WolfQuest: Anniversary Edition News

WolfQuest v1.0.2. public beta 11.
Windows version only, will add Mac soon.

IMPROVEMENTS:
* Mate will stalk if player stalks, when hunting. (Bold mates are less likely to do this.)
* Mates, especially if cautious, not charge into the hunt as eagerly without being prompted by the player, unless the player takes too long.
* Adjusted camera angle when zoomed out behind wolf (reduced the tilt a bit).
* Meat chunks will emit floating scents now (but may not if there are a lot of other floating scents around, due to performance constraints).
* Keyboard/mouse icons in Tutorial Tips will reflect player remapping.
* Odds of wind direction evened out some. (A bit less accurate to Yellowstone weather patterns, but helpful for finding floating scents.)

BUGS FIXED:
* Can get stuck if you jump into a boulder.
* Various glitches when waking from sleep (more fixes for this bug).
* Rare issue with saving mate after completing trial mission.
* Some distant trees have bluish trunks.
* Wolf footfall audio stops playing if you zoom out and then back in.
* Cottonwood and aspen tree leaves look bad in certain lighting angles.
* Wolf stops running when doing emote.
* In Wolf Customization, wrong coat assigned to Lamar pack #5.
* Rear legs on coyote corpse are unnaturally bent.
* In bug reporter, the priority options are out of order.
* Various terrain tweaks and improvements.

CONTROLLER SUPPORT IMPROVEMENTS:
* Xbox and DS4 icons appear in Tutorial Tips if controller is set to active in Game Settings: Controls.

KNOWN ISSUES:
* On Macs using Intel integrated graphics on Basic graphics mode, distant trees are sometimes multicolored.
* Some non-Sony DS4 controllers are not recognized, we're working on it!

Oops, a bad bug snuck into the last beta, causing various problems with scents in Scent View. This beta build fixes those issues. (You can check the version in bottom-left corner of the main menu.)

Available now for Windows, coming later today for Mac.

Both Windows and Mac builds are available now.

Knowing when and how to fight (or flee) means understanding the risks and rewards when you encounter competitors – grizzly bears, coyotes, foxes, cougars, and, of course, other wolves. We asked JayPlays, a popular YouTuber and longtime WolfQuest player and beta tester, to suggest some tips and tactics to both avoid fights whenever possible and fight successfully whenever a clash is impossible to avoid. Here’s her video — enjoy!

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

And then go enjoy many more videos of WolfQuest and other animal games on her YouTube channel.

A new build of the public beta for WQ:AE v1.0.2 is available now. If you've opted into the beta channel, it should update automatically. We do now have the Mac beta available as well, sorry for the delay on that.

If you haven't (or missed last week's announcement about the public beta), please go see that announcement here.

We're glad that so many players have opted into the beta -- your bug reports are invaluable! Keep it up!

[h2]v1.0.2. public beta 9[/h2]

[h3]IMPROVEMENTS:[/h3]
* Fish dropped by eagles now function like other meat chunks: carryable and with food value.
* Main camera view adjusted so player-wolf is lower on screen, showing more of landscape ahead.
* If you activate Photo Mode (Shift-P) while bite-holding an animal, bite-hold will continue if you use right-arrow key to step forward in time.
* Reduced mule deer maximum speed a bit.
* Reduced aggressiveness of bull elk and moose a bit.
* Reduced spawning frequency of grizzly bears.
* Golden eagles sometimes feed on carcasses now.
* Mate is sometimes too selfish about hunting hares.

[h3] BUGS FIXED:[/h3]
* Mule deer occasionally spawn right in front of player.
* Two instances of same stranger or dispersal wolf.
* Dispersals are frozen sometimes.
* In certain situations, ungulate prey don't react to attacks on themselves or a calf or fawn.
* Some trees make camera snap closer or farther from wolf, especially in free cam movement.
* Gray vignette and/or wavy dream effect from sleeptime don't disappear after waking up.
* Invisible obstacles.
* Rim light is too bright on some wolves at night.
* Snow dust effect appears under wolf when on cliff rocks.
* Wolf head occasionally doesn't play howl animation when howling.
* Drinking water repeatedly stops playing animation, but still plays sound.
* When waking up from sleep, mate stands up to do an emote, then lays down, then stands up again.
* In Customization, can't select certain howls in certain situations.
* In Customization panel, the "modify wolf" button becomes highlighted when toggling through wolves.
* In Customization panel, wWhen modifying a wolf that has a radio collar on, customizer loads wolf without the collar.
* Y Axis incorrectly inverted in Scentview and related issues.
* "Hide name in HUD" setting isn't saved in saved game.
* Eagles and ravens let predators get too close.
* Grass is floating above a cliff rock.
* Snow on some cliff rocks is black.
* Two bull elk herds congregate in the valley.
* Various terrain tweaks and improvements.

[h3]CONTROLLER SUPPORT IMPROVEMENTS:[/h3]
* Enabled right/left bumpers to navigate on Map/Quests/Pack Info panels.
* Added easier way to navigate to Reset button on Remap Controller panel.
* Added onscreen keyboard for bug reporter panel.
* Added a deadzone slider in Game Settings: Controls

[h3]CONTROLLER BUGS FIXED:[/h3]
* Can't do Stalk gait with controller.
* Controller sometimes isn't recognized after disconnecting and reconnecting it.
* Onscreen keyboard can appear on Name Mate popup even if controller is disabled.

A lot of players have asked over the years how they can become beta testers -- and now they can! We’ve been working for the past two months on a couple substantial new features, and we’re ready now to open this new version, v1.0.2, to public beta testing. Anyone on Steam who want to try these new features can do so. Those who prefer to stick to the official released version can stay on that until the beta period is over and we release this version as the official current release.

This beta is currently for Windows only, but we should have the Mac beta out in a few days. The beta is available only on Steam, because it has a very easy-to-use method of switching between beta builds and the released build.

Watch the video to see what’s in this new version, and for some tips on submitting useful bug reports:

[previewyoutube]YT VIDEO[/previewyoutube]


[h2]To get the beta build:[/h2]

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.

Please use the F11 Bug Reporter to submit bug reports, but you can also discuss issues on the new Public Beta discussion forum on Steam: https://steamcommunity.com/app/926990/discussions/2/

[h2]This beta build has the following changes:[/h2]

[h3]New AI Pathfinding System[/h3]
This replaces the pathfinding and obstacle avoidance system in the game. It's much more robust for both large-scale topography (like steep cliffs) and small objects like trees and boulders.

[h3]Controller Support[/h3]
We have complete support now for the Xbox controller (PS4 and Steam Controller support will be added in the final release of v1.0.2.). Please refer to the Controller diagram in Game Settings: Controls for guidance, as we have not yet added controller icons to the game tutorials and help screens. Remapping should generally work, though not well tested yet.

[h3]Other Improvements[/h3]
* Refined the lighting intensity and effects, especially at dawn/dusk and nighttime, with and without moonlight.
* Revised the cliff rocks with new shader for better realism and dynamic snow.
* Tweaked grizzly bear run-animation speed.
* Improved general appearance of snow on ground
* Removed white haze in sky when rain/storm clears.
In Glorious quality level, grass and shadow distance is increased, for better visuals and slightly worse performance.
* Grizzly bears should be a bit less common now.

[h3]Bugs Fixed[/h3]
* Missing guitar-emote music during courtship.
* Can get stuck on rocks or trees when sliding down steep slope.
* Can skate on pond surface if you jump onto pond from land.
* Duplicate bull herds.
* Too many bulls in one place (won't be fixed in saves)
* Terrain tweaks and fixes.
* Clouds evolve shape too quickly.
* Snow on gnarly white bark pine was too extensive.
* Problems with invert camera toggles.
* Pink mule deer carcass.
* Placement problems with snow on grizzlies
* Wolf skull in Fossil Forest is too small.
* Areas where you can get stuck in cliff rocks.
* Sometimes prey run too slowly when you are chasing them.
* Mismatched coat texture on one dispersal wolf in Courtship popup.
* When playing on Fastest quality, eagle wings have holes.
* Some nature sounds don't respect audio slider settings.
* Shadows are too jiggly sometimes.
* Various terrain tweaks and refinements