How much longer will Wolfquest remain open?

[jaguartail]

We have not had any new versions for nearly 11 months. It is public that funding is a struggle, and we're barely getting enough to keep everything going as-is. But, assuming that our funding continues at its present level, how long will it be (approximately) before Wolfquest's Grand Closing? By Grand Closing, I mean the website, MP, forums, and store being COMPLETELY INACCESSIBLE.

Moderators/Cana answering this is important for these reasons:

- There's no point in the funding topic unless we have verification that there's enough time to get some of those ideas implemented.
- There is currently a lot of under-the-surface speculation as to when WQ will close, guesses ranging from weeks to years.
- Most people would rather know about the closing ahead of time, then know about it the day before or the day of.
- We need to give schools/mp gamers, etc. a realistic estimate of how much longer they can continue to use the game to its full potential, to avoid 'suprises' and large disappointments.
- A closing is inevitable unless we get more funding, so there's no point pretending we're fine.

[WQ Coordinator]

When I have an official update on funding, I'll make sure to post an announcement because I know a lot of you care about WolfQuest and really want to know. WolfQuest will definitely last more than a few weeks, but we don't know many details about exactly how much longer various things will be open and available. A lot depends on other funding (obviously), the zoo's continued or decreased involvement, and eduweb's continued or decreased involvement. But either way, there's nothing to be worried about for the near future.

[river6]

Does it cost you anything to keep the forum running? I was thinking we could set the forum to a different URL so when WQ does shut down, the forums could still be running. Just a thought ^_^

[The Timeless One]

Does it cost you anything to keep the forum running? I was thinking we could set the forum to a different URL so when WQ does shut down, the forums could still be running. Just a thought ^_^

From what I know, it does cost to keep the forum running, because phpbb is not a free host.
So when it lags or crashes down, the team has to pay in order to resolve that problem.

[jaguartail]

Does it cost you anything to keep the forum running? I was thinking we could set the forum to a different URL so when WQ does shut down, the forums could still be running. Just a thought ^_^

From what I know, it does cost to keep the forum running, because phpbb is not a free host.
So when it lags or crashes down, the team has to pay in order to resolve that problem.

Well, potentially the WQ forums could have a fresh start on a free web host (This actually happened briefly in mid-2011 when the MN Government shut down, causing the zoo and WQ to shut down, however we were only closed down for about two days, so the user-made backup sites made just before the shutdown didn't get much use. ), but I'm not sure what the true support level would be for such a thing, and it would probably be run by some other WQ member besides Cana. This is because when WQ closes down, Cana will probably spend her time doing other things with the zoo rather than running a free backup site.

[Koa]

Does it cost you anything to keep the forum running? I was thinking we could set the forum to a different URL so when WQ does shut down, the forums could still be running. Just a thought ^_^

At this point, the income we receive when you click on ads goes toward forum and game maintenance. Every time the forum or game crashes, it typically requires some kind of restart and fix, whether that's on our end or it involves Unity's developers/maintenance team. It also helps pay for the server to keep the WolfQuest forum & other website pages running (which alone costs about $5,000/year, as jaguartail just mentioned).

Donations and store purchases are used to help MP games keep running, and help pay for me to be able to try to keep up with all the discussions and react appropriately when something needs to be taken care of (both on the forums and in MP games).

So basically, right now, we're only making enough to keep things going as-is; we'd need a much bigger donation to add more things to the game. But we're still hopeful!

If nothing else, the biggest and easiest way you can help keep WolfQuest going is to keep interest levels up. The more people on WolfQuest, the more we can potentially raise through visiting our sponsors (ads), donations, and store sales. And if everyone leaves or the interest dwindles too much, it seems silly for us to work hard to keep the forums and games going anyway. So if you still enjoy being on the WolfQuest forum and games, keep coming back and participating in discussion, and hopefully someday we will find another big grant and can do more with the game.

WolfQuest Funding - General Discussion Topic
http://www.wolfquest.org/bb/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=66004&start=45#p2120078

Hope that answers your question more directly.
Anyhow, because this is a popular question as of late, I recommend that FAQ topic be created regarding this current subject (Will WolfQuest remain open if they do not receive anymore funding for future projects//How much longer will WolfQuest remain open// and other variations) and another one be made to address specifically maintenance costs overall that is similarly worded to the quote provided above if they do not exist already.

[SilverSparks12]

Oh no, that's terrible news, I hope WolfQuest doesn't shut down. How far is WolfQuest behind funding? I completely understand if that's private though.
I thought maybe WolfQuest can hold a big sale to raise money in their store, or maybe somone can post a video on youtube about the problem. These are some of the ideas I came up with so WolfQuest doesn't shut down.

[Edwin]

I don't understand this so good but i think WQ going down or something?
Sad :<

[nightangelwolf]

Based on Cana's (WQ Coordinator) response here, it's safe to say WolfQuest is still going strong, but it's unclear as to how long this will last; in other words, nothing is going offline in the near future. As stated by Cana in her response-

WolfQuest will definitely last more than a few weeks, but we don't know many details about exactly how much longer various things will be open and available.

Where there's funding available -- which helps greatly! -- WolfQuest isn't down and out just yet. You can help WolfQuest's income in three ways: donating money, clicking advertisements on the website and forums, or buying content from the WQ store. More information on donating found within these two topics-

I like the game! How can I help support it?
http://wolfquest.org/bb/viewtopic.php?f=34&t=34808

What's with all the ads on the forums?
http://wolfquest.org/bb/viewtopic.php?f=33&t=35148

As long as there's funding available, however major or minor-

There's nothing to be worried about for the near future.

Remember, if you'd like to discuss funding, there's a dedicated thread here-

WolfQuest Funding - General Discussion Topic
http://wolfquest.org/bb/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=66004

In regards to your response Edwin, there has been a decline in members recently.

[Koa]

In regards to your response Edwin, there has been a decline in members recently.

It's not even just "a decline in members" but it is a combination of lack of funding, which then equates to no new projects until funding is received; and, in turn, affects interest level, members, and lack of activity in regards to the state of the forums. Thought I'd clarify.

[_Denali_]

I might be able to try hosting such a site using a free provider like Webs, but then again I don't know. I still want to support WQ, because it's one of my favorite things, so btw do I actually pay money when I click the ads? I'd need my parents' permission if it works like that. I really don't want WQ to stop!

Also, why the recent "decline in members of WQ"? Just wondering; I want to do all I can to help keep WQ up and running! I'll also try to advertise it on my pack website with the pack's agreement though, too, because I think that should really help...

[Alpha Female]

I might be able to try hosting such a site using a free provider like Webs, but then again I don't know. I still want to support WQ, because it's one of my favorite things, so btw do I actually pay money when I click the ads? I'd need my parents' permission if it works like that. I really don't want WQ to stop! :(

Also, why the recent "decline in members of WQ"? Just wondering; I want to do all I can to help keep WQ up and running! I'll also try to advertise it on my pack website with the pack's agreement though, too, because I think that should really help...

About the ads: No, you're not the one paying money to WQ. x3 The advertisers pay WQ when they get clicks/"hits" to their website.

We're not 100% sure why there is a decline of members on WQ, however if you'd like to discuss it or have a look at the answers that were given, you can do so here:
WQ Game and Forum Activity - Why The Recent Drop? (GD): http://wolfquest.org/bb/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=65855

Please do try to stay on topic thought _Denali_, and try to only post on these types of threads if you have something to contribute; thanks!

[_Denali_]

Ok, but do you think the advertising to help WQ on the pack site might help?

[Alpha Female]

Ok, but do you think the advertising to help WQ on the pack site might help? :)

Advertising can definitely help, though funding can help as well. If you wish to discuss funding, please do so here:
WolfQuest Funding - General Discussion Topic: http://wolfquest.org/bb/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=66004

If you have any more concerns/questions feel free to contact me as this thread isn't the place to do so. Thanks!

[_Denali_]

Ok, I'll definately advertise and try to donate; and I'll contact specific people via PM from now on.