thinking about getting into the game

[k9]

how long are the game sessions usually?
am I cool with vanilla game or should I buy some dlc asap?
are there better hunting games out there by now?

[VictoriaHuntress]

Q1: as long as you want them to be. There are story missions and side missions for each reserve - those take quite a while to complete (weeks to months to years in some cases). I still have incomplete missions in most reserves, even after a year of playing this particular game instance (on my PC/Steam account).
There really is no end to the game after you've completed the missions - there are trophy animals to get, buying up every item in the store, and so on. You can spend a relaxing afternoon or evening just hunting, exploring and taking photographs.
It's cheaper to buy a bundle than just the base game and add DLCs one by one. If you go that route, then it's best to wait for DLCs that go on sale.

Q2: you can start with just the base game - 2 reserves with really long story arcs, but you'll probably want a number of weapons and accessories DLCs (tents & ground blinds, tripods and tree stands, ATVs, High Tech Optics, maybe the two hunting dog DLCs, trophy lodges) at some point. Those two reserves will keep you going for quite a long time.

Q3: there are other hunting games out there that are more or less comparable to this one. Better or worse, like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder.
You can look at
The Hunter Classic (free on Steam) - by the same company that developed this game
Way of the Hunter, by Nine Rock Games - similar but different
Hunting Simulator 2 - it's okay, somewhat limited in scope and features - just basic hunting.

[DarkFalz]

Game sessions are as long as you want them to be. Once you know where and when to look for the animals you're after it won't take you too long to find them. For instance, if I want to hunt lions on Vurhonga Savana, I can just set it to their drink time and check all of the lakes they drink at in about 30 to 40 minutes. If you just wanna do a more casual hunt though, you can easily spend a couple of hours in a session.

You'll have most of what you need in the base game but purchasing a few DLCs will greatly speed up your progress. Good ones to get would be:

Tents and tripods - Lets you set up small outposts almost anywhere on the map that you can fast travel to and gives you easier access to your storage
ATV - Great for quickly unlocking outposts and watchtowers but it has a huge spook radius so you won't see many animals when you're using it
Bloodhound - Helps you quickly track down your kills.
Hunter Power Pack - The Malmer 7mm is powerful and covers a wide range of animal classes. The Olsson Model 23 is great too
Modern Rifles Pack - All 3 weapons are very useful and will let you take all but the largest animals.
High Caliber Pack - The Arzyna 300 magnum is ridiculously good for big game hunting and I really like the 10 gauge shotgun too

As for maps, you can try them all for free in multiplayer. See which ones you like and first and then decide what you want to buy.

Way of the Hunter is the big one that you'll usually see this game compared to. I own both games and enjoy them both but they're good in their own separate ways. COTW has more arcade elements to it and the mechanics are more simplified to speed up the gameplay. Animal tracks are pretty obvious and easy to follow and the same goes for blood trails. Animals on your maps will never age and only die if you kill them. The render distance is COTW is much shorter than Way of the Hunter so weapons do not zero further than 300 meters. Ballistics in COTW are also very simplified. All animals fall into different classes and you only need to make sure you're using a weapon that is appropriate for their class when you shoot them.

Way of the Hunter is a more slow paced game that tries to be more realistic though it does allow you to customize the experience a bit with difficulty settings. On the easier difficulties, animals have reduced range with their senses (particularly hearing) so it's easier to sneak up on them and then their senses improve as you increase the difficulty. The animals in Way of the Hunter age and get bigger over time and if given enough time, they will eventually die of old age. They also have different genetic potential which affects just how big they can get and only the ones with the highest potential can reach the maximum trophy rating. You can influence a herds genetics by killing off the lower potential males so that later generations have better potential. Ballistics in Way of the Hunter while still simplified are more true to life. You have to be aware of how much energy your shot has behind it and your shot placement is very important. Way of the Hunter also has much greater draw distance and your weapons can zero out to over 1000 meters.

There is also The Hunter Classic but I haven't really played it much at all so I can't give you an honest take on it. Look up Flinter on Youtube if you're interested in the game though. He makes videos of it regularly.

[k9]

thx alot for the detailed answers!

so game is probably not for me when I prefer to play in short sessions from 10 to 30 minutes?

[kamikazi21358]

Originally posted by k9:

thx alot for the detailed answers!

so game is probably not for me when I prefer to play in short sessions from 10 to 30 minutes?

You probably can do some stuff in 30 minutes, like explore to the next lookout tower/outpost, or hunt a couple of animals, etc. But 10 minutes probably is too short to do anything of value.

[James]

Well, if you know where and when to go, you could harvest plenty of game in 30 mins. On the other side, you may also find yourself walking for an hour not seeing anything on 2 or 4 legs... Also depends what you are looking for in terms of trophies, rares. mission goals etc. 10 min sessions are a bit on the short side though.

[res052cd]

Originally posted by k9:

thx alot for the detailed answers!

so game is probably not for me when I prefer to play in short sessions from 10 to 30 minutes?

Probably not since this game takes patience and thinking things thru which can take time. I have spent over an hour just stalking one animal before taking a shot.

[k9]

too bad, Ill keep this on the wishlist for now.
Ill getting stiff neck when sitting too long in front of a screen atm
thx for the help anyway

[FullBowl - Ese]

yeah spring sale just went by, wouldn't spend the full price on this

[Geronimo]

Price doesn't come into play here when it's a health concern.

This type of game isn't really meant for short sessions.

[res052cd]

Originally posted by FullBowl - Ese:

yeah spring sale just went by, wouldn't spend the full price on this

Funny, I had this game on my wishlist forever and never really thought i would get into it, but I picked it up with most of the DLCs on sale a few months back and it has been a great experience.

I would have paid full price for all of it if i had known what the experience would be like.

[Mr L]

Hook it up to your tv & relax I play it on a 75 inch tv in a recliner

[Geronimo]

Originally posted by Mr L:

Hook it up to your tv & relax I play it on a 75 inch tv in a recliner

Lol, u musta been a laugh to watch playing on the ole WII

[k9]

Originally posted by Mr L:

Hook it up to your tv & relax I play it on a 75 inch tv in a recliner

I love playing in my recliner, but I just cant aim with controller. Im so horribly bad at it, I dont even want to consider learning it xD

[dbond1]

I don't care to make too many comparisons between this game and Way of the Hunter, since it is so subjective. But that game does freeze time when you exit, either to quit the session or to move to a different reserve. For someone with limited time this can be good, since Call of the Wild always returns you to the nearest outpost, meaning you would need to trek back to wherever you were if you wanted to continue that hunt. Of course you can just go off in a different direction, but WOTH freezes time and when you pick it back up you are in the same spot you left it.

[k9]

thats a good clue @dbond1