WolfQuest: Anniversary Edition News

[h2]1.0.4a beta4 -released 18 August 2020 on Steam Public Beta Branch[/h2]

The beta build of the 1.0.4a patch is ready for public beta testing! Please review the changelist below. (Beta is currently available only for Windows; see instructions at bottom of this post to get it.)

[h3]NEW: User Accounts[/h3]
* Register Account: Players can register a WQ:AE account either using their username/password from their WQ 2.7 account or creating an all-new account. (2.7 usernames are reserved, so upgrade if you want to keep the same username, or create a new account if you want a new username. You cannot register a new account with a username already claimed by someone in WQ 2.7.) On Steam, your WQ account is then linked to your Steam account, so you'll subsequently log in automatically.
* Friends List: Works the same as in 2.7.
* In-game messages: Works the same as in 2.7.
* Packs and Achievements are not set up yet.

[h3]IMPROVEMENTS[/h3]
* In Wolf Customization, changed "Stats" section name to "Attributes".
* Adjustments to stamina drain and recharge rates.
* Added notification about duplicating wolf when player changes wolf name in customization panel.

[h3]BUGS FIXED[/h3]
* Floppy is dead. Long live Floppy!
* A few boulders in Amethyst have invisible sphere colliders, making wolf walk above it, on air.
* Some cougar sounds are truncated or sound bad.
* On World Map, territory hexes can show 0% strength while hex is tinted.
* Occasionally, wolf face is missing from badge. (Possibly fixed, if not, please submit bug report with details about your game.)
* On some terrain quality levels, inconsistent amount of snow in distant view.
* Terrain texture and topography issues.
* Ravens and eagles often don't fly away when wolf gets close.
* Wolf carcass has two coats, can't decide which to use.
* Lost River: Some animals have spidey skills.
* Lost River: NPC animals walk high in the air above the wall along the BCE compound.

[h2]1.0.4a beta 5 - released 21 August 2020 on Steam Public Beta Branch[/h2]

[h3]IMPROVEMENTS[/h3]
* Bison and stranger wolf scents adjusted for better differentiation.

[h3]BUGS FIXED[/h3]
* Occasionally wolf face is missing from badge HUD.
* Cannot access Attributes buttons with controller.
* Amethyst ponds are green in certain lighting on low quality levels.
* Discrepancies in snow coverage between near and far terrains on some terrain quality levels.
* Lost River: Some collider issues around the bridge.
* Removed some unnecessary words from badword filter.
* Adjusted wolf howl volume.


[h2]1.0.4a beta 6 - released 21 August 2020 on Steam Public Beta Branch[/h2]

BUG FIXED: Grizzly cub dies unexpectedly.

[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.

Along with multiplayer, we've been working on the new game account system for WolfQuest: Anniversary Edition. This uses the same account system as WolfQuest 2.7, but it's separate so players can have an account for each game.

The new account system just about ready to release to give everyone extra time to set up their WolfQuest: Anniversary Edition account. So today's devblog takes a brief (hopefully not too boring) look at the new account system and how to go about signing up once it’s released.

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

We heard loud and clear that many players will want to keep their username from the original game, WolfQuest 2.7. So, each WQ 2.7 username is reserved for that player! They can use that same username and password when creating a new account for WQ:AE.

If you don't have an old account, or simply want to start fresh, you can do that instead and create a brand new account. Just remember:  You won't be able to choose a username that someone has already claimed in WQ 2.7. At some point in the future we will likely remove that restriction, but not until the game is released on all platforms.

In this new account system, we have friends and messages working now, and will add packs soon, since those will be helpful for multiplayer. Later this fall we will release the new achievements system.

The new account system will be included in the next game patch, v.1.0.4a, which we expect to release within a week! We want to get this out into everyone's hands so players have a chance to create a new account before multiplayer is released.

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Game screenshot by Loach
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We have released the first episode of WolfQuest 3: Anniversary Edition (Amethyst Mountain) and the Lost River Classic map 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).

Along with good progress on core multiplayer functionality, we’ve also been adding other features to enhance everyone’s experience. Today’s devblog looks at several of these:

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

• Instead of private games, the multiplayer host can restrict access in three new ways: making the game available to all their friends (using the in-game Friends list), or selected friends, or one or more Packs (groups) that they belong to. Choosing one of these options will make their game appear only in the lobby for those selected players and no one else. We think this will be more efficient and user-friendly than the old private game-name and password method, and we hope it will greatly reduce the number of players who hold spots for friends in open games.
  
• Sometimes a player will leave the game (intentionally or not) but wish to return soon, so we now keep their wolf, resting quietly, in the game for five minutes. If they return in that time, they resume control of their wolf. If they don’t, then the wolf is removed. We hope this will smooth over some annoying but inevitable disconnections.
  
• The Pack Info panel shows basic information about all player-wolves in the game: health, stamina, wakefulness, along with their stats and their bio.
  
• The text chat panel is much more versatile: you can resize it, detach it from the corner and move it around, minimize it, and change the font size and opacity to suit your preferences.
  
• Pack Rally is back! Much like in the old game, players can howl together to boost their spirits and their stamina for a period of time. A new wrinkle: if any player-wolf dies while the rally is in effect, the rally is terminated. We added this after thinking about the big wolf fights that we’ve been testing in multiplayer, where NPC wolves behave rationally (preferring not to die), while player wolves find death a more acceptable option. By losing the rally boost, we hope to give players a bit more incentive to stay alive.
  

All these are coming soon in WolfQuest: Anniversary Edition multiplayer. We don’t have a release date, but it won’t be too much longer now.

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Thumbnail Screenshot Image by Sass
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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).

1.0.4 - released 5 August 2020

[h2]IMPORTANT! [/h2]
Shake Off Attackers action (to break free when stranger wolves bite you): Input changed from spacebar to left/right movement inputs. These are A/D on keyboard and left/right leftstick on controller, but will change to whatever you have remapped that to. Most effective if you alternate left and right inputs.

[h3]NEW[/h3]
* Old bull bison: These old bulls hang out in small groups throughout the game world. They're cranky and dangerous, so they are best appreciated at a distance.
* Wolf Stats: In Wolf Customization, you can now adjust your Strength, Health, Stamina, and Speed. Before you can boost any of those, you must take reductions on one or more stats. Changes will apply to your own wolf in saved games, but NPC wolves in saved games (before this update) will all be average. NPC wolves in new games will have randomized stats.
* Wolf can now howl when laying down.

[h3]CHANGES[/h3]
* Left/right movement in scentview/headcam is now sidestep/strafe movement rather than turning.
* When fleeing from wolves, elk run a bit faster and turn less frequently, and are better at staying together as a herd.
* Elk calves keep running with the herd for much longer (their stamina decay was much too fast before).
* All prey animals have a new fast-sprint movement for a few seconds after shaking off wolf bite, to open up some distance.
* Ungulate calves and fawns can run in tighter circles, and mothers can run in somewhat tighter circles.
* Adjusted wolf attack speed: No longer a fixed high speed, but adjusts based on target's speed.
* Wolf stamina drains much more slowly.
* Wolf uses special gait when running up steep slopes.
* Scent View now renders sky and fog instead of dark gray background color. Grayscale exposure adjusted for better contrast with scents.
* Greatly improved scent view exposure at various times of day and night, to make scents more visible.
* Wolf pack territory colors on World Map adjusted for colorblindness.
* World Map has darker tint when pack territories are displayed, for better visibility of low-strength hexes.
* Scent posts are now only visible up to 250m away.
* Adjustments to rim lighting on wolf coats, so they should look more natural at night.
* Many small improvements to sky lighting, stardome, atmospheric fog, and clouds, especially at night.
* Adjusted nighttime appearance of rocks at Amethyst waterfalls.
* Changed floating scent icon for all carcasses to better differentiate it from scent post icon.
* Modified terrain setup to eliminate lag spikes when loading terrain chunks.
* Tweaks to snow dust particles generated by wolf movement.
* Reduced wolf's stamina drain rate substantially (due to faster elk speeds).
* Adjusted wolf howl volume at mid-distance.
* Stranger wolves can no longer attack player-wolf when latter is sliding down a steep slope.
* Adjusted some fight variables so competitors will take longer to flee during a carcass confrontation.
* Reduced volume of wolf snarls a bit.
* Bull moose are less aggressive at medium distance.
* Added restriction so no more than two stranger wolves can bite player wolf simultaneously.
* Adjusted Scentview/Headcam rotation sensitivity to better match third-person camera orbit sensitivity.
* Fossil forest objects are now walkable.
* Some new cougar sounds.
* Adjusted volume discrepancies during heavy rain and storm.

[h3]BUGS FIXED[/h3]
* Main Menu: In wolf bio, "AE" is blocked by badwords list.
* Ravens often don't appear at carcasses.
* Mate bounces up and down on carcass.
* Ungulate mothers sometime stand idle instead of defending calf under attack.
* Floppy can escape from her quarters.
* Wolf forelegs float in air when standing up from some lying down poses.
* Wolf body is not aligned with ground when sleeping on slope.
* Various glitches when walking on rocks.
* Camera clips into mate and stranger wolves.
* Player-wolf can get stuck on rocks and trees if being force-walked back from map border.
* Elk occasionally freeze up for some seconds.
* Mate very occasionally teleports far, far away from player.
* Wolf clips into ground in front of strip mall in Lost River.
* Health readout for Cow Elk Carcass says Elk Cow Carcass. (Why? We use that naming scheme for all animals so they stay organized alphabetically.)
* No elk herd at end of scent trail.
* Stranger scent posts can appear beyond the map border.
* Sometimes ground scents are very very faint in Fantastic and Glorious graphics levels.
* Player-wolf looks straight down during emotes when standing over carcass or meat chunk.
* Scent readout can get stuck with same age for long stretches of time.
* Overwrite Save popup gets stuck onscreen.
* Damage readouts appear over animal that camera is locked onto, even if player-wolf is biting a different animal.
* Mule deer fawn has wrong body glow color in scent view.
* In certain quality settings, sometimes a dark shape or smear appears near the sun.
* Fight/Flee meter on some competitors can get glitched, with the Flee meter rapidly rising and falling.
* Radio collar clips into wolf sometimes when lying down or walking or stalking.
* Sky is visible through hole in back of wolf's mouth.
* Cougar struggle animation doesn't loop well.
* Occasionally a duplicate wolf appears during courtship (duplicate of a dispersal).
* Wolf head looks down or vibrates when doing emotes while standing on carcass.
* Elk tongue sticks out of snout slightly when running.
* Delay in deleting game file when sleeping.
* Lost River: Floating scentprints over a warehouse.
* Lost River: Mate can get stuck when crossing the bridge.
* Lost River: Missing collider by Hank's Ditch storm drain (allowed player to go underground, then get stuck).
* Lost River: Dispersal wolves can go inside grocery store.
* Lost River: NPC animals can walk on air around the tunnel entrance.
* Lost River: Alley next to grocery store is too narrow to navigate properly.
* Terrain texture and bumpiness issues.
* On MacOS, on some Intel integrated graphics cards, distant trees are pixellated.

With the new update of WolfQuest: Anniversary Edition, v1.0.4, now in public beta, our week is devoted to bugfixing. We get lots of bug reports from players (and we’re extremely grateful to have such help), but somebody has to review all the incoming reports and decide what to do about them. So today’s devblog give you a peek at this process. Not as exciting as new animals or new gameplay, but essential to the development process nevertheless. So if you’re the kind of person who wants to see some mundane tasks of a game developer, this video is for you! If you’re not….well, hopefully next week’s video will be more interesting for you.

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

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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).