Ideas for Future Updates

[Wolvencall]

I think maybe the addition of more trees possibly to give off the impression of dense forests as they do get pretty dense (just more forest vegetation over all especially in AM less in SC because it's absolutely amazing with the flowing grass effects and rocks to hop on)
-rocks near the territories you can lay on
- a new health system including illness and disease, like mange, but your pack members cant respawn after they've died so you have to be careful
-curled up sleeping animations maybe a quick shot in the den with your pups sleeping togethe*r when you name them and then you go to the open world.
improved "boxing off" on the end of the map so it's harder to see the edge like how you did with LR. I'm not as worried about dust flying up or deep snow (just slower prey except for rabbits and coyotes. Maybe fixes added in) as that would be more work towards that little thing than the overall improvement of the realistic forests of yellowstone. It would make it harder to hunt elk. Wolves have an amazing skill just to dodge in and out of trees when they hunt.
Something else that would be neat would be variety in prey. And predator pelts and coyote pelt improvement. I hate coyotes but they deserve a little love too don't they.

[SilkenGalaxy]

I love all the ideas here! Lemme see if I can come up with some (many have been already mentioned, I'm just showing my support of them):

- A thirst bar (a lot of people suggested this one, and it makes sense)
- Symbiotic relationship with ravens (Several people have suggested this already, and I agree with it, in real life, wolves and ravens get along quite well and help each other out, so why not have this in WQ?)
- Prey in the water (fishing would be tons of fun, as well as going for beavers)
- Pups growing up to, at least, juvenile stage(so many people have suggested this, so need I say more?)
- Combined customizations (this has been suggested by Kamaal, and I must say, I agree with her, it would be cool to have a bent ear and a radio collar at the same time, or a limpy leg and a torn ear at the same time)
- More avatar animations/sleeping positions, etc.
- Day/Night cycle
- More prey/predators
- More dynamic/realistic interaction with NPCs (we all know that in real life wolves don't interact in turn based fashion, it would be interesting if we could still have the same interaction options in the social arena (maybe a few more), but be able to use them anytime during the interaction)
- The number of pups born in a litter vary (1-4 sounds good)
- Disease (it would be interesting and challenging if one of the pack members gets sick and you have to deal with such a problem, and also, to make it realistic, the illness can spread)

That's all I can think of for now, will update if I get more ideas...

[Wolvencall]

I think it would also be a good idea for pups to possibly go into the den when you leave and exit when you return
also the ability to have a scent trail for your mate and pups scent trails should be red or something it confuses me with coyotes even though it is appropriate as they are of the same family.
- possibly territory raiding missions along with the ability to choose where you place your new territory in single player, you could take over another packs territory (but it wouldn't be easy and casualties would be high depending on the pack size and disposition) or mark your own

[roguemoon]

I think it would also be a good idea for pups to possibly go into the den when you leave and exit when you return
also the ability to have a scent trail for your mate and pups scent trails should be red or something it confuses me with coyotes even though it is appropriate as they are of the same family.
- possibly territory raiding missions along with the ability to choose where you place your new territory in single player, you could take over another packs territory (but it wouldn't be easy and casualties would be high depending on the pack size and disposition) or mark your own

1) If i'm not mistaken, this already happens in 2.7. After you've trained your pups, they'll hide inside the den when you leave and will be safe from predators until you return. I don't think there's any exceptions for this?

2) the raiding idea would only really work if you had the ability to create a large pack. A small pack wouldn't dare, and there'd have to be a reason for the raid- wolves don't tend to cross into rival territories or try to challenge other packs for their turf unless they need to (for example, them being short on prey or their pack growing too large for their territory to sustain them)

[Wolvencall]

I know its just weird to see them lying outside the den, it would be nice to see them go in instead but its not necessary, and I know but it only depends on the size and there have been cases where a pack raids the territory to go after the pups or chase after a wolf who attacked your own wolves. the other packs don't seem too large either, most packs will be your size once your pups grow up, the largest pack currently in Yellowstone are the lamar canyon pack I believe and they have about twelve wolves from what I remember

[rowantobias]

I'll echo a few that I've seen already that I really enjoy:

* Automatic day/night cycle. You could easily simulate it yourself, I guess, but it'd be nice if it could happen without having to do it manually - whether via a toggle-able option in the settings or whatever else might be useful.

* Growing up with your litter of pups. Being able to return to SC with your first litter (grown older, of course) to help care for your next one would be great, I think, and perhaps the addition of an option at the end of the initial journey that allows you to either play as one of your pups (transporting you back to AM or to LR) or repeat the mission with your previous litter. (If you chose to play as a pup, you'd choose one of the ones you had left and you'd bet aken to the 'create wolf' screen for editing.) Stat benefits for being a second-gen wolf would be nice, but would probably not be too viable.

* NPC wolves howling back would be useful, especially in AM, where wolves can be hard to find if you can't smell 'em. After all, wolves howl to show their territory anyhow!

* Pack-exclusive servers. Maybe these could have a higher player limit (like, say 8-10 players? maybe?) and could be accessed only through the pack's info screen. The pack server wouldn't be online constantly, but one person of any rank of the pack could host it if they want, with the pack creator having the same kick/warn priveleges as the regular host.

* Being able to appoint ranks in packs (multiplayer, I mean) - just simple ones, like "Pack Creator", "Pack Manager", and "Pack Member". I guess it'd be kinda useless outside of the main pack display screen, though, save for maybe in conjunction with the suggestion above?

* Ability to choose your wolf's physique? Younger wolves tend to be lankier, so it'd be nice to convey that if your wolf is meant to be younger in, say, a multiplayer game, or if your pups in the singleplayer grew up and you wanted a way to distinguish them from the main wolves without just scaling down the original model.

* More variety with body language - what we have is a lot anyhow, but more is always welcome. Something akin to rolling over on one's belly briefly, maybe, or a raised tail (and maybe if the growl button is pressed, a snarl)? It'd also be nice to be able to sneak backwards. At the moment you can only sneak if you're moving forward.

* baby animals in spring pleeeeeease haha

Also less a suggestion and more of a beg: Please please please allow options for turning down the volume of the SFX in the game. I like the music, but even when it's loud, the rest of the game distracts me when I'd rather hear the music over the regular game, or just turn down the game without having to turn down the music.

[RoxasXIII]

Thought of some more
-eat coyotes, maybe only when the player wolf is at low health
-fix the plane in AM, since it currently pauses midair, then flies through the trees
-ability to move the camera via the mouse, including looking up and down
-sprinting on a press-and-hold key that drains stamina much faster than running
-smooth out the old pelts to match the new 2.7 pelts
-animals run when lightning strikes a close tree, including the player wolf
-takedown animations for the killing bite on a coyote or elk
-ability to hide pups during rendezvous mission to go get food
-mate commands (stay/wait, attack [selected elk/coyote/hare], come back, etc.)
-alarm bark that sends pups into den
-attach camera to head in scent and headcam mode (view-bob, look up when howling, down when eating, etc.), maybe toggle in settings in case of motion sickness
-multiplayer: action menu for snarling, submitting, raising tail, etc.
-multiplayer: fighting between player wolves, but toggled by the host when making the game, possibly require both fighters to agree to the duel

[Wolvencall]

The possible ability for elk and hopefully bison to hurt your pups from accidentally trampling them when you hunt on the last mission and your pups are nearby.

[SolitaryHowl]

A few ideas:

- More prey items: bison, incredibly tough prey to take out. Almost impossible unless you have a full pack all working together (and even then....), beaver, moose, fish, frogs, cougar (maybe you can sneak in & take her cubs...), ravens that land & eat at the carcass...just to name a few.

- Coyotes attack in packs, so you have to make a choice...do I sacrifice pup z to save pup x and y?

- Baby animals & with this increase the difficulty for hunting adult animals substantially (so people go for the babies).

- Free-roaming dispersal wolves in AM, free roaming packs in AM and SC, doing everything the player can do. They too, raise their own pups and protect them. You have the option of entering THEIR territory to grab a free meal, but they might turn and attack you like how you'd attack them if they tried it.

- In AM, if you tresspass on stranger wolf territory (maybe if you defeat a wolf), the others come running & they chase you away from their territory. If you don't run, you die. So, in order to find a dispersal, you have to track them by scent (Dispersals could free-roam) in the area.

- A real-time dynamic social interaction system, instead of turn-based like in the social arena. (there can be a 'legacy option' if some players prefer the the social arena for interacting)

- All of the animations available in the social arena (high poly model) to be animated for regular play (low poly model), in both SP and MP. In SP: The player should be allowed to make mistakes (some people learn best through mistakes) in social interaction, as well, even if that leads to negative consequences for the player's wolf.

- Add more 'life' to the game world:
- More grass & trees (differing heights of trees and grasses, too).
- More smaller life around - fallen logs, fungi and moss growing, etc.
- In the case of forests, add leaf litter.

- Switch from unity to something else (if possible), that will allow better looking environments & etc

- Different ways pups & your wolves can die. Diseases. Forest fires. Stuff like that.

- An injury system for both wolves and other animals. So you can pick out prey without having to look at its health bar, and you can tell if you're low on health by seeing if you're limping or not. Etc.

- If you're kicked by an elk, you should fly backwards (kind of like in the early pre-release WQ video)

- If you're kicked by an elk, rare possibility you're thrown back & die immediately (kicked in the head)

- A new map/place to explore would be nice...maybe not even in Yellowstone. Maybe somewhere like, erm, Algonquin Park? So there could be the find a mate -> pups in Algonquin park. Quite possibly could be in the same map, too, if the map's big enough. Or elsewhere that has a different 'feel' to it, but can share the same animal species so to cut down on costs?

- Dynamic day/night switching.

- Improved running and trotting animations....they always seem too stiff.

[Jeames]

Ooooh, all these ideas are wonderful! Actually all the ideas I had were already added, so I sadly cannot add any more ideas to the list.
But wow, this topic is already really popular. xD

[Wolvencall]

Id say it should be rare for coyotes to attack in packs though because from what I've seen unless there's an absence of wolves they stick to their mates pairing instead of acting as a pack as wolves usually break it up quickly although that could be a good mini mission to break up a coyote pack.

[Akuerri]

Great suggestions guys! I can't think of anything to add because it's all been suggested already, but I love the cool ideas so far. ^-^

[AmberZeWolf]

I had an idea about pups and the number you get them in. The number of pups should depend on chance and health. If your unhealthy when you finish the claim your new den mission, you only get one or two pups. If you are healthy, topped up health, you will get average amount for a wolf to have, or if a chance is met, more than 6 pups. Up to 12 pups if possible? Heh, that would be a problem for a new parent, but some wolves have to face that.

[Auburn_CardinalWolf]

I had an idea about pups and the number you get them in. The number of pups should depend on chance and health. If your unhealthy when you finish the claim your new den mission, you only get one or two pups. If you are healthy, topped up health, you will get average amount for a wolf to have, or if a chance is met, more than 6 pups. Up to 12 pups if possible? Heh, that would be a problem for a new parent, but some wolves have to face that.

Love this idea ^ It would be really surprising and hilarious to have 12 pups or just being able to have a small varying number of pups would be interesting.

[Frodo1]

Oooh, I've been meaning to visit this for a long time!

Okay, here's some random (but cool, at least in my opinion) ideas that probably won't ever be added because it's super complicated, but hey, you never know- in 30 years, the team might need more super-complicated ideas for WQ XD

But first, some small stuff.

-Dynamic stats
Every wolf starts off with really low base stats. However, as time goes on and you play more as a wolf, your stats will go up. For example, the more you run, the more your stamina goes up (just like human athletes can gain stamina by practicing- marathon runners don't start cold-turkey), the more you fight and win, the more your strength goes up, the more you hunt, the more your speed goes up... etc. Different actions add to your different stats. Higher stats, of course, mean that prey is harder at first. Now, with WQ's limited number of animals, this probably wouldn't be too big at first, but as the game continues if the team adds more maps and/or animals (as I hope will be possible if future episodes occur), this could have a bigger impact. I.E., if we ever get animals like, say, bison, higher stats would be a massive plus. Stats would be stored per-profile- further encouraging people to keep playing the game.
Your stats would also influence your puppies' stats. Now, right now all that would really do would give them higher healthbars, but if, say, they grow up in a future episode... again, big plus.
Stats would go up faster on harder gamemodes, and slower on easier ones, just like XP.

-More animals
This is one everyone says. Yeah, more animals probably won't come into play for a while, but if they do, here are some suggestions.

Animals

Show

Predators/competitors-
-Cougars
-Badgers
-Wolverines
-Black bears
-Lynx

Prey-
-Deer
-Bison
-Antelope
-Small prey such as mice, gophers (hardly worth hunting, but could save your life in a pinch...)

etc.

Also young elk, bear cubs, etc. in springtime

-Unlockables
Unlockables are bonus content that isn't available right away. Unlockables, like achievements, are per-account, and are based off the combined XP of your wolves.
Unlockables include things like additional customizations, maybe bonus animals if they're added, etc.
They take a lot of XP to unlock... or you can pay a set amount of money to unlock them immediately! (and hey- that money helps keep the game going!)

-Separation of food and health bars
Like in Minecraft. If your food bar is mostly full, your health will regen, but if your food bar gets too low, it takes away health. So make sure you're not too hungry...

-Travel between maps
Right now, you can travel from AM to SC after you've got a mate. It would be nice if you could travel between them alone (but obviously you'd have to find a mate to complete the mission). If you traveled after having pups, your mate would not come with you- but you could travel to SC with your mate and choose not to start the mission right away.
Travel to LR would be possible as well.

-More temperament variation in NPCs
NPCs could be a little more unpredictable. More NPC wolves with different reactions- we see this a little already with pack wolves, but it would be cool to see it in dispersals, too.

Also some bigger content... stuff that would be far future if it was ever added, probably. Again, it's super complex, but hey, I'll toss it out there anyway- you never know when one idea might spark another more feasible one or something XD

-More regions
Regions outside of Yellowstone could be added- such as a Canadian or Alaskan forest, or Siberia- other places around the world. Each would have its own maps and would follow a similar story to the Yellowstone one, but with locations being the main difference.
If map travel was implemented, it would either be restricted by region, or long-distance travel could be added, too (but you wouldn't have to walk the whole way).
With the potential for long-distance travel could come the option for things like researchers and relocation.
Different regions would have different predators and prey to contend with.

-Injury system
Your wolf could be injured in various places. This could happen in fights, hunting, etc. With every blow received, your wolf has a random chance of being injured. This chance is upped with lower health. The location of the injury is chosen based off the situation and with a bit of randomness, and each type of injury different effects. A leg injury would slow your wolf down and cause them to limp visibly on the affected limb (drawback- many more animations to be added...). A chest injury could cause your wolf to cough and would also slow them down. A head injury might cause the screen to go blurry, especially in head cam, or could even make you black out. Other injuries might instantly drain a large amount of health.
Instant death could be toggled to make hunting riskier, but for those who don't like the possibility of being 1-shot-killed, it could be turned off.
Injuries would persist regardless of the wolf's health, and would wear off after a certain length of time. Resting/sleeping would help injuries heal faster.
Injuries could be completely turned off (mostly for younger players, or those who don't like the randomness of it). In Multiplayer, the host would be in charge of enabling/disabling injuries and instant death.
Perhaps injuries could also be applied to prey- though to a lesser extent. Biting an elk might injure it and cause it to limp, etc.
Another possibility- an "injury map" that shows where the player wolf is injured, how badly they are hurt, and how long the injury will take to heal/lessen. Some wounds would have multiple degrees of severity- such as a leg wound that goes from severe to moderate to slight and then disappears entirely. Each stage would have its own healing time.

-Infinite storyline
Puppy: The player starts out as a puppy with about 5 in each of its stats (the player could still customize their wolf, but until the wolf grew up somewhat it would have a puppy coat based off the coat color). The puppy could increase these stats to a certain point via various activities (play fight with sibling, hunt bugs, etc.). They would have to avoid predators to an extent, and would eventually mature into a yearling.
Yearling: Yearlings are just beginning to learn how to hunt, and although they can still play-fight with their siblings, they are now hunting bigger prey (like young elk) with their pack. Stats increase substantially.
Dispersal: Yearlings become dispersals and leave their pack at 2 years. Quest follows as normal, but the player wolf might roam around for a year or two before finding a mate. Players might encounter their wolf's siblings as other dispersals, which would lead to a separate set of interactions.
Pack leader: Soon, the player wolf has pups of his/her own and is the leader of the pack. S/he would watch his/her puppies disperse, and might even see some of them around again as dispersals. The packs in the area would change as time wore on. Maybe the player's pups would claim an empty territory.
Old age: Eventually, the player's wolf would grow old and die, along with the player's mate. The player would then be given the option to resume play of any available pups (of any age- though some may have died of simulated natural causes) and continue the story indefinitely.
Obviously this would be a huge amount of stuff to implement, so... frankly, I don't really expect to ever see it in game But hey, you never know- no harm in at least tossing it out there