Two topics today:

1) We've added five wolf coat variations to ensure more variety in the dispersals with black coats that you encounter when looking for a mate. There's always been a bit of a shortage of true black coats (e.g. black without any tint), which leads to several dispersals having the same black coat -- but this became quite noticeable after adding the Luna coat, since it's so distinctive. So now dispersals have more coats to choose from when the game generates them. Note that these new coats are (a) variations of existing coats and (b) not available to the player in wolf customization. However, pups can have these coats when grown, so that's how you can ultimately play as a wolf with one of them. Remember that we are also working on a DLC pack with fifteen coats based on real Yellowstone wolves and hope to get that out within a few weeks. (Luna is part of the Ambassador wolf coat set that we released with Slough Creek. Learn more about the wolves who inspired these coats on our website.

2) Slough Creek is a vast area, and placenames can help you orient yourself -- but the game map currently only has a few. We'd like to add a few more, at least, and so we're looking for ideas! We think placenames should be generally descriptive, along the lines of real Yellowstone names like Soda Butte, Pebble Creek and Round Prairie, but sometimes with a dash of imagination, like the Yellowstone peak called "The Thunderer." We don't think human names or Tolkieneque names are suitable. If you have an idea, go to that location in the game, open the World Map, and press F11 to submit a feedback report with your suggestion.

Now available on the public beta branch (instructions below). Windows only. No changes to save game version, so this is backward-compatible with last official release, 1.0.6g. No problems switching back to that if you need to.


* If starting a new game with a wolf that has completed the Amethyst quests, you skip the Learn to Hunt quest and immediately begin the Find a Mate quest.

* Further reduce the chances that multiple dispersal wolves will have the same coat.
* Reduce the odds that multiple pups in a litter will have the same coat as adults.
* reduced odds and damage from fall/winter calf elk kickoff.
* reduced wolf max speed when carrying moose calf.
* Flattened grass added to rendezvous sites and in meadows in springtime.
* Game remembers if dens and rendezvous sites were toggled on or off in World Map.

* Game stalls when loading a multiplayer saved game for Lost River.
* In multiplayer, leaving game immediately is not always reliable.
* Mackenzie coat has a bit of white on the upper eyelid with some fur settings.
* Snow can accumulate in dirt dens.
* Patchy fur on pup chin.
* Moose calf has odd coloration when fur is disabled.
* No gallop sound effect when wolf is running up steep hill.
* Boltz coat has pattern mismatch on crown of head.
* Sometimes the wolf coat when fur is disabled doesn't match the coat when fur is enabled.
* In certain cases, game freezes when remapping controls.
* Renaming a pup that's in the den gets "(In Den)" permanently added to its name.
* Some mismatch between characters allowed in password fields on Register and Login panels.
* On some computer hardware and game graphics settings, water bodies float in air when sprinting.
* Pups can get stuck alongside river in certain situations.
* Courtship banner for one wolf doesn't match wolf's coat.
* If mate commands pups into den, the command lingers even if the player or mate returns home.
* Terrain and water issues.
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.


Public Beta: 1.0.6h beta 2 - Released 20 January

* Five new black coats for NPC wolves. These are variations on existing coats, modified to look distinctive. They are not available in the Wolf Customization panel, but stranger wolves and dispersals have a chance of getting these coats. Grown pups can also get them (which is the only way to play as a wolf with one of these coats). (Why did we add these? We were having trouble preventing multiple wolves from having the same coat, due to the paucity of true untinted black coats, so now NPCs have five more black coats to choose from, which along with some other measures should prevent duplicates.)
* When Pack Territories are displayed on the World Map, a new toggle in lower-right will display all territories' hex strength percentages (intended for controller usage but might be helpful to anyone.)

* If starting a new game in Amethyst with a wolf who has completed those quests before, the game now shows the episode introduction and then skips the Learn to Hunt quest info, going directly to Find a Mate quest.

* Sometimes the Show Dens button doesn't appear when it should on World Map.
* Distant landscape in early spring has no snow. (Still working bug with those landscapes having no snow in late spring and summer.)
* Flattened grass at rendezvous site is brown rather than green.
* In multiplayer, the chat panel covers up part of the Accounts panel, blocking the Add Friend input field.
* White wolf coat has a weird white mark at the tip of the tail.


Public Beta: 1.0.6h beta 3 - Released 21 January

* Reduced the wait time to reinforce a scent post from 24 hours to four hours.
* Modest increase in the odds that a grizzly bear will attack pups at the den.
* Establish Territory quest doesn't require a specific territory gain or den discovery action to reach completion. (Previously did, so was possible to meet requirements but not trigger completion.
* Enlarged and adjusted text display on territory hex readouts when all are toggled on.
* Added some anti-cheat measures to multiplayer.

* On World Map, territory hex readout doesn't appear on mouseover (regression in last beta after adding toggle to display all hex readouts).
* Find New Den mission doesn't end properly (regression in last beta).
* Courtship banner for one wolf doesn't match the coat.
* Game accepts keyboard inputs when another app has focus.
* Pack naming GUI displays repeatedly.
* Pup can get stuck in grass and refuse to come out.
* When getting a new mate out of a group of siblings in Slough Creek, the siblings and your new mate turn against each other immediately.


* If a grown pup has one of the new black coats, it breaks the wolf customization panel.


Some strangers wolves do not interactable (no Flight/Flight meter, can't bite them).

* Occasionally you'll get the "Dangerous Territory" alert when marking in the central area of the map.
* On the World Map, some custom markers are rotated based on the player-wolf's orientation in the game world.

* New Find a New Mate subquest in Slough Creek: If your mate dies in Slough Creek, a new subquest begins to find a new mate. This uses the same mechanics as Amethyst Find a Mate, except there is no trial period -- they join the pack immediately.
* New Endless Summer quest after completing Loaf quest. (If you load a saved game that has already completed Loaf, the Loaf conclusion will appear again.)
* Mate will occasionally go into the den, if at least one pup is tired.

* Mate won't eat meat chunks unless they are hungry.
* Game now ignores keyboard inputs when another program has focus.
* Allow spaces in player-wolf name.
* Added (In Den) status to mate on Pack Stats.
* Visual improvements to fresh snowfall on ground.
* Family Tree layout will flex properly at lower resolutions.
* Adjusted grass so some of it appears in scent view.
* Reduced sickness odds a bit.

* Can change name of trial mate.
* When loading a game, all sticks and bones use the same bone model.
* Distant terrain does not get dynamic snow in May and later.
* Bored eagle notification appears for bored wolves.
* Elk calf carcass has furry innards.
* Mate can get stuck near rocky outcrop in certain situations.
* In one area of First Meadow, water splashes are heard while on dry land.
* Summer moose calf turns lighter color when it dies.
* Saddle Meadows floating scent uses old den icon.
* Elk calf carcass leg movement is suboptimal.
* Black squares and other terrain and water issues.

In the real world, if a wolf loses its mate to hunger, a dangerous prey or predator, or disease, life goes on -- and most often, the surviving wolf soon finds a new mate for itself. And now that's what can happen in Slough Creek as well. If you have mate permadeath enabled in Game Settings, and a terrible fate should befall your mate, the game won't end. Instead, you can try to raise your pups as a solo parent, or go find yourself a new mate to be your partner in parenthood. Watch today's devblog for more!



This new Find a New Mate subquest is in the next patch, 1.0.6g, which is now in public beta, and should be officially released within a few days. The rest of the patch notes are below.

This beta is for Windows only.

* If your mate dies in Slough Creek, a new subquest begins to find a new mate. This uses the same mechanics as Amethyst Find a Mate, except there is no trial period -- they join the pack immediately.
* New Endless Summer quest after completing Loaf. (If you load a saved game that has already completed Loaf, the Loaf conclusion will appear again.)

* Mate won't eat meat chunks unless they are hungry.
* Mate will occasionally go into the den, if at least one pup is tired.
* Adjusted grass so some of it appears in scent view.
* Reduced sickness odds a bit.
* Visual improvements to fresh snowfall on ground.
* Added stingers for mate death and completing Find New Mate subquest, and Find Mate music plays at start of Find New Mate.

* Water splashes near flooding, but on dry land.
* Summer moose calf turns lighter color when it dies.
* Old den marker on Saddle Meadows floating scent.
* Elk calf carcass leg movement is suboptimal.
* When loading a game, all sticks and bones become "Stick1"
* Black squares and other terrain and water issues.
* Distant terrain does not get dynamic snow in May and later
* Bored eagle notification appears for bored wolves.
* Elk calf carcass has furry innards.
* Mate can get stuck near rocky outcrop in certain situations.
* Various terrain and water issues.


IMPROVEMENTS:
* Game now ignores keyboard inputs when another program has focus.
* Prevent pup-killing strangers from becoming potential mates and vise versa.
* Allow spaces in player-wolf name.
* Added (In Den) status to mate on Pack Stats.
* Clearer label for deceased mate in Family Tree.
* Family Tree layout will flex properly at lower resolutions.

BUGS FIXED:
* Can change name of trial mate.
* Various terrain and water issues.

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 choose the WolfQuest Soundtrack and Music Extras.

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 contest1@wolfquest.org

All entries must be received before midnight (Eastern Daylight Time) on Tuesday, January 19, 2021.

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.

This patch is now available for Windows and Mac:

* Added quality levels for territory decay in Slough Creek, so on Easy, the player's territory decays substantially more slowly than before. (Challenging is unchanged, and Accurate is now slightly higher.)
* Many optimizations to prevent severe performance slowdown when many AI actions are occurring.
* Adjustments to ensure more variety in dispersal wolf coats.
* Allow spaces in pup and mate names.
* Added "Pack" to header in Family Tree.
* Ponds in April have ice underneath water (also fixes a rendering glitch with these ponds).
* Increased ambient lighting at dusk and dawn on Basic Sky & Veg mode to match that in Enhanced mode.
* Enlarged the area for den and rendezvous site music to play.

* All wolves have fur even in No Fur mode in Slough Creek.
* Occasionally wolf starts spinning uncontrollably.
* Pup is visibly outside tall grass when they are technically in hiding.
* Subquest tabs and panels are messed up on Quests panel.
* If killed soon after a season change, snowshoe hare coat changes color when it dies.
* In Family Tree, "Play as wolf" button doesn't work in a particular case.
* Two rendezvous sites have the same ID name, so loading a save for one puts you at the other site.
* Various glitches with animal movement.
* Summer elk calf is instantly mostly consumed when it dies.
* Newborn mule deer fawn glows in scent view.
* Issues with renaming mate and pups on Pack Info.
* Den can flood while player is away, forcing pups outside into danger.
* At end of Loaf quest, problems ensue if player-wolf has something in its mouth when the howling and spiral-up camera.
* At end of Find a Den quest, you can exit den by tapping a movement key, breaking elements of the season transition.
* Weird pup body angles when standing on regurgitants.
* Water and terrain issues.
* Typos and text edits.

We have just added all the new music from Slough Creek to the WolfQuest Soundtrack and Music Extras. That’s 17 new tracks (45 minutes) of new music by Ben Woolman and Tim Buzza.  The soundtrack is now 80 tracks, over two and a half hours of original music. The music has always been one of the best parts of the game, and Ben and Tim’s new music for Slough Creek is no exception. I’ve listened to these tracks so many times and I still love them every time I hear them.



Also included: a 25-minute video featuring Tim Buzza talking about how he created the signature sound of WolfQuest and many memorable tracks in the game.

If you purchased the soundtrack previously, this is a free update. It should download automatically if you purchased it on Steam. If you purchased it on itch.io, revisit your WolfQuest Music Extras download page and download it again. (Retrieving your download link for the soundtrack is the same as for the game, instructions here.)

And if you haven’t purchased it yet, here’s where to get it!
* On Steam.
* https://eduweb.itch.io/wolfquest-music.

The cost is $10 and the WolfQuest Original Soundtrack & Music Extras sales revenue help support further development of the game.

This beta is only for Windows. It has several significant improvements and fixes but these might have unexpected side effects, so we are releasing it in public beta for a few days first. The save files in this beta are compatible with the current official release (1.0.5e) so there's no problem in switching back to that after trying the beta.

* Set up quality levels for territory decay in Slough Creek, so on Easy, the player's territory decays substantially more slowly than before. (Challenging is unchanged, and Accurate is slightly higher.)
* More optimizations to prevent severe performance slowdown when many AI actions are occurring.
* Allow spaces in pup and mate names.
* Added "Pack" to header in Family Tree.

* Occasionally wolf start spinning.
* Pup is visibly outside tall grass when they are hiding.
* Subquest tabs and panels are messed up on Quests panel.
* In Family Tree, "Play as wolf" button doesn't work in a particular case.
* Terrain and water issues.
* Typos and text edits.

Beta 3 released 7 June:

* Yet more optimizations to prevent severe performance slowdown when many AI actions are occurring.
* Adjustments to ensure more variety in dispersal wolf coats.
* Enlarged the area for den and rendezvous site music to play.

* Various glitches with animal movement.
* Summer elk calf is instantly mostly consumed when it dies.
* Newborn mule deer fawn glows in scent view.
* Issues with renaming mate and pups on Pack Info.
* Den can flood while player is away, forcing pups outside into danger.
* At end of Loaf quest, wait until player-wolf has empty mouth before triggering howling and spiral-up camera.
* At end of Find a Den quest, you can exit den by tapping a movement key, breaking elements of the season transition.
* Weird pup body angles when standing on regurgitants.
* Water and terrain issues.

NOTE: The wolves shown in the Family Tree are from snapshots taken at the end of Amethyst and at the end of Slough Creek. If you change your wolf between those snapshots, those changes will not appear in the Family Tree. However, this patch has some improvements so if you get a new mate and give them the same name as your mate in a previous snapshot, the game should detect that and create a new snapshot.

IMPROVEMENTS:
* Increased pup hunger in the summer, so they will require more food, and reduced the affinity threshold at which point pups leave the tall grass patches.
* Reduced odds of den flooding a bit more.
* Family Tree: Skip dying wolves when taking a snapshot (was creating a duplicate pup in the snapshot), several new measures to ensure that the game takes a new snapshot if a wolf is different than in previous snapshot.
* Pups now have smaller scentprints than adult wolves.
* Allow the mate to follow the pack into water at all times.
* Revised alert text if mate is starving while permadeath is disabled.
* Better/longer looping music when viewing and naming newborn pups.
* You can choose a rendezvous site outside your territory, and a notification now tells you that if you try.

BUGS FIXED:
* Player can get stuck after naming their pack at the end of Establish Territory quest.
* Summer pup freezes when being carried.
* Burned tree at rendezvous site has no collider.
* Pup may be considered safe in tall grass but visually is outside it.
* One of the sticks that pups can carry about is shiny.
* Red-brown stranger wolves have taken over Slough Creek. (Error in tint settings, corrected now but will only affect new games.)
* Grizzly spring/summer cub carcass mismatch with dying body. (Can still get stuck in dying animation, which will be fixed in next patch.)
* Mule deer fawn carcass is invisible at some distances.
* Mate gets confused/stuck/can't figure out where to go.
* Mate sometimes moves past den when returning from a lone hunt
* Bark on one Douglas-fir tree type is nearly black.
* One dirt den doesn't show in scent view.)
* Mule deer fawn carcass is crumpled oddly when laying on ground.
* Mule deer fawn carcass has wrong body-scent color.
* Ambassador wolves have a bit of white around the edge of their eyes.
* When creating a multiplayer game, the Text Chat and No Chat options are buggy.
* In multiplayer games, the word "mate" is blocked incorrectly.
* Terrain and water issues.

We are rolling this patch out. It's available now for Windows and Mac on Steam.

IMPROVEMENTS:
* Den now shows your den name in scent view after you have selected it.
* Reduced the amount of foam in sloping sections of creeks.
* Reduced the odds of a flooded den.

BUGS FIXED:
* Camera is frozen for client players at the start of multiplayer.
* Subquest popup about newborn calves and fawns does not appear at all. (Should and now does appear in early June.)
* "Hide and Snack" for newborn calves and fawns plays in a smaller radius around the mother than it should, so sometimes newborn is outside music trigger range.
* Game can be saved, or auto-save can occur, after mate dies, before game is terminated, causing problems.
* Snowprints don't disappear when snow melts.
* Wolf can get stuck when sliding into a rock.
* Text typos and errors.
* Terrain and water issues.