WolfQuest: Anniversary Edition News

IMPORTANT: To fix a critical bug listed below, this version is not compatible with the last official version (1.0.5), so the multiplayer lobby will only show games on the same version (either 1.0.5 or 1.0.5a beta). This will be the case until we release 1.0.5a for everyone, which we plan to do soon.

[h3]1.0.5a beta 2 - released 23 September 2020[/h3]

This beta is currently only available for Windows computers.

IMPROVEMENTS:
* When client-player is leaving multiplayer game, we added explanatory text about wolf staying in limbo state for five minutes if the player is returning soon.
* When using a controller, controller icons appear now in mission intro panels instead of keyboard icons.
* When viewing a message from a pack, the Reply button now opens the Packs panel so the player can reply to everyone.

BUGS FIXED:
* Game stalls out when trying to create or join multiplayer game, or returns to main menu. (We've fixed a couple bugs with this, but there may be others still, so please submit a bug report if it happens.)
* Players occasionally encounter enormous packs with 30 or more stranger wolves. (Possible fix in this beta, but if it happens to you, we need reports from host and other players.)
* Some unnecessary words removed from badwords filter.

[h3]1.0.5a beta 3 - released 24 September 2020[/h3]

IMPORTANT: To fix a critical bug listed below, this version is not compatible with the last official version (1.0.5), so the multiplayer lobby will only show games on the same version (either 1.0.5 or 1.0.5a beta). This will be the case until we release 1.0.5a for everyone, which we plan to do soon.

BUGS FIXED:
* In multiplayer, if some players are using this beta version and others using the last official version (1.0.5), wolves have generic "NPC Wolf" names.
* Occasionally players are unable to leave the game while sleeping because the "Are you sure" notification is not shown.

[h3]1.0.5a beta 4 - released 24 September 2020[/h3]

BUGS FIXED
* Various connection issues when creating or joining a multiplayer game. (Fixes for several of these, along with better notifications. Quite possibly some similar bugs remain, so please submit reports if you experience them.)
* In Accounts, Add Friend and Add to Pack input fields do not allow underscores or similar special characters.

[h3]1.0.5a beta 5 - released 23 September 2020[/h3]

IMPORTANT: To fix a critical bug listed below, this version is not compatible with the last official version (1.0.5), so the multiplayer lobby will only show games on the same version (either 1.0.5 or 1.0.5a beta). This will be the case until we release 1.0.5a for everyone, which we plan to do soon.

BUGS FIXED
* When changing region in multiplayer lobby, the notification stays on longer than necessary.
* In Accounts: Add Friend, username remains in text field after sending the request.
* In Accounts: Packs: you can send a Pack message without a subject line.

[h3]1.0.5a beta 5 - released 24 September 2020[/h3]

BUGS FIXED
* When changing region in multiplayer lobby, the notification stays on longer than necessary.
* In Accounts: Add Friend, username remains in text field after sending the request.
* In Accounts: Packs: you can send a Pack message without a subject line.

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[h3]TO GET THE BETA BUILD[/h3]
1) In the Steam app, go to your Library, then right-click on the WolfQuest: AE name in the left column and choose Properties.
2) Then go to the Betas tab and select the WQ current Beta option in the pulldown. No password is necessary. Steam should then start downloading it. Later you can switch back to the public version in that Betas tab, by selecting NONE in that pulldown.

We have released multiplayer for WolfQuest: Anniversary Edition! It’s available now in v1.0.5, and your game should automatically update via Steam or the WolfQuest game launcher. Multiplayer truly is the reason that WolfQuest has survived since the very first release in 2007 and we are thrilled to finally bring it back in Anniversary Edition. We are still calling it a "beta" since we have more bug fixes, refinements, and improvements -- but now it's a beta for everyone to play.

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

NEW: MULTIPLAYER!
* Create a public game that anyone can see in the multiplayer lobby and join.
* Create a private game with restricted access: All friends, Selected friends, or Packs. Only the selected players will see the game in the multiplayer lobby.
* Choose from two modes: Territory Quest, where players try to claim and maintain territory, and Pack Life, where players have an enforced no-mans-land (much like in single-player) so they don't have to worry about holding territory.
* Choose text chat or no chat. (For players under age 13, text chat is available only in private games with friends and packs. We will be adding phrase chat soon, which will be an option for everyone in all types of games.)
* NOTE: When creating and joining multiplayer games, please select the region and game with the lowest latency (under 150ms when possible). This will help keep latency (ping) as low as possible, minimizing in-game lag and teleporting for yourself and everyone else.

MULTIPLAYER-ONLY FEATURES
* If killed, you can revive yourself after ten seconds.
* If very low on health, use the new Quick Heal action, which converts some food in your stomach to health. Can only restore some health (capped at 40%). On keyboard, lay down, then press-hold the R key. On controller, lay down, then press-hold Y button and right trigger simultaneously.
* Pack Rally: If most players howl simultaneously, everyone earns a stamina boost, which lasts for about six minutes.
* On the World Map, other player-markers are displayed only when they are within two kilometers. If they howl, their marker will appear and remain displayed for one minute. If players do a Pack Rally, everyone's markers will be displayed for everyone else for the duration of the rally.
* When a player leaves the game, they indicate if they are planning to return soon or not. If returning soon, their wolf is put into limbo for five minutes and if they return within that time, they can resume where they were. This also occurs if they leave abruptly without clicking the Quit or Main Menu buttons (such as if they are disconnected from the game).

PACKS:
* In your Account panel, you can create a Pack (private group) and invite friends to join it.
* Send messages to pack members. (NOTE: There are a few known bugs with this: If a pack member sends a message, everyone but the host receives it, and you cannot reply to messages sent to a pack. The next patch should fix both of those issues.)
* When creating a new multiplayer game, select one or more packs to have private access to it.

NOTE ABOUT GAME SIMULATION
The game host runs the entire simulation, so more powerful CPUs can handle bigger simulations than weaker CPUs. The host's game runs a CPU benchmark test when starting a new game and uses that to set a cap on the number of spawned animals. If players mostly stay together, they should rarely be affected by this cap, but if there are a lot of players and they spread out, it's possible (especially if the host has a weaker CPU) to hit that cap. (The cap ranges from 50 animals for weak CPUs to 120 for powerful CPUs.)

FEATURES STILL TO COME
We have many more features and refinements still to come, including:
* Controller support for Accounts panels, add some missing controls for multiplayer creation.
* Refinements to wolf and NPC animal turning (headlook, etc).
* Add multiple spawn points and different territory configuration for each.
* Host can name their pack.
* Phrase Chat
* MP Lobby filtering options.
* Improve jumping and falling as seen by other players.
* Enable contact emotes.
* Add descriptive tags that host can select when creating MP game.

BUGS FIXED:
* On some Mac computers, the Health and Hunger meters are empty when in Enhanced Sky & Vegetation mode. (Apparently some Mac systems do not support the new shine effect used during Quick Heal, so we have disabled that effect on all Macs, since there is no way to identify on which Macs it is a problem.)
* Grizzlies don't have correct swim animation.
* Some unnecessary words in the badwords list.
* Terrain texturing discrepancies.
* It's darkest before the dawn.....too dark.

It's time for the monthly contest 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). Or you can also choose the WolfQuest Soundtrack and Music Extras if you already own the game.

[h2]This Month's Contest[/h2]
Email your username (any username is fine, we just have to know what to call the winners) and your answer to the question: "What are three interesting facts about wolves?" to the email address [email protected]

[h2]Deadline[/h2]
All entries must be received by midnight (Eastern Daylight Time) on Thursday, September 24, 2020.

[h2]Random Drawing[/h2]
Winners are selected randomly from complete entries. Please enter only once in each monthly contest. Each complete entry will be assigned a number. We will then use a random-number generator to generate three numbers. The entries bearing those numbers will each win a free copy of the game.

Today we’re taking a look at our master plan for WolfQuest: Anniversary Edition, from what’s already available in the Amethyst Mountain episode, to what’s currently in development in Slough Creek episode, to our future expansion plans with the Tower Fall episode.

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

WolfQuest follows the life of a dispersal wolf in Yellowstone National Park, so we start at age two. You’ve just left your family pack and find yourself alone for the first time, so your first task is to learn to hunt on your own. Then, once you’ve killed a few elk, other dispersal wolves will consider you as a potential mate. This episode takes place in the fall and early winter, which lasts about three months in your wolf's life.

Coming up next is the Slough Creek episode, which runs from winter to summer, as your wolf and their mate establish a territory and then find a den. We’re going to have a lot more dens out there to choose from — over two dozen — and one will become the home for your pups. Those pups take a lot of attention in their early months, especially if you have a large litter (up to seven pups are possible!). Pup personalities will make family life richer and challenging.

Then when they're two months old, the pups have outgrown the den and it's time to choose a good place to spend the summer. This is called the rendezvous site, and it’s basically an open-air densite, where the pups frolic and continue to grow. That's where the Slough Creek episode ends -- or at least, that's where it's always ended in the past.

After that, we have a third episode planned, called Tower Fall, which will begin halfway through the summer. In our storyline, the pack has been squeezed out of Slough Creek by rival packs and forced to make another journey. Wolves actually do often move every few weeks during the summer, so this is not unusual. In our case, the pack travels to the Tower Fall area, about 10 kilometers southwest of Slough Creek. This episode will continue into the fall, which is when pups begin to join their parents on hunting trips, initially just observing, but increasing taking part — at great risk to life and limb. Those that survive are on their way to adulthood! We have some ideas about how to continue the story in Tower Fall, but it's still early in the design phase so we'll see how that evolves. Tower Fall will be an expansion available as DLC.

But right now we're focused on Slough Creek, and we have a question for you all. As I said, in the past, Slough Creek ended when you reached the rendezvous site. We did this because...well, games should have an ending, right? And also, the pups are growing and it would be inaccurate to keep playing at the rendezvous site with these tiny pups.

But over the years, we've gotten a fair number of comments saying that the ending is too abrupt -- boom you're done -- and it would be nice to have some time at the rendezvous site with your pups. So we're wondering what players today would like: A proper ending like in the old game, or ongoing play for awhile at least with your pups at the rendezvous site. Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!

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We have released the first episode of WolfQuest 3: Anniversary Edition (Amethyst Mountain) for PC/Mac on Steam and itch.io, as Early Access. While in Early Access, we are updating the game frequently with more features, multiplayer, and ultimately the Slough Creek episode with pups. The mobile version will come after the game is completed on PC/Mac platforms. We’ll then resume development of the next episode, Tower Fall (DLC).

Today’s devblog takes another look at our genetics system in WolfQuest: Anniversary Edition, now that we have built it out for pups in the upcoming Slough Creek episode. (We first looked at this in a 2018 devblog, which you can watch here.

Since our systems designer and lead developer Tommi is responsible for this system, I’ll let him explain it:

“We made a mini-genetics system for the game. Instead of the around 20,000 (functional) genes a real wolf has, yours has 50 (25 allele pairs). They code for black vs gray (1 pair), coat selection and tinting (9 pairs), your stats (6 pairs), and personality (9 pairs). This means all these traits are inheritable to your pups! When we create your pups, we apply the Punnet Square law on each of your pups, on each of these pairs. Then we take this newly formed genome and find the right coat, the right tints, the right stats, and the right personality for everyone.

“Now, you may remember from school that allele pairs like this have "dominant" and "recessive" alleles. However, we only applied this to the black vs gray pair (or "K locus" as the experts call it): kk is gray while Kk, kK, and KK are all black (blackness is "dominant"). All the other genes are simply summed up with no concern for dominance, so to be very bold, your pup will need to have BB + BB + BB in the Cautious-Bold triplet. Conversely, a very cautious pup has bb + bb + bb. An average pup would have something like Bb + BB + bb. This is realistic enough for our purposes, since many genes do work in this manner. (The K locus is the only "real" gene in our genome - everything else is just a simple model we made up.)

“When it comes to stats, we ended up kind of accidentally representing something that comes up in genetics a lot: tradeoffs. Each of the six genes boosts one stat while reducing another. So, for example, SS would boost strength by one while reducing stamina by one, while conversely ss would reduce strength and boost stamina (and Ss would leave both alone). This means your pups will be just as balanced, stat-wise, as any new wolf you create. Unless they got unlucky and rolled KK on the K locus, which is known to be a bad combination: if that doesn’t kill the pup before birth, it has a significant impact on its health and vitality, making survival even more difficult than usual.”

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To learn more about the personality system for mates and now pups, watch “For Better or For Worse" devblog.

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We have released the first episode of WolfQuest 3: Anniversary Edition (Amethyst Mountain) for PC/Mac on Steam and itch.io, as Early Access. While in Early Access, we are updating the game frequently with more features, multiplayer, and ultimately the Slough Creek episode with pups. The mobile version will come after the game is completed on PC/Mac platforms. We’ll then resume development of the next episode, Tower Fall (DLC).