Creature Behaviour Suggestions

En9a9e

Peepers - I love the current flexibility in the flight mechanic of driving the peepers down into things in order to get them stuck and catch them. It's a part of what makes the game come alive when you realize there is a better way to catch them. The issue is that having them bury their head into things and get stuck seems very odd, though admittedly, highly convenient. Trying to shelter under the coral tubes is more acceptable but burying in sand and clipping into the sides of rock faces immediately prompts an incredulous feeling. My suggestions is that their collider be increased a bit and that you enhance the hide and seek wow factor by making them prone to seek shelter in the brush/bush like corals or plants. So once they hit that "plant shelter" trigger they enter in a little ways further and "hide". They would just sit there for a while thinking they are safe until the player moves off or grabs them on first catch attempt after they hide. While they are in that "hidden" state, if the player whiffs on the grab then they immediately go back into flight mode and swim off realizing their hiding spot is compromised.

Gasopod - Gasopods remind me of the Manatee and they look great... I do wish the nose looked a little more natural and less rigid in appearance but overall they are really cool, especially at night. Love the poison cloud defense mechanism. My suggestions are that they act like the bottom feeders their shape and suction looking nose seems to imply. This means their behavior patterns would be to gently hover (reduce movement speed even more to "listing forward") over the sea floor of the safe shallows and then, at times, randomly go almost vertical to plant their nose in the sand and suction out food particles for a moment. The "digging up clouds of sand" effect could be increased and applied here as it forages. Possibly even make these guys air breathers with blow holes so they surface occasionally before heading back down to feed again?

Really enjoying the menagerie of alien creatures you guys have going in the game. Great job! I know it can be tedious and time consuming, but making the simulation come alive through a believable and significant amount of variety plus more intricate creature behavior and interaction really seals the deal on the sense of wonder and intrigue the world invokes. Hats off to your guys that bring them to life and I look forward what new life forms start populating the water next! Crypto-Xenobiologist mode engaged.

Zourin

Something I would like to point out, especially for larger critters like the Stalker and Reefback, is that they need some help. They could really use a little extra room to notice and navigate around terrain without looking, well... like a glitchy computer model.

While not a behavior thing per se, but stalkers, reefbacks, and the upcoming 'long' critters really need some animation attention. The first two look like floating cardboard cut-outs with no real flexibility, when there should be some undulation involved with their locomotion.

reference http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0rqcigdJi3o&t=7m40s

Generally, the head is relatively static (look-to-steer), but the second half of the body undulates depending on how fast it's going. It's the same locomotion as in eels. It's something that would add a lot of quality to the environment. The best way to fake it in concept is with the second-half of the body (or the reefback tentacles) being more like flexible contrails with some lateral oscillation while the 'front' uses the existing motion pathing.

Smaller fish are generally fine being stiff, it's the bigger critters that need more attention in this department. Fishfood for thought.