WolfQuest: Anniversary Edition News

NOTE: Game saves ARE backward compatible with the last released patch, v2.0.0b. Multiplayer games are also backward-compatible either, so you can play with those who have that last-released patch.

See bottom of this page for instructions on opting into the beta.

[h2]Beta 7 - 2 January 2025[/h2]

BUGS FIXED:
* After sleeping, wolf badge elements are slightly transparent.
* Hellroaring: Call the Wild collectible doesn't spawn in fall season. (Should spawn now even in saved games.)
* Rival wolves are sometimes slightly skewed when chasing target.
* Some games stall when loading saves named a certain way.
* Packmate tries to take a hare carcass home during a hunting trip.
* Minor terrain and water issues.
________________________

[h2]Beta 6 - 1 January 2025[/h2]

BUGS FIXED:
* Packmates are often not very active during showdown with ungulates.
* Courtship: can be difficult to get past initial Suspicious phase (especially with rival pack leaders).
* Pup Sick notification may not appear if triggered just before Growing Pups quest ends.
* Pups At Den music jumping between clips while pups emerge from den at the start of Raise Pups.
* Game Help texts: added F/F meter to Rival Wolf Pack entry, corrected mouse glyph on Movement Controls; added more info about Bad Shape pups.
* An interaction between dreaming and turning HUD option to OFF could make notification blocked until HUD is visible again.
________________________

[h2]Beta 6 - 30 December 2024[/h2]

[h3]BUGS FIXED[/h3]
* Error in June mule deer fawn causes game to stall when loading a save.
* Mate succession causes subordinate wolves to be listed as siblings.
________________________

[h2]Beta 4 - 30 December 2024[/h2]

[h3]NEW[/h3]
* Added new "Recent Notifications" section in Quests panel, which shows notifications from current game session. (Not saved for future game sessions.)
* Added "Are you sure?" popup to confirm Permanent Death panel's "Finish" button.

[h3]IMPROVEMENTS[/h3]
* Reduced hold attack duration if it can't find a bite point, to avoid long pauses in action.
* Affinity bar on Wolf Badge: Indicates current Affinity cap (e.g. capped at 75% when solo parent).
* Persistent Packs: Make packs with no territory prefer their first hex to be in vacant territory far from others.
* Wolf Customization: Allow radio collar for yearling player-wolves.
* Prevent pups from responding to contact play while in bad shape.
* Increased pup raid and invasion frequency and difficulty when player-pack is large.
* Increased chances of pups leaving tall grass during pup raids.
* Increased damage from critical hits on Young Hunter pups.
* Improved NPC wolf behavior when choosing a bite point when close to prey and competitors.
* Reduced hold attack duration if it can't find a bite point, to avoid long pauses in action.

[h3]BUGS FIXED[/h3]
* Packmates passive when player bites a beaver.
* Known Wolves panel: when selecting the top map section, game doesn't scroll all the way up to make sure the headings are not partially hidden.
* Packmates try to go to rest at the homesite, even when on a hunting trip.
* Calves can get stuck doing "Follow Mother" action when doing routine actions.
* Scent posts disappear when placed inside navgrid contours.
* Packmates can get stuck while on excursion.
* Most recent year dens are not remembered when not having the good memory perk (only if not moving maps).
* Wolves will court an incompatible mate (i.e. same sex, siblings) in rare coincidence with random number generation.
* Save corruption with current mission (e.g. Find Mate trial gets stuck at 99%).
* NPCs don't reliably start a bite-hold attack when close to opponent during predator fight.
* Popup claims a pack leader is ready for courtship, even when they're not interested in the player and it's actually subordinates you'll be courting.
* Pup or hare being ignored while in someone's mouth.
* Can get stuck on invisible pup dispersing panel.
* Trial mates getting flagged as former player-wolf (resulting in pack code thinking they are a former leader dispersing if player later on courts their origin pack leader).
* Corrupted save with player-pack added to NPC hunting parties.
* In Game Settings, Display tab: Windowed mode does not show correct resolution initially.
* Hex Invasion: Compass icon doesn't appear if invading pack is on far opposite side of the map.
* Two newlywed packs fight over the same initial hex forever.

_____________________
[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.

[h2]v2.0.0b - RELEASED 20 DECEMBER 2024[/h2]

[h3]NOTE: [/h3]
If the game sometimes runs in slow motion for you (with good FPS), please try changing the display resolution settings and VSynch setting (in Game Settings: Display), and/or updating your graphics drivers.

[h3]IMPROVEMENTS[/h3]
* Multiple AI optimizations which should improve performance especially during prey hunts and wolf fights.
* When moving maps, game now chooses the most appropriate territory config in the new map.
* Increased odds of successful courtship when dispersal wolf courts a wolf in the player's pack.
* Persistent packs: Made it more likely (in code and by fixing a bug) of unrelated-to-player dispersals that are already on the map of becoming a new rival pack after another pack disbands.
* Improved randomization of names when rival packs are formed.
* Added information about map moving to Game Help: World Map.
* Known Wolves: Added "Clear Departed Wolves" button.
* Improved odds of pups doing contact interactions like wrestling and tail biting. (May need more work though.)
* Made distance matter more and fondness less when determining who a wolf plays with (fondness was dominating it, causing the same wolves to play together too repetitively).
* Performance optimization when determining if an animal to target is too deep in water to attack.
* Slough Creek: Removed all "Dangerous Territory" alerts when marking hexes around the outer areas of the map.
* Clarified some achievement texts.
* Corrected the "I'm Juggling As Fast As I Can" achievement text (said requirement was to finish YH quest, but actually is to finish GP quest).
* Clarified some quest tests.
* Added entry to Game Help about Elder Wolf.
* Shortened Survive with Family quest in winter by two game-days (not that this gives you less time to find a mate if you need one).
* If pup who suffered Unknown Fate reappears later, their status will be updated on the Family Tree.
* Apply Den Memory and clear dens correctly while in Survive Missions for a long time.
* Some refinements to NPC wolf courtship and pairing when not spawned.
* Sad Parent is now unlocked if pup dies of health loss caused by hunger.
* Changed priority on all Packmate Dispersed notifications so they appear even if Common Notifications are hidden.
* Hellroaring: Added some winter holiday decor during winter season.
* Hellroaring: Show flashing red edge effect when hunter shoots any pack member.

[h3]BUGS FIXED[/h3]
* Issues with newlywed wolves not being created when they should.
* Multiplayer: Sometimes the bio panel shows the same wolf's bio for everyone.
* Wolves pick up meat chunks even nearly to full to give to an injured packmate -- only to realize that the packmate wasn't hungry and there was a carcass right by them.
* Airborne scent for lost pup has wrong shape and color.
* Packmates weave back and forth too much when targeting prey on the run.
* Multiplayer: Player-wolves appear to be stuck in limbo.
* Multiplayer: Game broken when reloading a MP save.
* Multiplayer: Injuries not preserved during host transfer.
* Multiplayer: Pack Life games could get into a state where resuming the game from a save or doing host migration broke things, including showing a broken wolf badge for the host or forgetting injuries of clients.
* Young Hunter pups don't close their eyes when howling.
* In photo mode, tutorial tip doesn't turn itself off if HUD is already disabled when entering photo mode.
* Some presaga saves getting upgraded twice, causing saves to stall during load.
* Error after upgrading presaga saves with disbanded packs until they get destroyed.
* Unborn pups of player have default sequence names (16xx).
* GP and YH pups' jaws sometimes glitch out briefly when picking up an object.
* Minor terrain and water issues.
* When loading presaga saves, some adult wolves can be "Unborn" after moving maps.
* Dead wolves still alive in some presaga saves.
* Mark previous player wolf as known wolf after succession.
* Toad's scent trail says Snowshoe Hare until you get close to it.
* Game can crash in rare situation when two groups in player's pack are trying to merge back together.
* In player's pack, yearlings are categorized as siblings after player switches to play as pup in Pack Succession.
* Family Tree: Some causes of death do not display for pups.
* Dead mate listed as still alive in KW panel as alive (possibly fixed).
* Some map hex icons have messy edges.
* Hellroaring: Wolverine never does dive-under-wolf attack.
* Minor terrain and water issues.

The WolfQuest Saga adds more than an hour of new music to the game and we've now added these new tracks to the WolfQuest Soundtrack, which is available for purchase on Steam or itch.io. The price is still US $10! If you already have the soundtrack, it should update automatically on Steam. If you bought it on itch.io, go to your download page on itchio for the soundtrack and download the whole package again. (Go here to have your purchase receipt email sent to you again, look under "Recover Purchases")

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

Most of these new tracks are by Tim Buzza, and they are classic WolfQuest -- but now with banjo! The banjo represents the young hunter pups learning to hunt elk, exploring their wilderness world, and just lazing around. But we also persuaded Ben Woolman to create some tracks with Fingerstyle guitar. So with over an hour of new music, the WolfQuest Soundtrack now has nearly four hours of music! Many thanks to everyone who has bought, or will buy, the soundtrack and other DLC -- your support really helps us keep developing the game!

The next patch, v2.0.0b, is now in Public Beta for Windows and Mac!

[h2]BETA 4[/h2]

[h3]IMPROVEMENTS[/h3]
* Increased odds of successful courtship when dispersal wolf courts a wolf in the player's pack.
* Persistent packs: Made it more likely (in code and by fixing a bug) of unrelated-to-player dispersals that are already on the map of becoming a new rival pack after another pack disbands.
* Improved randomization of names when rival packs are formed.
* Some refinements to NPC wolf courtship and pairing when not spawned.
* Sad Parent is now unlocked if pup dies of health loss caused by hunger.
* Changed priority on all Packmate Dispersed notifications so they appear even if Common Notifications are hidden.
* Hellroaring: Added some winter holiday decor during winter season.

[h3]BUGS FIXED[/h3]
* Issues with newlywed wolves not being created when they should.
* Multiplayer: Sometimes the bio panel shows the same wolf's bio for everyone.

________________________

[h2]BETA 3[/h2]

[h3]IMPROVEMENTS[/h3]
* Known Wolves: Added confirmation step when clicking Clear Departed Wolves.
* Apply Den Memory and clear dens correctly while in Survive Missions for a long time.

[h3]BUGS FIXED[/h3]
* Wolves pick up meat chunks even nearly to full to give to an injured packmate -- only to realize that the packmate wasn't hungry and there was a carcass right by them.
* Airborne scent for lost pup has wrong shape and color.
* Packmates weave back and forth too much when targeting prey on the run.

________________________

[h2]BETA 2[/h2]

[h3]IMPROVEMENTS[/h3]
* Multiple AI optimizations which should improve performance especially during prey hunts and wolf fights.
* When moving maps, game now chooses the most appropriate territory config in the new map.

[h3]BUGS FIXED[/h3]
* Multiplayer: Player-wolves appear to be stuck in limbo.
* Young Hunter pups don't close their eyes when howling.
* In photo mode, tutorial tip doesn't turn itself off if HUD is already disabled when entering photo mode.
* Some presaga saves getting upgraded twice, causing saves to stall during load.
* Error after upgrading presaga saves with disbanded packs until they get destroyed.
* Unborn pups of player have default sequence names (16xx).
* GP and YH pups' jaws sometimes glitch out briefly when picking up an object.
* Minor terrain and water issues.
________________________

[h2]BETA 1[/h2]

[h3]IMPROVEMENTS[/h3]
* Added information about map moving to Game Help: World Map.
* Known Wolves: Added "Clear Departed Wolves" button.
* Improved odds of pups doing contact interactions like wrestling and tail biting. (May need more work though.)
* Made distance matter more and fondness less when determining who a wolf plays with (fondness was dominating it, causing the same wolves to play together too repetitively).
* Performance optimization when determining if an animal to target is too deep in water to attack.
* Slough Creek: Removed all "Dangerous Territory" alerts when marking hexes around the outer areas of the map.
* Clarified some achievement texts.
* Corrected the "I'm Juggling As Fast As I Can" achievement text (said requirement was to finish YH quest, but actually is to finish GP quest).
* Clarified some quest tests.
* Added entry to Game Help about Elder Wolf.
* Shortened Survive with Family quest in winter by two game-days (not that this gives you less time to find a mate if you need one).
* If pup who suffered Unknown Fate reappears later, their status will be updated on the Family Tree.
* Hellroaring: Show flashing red edge effect when hunter shoots any pack member.

[h3]BUGS FIXED[/h3]
* When loading presaga saves, some adult wolves can be "Unborn" after moving maps.
* Dead wolves still alive in some presaga saves.
* Mark previous player wolf as known wolf after succession.
* Toad's scent trail says Snowshoe Hare until you get close to it.
* Multiplayer: Game broken when reloading a MP save.
* Multiplayer: Injuries not preserved during host transfer.
* Multiplayer: Pack Life games could get into a state where resuming the game from a save or doing host migration broke things, including showing a broken wolf badge for the host or forgetting injuries of clients
* Game can crash in rare situation when two groups in player's pack are trying to merge back together.
* In player's pack, yearlings are categorized as siblings after player switches to play as pup in Pack Succession.
* Family Tree: Some causes of death do not display for pups.
* Dead mate listed as still alive in KW panel as alive (possibly fixed).
* Some map hex icons have messy edges.
* Hellroaring: Wolverine never does dive-under-wolf attack.
* Minor terrain and water issues.

[h2]v2.0.0a - RELEASED 13 DECEMBER 2024[/h2]

[h3]NEW[/h3]
* New hidden achievement and related functionality.

[h3]IMPROVEMENTS[/h3]
* Rival packs now prefer invading hexes towards map edge if they don't have enough, when in no-homesite seasons.
* Improved rival pack's skill at choosing homesites that make sense given pack's territory.
* Ensure that rival packs don't choose home hexes in vacant territory when there's much closer ones available in neighboring hexes.
* Pack Info: Show "Elder Wolf" label for other packmates than mate.
* Pack Info: Expanded Packmates area when Your Homes section is hidden.
* When more than seven wolves in player's pack are at the the homesite, coyotes won't try to attack.
* To reduce wastage of meat chunks at a carcass (caused by packmates grabbing a chunk but then filling up before all food has been eaten from chunk), packmates now will not pick up chunks when they are almost full.
* Older packmates are less interesting than younger packmates in running around and playing with pups at any given level of wakefulness.
* Multiplayer: Pups will now go in the den if the last babysitter disconnects.
* Fine-tuning rival wolf mortality odds at older ages.
* During pack howl at end of Young Hunters, old "triumph" music now plays.
* Compass and World Map now share the same rule about visibility of den and rendezvous sites icons.
* In social exchanges with the player, made packmate conflict dissipation emotes give only a small amount of affinity and emit a single heart.
* Fine-tuning dispersal odds in player pack.
* Controller: Added fallback glyphs for controller types.
* Hellroaring Mountain: On low graphics settings when boulder fields are not rendered due to performance constraints, player-wolf is now turned around with a notification, as when at border.

[h3]BUGS FIXED[/h3]
* During hunts, after woofing Young Hunter pups on low health to back off, they can get too close to prey which are doing standing defense.
* Wolves with eye customizations don't show those in Family Tree preview.
* In Compass, scent post icon isn't quite centered.
* Iron/Elder Wolf death defaulted to Thermal Burns in some cases, incorrectly.
* When playing as dispersed pup, Hex Invasion icon appears for invasions against the player's old pack.
* Pressing ESC just when permanent death panel opens can freeze the game.
* Early Graduation achievement sometimes doesn't unlock when it should. (Possiby fixed, please submit report if you don't get achievement when you should.)
* Some pup-related notifications do not appear in certain circumstances.
* Packmates do T4 (tucked tail) after winning a fight.
* Minor terrain and river issues.
* Newly-dispersed pup's save loads as parent. (Fixed in existing saves too.)
* Packmate dig when they have a major leg injury.
* Error causes black screen in certain circumstances when pups disperse.
* Error causes Pack Succession to get stuck if pack has wolves eager to disperse.
* When multiple pups disperse, only one of them is saved even when multiple are selected to save.
* Multiplayer: "Strength of a Wolf" and similar achievements don't unlock even after player reaches Endless Summer.
* Multiplayer: Some achievement descriptions still say "raise pups to 20 pounds" (instead of 25).
* Pregnancy issues after female mate dies or player does Pack Succession.
* Packmates run into player-wolf when doing Bouncy gait.
* If player got far into August in presaga Endless Summer, Growing Pups quest is truncated.
* In About the Saga text, RNG "Sickness Only" text says max litter size is 5 pups, should say 6 pups.
* Sibling pack stats row shows outdated injury stats.
* World Map shows packmates icon for pups at home.
* Minor terrain issues.