WolfQuest: Anniversary Edition News

We’re digging deeper into winter verisimilitude, which means that deep snow is coming to WolfQuest in the next patch! Snow so deep that animals make tracks as they move through it!

I’ve wanted to add this feature to the game for a long time, but the devil is in the details, creating many complications with animals of different sizes and various objects like meat chunks and collectible objects all needing to respond differently to deep snow. So it’s always been far down in the priority list. But this summer I brought in Raul Turcus, a Unity developer in Romania, to help with some things for the upcoming Lost River DLC -- and after finished that, I asked him to tackle the deep snow. As always, it was again more complicated than we’d thought, but it’s really coming together now. Today’s video shows how it looks -- in the game and under the hood.

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

Deep snow uses a technique called tessellation, which subdivides the triangles on the terrain, creating a much denser grid, which allows more detailed deformation of the rendered surface. Drawing so many more triangles does have a performance impact, and so deep snow will only be enabled on higher graphics quality levels (with several quality options to chose from on those).

We’re still working on tweaks and polish but deep snow and animal tracks will be included in the next patch, v1.0.8p, which we expect to release in a few weeks.

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The WolfQuest saga will continue! Stay tuned for more news in upcoming devblogs about it and other new features!

Once the game is completed on PC/Mac, we will turn our attention to other platforms.

We do not announce specific release dates. We will release them when they are ready.

One element of the WolfQuest Saga -- the big expansion of the game that will let you continue playing through the life of your family pack -- is the option to play the complete quest cycle on every map.* We've been chipping away at this and so today's devblog takes a look at that effort, particularly the matter of dens. Which parts of the Amethyst map are suitable for dens? Remember that dens must face south (to catch the warmth of the sun in the chilly springtime) and low enough in elevation (to avoid the worst of Yellowstone's mercurial weather).

Unfortunately, that rules out much of the Amethyst map, but there are several zones on the south-facing slopes above Amethyst and Chalcedony creeks which will suffice. And while most wolf dens in the real world are nondescript holes in the ground, we like more variety and interest in our dens in the game, so today's devblog also looks at making one of the new Amethyst dens, under the roots of a fallen tree.

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

This feature is one of several things that we're working on, along with Lost River DLC map, new AI behaviors for the Saga, and several other things which we plan to roll out in the coming months. We don't yet know when the complete quest cycle on each map will be ready for release, but it is likely to be ready before the full Saga (which isn't coming before 2023), so stay tuned to our devblogs to get the latest updates.

Also: Share your love for WolfQuest by writing a Steam review! Great ratings and positive reviews from our fabulous player community make a HUGE difference to WolfQuest development. We appreciate all the ways players support WolfQuest!

* Except Lost RIver Classic.

________________________________________

The WolfQuest saga will continue! Stay tuned for more news in upcoming devblogs about it and other new features!

Once the game is completed on PC/Mac, we will turn our attention to other platforms.

We do not announce specific release dates. We will release them when they are ready.

It's time for another chance to win a free copy of WolfQuest! Lucky winners will receive a free copy of WolfQuest 2.7 (and PC/Mac users will also get WolfQuest: Anniversary Edition Early Access for PC and Mac). Winners can choose to get any version of the game (Mac/Windows, Android, iOS, Kindle).

If you prefer, you can choose one of the DLC: Building Character DLC, Yellowstone Wolf Coat DLC (these two are only for WolfQuest: AE for PC/Mac) or the WolfQuest Soundtrack and Music Extras.

How to Enter
Email [email protected] with your username, your email address, and your answer to the question: "What are three interesting facts about wolves?" Winners are selected randomly from complete entries. Please enter only once in each contest.

Deadline
All entries must be received before midnight (Eastern Daylight Time) on Monday, September 26, 2022.

Random Drawing
Each complete entry will be assigned a number. We will then use a random-number generator to generate four numbers. The entries bearing those numbers will each win a free copy of the game or DLC.

Here at last is the long-awaited (at least by a few players) devblog about the rocks and geology of Lost River! My initial goal was to create a geologic environment that was notably different than the granite landscape of Slough Creek (which I love, but I needed a change, and I figured players did too). The mountain west has an ample history of volcanism, which creates a great variety of rock types. Finding the right type of rock, and the right types of rock formations, took a few tries, and a bit of help from someone knowledgable about geology (my son), but I think the rhyolite rock formations are looking good now.

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

The upcoming Lost River DLC map will feature these new rocks, and much much more -- a greatly expanded map, the full sequence of quests (including the Saga once that is released), and plenty of cool little things. We expect to release it before the end of this year.

________________________________________

The WolfQuest saga will continue! Stay tuned for more news in upcoming devblogs about it and other new features!

Once the game is completed on PC/Mac, we will turn our attention to other platforms.

We do not announce specific release dates. We will release them when they are ready.

Opening Doors in Lost River

Work continues on the upcoming Lost River expanded map DLC. The gameplay is largely the same as in other maps and quests, of course, but there are a few special features, like going inside of buildings. That's been a popular request from players since Lost River Classic released in 2015, and we're finally realizing it in this expanded version. This raises a few complications, the biggest one related to the navgrid and NPC pathfinding. We designed the navgrid for vast outdoor environments, and they simply are not suited for the confines of interior spaces. So I pulled Tommi away from his ongoing work on animal AI for the Saga (see the note below for more on that) so he could design and create a navgrid subsystem for small areas. This week's video shows how this new subsystem works at the Lost Cup Coffee shop in downtown Lost River:

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

The new Lost River map has about a dozen buildings with interiors to explore -- but be advised that these are not safe refuges from rival wolves, so you'll need to stay on guard even when hanging out indoors. We have a good amount of work left on this DLC but we do expect to release it later this year.

Regarding the Saga: As we began working on the Saga early this year, we realized that our AI system was good but we wanted it to be better. The AI was one of the very first systems we designed and built for WQAE, five years ago now, and Tommi had ideas for doing much more with an improved system. So that became the first phase of Saga development (and it's not very exciting to show off in devblogs) but we got the improved AI system operational earlier this summer so now we can focus on new AI behaviors in the Saga for growing pups and NPC wolves. If you don't know about the WolfQuest Saga, watch this video! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dx-X2fL-3oE
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The WolfQuest saga will continue! Stay tuned for more news in upcoming devblogs about it and other new features!

Once the game is completed on PC/Mac, we will turn our attention to other platforms.

We do not announce specific release dates. We will release them when they are ready.