WolfQuest Update

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WolfQuest Update

Post by WQ Coordinator » Fri Dec 21, 2012 10:56 pm

Over the next couple days, you should all be receiving an e-mail that has this information, but I'm also posting it here so you have a place to respond. I apologize if you get this e-mail more than once... we're finding it difficult to send an e-mail to so many people without crashing our servers. So please bear with us, and here goes.

As of today, it’s been five years since WolfQuest, episode 1 was released, and wow, it’s been an amazing journey. Thanks to the National Science Foundation, Best Buy, and other grants and donations, what started as an idea for a free, basic educational wolf game has led to four WolfQuest game releases and over 500,000 registered members worldwide. The WolfQuest Team would like to thank you for your support over the last five years; it’s been quite the experience for all of us.

Because of generous donations, store purchases, and forum ad revenue, we are able to continue to keep all facets of the game and Community Forums running much longer than expected. However, we no longer have grant funding so this e-mail is to let you know of upcoming plans for WolfQuest.

WolfQuest Games: the current version of WolfQuest (Survival of the Pack) will be available for download and gameplay for as long as we can afford the server. We will eventually remove the multiplayer lexicon so only phrased chat and no chat options are available, but we hope this phase won’t take place for many months to come. There are no plans (or funding) to make a WolfQuest Episode 3.

WolfQuest Store and Donations: the WolfQuest store will continue to remain open with clearance sale prices and the current stock of inventory. Once items sell out, they will not be replaced, and all proceeds will go to the Minnesota Zoo. Because we will no longer be offering game updates, we have also stopped accepting donations for WolfQuest. If you’d like to donate to a worthwhile organization, we recommend looking into wolf and other wildlife education and conservation organizations.

If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to log in to the WolfQuest Community Forums and post on [this] announcement or the Tips, Hints, and Help section. From the entire WolfQuest Team, thank you to everyone who has played the game, participated in the forums, and otherwise put in so much time and energy into this project- it’s been quite the thrilling ride and we’re glad it can continue.
Thanks for the avatar, Silverness!

I am no longer the acting administrator of these forums, so please read the WolfQuest FAQ and Tips, Hints, and Help forums for answers to any questions you may have.

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Re: WolfQuest Update

Post by Nordue » Sat Dec 22, 2012 12:01 am

  • Thanks for this update Cana. I think a large portion of the community has been waiting for a message of this sort for a while now. A mass email is may also bring some users from the past back unto the forums, if at least for a moment :) . Haha, I was wondering why I was having trouble getting on the site moments ago!

    I think many will be satisfied that they can continue to play both versions of the game and post on the forums for the foreseeable future. Myself included^^!

    500, 000 is actually a lot of people when you think about it. Within that number, there are now x number of people who know that much more about wolves and nature in general. Some of these people may just be the conservationists and scientists that are in charge of our planet in the near future. Even just playing the game or browsing the forum briefly can be the spark that's needed to start a lifetime interest in wildlife education. On a lighter scale, simply educating the general public is a step in the right direction, especially through the application of modern technologies.

    While the WQ Community itself may be small with respect to the entire internet, I think it is a unique one in its own right, thanks to the nature of the WolfQuest Project. So, thank you WolfQuest for providing us with the opportunity to explore wolves and ignite our interest the world around us that much more!

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Re: WolfQuest Update

Post by Rika24 » Sat Dec 22, 2012 12:12 am

does the server going down eventually just effect the interactive gameplay with other players or will it effect everything? i still play WQ from time to time and i'd hate to no longer be able to play it.

and if it will still be possible to play without the internet connection, will you still be allowing downloads of the game itself or is that going to go away too? (just want to know if i have to make a backup of the game should i have to reset my comp back to factory settings if i get a virus)

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Re: WolfQuest Update

Post by Nordue » Sat Dec 22, 2012 12:21 am

Rika24 wrote:does the server going down eventually just effect the interactive gameplay with other players or will it effect everything? i still play WQ from time to time and i'd hate to no longer be able to play it.

and if it will still be possible to play without the internet connection, will you still be allowing downloads of the game itself or is that going to go away too? (just want to know if i have to make a backup of the game should i have to reset my comp back to factory settings if i get a virus)
  • If the server was to be shut down, WolfQuest multiplayer would no longer be playable. However, singleplayer would still work normally even if the server was shut down permanently. So, when the server is shut down you will no longer be able to play with other users, but you could still play singleplayer mode.

    Correct me if I am misguided anyone, but it is to my understanding that the download itself will be available as long as the server is accessible. I wouldn't worry about that happening anytime soon though Rika24. As Cana said above, this shouldn't happen for many months to come if all goes as planned. There is no set date for the termination of WolfQuest's server. A backup file for the game wouldn't be a bad idea though if you know how to make one :wink:.

    And to be realistic, even after the server is terminated there will no doubt be websites not affiliated with WolfQuest that will offer the download of the game, at the user's own risk of course.

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Re: WolfQuest Update

Post by wolf_storm » Sat Dec 22, 2012 1:44 pm

Hmm... It makes me a little sad to see Wolfquest so short on funding... I don't know very much about finances and grants and things like that, but once a grant runs out, is it impossible to get another or some other source of funding? I feel like such a noob asking this ^^;

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Re: WolfQuest Update

Post by Windstrider » Sat Dec 22, 2012 9:15 pm

Sad to see the funding shortage on WQ! And also about the phrased chat; I'd better enjoy MP while I can. I will, however, see if I would be able to make a last-minute donation if it would be possible. :cry: Sorry; I'm such a drama queen.

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Re: WolfQuest Update

Post by SpiritOfTruth » Sat Dec 22, 2012 10:23 pm

Hopefully some sort of funding will come around. Sad to see the Chat go away, but it will also help reduce the rule breaking on the games. Thanks for sharing this, Cana.

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Re: WolfQuest Update

Post by Windstrider » Sat Dec 22, 2012 10:25 pm

I also hope that funding could eventually restart, and that a new episode could potentially come out some day.

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Re: WolfQuest Update

Post by Koa » Sat Dec 22, 2012 10:45 pm

Skydust wrote:I also hope that funding could eventually restart, and that a new episode could potentially come out some day.
Given that WolfQuest has set out and succeeded what it originally aimed to do was was successful beyond levels imagined, and while that would be great if it could continue, I do not forsee that possible if the Minnesota Zoo and partners no longer wish to continue the project. If they put it to rest once, I assume it will remain as such.

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Re: WolfQuest Update

Post by Kaapse » Mon Dec 24, 2012 11:15 am

  • We could all see this happening, it was looking at us straight in the eye. I believe the game reached it's goal, to teach the world about wolves, it's definitely taught me, even changed my life in some ways. If multiplayer is shut down, then I suppose we will all have to deal with it, and just appreciate that we had the opportunity to experiance it.

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Re: WolfQuest Update

Post by thelostwolf12345 » Mon Dec 24, 2012 11:54 am

wolfquest lextion chat will be taken away? NOOOO lol just kidding but still i will miss being able to talk as much as i please i can be quite the chatter



oh well i love wolfquest and i wont stop you from doing what you have to so carry on !

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Re: WolfQuest Update

Post by Windstrider » Mon Dec 24, 2012 12:11 pm

What a shame the lexicon chat is being removed. =( But just to confirm what I think, why?

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Re: WolfQuest Update

Post by Koa » Mon Dec 24, 2012 1:35 pm

thelostwolf12345 wrote:wolfquest lextion chat will be taken away? NOOOO lol just kidding but still i will miss being able to talk as much as i please i can be quite the chatter



oh well i love wolfquest and i wont stop you from doing what you have to so carry on !
Skydust wrote:What a shame the lexicon chat is being removed. =( But just to confirm what I think, why?
As mentioned on the thread posted in Tips, Hints, and Help -
Koa wrote:It costs money to keep the servers up. In addition, the chat lexicon must be updated from time to time. If there is no funding to support such maintenance (which will indeed be the case a few months from now, and the chat lexicon has often been the source of multiplayer issues itself, i.e., inappropriate behavior), multiplayer will eventually be stripped of the chat lexicon and then the multiplayer feature itself. That's my understanding of it. Cana will likely have more information than me on it if you're interested.

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Re: WolfQuest Update

Post by Floofysaur » Mon Dec 24, 2012 3:14 pm

It's ashamed to hear about the lack of funding, and in the future that multiplayer interaction with the Lexicon chat will be removed. It's truly understandable and I hope it won't be gone for any time soon, but we'll have to bear with it. I still and always will love WQ and it's community, team and facts about wolves, gave my knowledge some hope for myself and others as well. I certainly enjoyed my time playing multiplayer when I first knew about WQ back in early 2009, joined months later and still play the game.

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Re: WolfQuest Update

Post by ironhide101 » Mon Dec 24, 2012 7:47 pm

It is good to here wolf quest can stick around a while longer it brings me much relief. As for the game changes and such I don't think I mind about it it's just sacrificing things to keep one special thing going as long as it can and I thank the Admins and mods for making this all happen.

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