in when you have to decide if to spend your time checking and resetting long trap lines vice hunting, bag/crate looting, etc. Survival becomes more a matter of your decisions and less that of RNG.

[John Raeder]

Good ideas, pit traps maybe too? Those might work on wolves, bears, hunters, and you if you forget where you put it. Those might also be used to close off routes of approach ("Kill me! I'm here!") to help keep locations safer. I have had a lot of meat spoil on me so I would suggest a longer spoilage timer. Also possibly finding a snare trap with remains of a rabbit/chicken when a wolf or bear ate it.

[DanGerous]

Originally posted by Zuleica:

I've posted about the need for multiple avenues to satisfy the basic survival needs. Specifically this post addresses the need for multiple routes to fill the need for protein. I'm mostly speaking of early and mid game, not when you are raising animals for high level protein and eggs.

Sources of protein currently are;
1. protein bars - 100% RNG from crates/bags, which are much more scarse in hardcore
2. rabbits - can only either find ones stuck on terrain or use (in survival) hard to come by ammo for minimal protein.
3. chickens - shoot with the same issues as rabbits, or chase and catch. The later is a good skill to learn but depending upon the area and the spawn may result in large amounts of time spent for little return (level 0 chickens, like rabbits, provide very little sustenence).
4. wolves - single steak or liver (sometimes but rarely two) but requires ammo that in hardcore is not plentiful. Risk is high for anything but level 1 and 2 using a pistol. Shotgun does the trick but shotgun ammo is rare, especially rare in hardcore. It's not a solid plan for protein. I've seen only one level 1 wolf for example in many days of hardcore play.
5. bears - not worth the ammo nor especially the risk in hardcore, though the protein recieved is often quite substantial.
6. eggs - mid to later game protein and by that time not really necessary

So my suggestions all revolve around traps and snares that can be built outside of the RNG fickleness (some RNG in distribution of fiber and blueberries but still so plentiful that it shouldn't be a factor).

1. Small animal (rabbit, chicken) snares. Uses some number of sticks, cordage, and blueberry for bait. This trap captures live animal, can be picked up then killed or kept alive. Has relatively small chance of success. I'd say apples and tomatoes also but that would be a huge waste to use those in a trap.

2. Large animal (wolf) snares. Uses some amouont of scrap metal (for wire), logs, and perhaps a live chicken for bait (perhaps you get the dead chicken as well as the wolf so the tradeoff is a bit more in your favor). This trap captures live wolf but only one pistol shot is required to kill it in the trap. Has relatively small chance of success.

3. Spanish Windlass type trap (as someone else suggested). For small animals, uses sticks, logs, cordage, and blueberry bait. Has a much higher chance of success than the small animal snare but kills the animal which starts its spoilage timer.

4. Deadfall of two sizes; small and large. Uses some amount of logs and cordage. No bait, set in animal paths. Kills animal, spoilage timer starts. Fairly high chance of success.

5. Arrow trap, small animal only. Uses sticks and cordage, blueberry bait. Kills animal always and starts spoilage timer.

6. Eventually, when there are bodies of water, fish traps.

Traps success is updated during the respawn time...every 5 real minutes for example.
Live captures die after one day/night cycle and spoilage timer starts.
Traps have a chance of being sprung with no capture.
Traps have a small chance of being damaged during capture. Damaged traps can be picked up with 50% loss of mats.
Traps do NOT have waypoint markers. You set them, you remember where you set them. Forget where and too bad, so sad. :)
If a trap has a spoiled animal in it you can still harvest it for spoiled meat, hide, feathers, fat, etc.

Traps and snares have a low success rate but the time and risk management come in when you have to decide if to spend your time checking and resetting long trap lines vice hunting, bag/crate looting, etc. Survival becomes more a matter of your decisions and less that of RNG.

+1 for all of above but also could be able to use hammer on damaged traps at cost of mats just like other construction pieces