Yup - that’s still the idea I believe but will be done a little later on in a more sophisticated pass over the first in-game creatures when the environments and design of the types of harvested material are more fleshed out. The aim of the spitters are to source out these explosive material patches - this requires some specific navigation AI and behaviours still to be done. The VFX and SFX are also needed to show this more illustratively for eating and of course when they fire. When we have this navigation AI - we can also do creatures such as torch/prop eaters(thieves) and other such-like that actively source out items. In any case, we’re doing the foundations first - currently we’re doing the ground basher which will answer more questions to test the game out in terms of scaled up creatures and actively changing the Voxel landscape with attack damage. 
@brook_monroe Your post clarified a lot of what you don’t want but very little of what you do want with the exception of this bit:
If you don’t want to deal with anything attacking you it looks like you’ll need to join up with a guild and stick near their city 
. But I think many of the players are excited to have more content and challenge. Even with basic combat the pigs and shooters were/are quite easy to dispose of. I for one cannot wait for something to make my heart beat a little faster when I’m out and about! 
Now I need to know what 17% percent you did not agree with? ^.^
It´s not a bad idea, I just don´t think that it´s necessary.
Depends on how much they hurt in the final game, i like the idea of having to dodge them and then beat them when they are ‘‘reloading’’ so to say rather than just ‘‘STAB STAB STAB STAB… I TAKE ALL SHOTS… BAHAHAHA’’
This would also make it possible to give the monsters more varity, being able to change shoot speed, damage and reload time would make i possible to make the monsters stranger and weaker.
Having having changeable reload time would mean that you need to adapt to its behavior during combat too, making the monster more interesting to fight.
For any of this reload time discussion to be even worthwhile you’d have to increase the turn speed of the creature by a substantial amount and then boost the accuracy an insane amount. Right now it’s just too easy to strafe circles around it and whack it with an axe a few times. Or shoot with a bow, sidestep, shoot, sidestep, etc.
In other words, focus shouldn’t be placed on changing how powerful the attack is if the attack shouldn’t even be hitting you anyway b/c it’s too easy to avoid (unless it’s behind you and you have yet to see it).
IMO the shooting/aiming of the spitter creature is really nice atm but you are right, melee combat vs the ranged creature is quite easily exploitable.
I think the devs should add a melee attack to the creature to prevent the abuseable melee behavior of the spitter, similar to the Hydralisk from Starcraft:
A nice AoE melee knockback and snare or the actual spit having a splash snare would be interesting too. I like where you’re going with this.
I think this would be way too op for a normal creature that spawns quite frequently.
Just a normal melee hit that maybe deals a bit less damage than the ranged attack would imo be perfectly fine.
Oh, well I was just trying to discuss ideas to make it easier for the thing to hit me. I’m perfectly content with it not ever hitting me, I think that’s what skill-based combat should be all about. But I think I saw a few complaints above.
Maybe making it predict movement so for example if the player keep moving in the same direction it starts shooting a bit in front of him.
We really should make a new thread for this.
Your post clarified a lot of what you don’t want but very little of what you do want…
I’m like the United States Environmental Protection Agency: I only tell you what I don’t like. 
Or look at it this way–what I don’t want, is what I want.
…and actively changing the Voxel landscape with attack damage.
Now you’ve gone full paradox^^
I like the insect mandibles 
Very good point - we’re planning on having a variety of spitters with difficultly and visual differences… perhaps one that also creates a bit of melee damage with his tail (tail swipe) might be good surprise element? In any case, I’ll keep this in mind when we look over the first pass creatures a little later down the line. Cheers
1, 2, 8, and 10 are my favorites there also love the idea of chasing up walls adds a bit of challenge otherwise a grappling hook would be all you need to get away from anything dangerous
A tail whip as surprise element would definitely be awesome (although I had something like a kanagroo kick in mind when first saw them) but I was more talking about general melee behavior.
The current melee combat behavior is just quite underwhelming in comparison to the awesome range vs. range combat (As I already said in my [112 feedback post] (Update 112 now live! Creatures and Characters (and a Q&A)) , the fighting AI is really impressive for Voxel standards) but I think thats fine since this game is still in early alpha. I just wanted to mention it and simultaniously make a suggestion how it could be fixed.
Cant wait to see the reworked spitter late 2016
Number 13 should attack villages in packs; slaying wildstock, players and maybe stealing resources. Then their nickname could be the “Tusked Raiders!” Because they, um . . . like tusken, but . . . I’m so lonely. 