WolfQuest: Anniversary Edition News

No video this week but enjoy this lovely vista by Defnemia. Speaking of screenshots, we’ve added some of our contest winners’ screenshots to the Steam and Itch.io stores. They look great! Thanks again, everyone who sent in screenshots.

And thank you to everyone who purchased the new Yellowstone Wolf Coats DLC and also the folks who bought the WolfQuest Soundtrack and Music Extras! Proceeds go right back into supporting game development.

If you haven’t had a chance to write a Steam review for the game or for any DLC you have purchased, good reviews make a huge difference to WolfQuest.

We just posted this month’s WolfQuest Giveaway. If you already have the game, you can enter the drawing for a chance to win free DLC! Or you could win and then gift something to a friend. Look for the contest details and how to enter on various social media.

So, what are we up to this week? Tommi has been working on beaver AI, drawing on the latest research by the Voyageur Wolf Project about wolf predation on beavers. Mikko has fixed some multiplayer bugs but mostly has focused on a new, improved system for rendering scent particles, which should solve a number of problems caused by the old system. Andrei fixed a bunch of bugs and is now working on a very cool, unannounced feature that we hope to release within a month. He also figured out a solution for the out-of-sync music bug, which meant Dave had to spend a bunch of time re-exporting music files to match the new method. George has been testing and tuning variables in that unannounced new feature. Susan’s highlights this week: getting the word out about the new Yellowstone Wolf Coats DLC and researching meat chunk textures (and before breakfast, too!).

We have a public beta about to go up with some important bug fixes. So that’s always good!

NOTE: This beta IS compatible with saved games and wolves, and with multiplayer in the last release, 1.0.6o, so you can switch back to that version if you want, and you can play on this beta with others who have 1.0.6o.

This beta is only for Windows.

[h2]BETA 1[/h2]

[h3]IMPROVEMENTS:[/h3]
* In multiplayer, chat settings are saved and used in future sessions.
* Cougars are now sometimes a bit harder to chase away when stalking pups.
* Switched Amethyst winter creeks to have ice texture matching those in Slough Creek.

[h3]BUGS FIXED:[/h3]
* Multiplayer game saves sometimes fail to load. (Two causes of this are now fixed.)
* Saving game fails, shows error> (One cause of this is now fixed.)
* Pups in Family Tree preview sometimes are deformed.
* When elk are alarmed (head held high), their tongue pokes through lower jaw slightly.
* As seen from the ridge, Lamar Valley in winter has some poor texturing.
* In summertime, Slough Creek creek audio can have odd audio effects.
* There's a paucity of cow moose in May.
* One meat chunk on buck mule deer carcass depletes carcass food too much.
* Elk float too high in the water when swimming.
* When player goes into den and sees mate already in there, mate has some excess/overlapping meshes.
* Adjusted placement of one meat chunk in the mouth.
* Removed some excessively-cautious words from the badwords list.
* Correction to Learn to Hunt game help text.
* Wolf Customization has DLC "?" button on other panels besides Coat.
* Water and terrain issues.

[h2]BETA 2[/h2]

BUGS FIXED:
* Save Game button sometimes is not displayed in Options menu (gets stuck when Qust Completion popup is blocked).
* Big Blaze has miscolored claw.
* Water issue.

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 the new Yellowstone Wolf Coat DLC (only for WolfQuest: AE for PC/Mac) or the WolfQuest Soundtrack and Music Extras.

[h2]How to Enter[/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 before midnight (Eastern Daylight Time) on Thursday, March 18, 2021..

[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.

Patch v1.0.6o - Released 5 March 2021

IMPROVEMENTS:
* Increased the odds that, if you have purchased the Coat DLC, some of those coats will be assigned to dispersal wolves. (Will only be effective in new games.)

BUGS FIXED:
* Spitfire is misclassified as a genetically gray coat.
* Dispersals with one DLC coat have wrong image on courtship panel.
* In 106n2, DLC coats can be assigned to dispersals for players who have not purchased the DLC pack. (Side-effect of last night's hotfix. If you started a new game and found a mate with a DLC coat, lucky you!)
* Mysterious cube floating above rocky slope in Slough Creek.

We are rolling this hotfix out as quickly as we can. Currently available for Windows. Mac coming soon. Mac is out now too.
[h3]
BUGS FIXED:[/h3]
* Dispersals and grown pups do not get DLC coats even if player has purchased them. This fix will only be effective in new games. Sorry about that!
* F11 does not open bug reporter in main menu.