Originally posted by (LINUX) Hot Sick:

Originally posted by mgoctopusboy:

Why do certain creatures attack ships? I am speaking about the low intellect ones, like Necks and Wolves.

There are some (active?) structures that enemies will attack on sight, such as workbenches, boats, torches, etc. Other more... inert?... structures like walls, beams, ceilings, etc. are (mostly) ignored. I think there's a decent balance to be found in that.

I feel like enemies wanting to destroy my boat or unprotected workbench adds more risk and makes the game feel more alive. Having our second karve unrecoverably destroyed on the shores of the tiny island where we fought the Elder, then having to build a raft to get back home initially kinda sucked, but really added to the adventure of it all; an unexpected twist in our journey.

To me, being aware of parking your longship in bad neighborhoods adds flavour.
Now, I'm always careful to park boats a good safe distance offshore and swim, which feels like a reasonable solution that doesn't break immersion (adds to it, really.) Being able to effectively adapt here makes all the difference.

Originally posted by mgoctopusboy:

Serpents attacking ships makes sense.

I agree on the serpents for sure. Our first karve was lost was lost to a sea serpent just barely offshore while trying to figure out how to drive the thing. I already have bad thalassophobia and that particular horror will probably stay with me forever. Nostalgia.

I've eaten many bowls of serpent stew since then, but I still appreciate the palpable sense of fear and anxiety when you've got a longship full of iron and half a world to cross ; )

Originally posted by mgoctopusboy:

Breaks immersion. I can not make mind make sense of it lol.
[...] Just standing there attacking the wood object floating in the water?
[...] unfortunate events in the game that feels cheap and betraying.
[...] but a wolf biting my ore laden ship into splinters while I am off collecting is just dumb

While I don't quite agree about boats in particular, I feel these are good points with regard to, and highlighted by, the previous patch in which the enemy AI was hell-bent on destroying every structure in the game. Which, for my friends and I -- as well as a lot of other people -- completely ruined our experience.

Watching armies of wolves suddenly start casually chewing our massive 10+ meter tall, bazillion tonne mountain fortress walls to bits like it was made of bacon-flavoured cardboard was a bitter and miserable experience. It felt stupid and demoralizing and absolutely broke immersion.

I definitely think you raise some interesting larger questions here:
a) What are the motives for individual enemies to destroy something?
b) What are the abilities for individual enemies to be able to destroy something?

i.e.: A Wolf having the motive to chew on a 1 meter thick stone wall is absurd. Being able to damage or destroy it is even worse.

A massive troll having the motive to damage a stone wall seems circumstantial, but the ability seems self-evident.

If you understand the backstory it really doesn't break immersion at all. There are nine reams inhabited by mortals and divine beings. Valheim is a feral, tenth realm that even the gods are terrified of, so the souls of fallen Vikings have been sent there to make it hospitable.

See: https://valheim.fandom.com/wiki/Lore#World_Lore for more detail.

So, knowing all that their motive is very, very simple. Your entire mission is to destroy them and tame the lands. The enemies all know this and they are native to this realm. You are not. You're part of an invading army sent to destroy them and that's all the motive that any of the creatures need. You're the intruder. Everything wants to kill you.

These aren't normal world wolves or sea creatures. They're something else, otherworldly, spirits, demons, whatever you want to call them and they are guided or driven by the greater entities such as Eikthyr, The Elder, Moder, The Bonemass, Yagluth and whatever else is out there.

Keep that in mind and it's really, really not difficult to believe they would attack and destroy boats and buildings. Doing so hampers your progress, makes it harder for you to succeed. Also remember that it's not just a boar, or a lizard you're dealing with. Something that's driving them, guiding them, would know what to have them attack, and what to allow them to ignore. Much like you're being guided by Odin to invade their realm, destroy their buildings, kill them, loot their caves and dungeons, take what's theirs and destroy the rest.

It all makes complete sense.