Owktree Posted February 10 Report Share Posted February 10 Not sure if this should be considered a guide instead. However, as a discussion I guess it works as well. 0. Introduction This is an essay on what the plants you encounter out in the world of Vintage Story can tell you about local climate conditions. With a heavy emphasis on what this indicates about the probable presence of the wildlife predators that will target and stalk the player. Data is from anecdotal information collected while playing the game plus perusal of the json files. Mainly in version 1.18.6 of the game. Some of the data is, of course, obsolete with version 1.19 of Vintage Story. However, most of the information is I believe is still accurate as well as the main conclusions. A lot of references are made to temperature ranges, rain amounts, and forest rating. These are all local conditions of a surface block and can be viewed via the command "/wgen pos climate". Local tempeture varies by date but the local average temperature is what is being referred to here since it is the value used when determining whether a particular plant or animal may spawn there. Some spawning criteria also include an altitude factor, but that is generally going to be ignored here. And a caveat to make clear here is that a local plant indicator is not a sure guarantee about a predator not being present. The predators move around and may well wander into an otherwise "safe" area while chasing prey. Average temperature also decreases with altitude. So a "safe" valley may well have the dangerous predators spawning upon nearby hills and thus being in the region anyways. 1. Predators (Bears, Wolves, and Hyenas - oh my!) The three wildlife types that will specifically target and chase players are the wolf, hyena, and three of the five species of bear (Black, Brown and Polar). As the data will show below the bears are by far the most dangerous of these due to their broad spawn ranges, greater climb ability, comparatively greater health pool and damage capability. See Appendix A for a list of comparative data. Wolves and Hyenas both operate in packs, but are individually weaker in combat then bears. They also have more specific spawning requirements than bears and are thus there are areas they will not generally appear in. Anecdotally wolves and hyenas tend to flee combat after taking damage sooner than bears. Low walls or pillars (2 high) are sufficient to keep both wolves and hyenas out or melee range. Both are slightly larger than 1x1 block as well. What can surprise a player is two capabilities a bear has. One, it has a vertical climb just over three blocks whereas all other creatures have a vertical climb of just over one block*. To contain a bear, as compared to a wolf, a pit would need to be twice as deep or a wall twice as high. Secondly, a bear can climb a ladder if it is placed one or two blocks above the surface the bear is on. See Appendix B for some suggestions regarding defense against bears. * - Climbing ability was adjusted heavily in version 1.19. Many creatures like sheep now have a much greater climbing ability. This makes walls much less effective as a containment or channeling strategy. Wolf Spawn Parameters: -15 to +15 temp; 0.25+ rain; 0.50+ forest; <7 light level Mainly noted is the forest requirement which means that wolves are generally associated with thick trees or shrub land along with the associated threat of encountering them in close proximity while transiting such lands. The temp range indicates that once temperate lands are reached wolves will generally not be spawning there. Hyena Spawn Parameters: +25 to +40 temp; 0.10 to 0.39 rain; >9 light level Hyena will spawn in hot and relatively dry terrain. Which is also usually open which means spotting hyena packs is easier than wolves in wooded terrain. This is also terrain that is warmer than that the predatory bears spawn in. Bear Spawn Parameters: Varies by type and this is important! (These numbers adjusted to version 1.19) Polar: -48 to -9 temp; any rain; any forest Brown: -15 to -2 temp; any rain; 0.20+ forest Black: -5 to +20 temp; 0.25+ rain; 0.40+ forest Sun: +24 to +40 temp; 0.60+ rain; 0.40+ forest Panda: +20 to +33 temp; 0.50+ rain; 0.60+ forest Temperature range is probably the most important criteria since it indicates climate breakpoints at which certain predatory bears no longer spawn. Warmer than 0 C average temp precludes Brown Bear spawns. Warmer than 20 C precludes Black Bear spawns. The rain and forest criteria are secondary but would indicate that open and/or dry areas are less likely to have bears spawning in them even if the temperature range is within the criteria. The next section covers the climate requirements for generating various trees and plants in the game. And some of these plants only appear in areas where average tempeture is above some of the above predator spawning tempeture criteria. ========================== 2. Plants (what they tell you about local average temperature and climate) Trees, plants and other objects are spawned at world generation or when the player enters an area. The criteria used for what could be spawned is based on world parameters and the heatmap for that area of the world indicating its average temperature, rainfall, etc. The JSON data for the objects can supply some useful data along these lines. A. Trees Limited usefulness due to mix of tree sub-types beyond the tropical ones that turn up in the 27+ range amidst other indicators; e.g. there are 4-5 sub-types of maple tree. And the maple tree spawning temperature range is very broad and not a good indicator. The following trees do provide some useful information: Tree Temperature Acacia 28-40 Bald Cypress 15-24 Ebony 28-40 Kapok 27-40 Purpleheart 27-40 Redwood 14-18 The tropical trees (Acacia, Ebony, Kapok, and Purpleheart) are all clear indicators that climate temperature is above the 20 C breakpoint. Bald Cypress and Redwood are indicators of climate not past 20 C, but generally past 15 C. [Aside: If you see Redwoods on hills near otherwise tropic woods it is cool enough for Black Bears up there!] B. Flowers, Wild Crops, and other Plants Some are very useful indicators of the breakpoint lines. Mushrooms are not very good indicators due to their wide temperature tolerance ranges. Plant Temp Forest Rain ------ ------- ------- ---- Lupine 1 19 0-0.35 0.3-0.8 Woad -2 21 0-0.35 0.25-0.7 Daisy 7 20 0-0.31 0.4-0.75 Cornflower 3 23 0.1-0.45 0.35-0.75 Edelweiss -1 12 0-0.7 0.3-0.8 Golden Poppy 22 25 n/a 0.5-1.00 hot, fairly wet Orange Mallow 20 37 n/a 0.1-0.35 hot, dry Croton 25 40 0.6-1.00 0.75-1.00 hot, very wet, probable forest Coopers Reed 3 23 near water 0.4-1.00 Papyrus 24+ near water 0.33+ Waterlily 10 40 in water 0.65+ Black Currant -2 23 < 0.5 0.3-0.7 Red Currant -3 22 < 0.4 0.3-0.7 White Currant 0 24 < 0.4 0.3-0.7 Blueberry -2 18 > 0.5 0.3-0.7 Cranberry -2 18 < 0.7 0.45+ Rye -10 14 0-0.50 0-35-0.75 Spelt 3 26 0-0.50 0.38-0.75 Flax 3 31 0-0.50 0.35-0.75 Carrot 5 24 0-0.6 0-35-0.75 Onion 3 29 0-0.6 0.38-0.75 Parsnip 1 22 0-0.65 0.38-0.75 Turnip 1 26 0-0.65 0.38-0.75 Sunflower 15 36 0-0.30 0.30-0.65 non-forest, dry(ish) Amaranth 17 42 0.1-0.4 0.35-0.80 Soybean 20 40 0-1 0.35-0.75 hot Rice 22 40 0-0.5 0.50-1.00 hot, wet Cassava 23 48 0.1-0.4 0.20-0.60 hot, dry(ish) Pineapple 26 45 0.60-1.00 0.70-1.00 hot, wet, probable forest Peanut 25 40 0-0.70 0.50-1.00 hot, wet Silvertorch 20+ 0-1 0-0.29 hot, dry Saguaro 22+ 0-1 0-0.25 hot, dry Barrel 20+ 0-1 0-0.25 hot, dry Tallfern 22+ 0.5+ 0.7+ Eagle -12 10 0.5+ 0.4+ Cinnamon -3 15 0.5+ 0.75+ And two more pieces of information along these same lines, but pertaining to non-plants. 1. Termite Mounds generate only in a temp range of +22 to +37 and rain range of 0.25 to 0.39 2. Gazelle spawn: +20 to +90 temp; < 0.50 rain; < 0.10 forest (Hot, dry, open) Note: Apologies for the above not being formatted in a manner more easy to read. ===================================== 3. Conclusions Based on the above data what can local plants and animals indicate about the predator threat in that area? a. The 0 C line - Brown Bear limit (was the 10 C line with version 1.18) The only real indicator plant for this breakpoint is the Waterlily starting to appear in climate 10 C or warmer. So plants are not real helpful here and the 15 C line is probably a safer set of criteria to go by. b. The 15 C line - Wolf limit There are some clear indicators here. Eagle and Cinnamon Fern start to disappear. Bald Cypress, Redwood, Sunflower, and Amaranth start to appear. c. The 20 C line - Black Bear limit Probably the most valuable breakpoint to find indicators for. The tropical trees as previously mentioned. Tropical crops (Soybean, Rice, Pineapple, Cassava, and Peanut.) Tallfern are a very good indicator since they are distinctive. Papyrus will replace Coopers Reed when it is slightly warmer than 20 C. Berry bushes can be viewed as an indication that bears are still possible. Cactus are generally an indicator of the area being too warm or too dry. Croton are a rainforest indicator and also mean a warm climate. Finally, the two orange flowers Orange Mallow and California Poppy are both indicators of the 20 C line and relative safety in that area. Berry bushes are sort of a negative indicator. If you still see them there is still a chance that Black Bear can spawn in that vicinity. ===================================== Appendix A - Predator Capability Comparison ------------------------------------------- Wolf: Attack - Tier 2; Strength 8 Speed - 0.052 (faster than a sprinting Seraph) Health - 14 Approximate seek/detection range of 9-15 blocks Hyena: Attack - Tier 2; Strength 6 Speed - 0.040 (roughly same speed as a sprinting Seraph) Health - 12 Approximate seek/detection range of 10 blocks Black Bear Attack - Tier 2; Strength 10* Speed - 0.040 (roughly same speed as a sprinting Seraph) Health - 44 Approximate seek/detection range of 20-30 blocks Brown Bear Attack - Tier 2; Strength 12* Speed - 0.055 (faster than a sprinting Seraph) Health - 64 Approximate seek/detection range of 20-30 blocks Polar Bear Attack - Tier 2; Strength 16* Speed - 0.060 (faster than a sprinting Seraph) Health - 66 Approximate seek/detection range of 20-30 blocks * - JSON file makes reference to a Tier 2, Strength 15 "slashing attack" as well. Speed Comparisons Note: Number is pulled from the JSON and I guess is some sort of m/sec value or something similar. A seraph has a walking and sprinting speed which can vary by class, armor being worn, and encumbrance due mods or other factors. Anecdotal evidence is a Commoner class Seraph with no general penalties sprints at a speed of roughly 0.040 by these scales and thus can chase down raccoons and chickens. 0.025 - Panda Bear; Sun Bear 0.035 - Raccoon 0.037 - Chicken 0.040 - Black Bear; Hyena; Fox 0.050 - Pig 0.052 - Sheep; Wolf 0.055 - Brown Bear 0.060 - Polar Bear; Hare 0.065 - Gazelle Seraphs swim faster in water deeper than one block than any of the animals. Useful for pursuit and evasion. Bears drowning in deep water has also been seen even in the early 1.18 versions. ==================================================== Appendix B - Defending Against and Avoiding Bears ------------------------------------------------- Going to concentrate on the Black Bear and Brown Bear threat. Panda Bear and Sun Bear are generally not interested in fighting you unless you aggravate them. And you can outrun them anyways. Polar Bear are pretty similar to Brown Bear. The Advantages the Bear has over a Seraph 1. More Health 2. They hit harder in Melee Combat 3. Brown Bear are faster than a sprinting Seraph. (Black Bear about as fast as the Seraph.) 4. Watch out for that vertical climb of three blocks 5. They are friendly with wolves - you can encounter a bear who is traveling with company The Advantages the Seraph has over a Bear 1. Faster Swimmer 2. Capable of Ranged Combat 3. Can jump to reach ladders or get over a fence 4. Can wear armor to potentially reduce damage (not really a suggestion here compared to other options) 5. Narrower than a bear; e.g. can fit through a one block wide gap that a bear will not fit through 6. Can construct the magical obstacle - the fence Keeping awareness is of high importance. If you see and detect the bear before it detects the player than the option to immediately try to retreat is there. Or to take actions to prepare for a confrontation like getting to better ground, deep water, constructing a pillar, etc. Plus this gives the player the initiative to start a fight if one is desired. Successful Melee Combat with a bear can be done. A positional advantage where the player attacks the bear from below through a gap the bear can't enter works quite well. Attacking a bear on the surface from underwater can be effective. If a bear is trying to climb over a block or maneuver instead of trying to hit the player it can be struck with melee weapons without taking damage. Example: If a bear is trying to squeeze through a gap instead of striking at the player the player can hit the bear with a melee weapon and not get hit back even though they are in range of the bear. Ranged combat from a pillar or edge of a pit where the bear cannot reach the player can be effective assuming the player has sufficient weapons (spears, arrows, or rocks) to kill the bear before running out of ammunition. To keep bears out of areas requires the use of high walls or fences. They can also be trapped using pits or fenced enclosures that allow the bear to get in but not back out. ================================================ Appendix C - The Magic of the Fence ----------------------------------- One thing not to be overlooked in defenses is the fact that the simple fence which juts up just over one block will not be pathed* over by drifters, seraphs, or animals. (There are mods to allow this.) Creatures can climb down onto the top of a fence from higher ground however. * - Pathed. The animal is capable of climbing over it. But the coding makes it so that the animal or drifter won't try to do so. If they get on top of the fence they will gladly path down the tops of adjacent fence blocks. The seraph, and other creatures with a jump ability can leap over or onto the fence top. [Aside: This might explain the ability of animals like hares or chickens to sort of pile up and then get over fences or obstacles they could not normally escape.] In regard to bears or other attackers a simple fence line can provide a barrier behind which the player can pelt the foe with a ranged weapon with relative impunity. The attacker will attempt to path around the fence if it can however. But a short fence acting as a block might provide sufficient time and space for the player to escape or otherwise reach safety. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maelstrom Posted February 12 Report Share Posted February 12 Note on wolf spawning - in my current world (created under 1.19.3 generation rules) I have two "forests" that are a grand total of 25 blocks that spawned one pack of 5 wolves and one pack of 3 + 1 pup. A single tree spawned in said "forest". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Owktree Posted February 12 Author Report Share Posted February 12 16 minutes ago, Maelstrom said: Note on wolf spawning - in my current world (created under 1.19.3 generation rules) I have two "forests" that are a grand total of 25 blocks that spawned one pack of 5 wolves and one pack of 3 + 1 pup. A single tree spawned in said "forest". It's dependent on the environment ratings of the blocks. And it can be forest or shrub rating with the 1.19.3 json files. Plus I've seen stretches of terrain that I consider quite open with what I thought was very little shrub and no trees. And a sample environmental reading for that area was something like 60% Forest and 60% Shrub. So the appearances might be somewhat deceptive. And why if I really want to be sure I'm clear of wolf and bear generating terrain I am looking for the things that indicate the average temperature in the region is too warm for them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maelstrom Posted February 12 Report Share Posted February 12 Those two areas I mentioned show forest floor for dirt blocks. I figure that's the best indicator of possible presence of wolves. Bears? Got my head on a swivel. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tall Sam Jones Posted February 14 Report Share Posted February 14 Great write up! I appreciate your detailed data gathering, balanced against some very practical, common-sense, “rule-of-thumb” conclusions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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