ekzarh wrote:I'd agree with making water affecting animal speed under one condition - boat hunting nerfed accordingly.
I'd go for these things:
1) Boat speed quickly degrades with damage. After 1-2 hits of any animal it's speed is the same as animal's in shallow water
2) Animal attack affects both player and 'mount' (boat, horse, knarr, wagon)
3) Player cannot attack animal from knarr - it's too high, really.
4) Transport can be repaired only after dismounting it. (and maybe only out of combat)
Additional please give the boats some inertia, so you can't go from zero to full steam in an instant but have to build up speed (same with stopping and turning), the boat should come to a standstill after 5-6 tiles when rowing ceases (for example by jumping out). This should (in concert with the list above) remove the rest of boat cheesing (twitch exploit), plus it would give way nicer visuals for water travel.
#3 should allow attacking of animals with ranged weapons, with the drawback of animals then wrecking the knarr as of #2.