This game desperately needs to fix its small tier/herbivore problem

This has been a thought that’s crossed my mind a lot, something I’ve wanted to talk about with others but never really finding the moment to bring it up. I guess now’s no better time than ever so, here goes. Small tier creatures, and especially herbivores are almost impossible to play and enjoy at the same time. This is mostly due to their lack of health, and ability to basically be one shot by anything. Cos devs have continued to make high tier creatures that only get stronger and stronger, whilst low tier creatures just continue to become even weaker than they initially were. This is only half of the problem, when you realize carnivores/omnivores atleast have meat that spawns in like, 80% of the map, spawning with about 300. I understand, there’s more carnivores than herbivores, however the little berries that do spawn around the map isn’t just lacking in how much is spread around the map, but even with how much spawns on one of the trees/bushes. 50-20 at BEST and that’s pushing it. Sure, you could definitely argue they have infinite grass- but that will never be enough because of how slow it is to eat grass vrs how fast it is to be one-shot by large tier creatures, who are often right by the grass as where it’s located on the map is conveniently next to popular spots kosers hang out by. I wish I could say this doesn’t matter, but the thing is- low tier creatures are still necessary for the game. Without them, the large tier creatures wouldn’t have much other than other high tier creatures to hunt, this will ultimately make the game boring for both the high tier creature enjoyers and low tier creature enjoyers.

But how could this even be fixed? In my opinion, the devs should focus less on the next “meta” high tier creature, as the stronger they get, the weaker low tier creatures become. I think there should be more low tier creatures with defensive abilities, abilities that do more than just a tiny pinch to high tiers- I don’t mean a defensive ability that just straight up whacks a high tier to space, but something of a debuff, giving the high tier even more of a challenge. Nothing to make anyone undefeatable, but enough to give the low tier a chance, and the high tier a challenge. I would argue that low tier creatures speed is a major buff, but all it takes is a slightly less high tier creature to chase you down- not to mention the difficulty of navigating the map, when you’re so fast it’s easy to get stuck on literally everything, though that may be just a skill issue on my end. I also think tougher shells, that have a 50/50 change to reduce the damage taken- I’d prefer it not be guaranteed to ensure they aren’t OP. Less focus on damage-dealing defense, and more on literal defense that protects the health of the herbivore would be an awesome step forward. I also believe not only should more herbivore food naturally spawn, but I think there should be a slight chance that eating berries/herbivore food increases the creatures defense, making what would be a big damage dealing creature to do less damage. I’d imagine a plushie increasing these changes would also be great!

In my opinion, I think this would help encourage players to utilize low tier creatures without just getting one shot, whilst also having to work to ensure they survive and aren’t OP. I’m no game developer, I don’t know enough about how games work and I only say these critiques as a consumer, and someone who enjoys games like these. Please take what I say with a grain of salt!