Many thoughts about “taiga” reserve

[ShurikMur]

I've decided to expand my experience and got “Medved-Taiga” DLC. And there are so many inaccuracies about winter hunting breaking the experience so I decided to make a big post. Will try to be constructive: maybe the developers could use this feedback to improve already great game! ;)
Some background: I live in, well, Russia in the very middle of Siberia. And in turn there is a small chance I know something about winter, taiga and so on. I do understand the game is made for the whole world and wide audience and does not trying to be 100% accurate. Yet still can't ignore the sharp corners.

1. Language. Here in Russia no one would call a reserve “Medved-Taiga”. “Medved” is a bear. Not a name, just an animal. And “taiga” is a wild forest made mostly of coniferous trees, also not a name to start it with capital. “Bear-Forest” reserve – does that sounds good? :) Alena (ok with the name, yet it feels too generic) speaks Russian with a strong (really strong!) accent. It's instantly obvious she is not native for everyone on post-soviet territory. She'd better keep mouth shut to not blow the cover XD

2. Alena's background and first conversation. Hunting animals for science – ok. But was *very* strange when for some reason she suddenly mentioned word “politics” and how she don't care about it. Yes, scientists everywhere usually distanced from that. And in real life they never ever mentioning this subject. Why? Because they don't care!

3. The winter. Oh my god. This one just breaks my immersion! Alena said it is winter time and the weather conditions are harsh. But what you really see is a shallow snow barely covering ground. It literally looks like first snow in the middle of autumn, not a winter. Or not a winter in Siberian taiga. How should it look in reality? There are *a lot* of snow in the middle of the winter. The depth of show cover ranges from 0,5 to 2.0 meters: it completely obscures grass and sometimes even bushes and small trees. And most importantly – you can't traverse without skis or a snowmobile. Snow blown off by the wind looks unrealistic. Can't explain this one, you should see it yourself to get a proper image of it. In reality it is more like blowing a fine dust from a floor. Maybe the effect can be reproduced with a flour or some white powder. It never looks like prolonged white trails. In a snowstorm the sky turns white-gray and you can't see clouds - it is not about just snowflakes around you.

4. The railroad. In Soviet Russia the railroad rides you :) Jokes aside, it never built flush with the ground. Railroad way is always elevated with embankment. And there is a good reason for that: any road to low to the ground would require constant snow removal or will be rendered unusable for the whole winter. When elevated snow is mostly blown off by the wind.

5. Bobcats produce mating calls in the middle of the winter? Really?!

Beside all the issues the game still one of the greatest. The best hunting sim hands down. And very pleasant to just walk around especially in a lockdown!

[Workerdroid7]

I think all these points you raise, while perfectly valid, are covered by "poetic license" on the part of the developers. I don't think it would be a fun map if it was 2m deep in snow, for a start :)

I live in Southern Africa (which is slightly different to Russia!), and for ages I refused to buy the Vurhonga map - in part because I enjoyed the "exotic" feel of all the other maps, and in part because I was afraid I would be too critical of a map I'd be more familiar with. When I eventually caved in and bought it, my fears were proved correct. For the first hour or 2 I was walking around the map going "hmm, this tree is almost correct... but it's wrong", and "man, this animal just isn't right". However, I eventually decided to just focus on the "feel and atmosphere" of the map.... and I honestly believe they did a fantastic job with that. One of my favorite maps now (and just to add to that: some of the animals were absolutely nailed by the devs).

Edit: just wanted to add that MedVed is a map I really enjoy, because of the "look and feel". I don't have a clue about the authenticity, but it's a pretty damn cool gaming experience for someone from my part of the world :)

[Tigerlily]

Medved is my favorite map I love the terrain and the snow. The snow isn't very deep which is good, but when it starts snowing it continues for quite a while. I like the lynx and the musk deer this map is the only one with these two animals. I know the map so well I know where and how to find the animals. It is just a gorgeous map and very different then the others.

[ShurikMur]

The same for me: other parts of the world I never visited in real life looks good enough. My initial post is more for information purposes :)
Deep snow will not make the map unplayable: the hunter just uses special hunting skis and walks like on a solid ground. At the same time covering grass with snow would make the whole map simpler to make. In the current state the trees and bushes looks correct, the shallow snow is almost singular issue. Beside that it's hard to name other major problems. Just for the sake of completion I can mention using an in-game smartphone in cold conditions. You'll never pull out your phone for too long when it is cold - the charge dies quickly and the whole phone starts to glitch. Most of the time you keep in under clothing close to the body. And there will be no connectivity in real taiga :)

[ShurikMur]

Originally posted by Phoenix:

It's not a sim

Super-detailed terminal ballistics model when killing animals. Sound and smell propogation as you walks around. Sight image shaking like in real life.
Definitely not a sim. :)

[JQB]

I just ignored the part where she said it was winter. Sunsets and sunrises are wrong for that anyway.