Birdies when?

[Josiah Gibbonson]

Is there any estimate of when they'll add birds? The world feels so lonely without little bird chirps. 

[Zane Mordien]

The rattlesnake sounding crickets not enough? 

[Never Jhonsen]

4 minutes ago, Zane Mordien said:

The rattlesnake sounding crickets not enough? 

Neither are the beautifully loud cicadas. I love to have ambient bird sounds

[dakko]

3 hours ago, Zane Mordien said:

The rattlesnake sounding crickets not enough? 

I knnoooooow, right?!   Drives me nuts.

[LadyWYT]

I mean, we have chickens. There's another something that technically qualifies, as long as you aren't talking actual animal.

Otherwise, I'm guessing that birds will be similar to insects, in that they'll require development of a new creature system to account for flight patterns and such. In regards to flightless birds though(or birds with limited flight, like chickens), those could probably be added whenever, though until they are, Fauna of the Stone Age has you covered with a few different options. I think there was another mod that added small game birds, but I forgot the name of it.

[Broccoli Clock]

One of the easiest ways to introduce birds without actually creating a new model and populating the world with them is to have a "morning/evening chorus". This could be scripted to be dynamic so the time they start/finish are correlated to the actual sunset/rise dependent on what time of year and the latitude, whereas the latitude/lifezone/biome would determine the make up of the calls you can get.

Anyone who has spent time out in the wilds will know the joy of listening to the birds chirp away during sunrise and sunset. It's plays a lot into the environmental story telling of the game, and I think it would add to the immersion.

Obviously fully implemented birds as an animal mob would be great. We have the butterflies but the lack of birds (even ones you can't interact with) is odd. Especially as they are technically some of the oldest types of animal on the planet, a whole world without them (other than chickens) feels off.

Edited March 23, 2025 by Broccoli Clock

[Josiah Gibbonson]

2 hours ago, Broccoli Clock said:

One of the easiest ways to introduce birds without actually creating a new model and populating the world with them is to have a "morning/evening chorus". This could be scripted to be dynamic so the time they start/finish are correlated to the actual sunset/rise dependent on what time of year and the latitude, whereas the latitude/lifezone/biome would determine the make up of the calls you can get.

Anyone who has spent time out in the wilds will know the joy of listening to the birds chirp away during sunrise and sunset. It's plays a lot into the environmental story telling of the game, and I think it would add to the immersion.

Obviously fully implemented birds as an animal mob would be great. We have the butterflies but the lack of birds (even ones you can't interact with) is odd. Especially as they are technically some of the oldest types of animal on the planet, a whole world without them (other than chickens) feels off.

I'd prefer not to have any bird noises until the actual mob is implemented, due to the fact almost every animal noise in the game so far is anchored to an actual mob- if you follow the cricket noises you'll find the tiny little crickets hopping in the grass! 

[Thorfinn]

12 hours ago, LadyWYT said:

I think there was another mod that added small game birds, but I forgot the name of it.

More Animals?

[Broccoli Clock]

19 minutes ago, Josiah Gibbonson said:

I'd prefer not to have any bird noises until the actual mob is implemented, due to the fact almost every animal noise in the game so far is anchored to an actual mob- if you follow the cricket noises you'll find the tiny little crickets hopping in the grass! 

A true 1-to-1 implementation would be best; you see a specific bird, you hear a specific sound.

Until then, and in terms of a more generic environmental sound, you'd anchor this sort of thing either to yourself, or to a tree (rather than a mob). DayZ for example, does this for its woodland sounds. Allowing non mob objects to have sounds associated also opens up things like the sounds of creaking trunks in high winds.

I do get it though, it's "comforting" knowing that something "real" is making the sound you are hearing.

 

[Josiah Gibbonson]

10 minutes ago, Broccoli Clock said:

A true 1-to-1 implementation would be best; you see a specific bird, you hear a specific sound.

Until then, and in terms of a more generic environmental sound, you'd anchor this sort of thing either to yourself, or to a tree (rather than a mob). DayZ for example, does this for its woodland sounds. Allowing non mob objects to have sounds associated also opens up things like the sounds of creaking trunks in high winds.

I do get it though, it's "comforting" knowing that something "real" is making the sound you are hearing.

 

My one fear if they add bird sounds without actual birds they'll think it's fine to put off making the actual mob since "hey, we have the ambiance now...move them to low priority!"

I mean, they're probably already low priority. But I'd hate for them to fall lower!

Oh well, we'll get our birdies eventually :c 

[LadyWYT]

1 hour ago, Thorfinn said:

More Animals?

Ah yeah, that's the one.

1 hour ago, Broccoli Clock said:

A true 1-to-1 implementation would be best; you see a specific bird, you hear a specific sound.

Which is why wolf howls and the like still remain spooky; you hear a noise, and you know that there's a real creature out there making it. It's not just ambience that you can ignore.

[Josiah Gibbonson]

Honestly they might need to add branches to trees in order for some smaller birds to perch realistically. Unless they plan on having the birds vanish into the tree leaf blocks, and just be "cached" there to make noise until they leave or the leaf is broken. But then you couldn't go birdwatching and actually see them. 

[SovietTeehu]

On 3/24/2025 at 2:39 PM, Josiah Gibbonson said:

Honestly they might need to add branches to trees in order for some smaller birds to perch realistically. Unless they plan on having the birds vanish into the tree leaf blocks, and just be "cached" there to make noise until they leave or the leaf is broken. But then you couldn't go birdwatching and actually see them. 

I actually think you could genuinely just "float" the bird in the branchy block. No need to cache it and make it disappear. As long as it's a leaf block that has branches, just have the little guy literally float in it and do an animation (e.g. singing, resting, nesting etc?) in the block? Maybe even set up a system similar to bees when it comes to bird nests? If birds keep to one tree long enough, there will be a x chance for a birds nest to spawn? Or x chance that a tree may spawn with a nest. Containing eggs, extra twigs, grass etc. Some birds may attack you for messing with their nests.

 

Branchy Leaf/Leaf blocks are already somewhat transparent, so maybe it's a decent placeholder until further bird behaviors and tree/branch solutions are found? You could still have *most* of the bird watching experience hehe.

 

Genuinely, cannot wait for birds to be added. Going to add so much to the game 

Edited March 26, 2025 by SovietTeehu

[Maelstrom]

On 3/23/2025 at 8:35 AM, Josiah Gibbonson said:

I'd prefer not to have any bird noises until the actual mob is implemented

Tyron has explicitly stated (a few months ago at least, I do not recall the thread, and I paraphrase) that animal noises will come from actual animal entities.