Wolfpack: Full Wolf AI Overhaul

Why

Vanilla wolves AI is too simple. They attack as if they are zombies and don't coordinate at all. They feel like placeholder mobs waiting for the player to stumble upon.

This mod rebuilds wolf behavior from scratch. Wolves live their lives, they follow their pack, hunt prey, eat, rest. You'll see them tracking a deer through the forest whether you're there or not. The world doesn't wait for you.

What changes

Pack life

Wolves follow their pack leader, stay near each other
Idle wolves rest, nap, sniff around, do flavor animations
Nearby packs merge when they meet
They exist even when you're not watching

Hunting

Wolves hunt NPCs on their own: track by scent, form hunting lines, encircle, strike, eat
Turn-based attacks: one wolf strikes and retreats, next one goes in
Damage to one wolf alerts the pack
Give up behavior if they can't damage the prey
After a kill, they eat the meat

Smarter behavior against player

Since you are an actual threat, a smarter behavior applies. Pack tries to surrounds you as usual. But they also make space if you get too close to maintain the encirclement. They will prefer to pass their turn to a wolf that is on your blindspot. They will pass the turn if you hit it before it gets to biting distance; They will get more aggressive if you hit one of the members of the pack…

Run for long enough and they give up.

The point

Walk through a forest and see a wolfpack tracking by sniffing on the ground down. Watch from afar as they find a moose and kill it in a coordinated way. A world that feels alive because things happen without you.