Cabela's Big Game Hunter 2006 Trophy Season

Cabela's Big Game Hunter 2006 Trophy Season is a story-driven, linear hunting game. The player must trek through various North American landscapes and claim every trophy in the region. The player starts at the first lodge, where they must buy their initial equipment, weapons, and clothing, sight their firearm, and obtain tags. The player must visit the warden of each lodge in order to obtain tags for the region. Throughout the game, the player will encounter random events, side quests, and hunting tournaments. Primary objectives must be completed before exiting a location, while secondary objectives are optional. Objectives can be failed but the career's completion is not contingent on them.

Game mammals are represented by red markers, similar to its predecessor Cabela's Big Game Hunter 2005 Adventures. Red markers indicate live game, blue markers indicate dead game, and purple markers indicate wounded or special game. Non-game mammals and some female s of some species - elk, moose, and deer - are unmarked. Tags cannot be obtained for these animals and the player cannot hunt them. Non-game mammals include foxes and rabbits. The player can only hunt mammals for which they have tags, and in their respective quantities. All tags are provided by the warden for each location and cannot be changed, removed, or sold. The objectives for each location mandate that the player obtain at least one of each animal, while the player will often be provided two tags for many species.

When the player zooms in on a mammal with a scope, text will appear at the bottom of the scope, showing the animal's species, sex, scoring, and immediate distance from the player. This is helpful in hunting tournaments, as many require the player to claim an animal within a certain distance or by best score. The animal statistics provided by the scope will change as the player mouses over different targets. Non-game animals can also provide statistics if the player mouses over them while scoped over them.

The player cannot hunt animals for which they do not have tags, including non-game mammals. The player cannot hunt animals with their vehicle. The player cannot drive into an NPC. The player cannot fire their weapon between 6:00pm and 8:00am. The player cannot fire their weapon within 50 yards of an inhabited building. Violating these results in warnings. The player has a maximum of three warnings before they are asked to leave the area, from which they can either restart the location or abort to the main menu.

Upon starting a career hunt, a text box will appear describing the player as the grandson of a hunting legend named Pete. The player accompanied Pete on the hunting trails when he was younger. Pete aspired to bag all species across the trails - 65 in all - hoping to earn a spot in the Hunter's Hall of Fame. However, on one of the last hunts, he slipped on an icy slope and hurt his leg, preventing him from finishing the hunt. The player's incentive to crossing the regions and finishing the hunts is to win his grandfather the plaque. The story is largely absent from the game, but NPCs across the regions will recognize the player as Pete's grandson, or hint that they have not seen the player in a long time. The NPCs have no long-term impact on the story and remain largely irrelevant in the overall gameplay.

Each hunting area is dedicated to specific game. Occasionally, an area will have more than one type of game existing in the area. An area's boundaries, borders, topography, and features are different each time. There are usually three or four areas between lodges. When the player fills their objectives, there is no longer a reason for them to stay in that area.

Each map has a camp area, marked by a purple tent icon on the map. The player can rest here and talk to game wardens about hunting tournaments happening in the area. The player may only set up their tents in designated camping areas, a major departure from the previous two installments.

Some areas will have special events. Hunting tournaments, wounded or sick game in the field, lost or injured NPCs, or harsh weather that will require the player to take shelter. Some maps have points that are only accessible by climbing, in which the player will have to abandon their vehicle. Some maps will feature NCPs that inform the player of good-scoring trophies and are listed as secondary objectives. Most side quests and notifications will come to the player in the form of an email. An alert noise will play and text will appear, prompting the player to press a hotkey to listen to the email. The text will be narrated and the player's objectives will be updated.

A few locations have separate areas that are privately-owned lands. They are marked with yellow arrows on the map. The player is often invited to those lands, on which vehicles are often prohibited. The owners of the land will offer the player money to hunt varmints - usually coyotes or wolves - on their property.

At the end of every region, the player will enter a new area for which they were not given tags at the lodge. They will talk to the region warden about possibly entering the hunting tournament. Whether they play the tournament or not, the player's main primary objective is to continue to the next region. <Cabela's Big Game Hunter 2006 Trophy Season></Activision>

The player must progress through six regions: Forest, marsh, desert, grasslands, mountains, and tundra. The player can hunt almost 40 game mammals. They are: wolverine, Columbia black-tailed deer, bobcat, Roosevelt elk, cougar, brown bear, American black bear, timber wolf, whitetail, woodland caribou, grizzly, Eastern timber wolf, Northwestern moose, Tule elk, desert bighorn sheep, desert mule deer, pronghorn antelope, coyote, javelina, Rocky Mountain elk, grey wolf, bison, Rocky Mountain bighorn, mountain caribou, Rocky Mountain mule deer, lynx, Shiras moose, mountain goat, stone sheep, musk ox, Dall sheep, polar bear, Yukon moose, Arctic wolf, barren-ground caribou, Kodiak brown bear, and Northern timber wolf

The wolverine, lynx, Roosevelt elk, desert bighorn, javelina, bison, grey wolf, Rocky Mountain bighorn, Rocky Mountain mule deer, Shiras Moose, mountain goat, stone sheep, polar bear, Arctic wolf, timber wolf, Northern timber wolf, Yukon moose, and Kodiak brown bear all appear only once each in the game. All other mammals appear more than once throughout the series.

The wolverine, Roosevelt Elk, bison, grey wolf, Rocky Mountain Bighorn, Rocky Mountain mule deer, Arctic wolf, timber wolf, northern timber wolf, eastern timber wolf, Yukon Moose, Kodiak brown bear, mountain caribou, Columbia black-tailed deer, bobcat, Northwestern moose, Tule elk, desert mule deer, and Rocky Mountain elk are species that appear in this game that did not appear in the previous two titles. The desert bighorn appeared in the 2004 Season, while not appearing any different than the standard version of the bighorn. The desert bighorn variant did not appear in the 2005 Adventures. The lynx appeared the previous two games but only as a non-game, unmarked animal.

The wild boar, the Alaskan moose, the Canadian moose, the Sitka black-tailed deer, the Labrador caribou, and the Coues deer are the only species that appear in the previous two titles that do not appear in this one. <Cabela's Big Game Hunter 2006 Trophy Season></Activision>

The Heads Up Display is must simpler than that of the previous two games.

In the bottom-left corner of the screen there is a silhouette of a hunter outlined in green. The green outline will turn from green to red as more damage is dealt. The player takes damage from animal attacks, drowning, taking fall damage, and crashing their vehicle. The green colouring inside will lower as the player takes damage, but will gradually recharge. The health will recharge faster if the player drinks water or eats food. The player can heal by using a medical bag or sleeping. Next to the health bar is the energy bar, this time presented horizontally rather than vertically. The bar is blue and gradually decreases as the player expends energy. The bar will change colour from blue, to yellow, to white, to orange until it is depleted. The player must stop moving to replenish it. Above the energy bar is the stealth bar. This is a series of red ticks that rise and diminish based on the player's visibility and sound. When the player crouches, is still, or camouflages with the environment, the bar will rise

In the top-left corner of the screen is the compass with a much simpler design than the previous two games.

In the top-right corner of the screen is a red flag that indicates direction and intensity of the wind.

In the bottom-right corner of the screen is the ammunition. Rifles, shotguns, handguns, and bows have different ammunition appearances. When the player expends rounds, they will disappear from the corner of the screen until there are none left. The player will automatically reload when they are out of ammunition. The player can reload at any time using the hotkey. Ammunition is unlimited and does not need to be purchased from a lodge.

• W - Accelerate/Walk Forward
• S - Decelerate/Walk Backward
• A - Strafe/Turn Left
• D - Strafe/Turn Right
• E - Mount Vehicle/Analyze Tracks (While Crouched)/Enter Area, Lodge, Sighting Booth/Read Email/Notify Warden/Talk to NPC
• R - Reload Weapon
• T - Dismount Vehicle
• X - Tracking Camera
• Mouse 1 - Fire/Select
• Mouse 2 - Scope/Aim Down Sights
• C - Cycle Camera
• F - Map, Objectives, Logbook, and Status
• I - Inventory
• Left Control - Crouch
• Left Shift - Run (Hold)
• Scroll - Zoom (While Scoped)
• Up/Down Arrows - Zoom (While Scoped)
• Up/Down Arrows - Sight Weapon Elevation (While in Sighting Booth)
• Left/Right Arrows - Sight Weapon Windage (While in Sighting Booth)
• Esc - Pause/Menu
• ~ - Console

The game features similar graphics to its forerunners, although many movements, shading, textures, assets, and terrain generation are much different. Some of the graphics in this game are much smoother than its predecessors, but are slightly less realistic in terms of the overall design and appeal. The animal movement is also very machine-like and not as smooth as the animals from the previous titles.

The only voice-overs in the previous two titles came in the form a warden (who's gender and accent were determined by the location) when the player violated hunting area rules. No NPCs were actually visible. In this game, however, multiple NPCs can be seen throughout all regions, some of whom do not speak. The same voices are recycled between several characters, and only basic gesturing animations accompany the mediocre voice acting. NPCs do not interact with the environment other than when prompted. The only time an NPC is seen interacting is when they are participating in a hunting tournament. NPCs stay in the same spot, usually cycling between sitting and standing. At camping areas when a player sleep, NPCs will not go in their tents. They will stand outside all night while the player sleeps.

The previous two installments were Cabela's Big Game Hunter: 2004 Season and Cabela's Big Game Hunter 2005 Adventures on PC. Both games operated very similarly, with some minor cosmetic and difficulty changes separating those two games.

• In the 2006 Trophy Season, the player must physically progress through each location to unlock the next. Whereas in the previous two titles, the player equips for each season, bags the trophies for each season, and then chooses which location to unlock next until all are completed. The player must progress through each location and lodge linearly in order to complete the career. The player cannot backtrack to choose a different point from which to continue their career.
• 2006 Trophy Season features special events and tournaments, whereas the previous games did not. NPCs and voice-overs are also present in the game, whereas in the previous games, the player was the only visible character. The only narration in those games were those of the wardens reprimanding the player upon breaking hunting regulations.
• This game requires the player to sight their weapons at designated sighting booths. The previous two games did not require the player to sight their weapons but sighting was possible in the target range.
• This game features more species and subspecies compared to the other two titles. All mammals from the previous games appear in this game.
• The maps in the previous two games show trails, while this game's maps show no trails or paths.
• In this game, the player must sleep at designated hunting areas. In the previous two titles, the player can pitch a tent wherever they want, as long as it is an area of flat, open ground.
• In this game, the player must rent vehicles at each lodge for $200. The player did not rent vehicles in the previous two titles, rather than spawned within immediate distance of them.
• In this game, moose and musk ox are hostile. In the other games, they would not attack the player.
• The player cannot swim in this game. In the other games, swimming was frequently necessary.
• There are no weapons restrictions to this game by location, but rather by tournament, which are optional. The 2004 Season featured no weapons restrictions based on season. The 2005 featured firearm restrictions for each season and location.
• The three stealth bars from the previous titles are compiled into one bar in this game.
• Screaming and moaning can be heard when the player takes damage. Panting can heard when the player depletes their energy bar.
• There was no fall damage in the previous title. Fall damage is a constant presence in this game.
• In the previous titles, if the player drove their vehicle into water, it could not be retrieved. In this game, the player can pay $200 for their vehicle to be retrieved from the water.
• Animals did not make noise upon being shot and killed in the last two games. Animals make noise every time they are killed in this game. The animals also spasm with a rag doll effect upon death, whereas in the last game they did not.
• A separate window appeared in the last two games when tracking an animal. In this game, text appears on the bottom of the screen with the tracking information.
• Players are rewarded with a $100 clean shot bonus in the last two games, while in this game they are rewarded with a $200 clean shot bonus.
• In the last two games, the player can choose a specific location to hunt, either a US State, Canadian province, Canadian territory, or Mexican state. In this game, the regions are incredibly vague. However, some locations and lodge names are based on real life region, territory, and county names relative to location.
• Players could not enter lodges in the last two games. Entering lodges is the focal point of completing this game.
• In the last two games, players could carry up to four instances each of food packets, hydration bladders, scent covers, and medical kits. In this game, only two water bags and food packs each may be carried, as well as only one medical kit at a time. The player can also carry only one firearm, where the limit in the last two games was two weapons per hunt. In this game, the player can only carry either the tripod or tree stand at once. In the last game, they could be carried together.
• In the last two games, red and blue dots indicated game location and life status. In this game, they are represented by blue, red, and purple triangle markers. Purple markers indicate wounded or special game. In the last two games, if a player wounded an animal, the dot would stay red and the player would have to track it.
• In the last two games, the player's available tags would be indicated in the top-right corner of the screen. A tag would blink if the corresponding mammal is wounded or dead and must be claimed. Tags are not on display in this game, but rather in a separate page of the player's inventory.
• In the previous two titles, the inventory could be accessed while the player was in a tent or vehicle. In this game, the inventory can only be accessed while standing on the ground.
• In the last two games, when the player pitched a tent, there would be no other text on the screen, other than that in the lower-right corner, prompting the player can use a set hotkey to wake up. In this game, the clock is shown above the tent as the player sleeps.
• In the last two games, the only interfaces were the inventory and the main menu. In this game, the player can press the designated hotkey - default "F" - to show the map. Different tabs at the top of the interface allow the player to view their objectives and the completion of said objectives, the logbook - showing the advances the player has made and the times at which they were made - and the player's stats and cash status. <Cabela's Big Game Hunter 2006 Trophy Season></Activision>

• This is the first Cabela's game to feature wolverine, bison, bobcat, and several other species, as well as subspecies of previous game mammals, such as Rocky Mountain Elk, Rocky Mountain Mule Deer, Desert Mule Deer, Kodiak Bear, Tule Elk, and others.
• The game recycles several sounds and visuals from the previous game. The sound when the player draws a weapon is the same from the previous two games. Certain animals calls and sounds, the sounds of the boat and pickup truck, as well some ambient environment sounds are from the previous two games. The crosshair is the same from the previous two titles.
• The player must rent ATVs, trucks, cars, and snowmobiles for $200 at the start of each region. Not renting the vehicle, losing or damaging it during a hunt, or abandoning it during a hunt will force the player to progress to the next level without it. The previous titles did not require the player to rent the vehicles for their location. Rather, the player spawned next to it and could only loose it if they drove it into deep water.
• Unlike the previous games, the player can go into buildings in the areas, most of which are cabins they are required to enter in order to purchase tags and equipment to progress.
• The player cannot swim in this game.
• The player can only sleep in cabins (where they can choose for how long they sleep) and designated camping spots on the map.
• Cabela's Big Game Hunter 2005 Adventures for consoles is exactly the same game as the 2006 Trophy Season for PC. The PC version of the 2005 Adventures is not available on consoles. <Cabela's 2006 Trophy Season></Activision>

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