This is a criticism I have of the game, in which a dinosaur with an aggressive trait would not showcase anything notably aggressive.
When the game first came out, aggressive dinosaurs had a unique behavior in which they would get into fights a lot, even if the opponent was stronger than them. While I am happy that the constant need to fight has been removed with future updates as it became a tedious visit to the Medical Center, I feel that aggressive dinosaurs lost that sense of danger and uniqueness. It felt fun when I was incubating a batch of expensive dinosaurs with one viable egg which houses an aggressive animal, in which I have to decide whether to dispose of that egg and lose money and time invested or incubate and contain the aggressive animal in my park in spite of any potential risk from housing the animal.
As is, the trait is no more than an advanced social trait, one that raises dominance by 35% with the only negative being that they are more likely to attack vehicles that would visit their enclosure, a negative which is not exclusive to the aggressive trait, as the intolerant trait also has the same negative behavior.
Even the "Dislikes and Threatens All Other Species" means nothing. To test this out, I made a sandbox map that has comfort and fights enabled and made an enclosure housing many species together.
I had the impression that if the animal is aggressive, it would be a risk to house the animal with any other animal be it naturally liked or disliked because the trait would have the animal dislike and threaten all other species, kind of like how the Therizinosaurus is very territorial and would not tolerate any other animal in her vicinity. From what I experienced, neither the aggressive triceratops nor the pachyrhinosaurus seemed to mind the many animals in the enclosure.
While the constant fighting habit from aggressive dinosaurs has been removed (it was not that much fun), I do think the trait could bring about certain behaviors or gameplay mechanics that would make the aggressive members more notable again, and spice up the experience after incubating a clutch of eggs containing the aggressive trait.
1. AGGRESSIVE DINOSAURS WOULD REQUIRE ADDITIONAL SECURITY
I think this would be a fun mix-up to test the player to not get too comfortable knowing the security requirements of the dinosaurs. As you know, dinosaurs in JWE2 are given a security number so as to indicate what level of fencing is required to house them in their enclosures. If it is like this Majungasaurus, they would require at least a level 4 security to house them in and prevent them from escaping, with anything lower being vulnerable to the animal's attacks.
As to mix things up, aggressive animals would have their security measures raised to an additional level. Since the aggressive dinosaurs are more violent in nature, the expected security recommended for their species may not be enough to house them in and would have the player needing to make sure their enclosures are able to provide a comfortable environment for the dinosaurs or invest in the higher security fencing if available.
This is a trait for the individual dinosaur that has the aggressive trait, as it won't affect the rest of the pack/herd if the alpha is aggressive. This is to invoke a level of danger individual dinosaurs could bring about, where they are more dangerous than other members of their species. Dinosaurs with a security level of 5 would be as dangerous as large carnivores if they have the aggressive trait, while dinosaurs that are already at level 6 would have an easier time escaping from their enclosures if they are not enclosed in Biosyn's invisible fencing (to which if level 7 dinosaurs were to ever become a thing, the fencing would be level 7 to reflect that).
Small carnivores that are level 5 already like velociraptors would be level 6 if aggressive. However, they are still unable to escape from level 5 fencing due to it being difficult to climb over, but anything level 4 or below would be easier to escape from.
2. FIGHTS LOST AGAINST AN AGGRESSIVE ALPHA COULD LEAD TO INJURIES
If you have an enclosure of battle-ready dinosaurs, yet none of them are aggressive, there will be no injuries from fights.
If you have an enclosure of battle-ready dinosaurs with some members being aggressive, yet the Alpha is not aggressive and outranks the aggressive members, there will be no injuries from fights.
If you have an enclosure of battle-ready dinosaurs that has a notably aggressive alpha, any attempt to challenge this dinosaur could lead to some injuries.
Fights are very common in Jurassic World Evolution 2, even if you were to have enclosures made so that species do not fight other species, the battle-ready dinosaurs will eventually fight in order to become alpha of the enclosure. These fights never lead to injury that would require medical attention, and for the most part that is good. Back when the game first launched, dinosaurs would always pick a fight with other dinosaurs, and no matter the traits, stats, or what have you, it would lead to injuries that would require medical intervention. That was annoying as it happened way too much and rendered some dinosaurs an annoyance to keep in the park more than anything, as medicating and returning the dinosaur to the enclosure would often lead to a fight almost immediately.
I am glad that was sorted out as it was too much to handle and hindered the experience, but I do think the risk of injury and even death from fights was a fun idea, as it made the medical staff a requirement outside of diseases, and the rare but sudden death from those fights brings about much-needed chaos for the player to work around.
To which I think it would make sense if only Alpha dinosaurs with the aggressive trait could have the capability to injure other members of the herd/pack.
Behavior-wise, this makes sense, if the alpha in question is both powerful and aggressive, they may not fight fairly in order to hold on to their position as alpha and would risk injuring the challenger severely so as to make sure to not lose their spot.
Gameplay-wise, this is something the player could observe, remember the experience, and easily prevent it from happening again.
Only alpha dinosaurs with the aggressive trait could lead to injuries from alpha disputes, so the player could instead incubate a dedicated alpha that outranks any potential challenger with no worry about injury. So instead of incubating a triceratops that is both humble and aggressive they could instead incubate one that is humble and tolerant, as the latter would have enough dominance points to be alpha, and fights against challengers would not lead to injury to either fighter even if the challenger has the aggressive trait. Provided the challenger lacks the needed dominance points to outrank the alpha, non-aggressive alphas would result in no injuries from fights within the herd/pack.
If the player does not really care for the safety of the herd in the long run, they could incubate an alpha that is aggressive. Be warned, that if a challenger were to fight this alpha they could get injured, but if the challenger is also aggressive, there is a small yet real chance that the fight could lead to fatal injuries or even death. It is one thing to fight an aggressive alpha as the average dinosaur could back down, but if the challenger is equally aggressive, then both violent fighters could keep on battling until either one is dead.
3. AGGRESSIVE ALPHAS WILL DISLIKE OTHER SPECIES
This is to reinforce the "Dislikes and Threatens All Other Species" tag that comes with the trait.
I believe having the dinosaur to actually dislike all other species if that dinosaur is alpha could bring about a unique predicament for the player to overcome. If the alpha is aggressive, it could turn what is often a peaceful herbivorous enclosure into a very territorial herd. This is especially interesting when deciding to introduce new members to the herd but not taking into consideration that any new aggressive members could overtake the old alpha provided they have the dominance points to take on the position of the new alpha. This would make any intention of increasing the appeal of an enclosure by a couple of hundred points into a chaotic mess that needs to be dealt with in order to ensure the safety of the other dinosaurs in the enclosure and to ensure no dinosaur escapes from the now uncomfortable environment.
Initially, I thought that it may be too much and that instead of disliking all other species, they would instead dislike all neutral species, allowing players to at least house them with guaranteed pals. This however barely changes anything, as carnivores are very aggressive by default and would hunt or fight other species that are not liked, and herbivores practically like everybody aside for a few species, so an aggressive triceratops as shown in the first image of this thread would be comfortable with 5 other species in that enclosure.
At least with them disliking all other species as alpha, the player could handle the situation quickly. They could incubate another animal to take the role of alpha that isn't aggressive, house that animal in an encolure of their own with all their needs met, or outright sell the animal if they are too much to handle in your park. This would add to the management in which every now and then, you are not creating enclosures for herds or packs, but to comfort the individual. This could lead to some moments where housing an aggressive animal that could not be handled in the standard enclosure is akin to housing an otherwise aggressive bull, which is probably for the best the animal is by itself or at least with members of their own species.
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The TLDR is that there is potential to give dinosaurs with the aggressive trait characteristics that could be entertaining to manage within the park. By themselves, the only risk they bring would be to require an additional layer of security or added precaution when containing them. It is when they are the alpha of their species would that aggressive trait shows the potential danger, of being a potential bully to other members of their species or other animals within their enclosures. In which the player has to work around how to demote the animal from its alpha status in the herd to prevent future injuries and cohabitation issues, or simply enclosing the animal by themselves or selling them off if they are too aggressive to be adjusted in a balanced ecosystem.
Thanks for reading! Do let me know what you think.
Take care
When the game first came out, aggressive dinosaurs had a unique behavior in which they would get into fights a lot, even if the opponent was stronger than them. While I am happy that the constant need to fight has been removed with future updates as it became a tedious visit to the Medical Center, I feel that aggressive dinosaurs lost that sense of danger and uniqueness. It felt fun when I was incubating a batch of expensive dinosaurs with one viable egg which houses an aggressive animal, in which I have to decide whether to dispose of that egg and lose money and time invested or incubate and contain the aggressive animal in my park in spite of any potential risk from housing the animal.
As is, the trait is no more than an advanced social trait, one that raises dominance by 35% with the only negative being that they are more likely to attack vehicles that would visit their enclosure, a negative which is not exclusive to the aggressive trait, as the intolerant trait also has the same negative behavior.
Even the "Dislikes and Threatens All Other Species" means nothing. To test this out, I made a sandbox map that has comfort and fights enabled and made an enclosure housing many species together.
I had the impression that if the animal is aggressive, it would be a risk to house the animal with any other animal be it naturally liked or disliked because the trait would have the animal dislike and threaten all other species, kind of like how the Therizinosaurus is very territorial and would not tolerate any other animal in her vicinity. From what I experienced, neither the aggressive triceratops nor the pachyrhinosaurus seemed to mind the many animals in the enclosure.
While the constant fighting habit from aggressive dinosaurs has been removed (it was not that much fun), I do think the trait could bring about certain behaviors or gameplay mechanics that would make the aggressive members more notable again, and spice up the experience after incubating a clutch of eggs containing the aggressive trait.
1. AGGRESSIVE DINOSAURS WOULD REQUIRE ADDITIONAL SECURITY
I think this would be a fun mix-up to test the player to not get too comfortable knowing the security requirements of the dinosaurs. As you know, dinosaurs in JWE2 are given a security number so as to indicate what level of fencing is required to house them in their enclosures. If it is like this Majungasaurus, they would require at least a level 4 security to house them in and prevent them from escaping, with anything lower being vulnerable to the animal's attacks.
As to mix things up, aggressive animals would have their security measures raised to an additional level. Since the aggressive dinosaurs are more violent in nature, the expected security recommended for their species may not be enough to house them in and would have the player needing to make sure their enclosures are able to provide a comfortable environment for the dinosaurs or invest in the higher security fencing if available.
This is a trait for the individual dinosaur that has the aggressive trait, as it won't affect the rest of the pack/herd if the alpha is aggressive. This is to invoke a level of danger individual dinosaurs could bring about, where they are more dangerous than other members of their species. Dinosaurs with a security level of 5 would be as dangerous as large carnivores if they have the aggressive trait, while dinosaurs that are already at level 6 would have an easier time escaping from their enclosures if they are not enclosed in Biosyn's invisible fencing (to which if level 7 dinosaurs were to ever become a thing, the fencing would be level 7 to reflect that).
Small carnivores that are level 5 already like velociraptors would be level 6 if aggressive. However, they are still unable to escape from level 5 fencing due to it being difficult to climb over, but anything level 4 or below would be easier to escape from.
2. FIGHTS LOST AGAINST AN AGGRESSIVE ALPHA COULD LEAD TO INJURIES
If you have an enclosure of battle-ready dinosaurs, yet none of them are aggressive, there will be no injuries from fights.
If you have an enclosure of battle-ready dinosaurs with some members being aggressive, yet the Alpha is not aggressive and outranks the aggressive members, there will be no injuries from fights.
If you have an enclosure of battle-ready dinosaurs that has a notably aggressive alpha, any attempt to challenge this dinosaur could lead to some injuries.
Fights are very common in Jurassic World Evolution 2, even if you were to have enclosures made so that species do not fight other species, the battle-ready dinosaurs will eventually fight in order to become alpha of the enclosure. These fights never lead to injury that would require medical attention, and for the most part that is good. Back when the game first launched, dinosaurs would always pick a fight with other dinosaurs, and no matter the traits, stats, or what have you, it would lead to injuries that would require medical intervention. That was annoying as it happened way too much and rendered some dinosaurs an annoyance to keep in the park more than anything, as medicating and returning the dinosaur to the enclosure would often lead to a fight almost immediately.
I am glad that was sorted out as it was too much to handle and hindered the experience, but I do think the risk of injury and even death from fights was a fun idea, as it made the medical staff a requirement outside of diseases, and the rare but sudden death from those fights brings about much-needed chaos for the player to work around.
To which I think it would make sense if only Alpha dinosaurs with the aggressive trait could have the capability to injure other members of the herd/pack.
Behavior-wise, this makes sense, if the alpha in question is both powerful and aggressive, they may not fight fairly in order to hold on to their position as alpha and would risk injuring the challenger severely so as to make sure to not lose their spot.
Gameplay-wise, this is something the player could observe, remember the experience, and easily prevent it from happening again.
Only alpha dinosaurs with the aggressive trait could lead to injuries from alpha disputes, so the player could instead incubate a dedicated alpha that outranks any potential challenger with no worry about injury. So instead of incubating a triceratops that is both humble and aggressive they could instead incubate one that is humble and tolerant, as the latter would have enough dominance points to be alpha, and fights against challengers would not lead to injury to either fighter even if the challenger has the aggressive trait. Provided the challenger lacks the needed dominance points to outrank the alpha, non-aggressive alphas would result in no injuries from fights within the herd/pack.
If the player does not really care for the safety of the herd in the long run, they could incubate an alpha that is aggressive. Be warned, that if a challenger were to fight this alpha they could get injured, but if the challenger is also aggressive, there is a small yet real chance that the fight could lead to fatal injuries or even death. It is one thing to fight an aggressive alpha as the average dinosaur could back down, but if the challenger is equally aggressive, then both violent fighters could keep on battling until either one is dead.
3. AGGRESSIVE ALPHAS WILL DISLIKE OTHER SPECIES
This is to reinforce the "Dislikes and Threatens All Other Species" tag that comes with the trait.
I believe having the dinosaur to actually dislike all other species if that dinosaur is alpha could bring about a unique predicament for the player to overcome. If the alpha is aggressive, it could turn what is often a peaceful herbivorous enclosure into a very territorial herd. This is especially interesting when deciding to introduce new members to the herd but not taking into consideration that any new aggressive members could overtake the old alpha provided they have the dominance points to take on the position of the new alpha. This would make any intention of increasing the appeal of an enclosure by a couple of hundred points into a chaotic mess that needs to be dealt with in order to ensure the safety of the other dinosaurs in the enclosure and to ensure no dinosaur escapes from the now uncomfortable environment.
Initially, I thought that it may be too much and that instead of disliking all other species, they would instead dislike all neutral species, allowing players to at least house them with guaranteed pals. This however barely changes anything, as carnivores are very aggressive by default and would hunt or fight other species that are not liked, and herbivores practically like everybody aside for a few species, so an aggressive triceratops as shown in the first image of this thread would be comfortable with 5 other species in that enclosure.
At least with them disliking all other species as alpha, the player could handle the situation quickly. They could incubate another animal to take the role of alpha that isn't aggressive, house that animal in an encolure of their own with all their needs met, or outright sell the animal if they are too much to handle in your park. This would add to the management in which every now and then, you are not creating enclosures for herds or packs, but to comfort the individual. This could lead to some moments where housing an aggressive animal that could not be handled in the standard enclosure is akin to housing an otherwise aggressive bull, which is probably for the best the animal is by itself or at least with members of their own species.
--------
The TLDR is that there is potential to give dinosaurs with the aggressive trait characteristics that could be entertaining to manage within the park. By themselves, the only risk they bring would be to require an additional layer of security or added precaution when containing them. It is when they are the alpha of their species would that aggressive trait shows the potential danger, of being a potential bully to other members of their species or other animals within their enclosures. In which the player has to work around how to demote the animal from its alpha status in the herd to prevent future injuries and cohabitation issues, or simply enclosing the animal by themselves or selling them off if they are too aggressive to be adjusted in a balanced ecosystem.
Thanks for reading! Do let me know what you think.
Take care
