Deviation Actions
Game fully released on Steam!
TheHunter Primal is no longer in beta test and has been released as a finished product.
With that release comes the addition of the final dinosaur, the Quetzalcoatlus.
As a standalone game it is still very enjoyable to play, the graphics are top notch for the genera, the actual gameplay is still that delicious mix of terror and thrill that most dinosaur hunter games lack.
What the game has:
The Dinosaurs!
Velociraptor – small pack hunting dinos that leap on you as they attack – My daughter and I call them Death Turkeys – they are at least easy to kill, I’d even swear I’ve killed a couple with near misses from my .44 – even a single swipe from the machete drops them dead.
Utah raptor – a larger pack hunting dino, although you can and will find lone wandering ones at times. Not that hard to take down singly, but a terror when in packs of 3 or more.
Quetzalcoatlus – the new kid on the block, a flying reptilian dino that swoops down on you and flies you up to height and drops you to your death. They have a predictable attack run however and are easily killed while on approach. Not so much while just flying around. They do make traveling across open ground an adventure all by its self.
Triceratops – The only herbivore in game, although by no means harmless – they can and will charge you if threatened or wounded and will gore or trample you dead – they have thick hides and can soak up an astonishing amount of damage sometimes – good shot placement is a must for a quick kill.
Tyrannosaurus Rex – The name says it all, this thing shakes the ground just roaring, and you can hear it stomping around well before you see it. It takes very good shot placement with a big gun to drop one, or tons of ammo with smaller weapons.
The Map:
They did a excellent job on the map, it’s big enough that you don’t feel crowded, the Dinosaurs are well spaced out around it and the actual terrain is outstanding with an assortment of biomes to hunt in.
The gear:
You have a fine selection of weapons, from an improvised machete to the absolutely wicked .50 cal sniper rifle. The big trick is to find them as they are scattered throughout the map in chests and abandoned settlements.
Machete – what you now get in your drop pod by default - uses up stamina and is nearly useless against anything bigger than the Velociraptor.
Improvised Bow and Arrows – a step up from the Machete, this used to be your default weapon, it is usable and will kill anything on the map given enough arrows and good shot placement – has an added advantage in not attracting everything with sharp pointy teeth to your location as your claiming your kill.
.44 caliber revolver – a decent backup gun that can be equipped with a scope, in fact I use mine more for the scope than actually shooting things – It will kill anything smaller than a T-Rex, again with enough ammo, time and shot placement. I personally have dropped a Triceratops with 5 rounds from close range, but have never managed a T-Rex kill with it.
.12 gauge shotgun – the quintessential pump action shotgun, it can get a red dot optics and 2 different types of ammo, slugs and .00 buckshot – the buckshot is especially good against gangs of raptors of either type, attacking Quetzalcoatlus and can get close-up kills on Triceratops. Slugs work on anything, given good shot placement and enough ammo.
.308 bolt action rifle – a nice standoff gun, when equipped with a scope it can get kills from a much longer range than any other weapon save the .50 cal – another plus is it’s ammo seems to be the most plentiful on the map.
.700 double barreled rifle – the big boomstick – this is the weapon you want for serious Triceratops or T-Rex hunting – its big disadvantage is the ammo is scarce and it is slow to reload. I don’t use it against anything smaller than a Triceratops because the ammo is so hard to find.
.50 cal sniper rifle – this is a monster hunters gun, it will kill everything on the map with a few shots or less – I actually shot a Velociraptor with one just to see if he would be flung off the map ( he didn’t tha physics won’t allow it) - add the scope and you can headshot from render distance just about everything - the disadvantage is it is rare and heavy as sin, and takes up most of your carry space, and can only be found in one location on the map.
The only thing I would have liked to see in this area would be a cross bow with scope and possibly a lever action rifle
The game also features the ability to hunt online with other players and you can host either PVP or non PVP type games, I regularly hunt with my daughter online.
There is also a leveling system in place and you earn experience points and in-game credits to buy weapons and equipment, although it’s only available after you die, which seems to be a bit silly if you think about it. Maybe some sort of airdrop would be a better idea?
Overall I still love the game but there are several shortcomings that I’d hoped they’d fix
The first is player character physics - the missing ability to jump, climb or swim really hinders you as a hunter (or as the hunted) and makes some standard hunting tactics impossible. This is my biggest gripe with the game as it stands.
The second one is the choice of dinosaurs they used. I’d hoped for at least one more herbivore, something along the lines of maybe the Ankylosaurus, another herbivore well able to defend its self. As it stands, you have a fairly unrealistic ecosystem with 4 predators and a single herbivore, although I do suppose that the Velociraptor is small enough to be called a prey species.
Another issue is some of the dinosaur physics lacks a bit, it is not unusual to see a dinosaur get stuck walking against a solid object like a rock or tree.
Aside from the previously mentioned dinosaurs and crossbow, there is one more thing I’d love to see:
More maps - I think they are missing out on a golden opportunity here, as I know that myself and others I’ve talked too and hunted with have said they’d be willing to pay for more maps, especially if they added a map exclusive dinosaur to each. If your equipment was able to carry over then so much the better but even if not, that’s not a deal breaker in my book.
While I do very much enjoy the game, and to be fair, they did deliver exactly what was promised, I feel they fell just short of the possibilities of this game. I personally will continue to play it for a good long while.
