The Hunter

[Skybird]

Shall we have a late session this night, after BRA-MEX ? That should be over at around 21:45 GMT. Target time would then be 2200 GMT / 2300 LOC.

[Skybird]

I'm launching an open, unprotected session in a couple of minutes. If all slots are blocked, wait. So many guest players, most drop out after some short time again.

[Skybird]

Etiquette Guide, I just posted it.

http://steamcommunity.com/app/253710...4934365625266/

[Skybird]

So what's it with the Subsim Hunter Gang? I have been there each day this week and playing an insane amount of hours, but only strangers joining. Haven't you guys just spent money on it a bit?

Think I currently am a bit manic about The Hunter.

Found two more former subsimmers there, though.

I'm too deep into Wargame:RD, Payday 2 and some other games atm, my hunting fever is over for the moment... I sure know it will be back though.
If I see a game of yours, I sure drop in!

[Skybird]

Im still in a manic phase regarding The Hunter - went a little mad today, and spent a little real money on some purely cosmetic stuff, feeling foolish and enjoying it: got myself a new outfit and discovered how great it is to be a narcissist.

[Lionclaw]

Hehe, nice.

Spent a bit more and got a autumn and winter jacket, for the two reserves that are not summer. Seemed to go okay on Hirschfeld with the B&C outfit though. Might not hurt to have actual autumn clothes.

Got most callers now. Should be enough for now I think.

[Skybird]

The "B&C" is primarily meant to help against deer, no matter the zone. It lowers scent, sighting and noise effects.

The "3D Sneaky" is visual camouflage against eye-scanning species: foxes, turkey, but it does help not in becoming more silent or supressing scent, also, you need to be in the woods - on the open fields of Loggers Point it helps little again. That is why Hirschfelden has two such combos, one is for hunting in the forest, the othert for roaming on the open field.

The blazing orange looks great, too, but is one of the clothing items with no functionality.

Too much of that is money milking. I admit, I spent on several such kits, but that is because I know that it is money milking, and I am a little bit crazy about this game. Since I know both, I do not complain for being ripped off. It was my free choice to allow it.

I use to dress up now like I feel that day without caring for the effects, I use scent supressor spray. Only when I go for bow hunting I wear much 3D Sneaky clothing, because bows I prefer to shoot at as shortest distances possible, to increase their - imo too weak - penetration. So, when I want to get really real close I use it, else I wear what I like.

The English Wiki has a table comparing the clothing and the strength of its effects.

Some outfits look real cool if combined with non-functional parts.

The greater the engagement distance, the less important the clothes are, I would say. Just the sharp eyes of rabbits, pheasants, turkeys, coyotes and foxes should not be underestimated.

I will play a session shortly. So again I aj confronted with the very old question: what should I wear this evening?

[les green01]

oh i'm playing just been on single player though working on the weapons skills and tracking and all,I renew my subscription and bought em and bought stuff.I did pick up the trapper outfit,a tent and a rangefinder.did get a nice mule buck with the compound bow the other day.got my hunter score up to 69

[Skybird]

Nothing wrong in trying MP, matches by members with more than zero experience mostly will see you being left to yourself, if you want that, it is very different to matches with guests who still know nothing about etiquette.

Try it, and see in what company you end up. Or start an MP session yourself, it is extremely easy. But maybe you do not want to accept guest players then. They mean work. I know it, since I have hosted several guest matches in past two weeks. When I want to play and am searching some decent company with occasionally friendly and polite chatter, I make it a members match only, limit it to four (else it gets crowded). But I frequently run open guest matches at Loggers Point as well, and now know what to expect from that. Over the first two hours ingame, testers will get sorted out and some people will remain that stay a bit longer and actually will listen to what I give them in hints and advice. I had some very nice experience with some, and soke bad expoweirnce with few others. That's how it is with guests - most try it like a demo and find it is not for them. On the other hand today I met two Germans and one guy from Lithuania, older age, all sharing my black sense of humour, and the session lasted from 0500 to 1700, had many grim jokes flying forth and back, and I ended up with 23 kills. That was fun, and lasted all afternoon long!

I have set up tents in all zones now, beefing up the number of entry points. My score I boosted as well in the past ten days, by over 100 to now 360-something. So did my skill levels for the preferred armament I use. As I said earlier: I am currently a bit manic regarding this game.

If you ever see a hosted session by me, feel free to use any free slot.

[les green01]

yesterday before work I call 4 mule deer all does to my stand and kept them there for 2 hours waiting for a buck to show up a buck never show up I got to work tonight but off Monday and Tuesday so will have more time to play right now the bed is calling me

[Red October1984]

Did I just see this offered on Steam?

[CCIP]

Originally Posted by Red October1984

Did I just see this offered on Steam?

It is on Steam, as a free-to-play feature.

Which is kind of pointless because it still interfaces via tH's website and all transactions have to be made there. I think it's just a way for them to advertise it - I suggest skipping Steam entirely and just going to the site and downloading it.

And gah, why did you guys have to start playing this just when I'm broke and can't get any items or subscriptions?

[Skybird]

Originally Posted by CCIP

It is on Steam, as a free-to-play feature.

Guys, please note what I wrote in the etiquettes guide for guest players:

Your guest status allows you to visit and watch all reserves in open MP sessions that allow guests, however, you are allowed to shoot-for-score just one species: Muledeer. And this species lives on Logger's Point only. If you want to shoot for score, there is no point for you to visit other reserves than Logger’s Point. Other species there you cannot score on. In other reserves you cannot score at all. So, guests indeed should focus on Logger’s Point.

The game so far gets delusively advertised as “free to play”. It is not really. The free content above is very limited in scope. In theory you can also shoot rabbits, but the ammo making such scores legal, you already need to pay for, so it is not really “free”. Better think of the option of free access as a guest as a DEMO version of the game. That’s what it is, and that is what the publisher should call it.

And on the business model, I wrote this:

A few words on the pricing model, since it gets plenty of fire. The Hunter is not the cheapest of games, but for an online game it also is not the most expensive. However, you can make the game an extraordinarily expensive game by buying all stuff there is – BUT THAT IS ABSOLUTELY NOT NECESSARY !! In principle, you can already get along with one shotgun and three kinds of ammunition (slug, birdshot, buckshot) – you then can hunt all species in all reserves. More realistic is to count with two rifles of smaller and big caliber, one shotgun and a bow as minimum weapons. Not all calibers are allowed for all species, that is why. You can also specialize in bow hunting – arrows can be used on all species. Just one bow is enough to get full access to all what the game has to offer. The argument by some critics in the Steam forum complaining about how much the game costs when you buy all weapons, is pointless, and underhanded.

Same is true with clothing. There is functional clothing that blocks visibility, scent and noise to varying degrees – or not, and it comes in variations for climate/season zones, and there is plenty of purely cosmetic stuff. You do not need most of that stuff, you can get along with very few things.

Some of the equipment beyond that, is essential indeed, especially a set of callers you need. But again, many things are available that you do not need at all.

The only thing where I share the criticism about the pricing model, is the hunting for waterfowl. The system stinks of trying to milk coins out of people, and honestly said, the experience of hunting geese and mallards is not the most impressive one in the game.I recommend to stay away from that as long as you do not feel real strong love for the game.

My tip would be, for testing it: invest into a 3 months membership, that gives you all reserves and species, and then see how much more credits you need to get the callers, and some basic minimum weaponry (if it does not come with the membership: I entered The Hunter in 2012 via the special German DVD edition “2013 Deutsche Wälder”, so for me things were different). When buying equipment, watch out for the “packs” section in the shop, you can save money there, for example a set of callers instead of buying them individually. Do not buy ammo, you get it for free (three boxes, 30 arrows) for any weapon at the beginning of every session.

All stuff you buy as guest or during membership is yours for lifetime. If you temporarily withdraw and have no membership after the current one ran out, and at a later time you come back to the game and log another time membership, all your former equipment you bought, will be there again. You do not need to buy your equipment twice.

The whole document "Etiquette and Basic Info for guests" can be found here:

http://forum.thehunter.com/viewtopic.php?f=140&t=55536



Maybe I will soon do a second guide for newbies on what equipment to buy and what not. The game can be made a very expensive game if you buy all and everything (which is not needed at all), but also it allows competitive and fully accessible gameplay with much less spending than in other online games. In other online games, you often have to invets to preserve further gains from "free gameplay", or to avoid gettign slaughtered when refusing to pay additional fees for additional stuff that is essential to sruvive beyond a vcertainb skill level. The Hunter does not use this extremely underhanded model, one has to give this to them.

Ammunition always is free.

I would not buy it via Steam. Steam is pointless in this game, completely. And that is not just becasue I do not like Steam. Expansive Worlds maintain their own server platforms.

Best advice: buy the game via the DVD. It is the same price like the most popular license pack to be bought online, but adds you a tremedous amount of additonal equipment that you then do no need to pay separately for. I did like this in 2012, when buying the 2013-version "Deutsche Wälder". The DVD can be ordered outside Germany as well, and directly at their shop.

---> http://forum.thehunter.com/viewtopic.php?f=91&t=55460

When considering a 6 month membership, this is BY FAR the best option you have.

I do not offer my own example as a reference, because obviously I am a little mad, I love the game and have spent quite some money on it (over 200€ since 2012), even for things that are not essential and even have no real function - just for cosmetics and immersive role playing elements. But that was not needed, I did that voluntarily and I always knew what I was doing, and so I do not complain to the company over my decision to go this way. When calculating only subscription fees and the DVD starter pack (including 6 months already), the same full gameplay could have been had for around 50€ as well. - Moral of the satory: when people tell you the game is hilariously expensive if you want to play it all, do not believe them, they do not know what they are talking about or - want to give the game a bad name. And that seems to be a hobby with many people at Steam, and regarding many games there.

[Skybird]

I am doing all gameplay now via MP sessions that I host. I run sessions at Loggers Point which are free both for members AND GUESTS, while sessions on all other maps I make available only for members. I always open just 4 player slots. No more passwords.