Encountered My First Wolf...

[Rudometkin]

Encountered my first wolf up close.

I was exploring some land when I saw it resting on the grass. I wasn't sure what it was, so I got a little closer. Then it woke up and started chasing me. I turned around to book it, but in the excitement I opened some kind of inventory. So I couldn't sprint until I closed that inventory. I heard the wolf try to take a bite out of me, but it dealt no damage and I got away unharmed.

I'm surprised I was able to outrun it.

I'm thinking wolves are too slow.

Edited November 18, 2024 by Rudometkin

[Streetwind]

Players are set to 125% movespeed by default. That's likely what helps people easily outrun predators.

[Rudometkin]

34 minutes ago, Streetwind said:

Players are set to 125% movespeed by default. That's likely what helps people easily outrun predators.

Ah, I didn't realize this. Thanks!

This customizability is one of vintage story's strong points.

[Echo Weaver]

I definitely die to wolves much less now that I have experience with them. I'm not sure they're too slow, though. I can get away as long as I don't make any mistakes and can start running as soon as I hear them notice me. (If I see them first, I can usually get out of sight.) Since I can't really watch from a distance, I don't know how far ahead of them I am when I'm running, though, or if I'm gaining ground. I know they will only chase for a certain distance. If I can get out ahead of them, I can usually stay there until they give up.

I'm not sure why you didn't get chomped before you started running though. I'm not sure if that was a bug or a compensation for having the menu open.

Edited November 18, 2024 by Echo Weaver

[Rudometkin]

7 hours ago, Echo Weaver said:

I definitely die to wolves much less now that I have experience with them. I'm not sure they're too slow, though. I can get away as long as I don't make any mistakes and can start running as soon as I hear them notice me. (If I see them first, I can usually get out of sight.) Since I can't really watch from a distance, I don't know how far ahead of them I am when I'm running, though, or if I'm gaining ground. I know they will only chase for a certain distance. If I can get out ahead of them, I can usually stay there until they give up.

I'm not sure why you didn't get chomped before you started running though. I'm not sure if that was a bug or a compensation for having the menu open.

The encounter happened here at 20:45 into the video. You can hear the chomp it takes, but I took no damage. I think it just barely missed me.

 

[LadyWYT]

10 hours ago, Rudometkin said:

I'm surprised I was able to outrun it.

I'm thinking wolves are too slow.

I'm thinking you just have good reflexes. To me, wolf speed and damage is fine as-is. While players can outrun them fairly easily, that does hinge on the player in question being able to react in time and navigate the terrain whilst trying to escape. If you're wearing armor that slows you down, then running isn't really an option and you'll have to fight the wolf off...and hope there's not more than one or two lurking around.

39 minutes ago, Rudometkin said:

You can hear the chomp it takes, but I took no damage. I think it just barely missed me.

I'm wondering if it might have gone after a rabbit instead of you, given that the "chomp bark" sounded a bit too quiet. Could just be my settings, but the chomp-chomp noise is practically right in my ear when the wolves are biting(or nearly biting) me.

[Rudometkin]

1 hour ago, LadyWYT said:

I'm thinking you just have good reflexes. To me, wolf speed and damage is fine as-is. While players can outrun them fairly easily, that does hinge on the player in question being able to react in time and navigate the terrain whilst trying to escape. If you're wearing armor that slows you down, then running isn't really an option and you'll have to fight the wolf off...and hope there's not more than one or two lurking around.

I'm wondering if it might have gone after a rabbit instead of you, given that the "chomp bark" sounded a bit too quiet. Could just be my settings, but the chomp-chomp noise is practically right in my ear when the wolves are biting(or nearly biting) me.

Thanks for your input (especially on complimenting my reflexes! )

I didnt think about the wolf possibly getting sidetracked on a rabbit. That's a great point. I also didn't think about armor slowing players down (currently wearing improvised armor as my best).

That's the only chomp I've ever heard a wolf do, and it could've been a bark for all I knew. But yes it does sound low.

Edited November 19, 2024 by Rudometkin

[Echo Weaver]

Haha. I have had that exact thing happen -- sleeping wolves look like sleeping boars or all variety of already dead animals. I'm like, "Either that's a wolf or a great source of meat. How close do I get to find out??"

[Dilan Rona]

you're lucky. managed to get KO'd by a ravenous wolf within the first 3 seconds of starting a new world sometimes, after finishing the character selection screen.

[ArgentLuna]

Wait till you run into a bear while running from a wolf

[Thorfinn]

4 hours ago, ArgentLuna said:

Wait till you run into a bear while running from a wolf

I've done the opposite of that. Running from a bear I ran smack dab into a pig, who took a bite out of me, and in short order, jumped over a wolf, who broke my armor. I got away. Don't remember how I died that game. Something stupid, I'm sure.

[Echo Weaver]

I guess my stupidest wolf story is about not dying to them. (Most of my deaths to wolves involve getting slaughtered before I see them.)

After many lethal noob run-ins with wolves, I got to knowing when the sounds were close as well as what to look for. As soon as I heard that beginning, menacing growl, I took off like a shot. Thing is, it seemed there were ALWAYS wolves around my base. They were always howling. I wondered if I'd done a really bad job of placing my base. Then I realized that most of the growls were happening when I passed a certain spot on the map. So I took a deep breath and went TOWARD the growls.

Two wolves had fallen down a pit and were trapped there. They'd been there for game-months, and I'd probably run away from them a dozen times.

They were good eatin', and my surroundings got a lot quieter.

[Maelstrom]

On 11/18/2024 at 10:40 PM, Rudometkin said:

I also didn't think about armor slowing players down (currently wearing improvised armor as my best).

That chomp might have been your armor getting demolished.   Did you still have said armor AFTER this lupine encounter?

[Rudometkin]

3 hours ago, Maelstrom said:

That chomp might have been your armor getting demolished.   Did you still have said armor AFTER this lupine encounter?

I did still have the armor after. I would suggest it got damaged, but I'm sure the wolf would have demolished that leaf-woven t-shirt in one chomp.

[Echo Weaver]

4 hours ago, Rudometkin said:

I did still have the armor after. I would suggest it got damaged, but I'm sure the wolf would have demolished that leaf-woven t-shirt in one chomp.

I haven't used improvised armor, but I've heard that it's good for about one hit. 

[LadyWYT]

9 minutes ago, Echo Weaver said:

I haven't used improvised armor, but I've heard that it's good for about one hit. 

I'd say overall that it's better than wearing nothing--it might buy you enough time to flee an enemy, or win a fight against a lesser foe. It's probably a more attractive option to more cautious players, or newer players(although they need to be aware that it's an option). More experienced players probably won't get a lot of use from it, since their experience both allows them to advance more quickly and deal with threats more efficiently. That being said...with the new enemies that have been added, improvised armor might prove to be a more attractive choice when it comes to survival, given that there are more things to worry about than rocks to the face.

[Rudometkin]

2 hours ago, Echo Weaver said:

I haven't used improvised armor, but I've heard that it's good for about one hit. 

did you spawn with a golden spoon in your hand?

peasants like me struggle to get anything better than improvised armor.

How are you managing without it? (im still new to VS and not at all concerned about my ability to eventually progress, but I am shocked that you have never used improvised armor )

Edited November 22, 2024 by Rudometkin

[Thorfinn]

I usually don't bother with improvised armor, either. I know, I know, there are no penalties and all. It's just that knowing I'm going commando gives me that extra incentive to be hyper-aware. Carrying a stack of poultices and keeping the food bar topped up works better for me.

BTW, I think probably what happened is you moved just as the wolf lunged and he went right past you. I don't know for sure, because you turned instead of just side-stepping, but that's kind of what it sounds like if you time the side-step right.

[LadyWYT]

18 hours ago, Rudometkin said:

How are you managing without it? (im still new to VS and not at all concerned about my ability to eventually progress, but I am shocked that you have never used improvised armor )

I mostly manage by keeping a sharp eye on my surroundings and avoiding unnecessary risks when possible. If I hear a wolf, I'll either attempt to spot it so I know exactly which location to avoid, or steer clear of that general area if not. For bears, catching sight of them is more critical, since they don't currently have any noise to telegraph their whereabouts until they've already spotted you and decided they're hungry. In regards to monsters...I try to make sure that I'm indoors when it's dark out or there's a temporal storm. Caves I generally don't bother going in until I have better gear(tier 2 armor/weapons), as there's not much that's really worth the risk that early.

As for the armor itself...I usually forget that it's there. By the time I remember it, I've usually hunted enough animals to have a fair amount of hide, and acquired the means to turn said hides into leather. So I'll usually opt for leather equipment as a basic starter set. The crude shield is also rather useful for soaking some damage in a fight, provided you're actively blocking with it. The drawback though is it will increase the rate you get hungry when equipped in your off-hand slot, and you don't move quickly at all when actively blocking.

[Thorfinn]

The other reason I stopped was because it tends to break at stupid times. A drifter throws a rock? Big dea...*CRACK* Oh, it was a big deal. If my health bar is at max and I still have some nutrition points to go, I'll deliberately take some damage to get the faster hunger rate, and it's kind of a pain to remove the armor, jump off a short cliff, put the armor back on.

Why not after my nutrition bar is filled? I'd like to say it is a conscious decision, that I hadn't needed it so far and all, but if I'm being honest, it's the same as @LadyWYT -- I forget it's an option.

Edited November 23, 2024 by Thorfinn

[Maelstrom]

I'm not the best at combat, but as @LadyWYT said; experience says a lot.  I don't bother with armor less than gambeson.  The copper armors take too much ore and provide insufficient protection (IMO).  The leather armors have such low durability that it isn't worth it (at least when I experimented with leather armor way back in 1.16; leather may have changed since then).  Both are just inferior to gambeson and given their costs aren't worth it until I have gambeson armor.  After I have gambeson I don't bother with anything until at least iron chain, and usually steel.

[Krougal]

2 minutes ago, Maelstrom said:

I'm not the best at combat, but as @LadyWYT said; experience says a lot.  I don't bother with armor less than gambeson.  The copper armors take too much ore and provide insufficient protection (IMO).  The leather armors have such low durability that it isn't worth it (at least when I experimented with leather armor way back in 1.16; leather may have changed since then).  Both are just inferior to gambeson and given their costs aren't worth it until I have gambeson armor.  After I have gambeson I don't bother with anything until at least iron chain, and usually steel.

Yeah, maybe it got a balance pass, because durability on leather seems fine to me. Also once you have your backpacks, not much else to use leather for, so I don't care how much I go through in repairs at that point. It's the best armor for just dicking around in since it has no penalties.

Flax is too precious to me for too long, I'm more likely to have iron or steel before I make my first gambeson, although I will still always make a blue tailored set, and it sees a lot of use as well. The metal armor I'll carry if I plan on finding trouble, but I'll still go out dressed in the gambeson.

Unlike the rest of you, I'll use the crap improvised until I get better, but that is usually leather.

[Maelstrom]

I used improvised until I got better as well.

[Krosis]

Just posting to say leather armor is very underrated.

I "discovered" it in my last world, 1.19, and wolves just stoped being dangerous. I completed my set with a blackguard sword, an iron shield and a bow. Killing them in 3 hits, I can land 2 hits on them while getting hit only once, for arround 2hp, before they start running. Then I use my bow to finish the job. With the shield you can tank bigger packs and even a bear if you are lucky and dont panic.

Easy to make (if you find limestone), cheap to maintain, with no penalties and enough protection. That way I can save my flax for more critical things in the first-second year, like windmills or warm clothes. This way, by the time I can craft a gambeson I dont feel its very useful anymore.

[LadyWYT]

2 hours ago, Krosis said:

Easy to make (if you find limestone), cheap to maintain, with no penalties and enough protection.

If you have a mod like Ancient Tools, you can make leather without needing borax, limestone, or tannin. It's still a bit of an involved process though.

2 hours ago, Krosis said:

That way I can save my flax for more critical things in the first-second year, like windmills or warm clothes. This way, by the time I can craft a gambeson I dont feel its very useful anymore.

True, though I would argue gambeson is still useful even in the later stages of the game. It's got decent protection for most common enemies that you'll encounter, and it doesn't weigh you down or throw off your aim that much. So it's good for exploration or hunting trips, or just doing chores around the house if you have a tendency to have furry company.