bass fishing and fights need work

[dmoreno78]

The problem this game has is with bass AI and fish fights.

Water temperature, weather conditions, and water clarity play a huge part in where bass are located and their behavior. Types of structures - both above and below water - also play a huge part in providing spots for bass to be. The depth finder should show this structure and water temperature in addition to depth and fish. There are a lot of free online resources (YouTube videos, websites, etc.) that explain the fundamentals of this.

In real life, the smaller bass tend to be more active and aggressive, while the bigger fish are harder to catch because they're smarter and more lazy. Catching big bass requires good knowledge of bass behavior, locating them and using good lure presentation. Catching smaller bass is good for racking up some weight on tournaments, and requires covering lots of water with an assortment of lures.

In real life I typically catch 1-3 lb. bass working various waters and structures all day with an assortment of lures and techniques. Much of catching those bigger 5+ lb. bass is about being in the right place at the right time. It's awesome to catch a 5+ lb. one and they put up a good fight for a few minutes. My last 5 lb. catch was on a slow-rolling spinnerbait in just 3 ft. of water along a weedy shoreline where baitfish were gathered near at sunset on a very hot day.

It's all about strategy. That's what makes tournament fishing a fun and rewarding challenge. But instead we have all these "simulators" catering to gamers that haven't a clue about actual bass fishing.

And as stated by many players, the fish fights in the game are bad. The fish just flail around the top of the water running aimless in circles until they reach the boat. Seriously, Dovetail?? Have you guys even caught an actual bass before in real life? They dive down hard, pull tough left and right, and love to propel upwards out of the water, trying to throw the hook. Rod positioning, drag, and reeling speed are critical during these fights. Holding the rod tip up when the fish decides to jump? You have a good chance of losing the hookset. Slack in the line? You might lose the fish. Too much tension when the fish randomly decides to dive hard and fast? SNAP!

I've been really vocal about these issues in all these fishing games, and at this point I honestly don't think the developers care once they get playable code out the door and start making sales. It's a shame because this particular game has immense potential to be the next best bass fishing sim next to Trophy Bass 4, if given just a few more tweaks to the code.

But I'm sure the DLCs are coming... more lakes, more stuff added on to an unfinished game engine. They won't fix this. I hope to be proven wrong.

[DTG_Stephen]

Hi dmoreno, thanks for giving your thoughts. We appreciate the detail you have put into your feedback and will use it as we move forward. Can you please contact us at https://dovetailgames.kayako.com so that we can discuss what you have said further?

[Lightning1961]

+1 @dmoreno

I grew up on the banks of the Big Muddy in So. IL in old coal mining territory, so Bassin' and Cattin' are in my blood!

[dmoreno78]

Originally posted by DTG_Stephen:

Hi dmoreno, thanks for giving your thoughts. We appreciate the detail you have put into your feedback and will use it as we move forward. Can you please contact us at https://dovetailgames.kayako.com so that we can discuss what you have said further?

I spent an afternoon making a video just for this, showing the differences in fish fighting amongst 4 of the biggest fishing games including Fishing Sim World:

Watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TVk6O0r8TLY (YouTube)

Covers 4 games:
- Trophy Bass 4 (2000)
- Bass Pro Shops: The Strike (2009)
- Ultimate Fishing Simulator (2018)
- Fishing Sim World (2018)

Review categories:
- Inventory
- Physics
- Casting Methods
- Fish Fighting
- Boating / Depth Finder
- Fish AI
- Immersion

[DTG_Stephen]

Thank you for the video, I will be sure to check it out and pass it on to our development team so that they can also see your feedback.