Nov 7, 2022

Public Beta for Patch 1.0.8r - Updated with Beta 4

WolfQuest: Anniversary Edition - loboLoco

The next patch is now available on Steam in public beta for Windows and MacOS! Instructions for opting into public beta at bottom of this post.

NOTE: Game saves and wolves are compatible with the last patch, v1.0.8q, as is multiplayer -- you can do multiplayer games with people who do not have this beta.

_____________________________________

BETA 4

IMPROVEMENTS:

:* Naptime for Pups music track now plays when pups are sleeping at the rendezvous site (as well as when sleeping at the den).

BUGS FIXED:

* Some hunting tutorial tips can disappear almost immediately.
* In multiplayer, when health is exactly at 40%, the "can't do Quick Heal" notification does not get displayed properly.

_____________________________________

BETA 3

IMPROVEMENTS:

:* Another adjustment to time passage in Slough Creek multiplayer accelerated mode so newborn ungulates are born at about the same time as in the past.

BUGS FIXED:

* A few more gaps in deep snow in Amethyst.
* Minor memory leak from animal tracks functionality
* Cannot rename or edit wolf after certain rare sequence of events in wolf customizer.
* After player disabled anti-aliasing in game graphics settings, distant water bodies will rise above ground when player-wolf sprints.
* Issues with rapid clicking on the Continue button in Age Perks.
* One type of boulder in Slough Creek always has snow on it.
* Removed a few unnecessarily blocked words from the badword filter.
_____________________________________

BETA 2

IMPROVEMENTS:

:* Minor adjustments to NPC and pup coat odds (reduced odds of Life is Rough coats, increased odds of some NPC-only coats).

BUGS FIXED:

* Multiplayer: If timing is just right (or rather, just wrong), player joining during the newborn pups scene can cause game to stall.
* Multiplayer: In rare situations, host transfer fails to be initiated properly for some players.
* Changed moose meat chunk scent color to match living moose scents better.
* A few gaps in deep snow in Amethyst.
* On main menu, file sync panel can occasionally conflict when trying to log into account.
* Minor terrain and vegetation issues.
_____________________________________

BETA 1

IMPROVEMENTS:

:* When using controller, D-Pad now navigates down through the FamilY Tree pulldown list of snapshots.
* Increased the volume of elk gallop sound effect.
* Increased odds of snowfall somewhat.
* Adjusted the timing of the newborn ungulate subqeust in multiplayer accelerated time mode, so that should appear a day sooner.
* Minor refinements to animal tracks in deep snow.

BUGS FIXED:

* Degraded performance, mainly noticeable on low-end computers.
* In certain situations, multiplayer games which are closed will still appear in the lobby.
* Some spots with gaps in the deep snow surface.

_____________________________

TO GET THE BETA BUILD

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.

Nov 4, 2022

Patch v1.0.8p Released -- now with hotfix 1.0.8q!

WolfQuest: Anniversary Edition - loboLoco

v1.0.8q - Released on 4 November 2022

BUG FIXED: In multiplayer games, Host Transfer usually is blocked due to erroneous error.

NOTES:

* When Distance Blur is enabled, there is a very occasional white flash for several seconds at night. We are still investigating this and hope to have a fix in the next patch.
* Animal tracks in snow are low-resolution in certain places, mainly the flat areas of the Lamar Valley. This stems from an underlying Unity issue/optimization to terrain resolution that we can't modify, but we will continue to try to refine it.

No need to submit bug reports about either of these issues.

v1.0.8p - Released on 4 November 2022

NEW:

* In winter season, snow depth increases when it snows, and animals make snow tracks. Snow depth gradually reduces after snowfall ends. (Only occurs on Medium and High Terrain Quality settings.)
* New "Stupendous" graphics quality setting, for recent GPUs such as Nvidia 3000 series.
* New: Distance Blur visual effect, enabled by default on Glorious and Stupendous graphics quality levels, blurs the distant landscape.

NEW in Multiplayer:

* Host Transfer allows host to hand off the game to another player, who then becomes the host. On Pack Info, the host can click the "Transfer Hosting" button and choose a client player to transfer the game to. If that player accepts the transfer, the game will then reload for all players, with the new host in charge.
* MP Chat system refactored to improve code quality and to provide a better foundation for adding features.
* MP Chat Commands (out of character, nearby, whisper to another player).
* MP Chat Emotes: Trigger emotes via the chat panel by typing /whine to whine, /howl to howl, etc. (The complete list is available via the gear button on the chat panel.)
* MP Chat: New toggle to show/hide usernames in chat panel.

IMPROVEMENTS:

* A few days after Find a Mate quest begins, the players dreams when sleeping and the game jumps to December/Winter season, to give players more time and things to do in winter.
* More notifications changed to "Common" type (which can be hidden), and which now appear in lower-right corner when enabled.
* When creating a private multiplayer game, new button to sort friend names alphabetically.
* Reorganized some elements on Graphics Quality UI panel.
* Improvements on View Pack panel: improved display of messages, improved button actions, better UI feedback on removing members, code improvements.
* Improvements when joining multiplayer games, will hopefully reduce the failure to join issue.
* Switched to new aspen tree models.
* Increased moose swimming speed.
* Mate now stalks when player stalks.
* Increased timer so wolf standing idle waits longer before sitting.
* Added alternate ear-scratch when wolf is sitting.
* Improved mate and NPC navigation when crossing creeks.
* Modest reduction in ambient occlusion at nighttime.
* Various terrain, tree, and environment improvements.
* In Autumn, leaves fall from deciduous trees.
* Flashlight beam casts shadows (depending on your graphics quality settings).
* Clouds move across the sky when windy.
* Reduced scene brightness in scent view during winter season, when on Enhanced Sky & Veg mode.
* Better color grading when AO is disabled and on Basic Sky & Veg mode (especially noticeable in winter).
* Removed the old snowprint texture from all animals (never looked that good, now conflicts with new tracks).
* Added "Unlock Cursor" to remapper.

BUGS FIXED:

* Running sound effect sometimes keeps playing after animal dies.
* Rival wolves have wrong airborne scent icon when in the vicinity.
* Sometimes Pack Info says pup is in den when it isn't.
* Bison tail is white when seen at a distance.
* Snow pattern is odd on grizzly cub in autumn.
* In Lost River-Classic, den raid icon appears occasionally.
* Issues with controller navigation on World Map.
* In main menu, it's not always clear and sunny when in wolf customization.
* Errors sometimes when removing multiple players from a Pack.
* NPC wolves occasionally have an ugly injured tail tip.
* Occasional problems when sending an in-game message during gameplay.
* Endless loop of repeating notification popup when plugging in a controller for the first time at certain times in gameplay.
* Some branches of Cottonwood trees near Lamar River turn blue when covered in snow.

MULTIPLAYER BUGS FIXED:

* Game locks up if player joins while pack is just going to sleep (conflicting UI panels).
* Wolf takes fall damage if in the middle of a jump when suddenly teleported to a lower location.
* Some rare glitches with delayed notifications.
* Rounding differences can create different hex strengths for host and clients.
* Problems ensue if client player is kicked out of game during pup naming scene.
* In MP lobby, season selection does not refresh if you choose SC and then choose AM.
* Some other rare SC MP bugs.

See all patch notes at: https://support.wolfquest.org (search for “patch")

Oct 26, 2022

v1.0.8p in Public Beta - Updated with Beta 24

WolfQuest: Anniversary Edition - loboLoco

The new patch -- featuring deep snow, animal tracks, some nice new multiplayer features, and a new higher level Graphics Quality setting: Stupendous -- is now available on Steam in public beta for Windows and MacOS! Check out the new features in the devblog video. Instructions for opting into public beta at bottom of this post.

NOTE: Game saves and wolves are compatible with the last patch, v1.0.8o. But multiplayer is not: you can only do multiplayer games with players who have this beta.

_________________________________________

BETA 24

BUGS FIXED:

* Player gets stuck when digging out a dirt burrow den, cannot continue playing game.
* Snowy weather at start of Slough Creek multiplayer games in non-winter seasons.
_________________________________________

BETA 24

IMPROVEMENTS:

:* Reduced number of game-days that newborn calves and fawns are hiding in tall grass.

BUGS FIXED:

* In multiplayer, problems ensue after doing Host Transfer when a quest is ending.
* In multiplayer lobby, games that have already been ended can be listed in lobby.
* Some floating vegetation in Lamar Valley.
* In deep snow, wolf clears snow noticeably ahead of its chest.
* Some floating winter dens in Slough Creek.
_________________________________________

BETA 23

IMPROVEMENTS:

:* Refinements to falling aspen and cottonwood leaves in Autumn.
* Various minor refinements to snow appearance.

BUGS FIXED:

* Animal tracks in deep snow are occasionally very pixelated or, in specific areas, very low resolution. (Pixelation issue should be fixed; low resolution trenches is improved, but stems from an underlying Unity issue/optimization to terrain resolution that we can't modify.)
* When running in deep snow, animals often switch gait animations, causing odd glitches in movement.
* One den in winter is floating above terrain sometimes.
* Occasional difficulty sending an in-game message during gameplay.
* Endless loop of repeating notification popup when plugging in a controller for the first time at certain times in gameplay.

_________________________________________

BETA 22

IMPROVEMENTS:

:* In winter, snow-covered dens look better at varying degrees of snow depth.
* Various refinements to animal tracks in deep snow.
* In Autumn, leaves fall from deciduous trees.
* Flashlight beam casts shadows (depending on your graphics quality settings).
* Less or no snow accumulates now on ranger cabin porch and in outhouse.
* Clouds move across the sky when windy.

BUGS FIXED:

* In multiplayer games, non-host players sometimes cannot bite elk calves and possibly other animals.
* Thin gaps in snow during deep snow.
* Newborn calves and fawns are hiding in the grass for only a few game-days. (From a recent change, now revised.)
_________________________________________

BETA 21

BUG FIXED:

* Error in Slough Creek multiplayer quest prevents games from loading.
_________________________________________

BETA 20

IMPROVEMENTS:

* Reduced scene brightness in scent view during winter season, when on Enhanced Sky & Veg mode.
* Minor tweaks to wolf snow effects.

BUGS FIXED:

* Deep snow still accumulates in Lamar River and Slough Creeks (snow masks were not being applied properly), and many thin gaps in the snow. (Some hairline gaps remain, no need to report.)
* Animals don't make tracks when near the edge of the Amethyst cliff edge.
* Some branches of Cottonwood trees near Lamar River turn blue when covered in snow.
* Missing sound effect for limpy wolf in snow throws errors, could hurt performance badly.
_________________________________________

BETA 19

IMPROVEMENTS:

* Newborn calves and fawns are hiding in grass for just a few days, much shorter period of time than they should be.
* Wolves make tracks to the side of their wolf when running in deep snow -- possible fix.
* Hole in Amethyst terrain above Chalcedony Creek.
* Refinements to snow height variation on Amethyst cliff slopes.
_________________________________________

BETA 18

IMPROVEMENTS:

* Prevent deep snow from accumulating in Slough Creek (in the actual creek, that is. Still need to do this for Hornaday Creek.). Not fully tested so please F11 if you find a spot where there is deep snow in water. Also, there are a few cracks in deep snow right alongside the creek, no need to report those.)
* In multiplayer games, somewhat fewer stranger wolves are now likely to attack players. Please see how this is and submit feedback.
* Improved resolution of deep snow on Low Deep Snow quality level.
* Various small refinements to deep snow.

BUGS FIXED:

* In multiplayer games, host does not see tracks for other player-wolves, and other players don't see tracks for any animals but their own wolf.
* Snow gait audio plays when walking on rock areas of Amethyst.
* In Slough Creek, deep snow in the distance can be dark and extremely contrasty.
* In main menu on Good graphics quality (and other combinations), scene is too dark and contrasty compared to in-game.
_________________________________________

BETA 17

IMPROVEMENTS:

* Various refinements to snow tracks at low levels of accumulation.
* Heavy snow starts falling immediately at the start of a new Slough Creek game.
* Prevent deep snow from accumulating in water bodies -- done for Lamar River in Amethyst, will be fixed in Slough Creek soon.
* Carcasses and meat chunks adjust their position better when snow has been cleared underneath them.
* Removed the old snowprint texture from all animals (never looked that good, now conflicts with new tracks).
* Reduced volume of snow gait audio.

BUGS FIXED:

* Family Tree panel layout is totally busted.
* Lost River (not yet released DLC) listed in game maps when creating a new game.
* In the multiplayer lobby, available rooms disappear when a new game is added.
* Sometimes ground and airborne scents are not rendered in multiplayer games.
* In non-winter seasons, animals get speed and stamina effects of deep snow even though there isn't any deep snow.
* Amethyst North Border notification text is broken.
* Some wintertime dens in Slough Creek are floating a bit off the ground.
* Exposed rocky areas of terrain have tessellation and tracks in deep snow.
____________________

BETA 16

IMPROVEMENTS:

* Increased rate of snow accumulation, and decreased melting rate, so deep snow will be present longer.
* Reduced odds of elk stumbling in deep snow.
* Chat Commands popup window can be closed even while chat text input field is active.
* Added example for /whisper chat command.
* Improvements to wolf gait sound effect in snow.

BUGS FIXED:

* When deep snow is present, Slough Creek dens are down in square holes in the snow.
* Some graffiti in Lost River is way too big.
* Wolf in Family Tree has blurry nose or body.
* Terrain texturing issues.
____________________

BETA 15

NEW:

* In winter season, snow depth increases when it snows, and animals make snow tracks. Snow depth gradually reduces after snowfall ends. (Only occurs on Medium and High Terrain Quality settings.)
* New Stupendous" graphics quality setting, for recent GPUs such as Nvidia 3000 series.
* New: Distance Blur visual effect, enabled by default on Glorious and Stupendous graphics quality levels, blurs the distant landscape.

NEW in Multiplayer:

IMPROVEMENTS:

* A few days after Find a Mate quest begins, the players dreams when sleeping and the game jumps to December/Winter season, to give players more time and things to do in winter.
* More notifications changed to "Common" type (which can be hidden), and which now appear in lower-right corner when enabled.
* Added "Unlock Cursor" to remapper.
* When creating a private multiplayer game, new button to sort friend names alphabetically.
* Distance Blur added to Graphics Quality settings.
* Reorganized some elements on Graphics Quality UI panel.
* Increased moose swimming speed.
* Improvements on View Pack panel: improved display of messages, improved button actions, better UI feedback on removing members, code improvements.
* Switched to new aspen tree models.
* Improvements when joining multiplayer games, will hopefully reduce the failure to join issue.
* Mate now stalks when player stalks.
* Increased timer so wolf standing idle waits longer before sitting.
* Added alternate ear-scratch when wolf is sitting.
* Improved mate and NPC navigation when crossing creeks.
* Better color grading when AO is disabled and on Basic Sky & Veg mode (especially noticeable in winter).
* Modest reduction in ambient occlusion at nighttime.
* Various terrain, tree, and environment improvements.
* Switched to new aspen trees in main menu, AM, and SC.

BUGS FIXED:

* Running sound effect sometimes keeps playing after animal dies.
* Rival wolves have wrong airborne scent icon when in the vicinity.
* Sometimes Pack Info says pup is in den when it isn't.
* Bison tail is white when seen at a distance.
* Sometimes cannot bite winter elk calf from the front.
* Snow pattern is odd on grizzly cub in autumn.
* In Lost River-Classic, den raid icon appears occasionally.
* Issues with controller navigation on World Map.
* In main menu, it's not always clear and sunny when in wolf customization.
* Errors sometimes when removing multiple players from a Pack.
* NPC wolves occasionally have an ugly injured tail tip.

MULTIPLAYER BUGS FIXED:

TO GET THE BETA BUILD

Oct 13, 2022

Dashing Through the Snow

WolfQuest: Anniversary Edition - loboLoco

We’re digging deeper into winter verisimilitude, which means that deep snow is coming to WolfQuest in the next patch! Snow so deep that animals make tracks as they move through it!

I’ve wanted to add this feature to the game for a long time, but the devil is in the details, creating many complications with animals of different sizes and various objects like meat chunks and collectible objects all needing to respond differently to deep snow. So it’s always been far down in the priority list. But this summer I brought in Raul Turcus, a Unity developer in Romania, to help with some things for the upcoming Lost River DLC -- and after finished that, I asked him to tackle the deep snow. As always, it was again more complicated than we’d thought, but it’s really coming together now. Today’s video shows how it looks -- in the game and under the hood.

Deep snow uses a technique called tessellation, which subdivides the triangles on the terrain, creating a much denser grid, which allows more detailed deformation of the rendered surface. Drawing so many more triangles does have a performance impact, and so deep snow will only be enabled on higher graphics quality levels (with several quality options to chose from on those).

We’re still working on tweaks and polish but deep snow and animal tracks will be included in the next patch, v1.0.8p, which we expect to release in a few weeks.

________________________________________

The WolfQuest saga will continue! Stay tuned for more news in upcoming devblogs about it and other new features!

Once the game is completed on PC/Mac, we will turn our attention to other platforms.

We do not announce specific release dates. We will release them when they are ready.

Sep 22, 2022

Adding Abodes on Amethyst Mountain

WolfQuest: Anniversary Edition - loboLoco

One element of the WolfQuest Saga -- the big expansion of the game that will let you continue playing through the life of your family pack -- is the option to play the complete quest cycle on every map.* We've been chipping away at this and so today's devblog takes a look at that effort, particularly the matter of dens. Which parts of the Amethyst map are suitable for dens? Remember that dens must face south (to catch the warmth of the sun in the chilly springtime) and low enough in elevation (to avoid the worst of Yellowstone's mercurial weather).

Unfortunately, that rules out much of the Amethyst map, but there are several zones on the south-facing slopes above Amethyst and Chalcedony creeks which will suffice. And while most wolf dens in the real world are nondescript holes in the ground, we like more variety and interest in our dens in the game, so today's devblog also looks at making one of the new Amethyst dens, under the roots of a fallen tree.

This feature is one of several things that we're working on, along with Lost River DLC map, new AI behaviors for the Saga, and several other things which we plan to roll out in the coming months. We don't yet know when the complete quest cycle on each map will be ready for release, but it is likely to be ready before the full Saga (which isn't coming before 2023), so stay tuned to our devblogs to get the latest updates.

Also: Share your love for WolfQuest by writing a Steam review! Great ratings and positive reviews from our fabulous player community make a HUGE difference to WolfQuest development. We appreciate all the ways players support WolfQuest!

* Except Lost RIver Classic.

________________________________________

The WolfQuest saga will continue! Stay tuned for more news in upcoming devblogs about it and other new features!

Once the game is completed on PC/Mac, we will turn our attention to other platforms.

We do not announce specific release dates. We will release them when they are ready.

Sep 20, 2022

WolfQuest GiveAway - autumn 2022

WolfQuest: Anniversary Edition - Pepper

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 one of the DLC: Building Character DLC, Yellowstone Wolf Coat DLC (these two are only for WolfQuest: AE for PC/Mac) or the WolfQuest Soundtrack and Music Extras.

How to Enter
Email contest1@wolfquest.org with your username, your email address, and your answer to the question: "What are three interesting facts about wolves?" Winners are selected randomly from complete entries. Please enter only once in each contest.

Deadline
All entries must be received before midnight (Eastern Daylight Time) on Monday, September 26, 2022.

Random Drawing
Each complete entry will be assigned a number. We will then use a random-number generator to generate four numbers. The entries bearing those numbers will each win a free copy of the game or DLC.

Sep 1, 2022

Lost River Rocks!

WolfQuest: Anniversary Edition - loboLoco

Here at last is the long-awaited (at least by a few players) devblog about the rocks and geology of Lost River! My initial goal was to create a geologic environment that was notably different than the granite landscape of Slough Creek (which I love, but I needed a change, and I figured players did too). The mountain west has an ample history of volcanism, which creates a great variety of rock types. Finding the right type of rock, and the right types of rock formations, took a few tries, and a bit of help from someone knowledgable about geology (my son), but I think the rhyolite rock formations are looking good now.

The upcoming Lost River DLC map will feature these new rocks, and much much more -- a greatly expanded map, the full sequence of quests (including the Saga once that is released), and plenty of cool little things. We expect to release it before the end of this year.

________________________________________

The WolfQuest saga will continue! Stay tuned for more news in upcoming devblogs about it and other new features!

Once the game is completed on PC/Mac, we will turn our attention to other platforms.

We do not announce specific release dates. We will release them when they are ready.

Aug 11, 2022

Opening Doors in Lost River

WolfQuest: Anniversary Edition - loboLoco

Opening Doors in Lost River

Work continues on the upcoming Lost River expanded map DLC. The gameplay is largely the same as in other maps and quests, of course, but there are a few special features, like going inside of buildings. That's been a popular request from players since Lost River Classic released in 2015, and we're finally realizing it in this expanded version. This raises a few complications, the biggest one related to the navgrid and NPC pathfinding. We designed the navgrid for vast outdoor environments, and they simply are not suited for the confines of interior spaces. So I pulled Tommi away from his ongoing work on animal AI for the Saga (see the note below for more on that) so he could design and create a navgrid subsystem for small areas. This week's video shows how this new subsystem works at the Lost Cup Coffee shop in downtown Lost River:

The new Lost River map has about a dozen buildings with interiors to explore -- but be advised that these are not safe refuges from rival wolves, so you'll need to stay on guard even when hanging out indoors. We have a good amount of work left on this DLC but we do expect to release it later this year.

Regarding the Saga: As we began working on the Saga early this year, we realized that our AI system was good but we wanted it to be better. The AI was one of the very first systems we designed and built for WQAE, five years ago now, and Tommi had ideas for doing much more with an improved system. So that became the first phase of Saga development (and it's not very exciting to show off in devblogs) but we got the improved AI system operational earlier this summer so now we can focus on new AI behaviors in the Saga for growing pups and NPC wolves. If you don't know about the WolfQuest Saga, watch this video! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dx-X2fL-3oE
________________________________________

The WolfQuest saga will continue! Stay tuned for more news in upcoming devblogs about it and other new features!

Once the game is completed on PC/Mac, we will turn our attention to other platforms.

We do not announce specific release dates. We will release them when they are ready.

Aug 5, 2022

Hotfix v1.0.8oo for MacOS

WolfQuest: Anniversary Edition - loboLoco

The latest MacBooks, just released, feature the next generation M2 chip, which is quite powerful. Unfortunately, there are a couple bugs that occur only on Apple Silicon computers (preventing the foot-grounding aspects of the IK (Inverse Kinematics) from functioning properly, and turning the screen black when 3D clouds are enabled). The game disables those functions on Apple Silicon, but it was not detecting this new M2 chip correctly. Now, in this hotfix (which is only for Macs), it does. There are no other changes from 1.0.8o.

Aug 1, 2022

WolfQuest On Sale!

WolfQuest: Anniversary Edition - loboLoco

WolfQuest: Anniversary Edition is 25% off as part of the Steam Survival Fest sale! That brings the price down to US$14.99. So, if you've got WolfQuest on your wish list, this is a rare opportunity to save a few bucks. Or, if you already own the game, you might take advantage of the sale to buy it for a friend who'd enjoy it. Sale ends on August 8th.