Is there any chance that we will see a unified global eco-system in 2018? If so, how big is that chance?
Do you plan to create predatory animals that could hunt rodents?
I can’t really give a timeline for my Eco-System project because i am still in the midst of building the individual elements, So 2018 is probably too soon.
However, I think you will like this, My next project is an Attack Boar. The Attack Boar will hunt any Actor with the appropriate enemy tag when it gets hungry or angry.
The neat thing here is that Rodents will run from any Actor with the appropriate enemy tag. So by adding just a couple of tags the Rodents will run from the Attack Boar while the Attack Boar hunts them down. This behavior will work with the player as well. it’s already testing quite well 
Good things to look forward to, to be sure.
I haven’t been working with sequencer, so I am not sure- but my guess is it would take some custom adjustment on your part.
Sounds too much delicious!!! Just can’t wait!
I will allow myself a little more to dream. I can be mistaken, but, it seems, predatory animals have a certain habitat where they hunt, build a den and protect cubs. This territory they protect very zealously. Especially from other predators. To indicate the ownership of the territory, it is marked. However, if the victim or a competing predator goes far beyond this territory, then the owner returns back home. Return is necessary, because while you are catching up with one enemy, five others will be in your place, eat your prey, destroy the nest and so on. Many flocks use the same landscape to drive the victims to the same dead end.
Of course, there are exceptions. For example, some wolves living in Russia and Canada can pursue their prey for several days without stopping, leaving their home for hundreds of kilometers. Other wolves may live alone because they are driven out by their pack (flock). As far as I know, such lone wolves actually lead a nomadic life, migrating after their victims.
Nevertheless, the protected area remains an important component of the existence of predators. Therefore, I have a question - is it possible to realize something similar to this territories?
Any chance pigeons might be add to the mix? Would be great for a city, park, etc…
Yes Kneebasher, Pigeons will be up next in the next Birds update. I’m finishing up the first Rodents update now- giving them a health system, that I will also be adding to these birds.
I should be getting to it in the new year.
Awesome thank you, looking forward to adding this to my project!
I put one bird into the map and then the FPS goes from 120 to 18 and get 95,000 errors in the log.
Blueprint Runtime Error: Accessed None trying to read property CallFunc_Array_Get_Item6 from function: ‘ExecuteUbergraph_BP_NPC_FlyingWalking_Bird_Base’ from node: Branch in graph: EventGraph in object: BP_NPC_FlyingWalking_Bird_Base with description: Accessed None trying to read property CallFunc_Array_Get_Item6
First be sure that you copied the entire Birds folder to your project. Then make sure you have Sky Targets, Perch Targets, and Ground Targets in your level -and have built navigation. Also look at the bird that you are adding to your level. Are you adding a crow or seagull? or are you adding the parent class to your level? Something is not setup correctly here.
Thank you for the fast reply, I did not add a Navigation Box, will add that and the Sky Targets, Perch Targets, and Ground Targets. That probably what the issue is. Will reply back after testing.
PS: When do you think the update will be out that allows you to shoot the birds?
Thank you for your help, is working good now with no errors. The bird is setting on a wall, and when I shoot at the wall or at the bird he does not move. Is it possible to make the bird fly away from a projectile just like he fly’s away when a person gets close?
I’m glad you got it working. The next update for birds will be in the first quarter of 2018. I will be adding a pigeon and health system. As far as having the birds react to sound that is still further out when I adapt the Birds to use the perception system.
Hello,
I would like to know is there is a way to bake the movement of the birds?
(I would like to make a render on several computer and I dont want randomness)
Thank you.
For that you might look into attaching them to curves
Hi there. I have the birds working fine in game in first person VR. But as soon as i package the game the Air to Perch birds all find the origin of the map and go do loops around it. The Stay in Air birds stay fine. Any reason why playing in Standalone, Vr preview, Simulate would all work but then have them break on packaging?
When the birds fly to the origin- That is a clear sign that something is not set up properly. Did you add perch targets, ground targets, and sky targets and build navigation?
I don’t have any experience with VR, so I’m not going to be very helpful with VR specific issues. But I do know that people have Birds working just fine in VR. Are you getting any errors?
I have bought this an other packs and the AI just kills the frame rate. I would love to just have a basic bird that flys in the air and does not effect frame rate or as little as possible.
I have this scene with 50 physics objects and it sits at 100 frames while playing. I add 5 birds and it brings the frame rate down to 53 frames!! I really hope that you can improve the frame rate and add hit animation when they are shot or hit by something.
The package would be perfect if these 2 things could be addressed. As it is now I can only use one bird in the level
Here is a thread talking about the same thing and they say to use the BT(BehaviorTrees) instead of ticks which eats of Frame rate.
Here is some documentation: https://docs.unrealengine.com/latest/INT/Engine/AI/BehaviorTrees/QuickStart/
Not to worry John, in the future I will be moving away from using tick in favor of the perception system, behavior trees and the blackboard- very much the same way Rodents utilities them. I will also be adding a pidgin
I’m currently finishing the Attack Boar and after that I’ll get back to work on Birds.
I have added a few improvements to Birds that I will be submitting later this week.
I adjusted the Blueprints so that the Birds would run at a lower tick-rate. This will improve performance across all systems but will be most noticeable on slower systems. People were having frame-rate issues on slower machines and this little update will hopefully help address that.
Also by popular request I have added rag-doll on hit with a feather particle system, here is a preview of it in action.
watch?v=wLuFZ2luZJ4
Here you can see Birds working in Titanic: Honor and Glory](Titanic: Honor and Glory - YouTube).
A beautiful recreation of the Titanic in UE4.
watch?v=QRzcGbpC5yE