Predator: Hunting Grounds Catch-All Thread

Started by Corporal Hicks, Oct 07, 2019, 09:39:48 AM

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Predator: Hunting Grounds Catch-All Thread (Read 103,641 times)

Kailem

Yeah I put the previous skull they added on my City Hunter since it seemed appropriate.

And yeah, I'd say there's never been a better time to play either fireteam or Predator on Playstation. I've played dozens of matches of both these past few weeks and almost every time I've gone up against players who seem to be brand new, so it's a really low-pressure atmosphere. Coupled with the fact that the Predator wait times are the shortest I think they've ever been and it's a great time to get back in to it.

Mr.Turok

This right here, I love this lore wise:



As I brought up in a topic before of Predator biological immortality, Predators are very long lived and the most far back on record of ancient man's history was about 15,000-10,000 years ago, meaning that Predators have not only been hunting on Earth for that long but also living that long as well. Its just awesome to know my theory was on point on this! Thanks Illfonic!  ;D

Design wise.....it could have been better. I seen much more interesting stone knives than that, like the one from Far Cry Primal looked much better than this one:


(This one is a duplicate made one ripped straight from the game itself, I'll post the link at the bottom if you want to see the process, its really interesting)
Spoiler

Voodoo Magic

Quote from: Mr.Turok on Sep 28, 2021, 01:39:37 AM
This right here, I love this lore wise:

https://www.avpgalaxy.net/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/knife-1.jpg

As I brought up in a topic before of Predator biological immortality, Predators are very long lived and the most far back on record of ancient man's history was about 15,000-10,000 years ago, meaning that Predators have not only been hunting on Earth for that long but also living that long as well. Its just awesome to know my theory was on point on this! Thanks Illfonic!  ;D

I must have missed this. Where did Illfonic acknowledge / indicate Predators have such an protracted lifespan?

Mr.Turok

Quote from: Voodoo Magic on Sep 28, 2021, 01:25:34 PM
Quote from: Mr.Turok on Sep 28, 2021, 01:39:37 AM
This right here, I love this lore wise:

https://www.avpgalaxy.net/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/knife-1.jpg

As I brought up in a topic before of Predator biological immortality, Predators are very long lived and the most far back on record of ancient man's history was about 15,000-10,000 years ago, meaning that Predators have not only been hunting on Earth for that long but also living that long as well. Its just awesome to know my theory was on point on this! Thanks Illfonic!  ;D

I must have missed this. Where did Illfonic acknowledge / indicate Predators have such an protracted lifespan?

The whole concept of Predator trophies in the game itself was inspired by Predator 2, which Illfonic admitted to this, right? This same concept brought into the game serves both gameplay and lore branching. Gameplay is to give more unique customization for their Predator builds and for players to grind for spending VTs in lockers. Lore wise, if you read the various bios of Predator trophies, it is described from a first person perspective most of the time like the bio of the Prehistoric Mace:

QuoteRadiocarbon dating places this Mesopotamian artifact to roughly 1,900 BCE 

or the Prehistoric Knife:

QuoteLittle is known about this pre-Columbian hunting knife, as the style is unlike anything found in North or Central America. It was likely the custom weapon of a tribeless warrior.

Lots of these bios are written in a manner that the trophies are being cataloged or currently under study. Who else would catalog such findings than the very organization that is dedicated to hunting down Predators? OWLF, of course! And they have been doing this for decades so its not inaccurate for them to take down Predators who some have happen to have these kinds of trophies on them. Also, look at how players put these trophies on their Predators and if they are taken down by Fireteam, the whole body itself is recovered.....including these trophies. The matches play out like how it would in the lore perspective, whenever either side wins or loses. Missions, Fireteam, Stargazer, and an individual Predator is present, playing out these events in 2025 with only the outcome being dependent on the players, but it all matches out with what is going on story wise.

Voodoo Magic

Quote from: Mr.Turok on Sep 28, 2021, 08:28:51 PM
Quote from: Voodoo Magic on Sep 28, 2021, 01:25:34 PM
Quote from: Mr.Turok on Sep 28, 2021, 01:39:37 AM
This right here, I love this lore wise:

https://www.avpgalaxy.net/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/knife-1.jpg

As I brought up in a topic before of Predator biological immortality, Predators are very long lived and the most far back on record of ancient man's history was about 15,000-10,000 years ago, meaning that Predators have not only been hunting on Earth for that long but also living that long as well. Its just awesome to know my theory was on point on this! Thanks Illfonic!  ;D

I must have missed this. Where did Illfonic acknowledge / indicate Predators have such an protracted lifespan?

The whole concept of Predator trophies in the game itself was inspired by Predator 2, which Illfonic admitted to this, right? This same concept brought into the game serves both gameplay and lore branching. Gameplay is to give more unique customization for their Predator builds and for players to grind for spending VTs in lockers. Lore wise, if you read the various bios of Predator trophies, it is described from a first person perspective most of the time like the bio of the Prehistoric Mace:

QuoteRadiocarbon dating places this Mesopotamian artifact to roughly 1,900 BCE 

or the Prehistoric Knife:

QuoteLittle is known about this pre-Columbian hunting knife, as the style is unlike anything found in North or Central America. It was likely the custom weapon of a tribeless warrior.

Lots of these bios are written in a manner that the trophies are being cataloged or currently under study. Who else would catalog such findings than the very organization that is dedicated to hunting down Predators? OWLF, of course! And they have been doing this for decades so its not inaccurate for them to take down Predators who some have happen to have these kinds of trophies on them. Also, look at how players put these trophies on their Predators and if they are taken down by Fireteam, the whole body itself is recovered.....including these trophies. The matches play out like how it would in the lore perspective, whenever either side wins or loses. Missions, Fireteam, Stargazer, and an individual Predator is present, playing out these events in 2025 with only the outcome being dependent on the players, but it all matches out with what is going on story wise.

But did Illfonic acknowledge / indicate Predators have such an protracted lifespan?

See the game has playable dead Predators. Playable living Predators. Playable Predators from different Ages long ago. And you can play as the very first Alpha Predator.

...and the trophies we win in loot crates aren't often tied to a specific Predator.

...and Predators are known to gift trophies:



So basically, what I mean with all of this is, unless the game specifically states Predators live for 10,000 years, 15,000 years or more, it doesn't.  :)

Huggs

A couple hundred years I could see. Thousands is up there in mythological territory. Just my opinion.

RidgeTop

RidgeTop

#636
Predator lifespan is an interesting thing. Via Xenopedia:

"While the maximum lifespan of a Predator is unknown, the species has been known to live for hundreds to thousands of years. It has been implied that one or two centuries is considered young for the species, with relative adolescents of the species not even going on their first Xenomorph hunt before they attain an age of few centuries. Most, however, do not reach senescence due to the rigors of their dangerous and semi-nomadic lifestyle."

Given Cleopatra has Egyptian style armor (which makes my AvP fanboy side think of the ancient alien Predator pyramid stuff making its way to Egypt) we can assume she's at least a couple thousand years old. Hell in the AvP: Eternal comic Gideon Lee lived 700+ years by Predator vampirism.

I do think upwards of more than 5,000 years would be a bit much to take seriously though, and it's also possible that armor and trophies are passed down from Predator ancestors or gifted.

SuperiorIronman

We can customize things to our hearts content but nothing indicates the Illfonic Predators had a prehistoric knife, just that a Predator does acquire one at some point which is why we can equip it whether they got it during the stone age or pulled it off some guy in 1978. And as far as role playing is concerned they definitively could have gotten it during the stone age. Jungle Hunter while long dead could have some doppelganger who happens to have had one, or maybe he did have one. But things are up in the air of who that Predator is and what they had on them so that players can do what they want and so it's left open ended.

It doesn't mean Predators are super long lived, but it doesn't mean they aren't either. And because we can play as characters who could be or are dead this muddies things further. Not helped that trophies could be passed down to new generations or taken it in such a way it that didn't involve the original owner. Because none of this is specified like certain weapons or dreadlock styles, Jungle Hunter might be several thousand years old to have owned one, but it doesn't mean he is either.

We know they are long lived. A Predator can live up to several hundred years old especially if 300 is still considered young. But we don't know any upper limits of this for sure. A Predator did grab a prehistoric knife, we just don't know who or if any of the roster owns this and under what circumstances.

Mr.Turok

Mr.Turok

#638
Quote from: Voodoo Magic on Sep 28, 2021, 08:51:46 PM
But did Illfonic acknowledge / indicate Predators have such an protracted lifespan?
Wait, I just said why, what do you mean? The trophies themselves indicate such lifespan both lore wise and with the gameplay function of expanded Predator customization. The trophies builds further on both Predator customization and the lore of Predators collecting trophy items from hunts of long ago, as Predator 2 established with Greyback  with the Flintlock and the Korean War Patch.

Quote from: Voodoo Magic on Sep 28, 2021, 08:51:46 PM
See the game has playable dead Predators. Playable living Predators. Playable Predators from different Ages long ago. And you can play as the very first Alpha Predator.

Yeah, we can separate the two as its already stated that the playable dead Predators are canonically dead. The game follows the events after The Predator and is in accordance to the Predator timeline. Its been long established that Jungle and City Hunter are just there for gameplay purposes. Some Predators like Valkyrie have an unknown status of being alive or dead, so that is also up in the air. All we know is that in the game, each mission event is canon and in the event, there is always a Predator, Fireteam, and Stargazer present for the event. Its simply up in the air of who was present and won the battle canon wise, but gameplay wise, it all depends on the players. 

Quote from: Voodoo Magic on Sep 28, 2021, 08:51:46 PM
...and the trophies we win in loot crates aren't often tied to a specific Predator.

While it's not tied to any specific Predator, it doesn't invalidate the existence of these trophies being present on Predators that OWLF obtained from their bodies. The bio of the Prehistoric Mace already indicated that its been sampled for carbon dating, so who else would carbon date it than OWLF, which is the very organization that hunts Predators and obtains many of their bodies and technology? 

If you have Predators like Cleopatra and Viking that correlates the Khopesh and Viking axe trophies, there is no doubt in my mind that other trophies were also taken by other Predators that are not yet known or simply just not in a legendary status like Cleopatra and Viking. The Khopesh and Viking trophies were never said to belong to Cleopatra and Viking exclusively, but it doesn't invalidate the idea that it can be theirs or even from another Predator. Only that they existed and were worn by the hunters.

Quote from: Voodoo Magic on Sep 28, 2021, 08:51:46 PM
...and Predators are known to gift trophies:

https://i.imgur.com/boyRiZp.gif

If anything, that would support my theory. An Elder Predator finding a sole Fireteam member worthy to spare and give an ancient Prehistoric Knife to the person as a gift would indicate whomever this Predator is, to be very ancient, seeing how that time period would be around 10,000-13,000 or maybe even 15,000 years old. Much like how Greyback is at least over +400 years old, if he was there to obtain the filntlock from that time period, the particular Predator who has the Prehistoric Knife must be ten thousand or more in order to exist to take it and live long enough to at least gift it to the worthy foe that slain its clan member.

Quote from: Voodoo Magic on Sep 28, 2021, 08:51:46 PM
So basically, what I mean with all of this is, unless the game specifically states Predators live for 10,000 years, 15,000 years or more, it doesn't.  :)

Not exactly, otherwise you would invalidate the Flintlock pistol that Greyback had, which is also present in the game as well. Remember, Illfonic is building on the current Predator lore and its been said that Predators have been hunting on Earth for a very long time. We just don't know where the line started.

Quote from: RidgeTop on Sep 28, 2021, 11:48:04 PM
I do think upwards of more than 5,000 years would be a bit much to take seriously though, and it's also possible that armor and trophies are passed down from Predator ancestors or gifted.

I can buy the idea of armor, as its something we do as well, but passing down trophies doesn't make sense. Especially from a race that is hardcore honor bound and about the thrill of the hunt, I doubt they would pass down trophies they gotten through hard won brutal battles. Predator 2 supports the theory of long lived hunters that possessed trophies from hunts long ago and are willing to gift them to worthy foes who won the battle against a member of their clan fair and square. Haven't seen nothing yet of passing trophies down to clan members.

RidgeTop

RidgeTop

#639
Quote from: Mr.Turok on Sep 29, 2021, 12:40:29 AM
I can buy the idea of armor, as its something we do as well, but passing down trophies doesn't make sense. Especially from a race that is hardcore honor bound and about the thrill of the hunt, I doubt they would pass down trophies they gotten through hard won brutal battles. Predator 2 supports the theory of long lived hunters that possessed trophies from hunts long ago and are willing to gift them to worthy foes who won the battle against a member of their clan fair and square. Haven't seen nothing yet of passing trophies down to clan members.

Isn't too much of a stretch to think they'd also do this with other Predators IMO, either as an award or just a sign of respect. Perhaps more so with the trinket trophies rather than the skulls, but if a skull was significant they might keep it to pay homage to an ancestor, without claiming it as their own kill.

Quote from: Mr.Turok on Sep 29, 2021, 12:40:29 AM
Yeah, we can separate the two as its already stated that the playable dead Predators are canonically dead. The game follows the events after The Predator and is in accordance to the Predator timeline. Its been long established that Jungle and City Hunter are just there for gameplay purposes.

Could always head-canon it by just saying that sometimes we get Preds that look like and wear the same armor of previous ones, ala 'Classic/Crucified' in Predators.

Quote from: Mr.Turok on Sep 29, 2021, 12:40:29 AM
All we know is that in the game, each mission event is canon and in the event, there is always a Predator, Fireteam, and Stargazer present for the event.

Do we though? Haven't seen any official confirmation that the game is canon. That would be a lot of dead drug lord's brothers. And there isn't always a Predator that shows up.

Mr.Turok

Quote from: RidgeTop on Sep 29, 2021, 12:50:02 AM
Isn't too much of a stretch to think they'd also do this with other Predators IMO, either as an award or just a sign of respect. Perhaps more so with the trinket trophies rather than the skulls, but if a skull was significant they might keep it to pay homage to an ancestor, without claiming it as their own kill.
Maybe true, it would be an interesting area to explore in future media. However, I'm just going with the establish lore to support my theory on the topic at hand.

Quote from: RidgeTop on Sep 29, 2021, 12:50:02 AM
Could always head-canon it by just saying that sometimes we get Preds that look like and wear the same armor of previous ones, ala 'Classic/Crucified' in Predators.
True, and I can see this also apply to other preds as well, but in this case that Voodoo is saying here is that the game also has canon breaking elements like JH being present in 2025 when he died in 1987, but I did say that is just gameplay reasons.

Quote from: RidgeTop on Sep 29, 2021, 12:50:02 AM
Quote from: Mr.Turok on Sep 29, 2021, 12:40:29 AM
All we know is that in the game, each mission event is canon and in the event, there is always a Predator, Fireteam, and Stargazer present for the event.

Do we though? Haven't seen any official confirmation that the game is canon. That would be a lot of dead drug lord's brothers. And there isn't always a Predator that shows up.

I mean the lore tapes stated how Stargazer is running around in Central America, stirring up wars and Fireteam Voodoo being a branch created by OWLF so if the events of the missions didn't happen then what are they for if not some kind of storyline to give to players? I mean you can say the same for Aliens Fireteam, like how many times has the Doctor gotta be saved or have we stepped into the Engineer ship but we all know its just replay able storyline and players can repeat the mission in anyway they like. Same thing applies here, each mission has happened before but simply that the outcome depends on the players.

Voodoo Magic

We can't pick and choose what's entered in Predator: Hunting Grounds for gameplay reasons and what isn't, to transform our desire into canon. The Jungle Hunter is, but the Viking Predator is not? The City Hunter is, but the Alpha Predator is not? Why, because two were featured in Predator movies (that we saw killed) and the other two weren't in a movie at all?

One must always check themselves in regards to personal desire versus reality. We play as Predators, from different ages. We get to unlock and decorate ourself with trophies from the ages we've seen belonging to Predators in films, and others we've never seen before. Dutch 2025 can fight along Dutch 1987. Just because Cleopatra appears to have cool Egyptian looking armor, doesn't mean she was even ever in Egypt. Her tribes' ancestors may have and passed these influences to their kin. We just don't know.

The day something like this is confirmed, I'll embrace it, but the below earned in a video game's loot crate is not an official confirmation that Predators in this franchise live for 10 to 15 thousand years or more.



What you can do in this game though with its amazing customization tools is create a Predator how you would think it looked, hunting in that prehistoric time period. Which is fun.

Now, the lore tapes we can pull something more substantial from, but I think we should head-check ourselves with the rest. :)

SiL

SiL

#642
QuoteWe can't pick and choose what's entered in Predator: Hunting Grounds for gameplay reasons and what isn't, to transform our desire into canon.
Are you new here? :laugh:

Spoiler
in the interest of clarity that's tongue firmly in cheek regarding this site's colourful history of canon debates
[close]

Mr.Turok

Mr.Turok

#643
Quote from: Voodoo Magic on Sep 29, 2021, 02:49:25 AM
We can't pick and choose what's entered in Predator: Hunting Grounds for gameplay reasons and what isn't, to transform our desire into canon. The Jungle Hunter is, but the Viking Predator is not? The City Hunter is, but the Alpha Predator is not? Why, because two were featured in Predator movies (that we saw killed) and the other two weren't in a movie at all?

Its not picking and choosing if Illfonic already said so. Jungle and City are canonically dead, but present only for gameplay reasons. Illfonic and Fox said the events of this game is canon, happens right after The Predator so idk what to tell you. Gameplay does not equal canon. Otherwise, you are telling me that one can continually block the attack of a +7ft 300lb alien super hunter, even though that can outmatch a human in pretty much all the stats....with a 6 inch knife? 
Its noted both in the films and in the game that they are dead. Lore tapes said that OWLF examined the severed arm of CH and Dutch's tales after the events of the first film. Its noted and confirmed.

As for the other Predators, so far with the info we got from them, its very vague and open ended. Its been inferred that maybe Viking has been slain in Valkyrie's bio and the reason why Valkyrie came to Earth as said in Illfonic's release blog:

QuoteAs we discovered in October, the Viking Predator can be traced back to when the Viking raiders managed to draw the attention of the Yautja. As the legends of this mighty creature spread, Norsemen saw an opportunity to gain an honorable death by way of this wanderer, so they continued to pursue glory.  Few even relished over a Yautja death, which angered the Predators, so they sent in their fiercest warrior – the Valkyrie. This newest Predator class' sole purpose is to choose the slain worthy of a place in Valhalla. Many fought against her in search of glory, but none could best her. So beware, if you were able to bring a Viking Predator down, she is coming for you in this DLC pack.

Samurai and Valkyrie have not yet been stated to be alive or dead in the current timeline, just that they existed, so its debatable if they are or not, leaving room for interpretation. Thats fine and its just more fun for people to think about. There is no real reasoning to suggest either are dead or alive. However this isn't the same for the trophies, as we all know how trophies were obtained, from hunting periods of time ago.

Quote from: Voodoo Magic on Sep 29, 2021, 02:49:25 AM
One must always check themselves in regards to personal desire versus reality. We play as Predators, from different ages. We get to unlock and decorate ourself with trophies from the ages we've seen belonging to Predators in films, and others we've never seen before. Dutch 2025 can fight along Dutch 1987. Just because Cleopatra appears to have cool Egyptian looking armor, doesn't mean she was even ever in Egypt. Her tribes' ancestors may have and passed these influences to their kin. We just don't know.

Again, its obvious that Dutch 2025 and Dutch 1987 cannot canonically meet and fight alongside each other. Its plain to see that Illfonic don't need to comfirm this, it doesn't make sense in any way shape or form other than just for gameplay reasons. Its like for God of War, when people questioned why enemies are tougher to beat along the way when Kratos is a God of War, Cory Barlog says that otherwise there would be no game, as Kratos would just one shot them all with the exceptions of the boss battles, as they are Gods themselves. Some things are for gameplay purposes and others are for story reasons. They are not the same at all and I would need some actual substantial reason to why gameplay equals canon.

Its like Aliens Fireteam Elite for example, having the classic marine armor is pure cosmetics. There is nothing in the game that supports the canon presence of the armor design in the current time period of the game. However, in comparison to Hunting Grounds, it makes more sense that a Predator being living long as 10,000 years old seeing that they are established to be very long lived creatures that are known to take skulls and objects of the time period in which they hunted in, as we see with the Elder in P2. The only difference we have is just we have different ideas of where the line is.

Quote from: Voodoo Magic on Sep 29, 2021, 02:49:25 AM
Now, the lore tapes we can pull something more substantial from, but I think we should head-check ourselves with the rest. :)

Makes sense as its outright stated, while the trophies are just indicate how long they have been around. I wouldn't mind if we took this up to Illfonic in a tweet or even ask them the question in a future interview, if there will be any.

SiL

You'll probably need to produce some receipts of those quotes for this to go anywhere other than circles.

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