I have been playing theHunter: Call of the Wild for a very long time, and while I genuinely love the game, the direction of recent updates has become deeply concerning—not just for me, but for a massive portion of the core community.

It feels like the development priority has shifted entirely away from animal AI and realism toward pumping out paid DLCs and map packs. As someone who has been hunting in real life since childhood, my absolute favorite pursuits are upland birds, waterfowl, and small game. Unfortunately, the current state of these specific animals completely shatters the simulation experience.

Here is a breakdown of why the realism is dying, and what the core community desperately needs to see changed:

1. Upland Birds & The "Console Speed" Problem

Right now, upland birds fly unnaturally slow. I understand the need to balance the game for controller users, but slowing birds down to a crawl kills the entire spirit of a hunting simulation.

• Flight Speed & Acoustics: We need birds that flush and fly with realistic velocity. We also need authentic, loud wingbeat acoustics that match the adrenaline of a real flush.
• Maneuvering & Depth: The current flight animations are incredibly flat. Birds need proper maneuvering and evasive flight paths.
• Species-Specific Behavior: In the game, quail fly high into the stratosphere and cover massive distances. In reality, quail (especially stubble quail) stay very close to the ground, make short bursts of flight, and utilize cover. Currently, they just stand fully exposed in tall grass waiting to be shot.

2. Small Game / Hare AI is Simply Foolish

The behavior of hares in CotW is borderline cartoonish. Right now, instead of behaving like wild, skittish animals, they sit straight up like house cats staring directly at the hunter.

• Flushing Behavior: In real life, a wild hare beds down tightly near smart escape routes. When flushed, their ears perk up instantly, and they bolt at maximum speed in a rapid, unpredictable zig-zag pattern.
• The Escape: In the game, a hare runs for a few meters, slows down to a walk, and turns around to look at you blankly. Real hares do not stroll away cluelessly.
• Aerodynamics & Realistic Details: When a real hare is shot at and survives, it immediately pins its ears flat against its neck. This reduces its target profile, optimizes its aerodynamics, and allows it to reach its absolute top speed to escape danger. Seeing this level of detail in the game would be a game-changer.

3. Waterfowl & Visual Depth (Learning from the Past)

It is ironic that theHunter Classic—a much older game—still features vastly superior takeoff and landing animations for ducks and geese compared to CotW.

• Flight Variation: Flight speeds should vary realistically depending on the species and weight of the bird.
• Model Scaling & Plumage: A duck's model size should scale dynamically with its weight. Furthermore, we need visual distinctions between juvenile (palaz) and mature (anaç) birds, reflecting realistic plumage and feather variations.

4. Habitat Inaccuracies

While the maps are visually stunning, the animal distribution and habitat choices for many small game and bird species are fundamentally incorrect. Animals are often placed in random, nonsensical locations rather than the specific terrains and covers they would naturally inhabit in the wild.

Conclusion

I am speaking not just for myself, but on behalf of a dedicated circle of hunting friends and a larger core community of waterfowl, upland, and small game enthusiasts. Casual audiences who don't know the intricacies of hunting might keep buying DLCs, but Expansive Worlds is actively alienating the veteran players who value authenticity.

We don't need more maps right now. We need the animal AI, flight mechanics, and animations to be sped up, refined, and made as challenging as they are in real life.

Let's bring the "Simulation" back to Call of the Wild.

Best regards from Türkiye,

A Lifelong Hunter.