The core idea: Right now, encounters mostly boil down to “predator appears → throw a flare or swim away.” I’d love to feel like I’m dropped into a living ecosystem, not just a set of trigger zones.
Hammerheads already ∗∗∗∗ heads with each other and with coral crabs, that’s a great start. Could this go further so that rival Hammerheads sometimes back off from each other, the way real animals do when one asserts dominance? If this kind of thing keeps happening whether or not I’m watching, the world starts to feel alive rather than staged for my benefit.
When a predator shows up, prey species could have their own way of surviving it, for example darting into coral tunnels or crevices. If I watch this happen enough times, I start to learn the pattern naturally, just by observing the world (no tutorial pop up needed). Then I can use that same trick myself:
Duck into the tunnels too and travel safely, but slower. Or risk a shortcut through open water and get there faster, but with more danger.
That’s a proper risk vs reward choice, and it rewards players for paying attention to the ecosystem.
At the moment, leaving the Tadpole often means: throw a flare, glance around, get back in the sub. It works, but it’s a chore, not a decision. I’d like more options that make me feel clever rather than just compliant, such as:
Predators having patrol patterns I can actually learn and time my movements around. Being able to use other creatures or plants nearby to distract or discourage a predator. Sticking close to peaceful giant leviathans, or moving through a herd of coral crabs, so predators are less likely to bother me while I’m alongside them.
All of this ties back to the same wish: a world where predator and prey behaviour is always running in the background, and I get to observe it, understand it, and use it, rather than the game just switching an “escape” trigger on and off around me.