Need New Bait Management Mechanics

[Hawkeye]

First, let me clarify that this is not a complaint about the cost of feed or the consumable nature of the feeder pricing model. It is my opinion that the feeder mechanics, as they stand today, are limiting to players in ways that are beyond financial. The EHR is much bigger now than it was when feeders were introduced, and feeder management has become a bigger chore as a result. I believe that because of this, hunters like myself just eventually stop buying feed altogether, or only maintain a small percentage of their potential feeders. This is a challenge for our development team to come up with a solution that is different than what we currently have in place for bear & hog feeders.

History
When bear bait was first released in Feb 2012, we only had 2 reserves (Redfeather Falls & Settler's Creeks) as possibilities to place those barrels, giving us a total of 6 potential feeders. Hemmeldal then introduced us to brown bears in March of 2013, increasing the number to 9 barrels across 3 different reserves. Then hog feeders were released in July of 2013, adding Logger's Point & Hirschfelden to the possible reserves where we could have feeders & the max number increasing to 15 across 5 different reserves. Rougarou Bayou was released in December of 2013, increasing the number to 18 feeders across 6 different reserves. Finally, the recent Val-des-Bois release increased the number to 21 potential feeders across 7 different reserves.

Potential Issues
I'm sure the percentage of hunters that actually maintain 21 feeders is probably very small, but let's assume you're trying to maintain 1 feeder on each of the 7 potential reserves. You would have to visit more than 1 reserve per day on average just to keep enough feed in them to prevent the attractiveness from declining...if you're able to log a hunt every day. Assuming that you're actually hunting to the feeders & checking the animals when you get there, you're looking at an hour or so per feeder run. If real life gets in the way of your hunting a few times per week (crazy talk I know) then when you are able to hunt, you're having to squeeze all of those feeder runs into a smaller window of time. If something happens that keeps you away from the game for just 5 days, you come back to all empty feeders, declining attractiveness and the feeling of starting over again. This happened to me often last year while traveling for work...to the extent that I just stopped buying feed altogether. To put it in perspective, I own 6 bear feeders & 7 hog feeders and I keep 4 of the bear feeders & 2 of the hog feeders full of feed.

Comparisons to Waterfowl
In comparing the waterfowl decoy mechanics to bear/hog feeders, it is my opinion that decoys are superior in almost every way. Yes, they have a higher initial cost. So why do I like them better? Well, for one, I don't have to visit them every 5 days to maintain them...they are maintenance-free. If I choose, I can set up 3 different decoy/blind setups on a map for MP hunting, and never visit the other 2 again...just leave them open for my friends to hunt in MP. If I go out of town for a week, I can come back home, log on theHunter, host a MP waterfowl hunt, and have action immediately. If I shoot waterfowl, the attractiveness never declines, ensuring that I can hunt them again immediately afterward if I choose to do so. If I want to add a new setup or move one, it's ready to hunt immediately, instead of a week later. From a convenience standpoint, you can't beat waterfowl.

These are my opinions, and I would love to hear what you guys think. At the end of the day, it doesn't matter what my opinions are really...the devs should have the analysis available to them to tell them whether or not a high percentage of players just stop maintaining their feeders. I guess the most important question for the community is this: How do the current bear/hog feeder mechanics affect your decision to buy feed & maintain your feeders?

[Cashet]

I tend to agree with you, although it is a part of the game that is a "choice" (ie in no way required you have them) the cost of maintaining feeders, and the maintaining of them has surpassed me now, so I have deactivated about 3/4 of my feeders. I am also playing val de bois heavy, so I keep 1 feeder active there, but the other feeders I have let run out except my 3 on RFF. That leaves me with 7 inactive feeders at the moment. The cost really wasnt the issue for me, it was the constant worrying about what feeder needed filling, and it ruled where I would hunt, rather than my choice of where I wanted to hunt. I will suggest that the devs have NO plans on changing this though, as it really is a cash cow for them. My main source of spending for this game has always been bait. The effectiveness of my hog feeders has always been an issue for me as well. Sure they attract TONS of hogs, but rarely do I get the 1150+ point boars at my feeders. They are taken roaming randomly more often, than coming to my feeders. Also on RFF some locations that climb to 100% fast never produce big bears, while others that never climb past 70% Always produce big bears....The entire feeder issue should be reworked IMO....

[snakeyes32]

I have 6 bear barrels and 4 hog feeders and i also gave up on filling the hog feeders since there lower on the list of things i like to hunt. Its a chore just to keep 6 bear bait barrels filled. I would suggest they increase the capacity that the feeders can hold like it 50 units now up it to like 100 or like i read someone else had an idea of an automatic fill where as long as you have the bait bought it automatically keeps them full something like that. I would even buy more feeder's if there where not such a chore to keep maintained they take to much of my free time i have away from hunting just to make runs to fill them everyday or 2.

[Maverick_2014]

Same here. Even with a limit of 3 per reserve the task of filling has gotten silly. The choice, the cost etc. is not the issue. It's the method.

Either it needs to be automated or as I've even suggested, give us a *non-weaponised* buggy to get around in for "maintenance".

atm, half my bins are empty because the task is too tedious. That's lost income to EW right there.

[mapache01]

Devs. should include a method where you can fill or add some amount of bait for every barrel from the map, not visiting every barrel I agree, I have 9 Barrels and now I only use 6, 2 o RfF, 2 on Hemmeldadl, 1 on Rbayou and 1 on BVois; to tedious and waste of time maintaining them.

Same happened with the Hog Feeders, and this is another complain in Screek I have to chose If use 2 Pig Feeders or Barrel or viceversa I cannot use the 3 Hog feeders and 1 Barrel or viceversa.

I buy bait on the bundle or with gm$ so also the cost is not an issue is the system to fill it.

[LongBowDano]

I also have empty feeders simply because it's such a pain to keep up with them all.

[Tod1d]

Yep, I just leave mine empty until I need them. Probably would fill them more often if I could do it from the web/launcher

[Fletchette]

This is from : Ask Me Anything with Björn a few months ago.

Q: Last but not least, what is your most wanted feature that is missing in this game?

A: There are a lot of things on my most wanted list. Convenience things like “inventory presets” and “website bait refill” is high up there but it would also be fun to do bigger things like dogs and hunting clubs (guilds).

Link:
http://forum.thehunter.com/viewtopic.php?p=561970

I think we will see automated or website filling in the future.

[Hawkeye]

This is from : Ask Me Anything with Björn a few months ago.

Q: Last but not least, what is your most wanted feature that is missing in this game?

A: There are a lot of things on my most wanted list. Convenience things like “inventory presets” and “website bait refill” is high up there but it would also be fun to do bigger things like dogs and hunting clubs (guilds).

Link:
http://forum.thehunter.com/viewtopic.php?p=561970

I think we will see automated or website filling in the future.

Nice find Fletchette! I really hope we see website bait refilling sooner than later. That's a great solution to this problem. Hunting Clubs would be great to see as well.

[TarkkaAmpuja]

Adjusting the amount of bait feeder/barrel can hold to say 100 units from current 50 and/or reducing the minimum distance tents can be placed from these from 400m to say 100m would probably only require changing a single number in the source code for each. This should be easy & effortless quick fix while waiting for website bait refill. Currently they're way too much trouble to maintain "just in case", I only ever fill anything if I'm sure I'm gonna use it in the following days.