WolfQuest Release Notes April 29, 2008 v 1.5.3 RESOLVED ISSUES * Frame rate during elk hunt dramatically improved. * Extended idle animation plays again for player and mate. -------------- April 26, 2008 v 1.5.2 RESOLVED ISSUES * Red arrow will not appear on map. * Screen Capture folder will not be created each time game start (OK to delete old ones). * Saving while dead disabled to prevent problems with loading the game in that state. * Elk scent should be visible across the entire zone. * Biting should always work when red head is visible. * Carcasses from old saved games should no longer appear outside the world fence and attract the mate to the fence. * Pickup creatures disappear more reliably when player moves out of range (may help keep framerate up after extended play). * Player name display turned off by default. This prevents incorrect toggling upon player respawn after death. * Time to mate respawn after mate death lengthened to 5 seconds to make sure player sees that mate is dead. Multiplayer * All players will see the initial scent spokes in the same location inside the elk hunting zone. * Remote players will not trigger the zone enter badge change and chime/dialog. * Remote players will not destroy the local player's spokes if they leave the zone. * Re-entering the hunting zone will not create scent spokes if the elk hunt is already active. ENHANCEMENTS * There are now more spokes in the elk scents so they can be easier to find at the hunting zone edges. * Original scent spokes last longer so other players in MP can find the hunt after the herd starts up. * Chime plays when chat messages are sent and received. -------------- April 24, 2008 v 1.5.1 RESOLVED ISSUES *MSI package allows installation on systems with just over 512 MB of RAM *MSI package allows installation on 64-bit version of Windows XP SP2 and above. *Frame rate no longer limited to 30 fps. April 23, 2008 Amethyst Mountain Deluxe v 1.5.0 This release contains over 200 bugfixes and enhancements. The most significant items are described below. Because there are changes in functionality as well as new features, read this before posting questions to the forums or submitting a bug report. MAJOR RESOLVED ISSUES Controls * Wolf steering controls for both running and turning in place should be more responsive and manageable. "Autopilot" has been removed, as it is now not necessary. The targeting arrow still remains on for an extended time to help with tracking specific prey. * Scent view camera turns more responsively (same as main camera). * Jumping not allowed while stamina or health is low enough to force player to trot. * Jumping height should be more consistent when jumping up or down a slope. * Jumping height and distances are more realistic. * Stamina glitches during jumping removed. Social Encounters * Player moves into position properly for start of social arena. * Stranger wolves can be more aggressive because they are properly considered to be in their own territory. * Dying in the social arena does not count toward territory visits to get dispersal wolves. * Player does not increase stat bonuses by repeatedly entering and leaving the social arena. * Player will not get stuck in social arena if stranger wolf dies. * A stranger wolf will not appear when an elk hunt is active. * Several cosmetic fixes to the interface. Interface & Displays * Music volume correct on startup of main level. * Options menu no longer uses grayscale effect because of bugginess in switching modes. * Scent trails and plumes should be visible in scent view after player dies and respawns (single and MP). * Scent info display should update more reliably on wolf and elk scent spokes. Territory scent spokes should be cleaner. * Tutorial, Sensitivity, and Framerate display settings are remembered between game sessions (they are not saved to the saved game). * Player name is correctly limited to 8 characters and filtered for inappropriate words at all times. (Resolves registry exploit.) * Player respawns 10m from death location when they die instead of reloading the level. * Respawning after death in single player keeps accumulated stats; if playing from a saved game, wolf characteristics from the save will be correct. * Wolf names from saved games should be displayed properly (they were sometimes mismatched). * You can save your game after killing a hare. * Health and energy meters go up and down more linearly to reflect actual values more accurately. This may create the impression of having more health or energy for longer. * Stat bonuses are shown as +/- around zero in Customize Wolf. * Stat bonuses in Customize Wolf can never exceed the max values, and will be reset to the default values if they exceed the allowable maximum. * Strength stat bonus is properly applied to the damage done to prey and stranger wolves, and is also properly displayed in the stat window. * Stamina stat bonus now also affects stamina recovery rate. * Carcass fed on count in stats panel is now accurate. * Stat window shows strength bonus more accurately (combines initial plus constant damage). * Stat window shows stamina bonus scaled to be more like the other bonuses. * Numerous other bug and cosmetic fixes and gameplay tuning fixes. Multiplayer * If joining an MP game as a client fails, after timeout at flyover, a dialog will display giving player the chance to return to the splash screen. (Failing to connect to Internet as a game host give error, but allows player to continue playing by themselves). * Scent trails are now properly visible for client players in multiplayer games. * Major overall stability fixes. Multiplayer "lag" still depends heavily on player's network connections and overall Internet traffic. * Leaving and rejoining a game should be more reliable, including chat window clearing and number of current players showing properly. * Clones of other players should not be visible at the spawning point, especially after dying; other players should not appear frozen in place or be invisible. * After dying and respawning, the player health bar should be restored properly. * Starting a new game as host should work properly if the pack name is first filtered and then corrected to an allowed name. * Going back and forth between single and multiplayer games should be more reliable. * Player death in Multiplayer should not cause crashes or create clones. * Local player only triggers mission icon, chime, and dialog when entering elk hunting zone. Scent trails properly removed on exit by local player only. * Other general stability and bug fixes. Stability & Performance * RAM overhead and runtime package size reduced by 45 MB. * Tree billboarding distances reduced at lower quality levels to boost performance. * Texture quality at lowest quality settings is higher with no performance cost on 32 MB or higher video cards. MAJOR ENHANCEMENTS & CHANGES IN FUNCTIONALITY Mate *The mate wolf will follow you and hunt with you. * Once you have a mate, it can be named. Mates (including from old saved games) can be renamed at any time in the Stats window (so an old saved mate can be resaved with the new name). * Use the N key to turn nametags on and off to show your names. Your mate's name and marker also appears on the map. * The small heart on the compass is a "rear view mirror" to show where the mate is when it's behind you. * The brightness of the large mate heart indicator on the wolf badge shows the mate's health level. * Howling will cause the mate to howl back and then come back to you. NPC Behavior * Grizzly bears will attempt to take over carcasses. * Bull and cow elk have been tuned to be more challenging to catch and kill, including in multiplayer. This may feel quite different from the previous release and the changes are intentional! (Have fun discovering what they are.) * Random ("pickup") carcasses are spawned at a distance from the player. A scent plume is visible before the carcass appears that leads you to the carcass. * Coyotes should not run in and kill elk the player is chasing. Interface * Save a screenshot you your home directory WolfQuest folder by pressing F1 or the ENTER key on the numeric keypad. Filenames are numbered starting with 1 every game session. * Loading and saving a game is disabled when a stranger wolf is visible before starting a social encounter. This prevents reloading back into the middle of a social encounter. * The last wolf created with Customize Wolf is retained for all new games and multiplayer sessions, even after loading a saved game. Previously loading a saved game saved that wolf as the new current wolf after the game was ended. * Turning speed sensitivity slider added to Game Settings. Not all settings may be playable -- user preference will be subjective. * Tutorial screens and tips provide more in-game help. They can be turned off and on in the Game Settings window. * Toggle HUD off/on in Game Settings window for taking screenshots and making machinima videos. Social Encounters * Dispersal wolves now include one wolf of each pelt color for both sexes. * Player will automatically enter the social arena when approaching the stranger wolf within about 1m (No blue howling head). * High polygon wolf model now used in social arena for better detail in animations. * Stranger packs aggression rebalanced to reflect the known reputations of the real packs, especially the Druids. * Overall stranger wolf behavior more accurately reflects their personality and sex. Multiplayer * Pack Rally in multiplayer triggered by howling gives 3 minute strength bonus (you can start a rally anytime, including while a bonus is already going). * Players can tail wag and play bow in multiplayer (J, K keys). * Chat lexicon allows -ed, -ing, -ly, 's, -s', -est, -ers, -edly, -less, -ness, and -n't word endings. * Lexicon expanded to include more user suggested words. * Chat window expands when active to allow more room for typing messages and viewing chat transcript. KNOWN ISSUES * Some scent plumes may not have a carcass associated with them. * It may be necessary to click in the chat text entry box after activating the chat window before typing text. * Allowed words may sometimes be filtered in chat. No workaround. * On Windows, some keys, including keys not included in the game controls, may trigger unexpected actions. Workaround: Redefine keys to safe keys using Input Tab on Resolution Dialog; only use defined keys while playing. * Stat sliders may not always update when one is changed. Workaround: Click each slider again to make sure bonuses are not too low. * Wolf eat animation may not play back when starting to feed from a carcass. This is to allow the player to more quickly start feeding instead of being forced into a specific position to start feeding. * Trees may appear to "hover" at close distances on Fast and Fastest quality settings. This is a cosmetic issue that has been left visible to allow higher performance at these settings to make the game more playable on Intel integrated graphics chips. ----------------- February 20, 2008 v 1.1.4 Resolved Issues *Stability improvements for Windows. *Coyote dies properly. *Wolf stops running properly after making a kill. *Elk should no longer skate along ground in grazing pose during multiplayer. *Controls work properly after a social encounter. *Scent trail "spokes" stay active until the player approaches the elk herd at close range. *Grass is back to being the correct color again. Enhancements * Press S or down arrow key to walk backward. * Additional user-suggested words added to chat lexicon. * Windows installer is now MSI format again for various technical advantages. * OSX installer is now a Disk Image. Known Issues *Wolf can't turn more than 180 degrees at a time with the arrow or A/D keys. ----------------- February 10, 2008 v 1.1.2 Resolved Issues * Only games with the same version as yours will appear in the available games list in the Join Multiplayer window. * Players in multiplayer now show their own wolf pelt properly. * Selecting "New Game" from the Options menu in multiplayer will properly unregister you from the game you left. * Camera should look ahead better up steep slopes. * Carcass condition should be properly visible to all players in multiplayer. Enhancement * Press SPACEBAR during the opening flyover to skip the flyover. ---------------- February 6, 2008 v 1.1.1 Enhancement * Terrain textures have been optimized and terrain drawing settings have been adjusted to increase framerate significantly for all quality settings. ---------------- February 5, 2008 v 1.1.0 Significant Enhancements & Changes in Functionality * Saved game files are now located in a folder in your home directory: [username]/WolfQuest (OSX) or My Documents\WolfQuest (Windows). Delete saved game files from the Finder or Windows Explorer. To keep your old saved games, move them from Applications/WolfQuest (OSX) or Program Files/WolfQuest to this location. * Scent vision is now automatically turned off when entering a social encounter. * Load/Save is not available during a social encounter. Save before or after the stranger wolf appears or disappears. * Player Stats window now accessible from the Options Menu. * Customize Wolf window always appears after starting a game. To use the saved wolf, click "Join/Play Game" without making any changes. * The Join Multiplayer Game window will tell you if it cannot connect to the Game Listing server to get the list of games (you may not have an Internet connection). * The "Run Away" and "Wait and See" choices in the Social Encounter menu have been renamed to be conversation phrases like the rest of the choices. Major Resolved Issues * Computers with Intel integrated graphics running Vista no longer crash the game as soon as the main level loads (was a problem with the downed tree model). * You can now properly backspace in the Name Your Wolf text area. * Approaching an elk carcass will not get you magnetically stuck to the carcass with the green biting head turned on. * Windows, especially the World Map, should open and close properly when other windows are open. * Starting a New Game from Multiplayer will properly let you start a new Single Player game without quitting the game. * Dropping framerate in Multiplayer as more time is spent in the game should be significantly improved. * Dropping framerate or crashing in Single Player when Scent Vision was never used, especially if the user has minimum RAM (512 MB), should be significantly improved. * Objects will no longer spawn outside of the world edge walls. * In multiplayer, all other players should see elk die properly when one is killed. * When the player dies, the camera should no longer spiral around the player out of control. * The player should be able to interact normally with stranger wolves after finding a mate. * A stranger wolf should no longer appear sunk into the ground. * The camera should follow the player more smoothly and the player's wolf should turn more smoothly when stepping in place and not walking forward. Known Remaining Issues * Wolf tail curls in wag animation at the wrong time. * Elk carcass condition is not visible to all other players in multiplayer. Help For help downloading, installing, or playing the game, visit the WolfQuest Online Community at www.wolfquest.org To report a bug, send a detailed description of what you see to bugs@wolfquest.org. Include screenshots if appropriate and the Program Files\WolfQuest\Data\Output_Log.txt file. We can't offer personal technical support, so do not send requests for help solving specific issues. WolfQuest(TM) is copyright © 2007-2008 by the Minnesota Zoo and eduweb. All rights reserved. It is distributed free, but you may not redistribute, sell, or modify the game without permission.