I feel like the shark is something that could be improved the most. He is not very scary or powerful and there is only one. Here is my idea for modifications on the shark
- Fix the shark's attack. There are some bugs/irregularities with the sharks attack. If you are standing on the very edge of the platform the shark can attack you as if you were in the water. The shark can also attack you without facing you directly. He can be next to you and bite and you will take damage even though it doesn't look like he is. Sharks in real life, especially great whites, have powerful jaws and are extremely fast. You should consider changing his attack so that instead of swimming up to the player and biting over and over, he will charge violently towards him and deal one very powerful attack. Following this attack the shark would dive underwater and appear somewhere else after a brief delay just as he does now after he his significantly damaged. Not only will these changes make the shark more realistic, but they will make him more intimidating. Players will see the shark charging forward and be terrified for their lives. You should also consider not making the shark stalk the raft so closely. Maybe make him swim farther out and occasionally dive under the water to confuse the player and make him loose track of where the shark is.
- Make the shark drop more valuable resources. Shark meat is cool but considering you can grow your own vegetables it isn't extraordinarily useful. If his drops had a bit more utility it might make hunting the shark a more worthwhile endeavor. A possible option for one of these drops would be shark teeth which could be used to craft better tools. Also if there was a much larger delay in spawning another shark after the first is killed then the player would have yet another reason to kill it, as it would insure his safety for a significant duration.
- Make killing the shark have drawbacks. What if there was a reason to not kill the shark? Maybe when the shark dies there is a chance that his blood will attract more sharks. The blood of the player getting hurt by the shark might do this as well, making him more hesitant to pick a fight with the beast. This would end up making the shark a lot more interesting. Players will have to decide if they want to hunt the shark for his rare materials and risk attracting more of them which will cause more problems for them in the long run. Also this makes the game increase in difficulty over time which would make the game more interesting.
The shark is the only antagonist in the game. Without a valid antagonist the player's life would lack purpose. The game would become dull very quickly. That is why I have suggested these changes. I hope you will consider implementing them as I think they will drastically improve an already terrific game.