New version: multiplayer and chatting

[blackdirewolf]

are these updates for the new Ipad version coming out or for the computer version?

[Neamara]

As it stands now, the team are currently focusing their efforts solely on WQ app development. There's no current guarantee of an update to the Win/Mac versions as a result of time and resources being used for app development. It's not impossible after app development has been completed, but only if the team wishes to consider it.

We may then consider releasing a new Mac/Win version with all the improvements and additions, with similar pricing.

http://wolfquest.org/bb/viewtopic.php?p ... 6#p2273196

And if we do eventually release this new version of the game for Mac/Win, then text chatting is obviously attractive for many people.

http://wolfquest.org/bb/viewtopic.php?p ... 5#p2330815

Will we ever bring the improvements from the app back to the Mac/Win version? Dunno. We're focused on the app right now. We need to see how that goes before making any new plans.

http://wolfquest.org/bb/viewtopic.php?p ... 3#p2289573

Best to keep your eyes peeled for future project plans as they are announced. Please be patient. ^^

[duskypack]

To think, I was excited for the Tablet Version before I even heard of the new map!

I recently had a lot of fun exploring Slough Creek on Lexicon Chat with a few new friends. We hunted, I took them to the especially scenic spot at Canyon Cliffs and then we had a blast finding the human impacts. I hope the new map has human impacts (perhaps even that mysterious tent...) and lots of cool places. I have complete faith it will be as awesome as possible, I can't wait!

Does the screen have to freeze up during typing mode? The Lexicon Chat in my mind is more then a necessity, Phrase Chat just doesn't cut it (Oh, and a few extra phrases you might want to add to Phrase Chat are 'My private game name is' and 'My private game password is'). I'm going to look into an Ipad MMO to see how chatting works there, I'll probably get back to you on that. Wolfquest isn't an MMO but there is a lot of chatting in MMOs so you could learn a thing or two.


Also, do you have any ideas on how a co-op would work? Would it be a separate Wolfquest game? Would it be unlocked upon the completion of the Summer Journey? Would one player be the parent with an AI mate? This sounds really exciting! Woo! Fun for roleplay! Fun for making Wolfquest movies! Fun for playing with your friends! Perhaps you can even raise your pups on the multiplayer map if you play on co-op?

As you can see, I'm full of ideas.

Good luck with the development <3

-Dusk

[Komoria]

In regards to what you said Dusk, I think it'd be cool if you could choose in Co op mode to be a pup and parent with mate AI or both be parents with pup AI.

[SilkenGalaxy]

To think, I was excited for the Tablet Version before I even heard of the new map!

I recently had a lot of fun exploring Slough Creek on Lexicon Chat with a few new friends. We hunted, I took them to the especially scenic spot at Canyon Cliffs and then we had a blast finding the human impacts. I hope the new map has human impacts (perhaps even that mysterious tent...) and lots of cool places. I have complete faith it will be as awesome as possible, I can't wait!

Does the screen have to freeze up during typing mode? The Lexicon Chat in my mind is more then a necessity, Phrase Chat just doesn't cut it (Oh, and a few extra phrases you might want to add to Phrase Chat are 'My private game name is' and 'My private game password is'). I'm going to look into an Ipad MMO to see how chatting works there, I'll probably get back to you on that. Wolfquest isn't an MMO but there is a lot of chatting in MMOs so you could learn a thing or two.


Also, do you have any ideas on how a co-op would work? Would it be a separate Wolfquest game? Would it be unlocked upon the completion of the Summer Journey? Would one player be the parent with an AI mate? This sounds really exciting! Woo! Fun for roleplay! Fun for making Wolfquest movies! Fun for playing with your friends! Perhaps you can even raise your pups on the multiplayer map if you play on co-op?

As you can see, I'm full of ideas.

Good luck with the development <3

-Dusk

Yass, yes! I agree with this a lot, it would be really cool to have all that stuff!

[alethe]

Both parents with pup AI sounds interesting, actually.

[SilkenGalaxy]

It is interesting, but remember what loboLoco said:

3) We're planning to add co-op multiplayer to Slough Creek. That's not guaranteed yet, since we haven't gotten deep enough into the work to be sure of it, but so far we're optimistic. It would let up to five players join a game as adults (parents and older offspring), raising the pups together. (Yeah, I know everyone wants to play as pups. That's not in the plan for this new version initially for a number of reasons, but if we get lots of sales, who knows what we might do?)

Up to FIVE players get to play it, that means, you can do a pack rp, or just a simple, "we're living life as a wolf pack taking care of the breeding pair's pups" game, like how people would do hunting or wolf pack servers, but without the roleplay...

[duskypack]

Pups can't defend themselves or anything, pup life is rather boring but we want to play as a pup anyway, dunno why...

I think co-op would be a unique type of server, because it would probably be private, but I don't think anyone would just join... Maybe the server could open whenever someone connects. I really think a co-op server would have to be unlockable to make.

Teeny, the possibilities are ENDLESS


Honestly, I think one player as a parent is the best arrangement. You can have the four previous litter, one parent and the usual mate and the puparoos!

<3 <3 <3 <3

I don't think there should be player parents because that would lead to mating/dating/marriage roleplay. A game of 'house' with wolves, and we already have ENOUGH mating/dating/both server D:

But Dave's words sound like players would be parents, which wouldn't all be that bad. There are a few kinks to work out, but the co-op idea will be a dream come true (and a perfect addition to my 'How to go beyond the Summer Journey' guide).

We are optimistic right with you, Dave, but I'm trying to keep my hopes down

I really think there should be time of day changing in multiplayer. One (certain blocky mining) game has a system on server where when everyone sleeps at night, it changes to day. Perhaps the server owner could choose the time of day, and then whenever everyone sleeps it could go to the next time of day in the cycle? Like, say you start at Dusk, and then everyone sleeps. Then the screen blackens, and lightens with the usual wake-up music, and the time of day will be midnight. If the players sleep again it could be Dawn, and then Day, and then Dusk again. The time of day would stay the same until everyone sleeps using Z. Another option would be the 'change the time of day' panel thing would only display to the server owner, and then upon the owner's selection the change of day will change.

What do you guys think? It would be much more convenient then closing/reopening a server with a different time of day.

-Dusk

[SilkenGalaxy]

With up to five players, then people could play like this in the co-op games:

• 2 players could be the breeding pair "Alphas"
• The rest could be relatives, such as aunts and uncles of the pups, older siblings (bros and sis's), maybe cousins

It would be fun, and multiplayer pack games would have more of a realistic wolf pack touch to them.

[Neamara]

I don't think there should be player parents because that would lead to mating/dating/marriage roleplay. A game of 'house' with wolves, and we already have ENOUGH mating/dating/both server D:

Mhmm, it's been a problem for years and it's certainly not one that has been resolved successfully. In spite of efforts the team made to prevent/discourage that sort of thing, the whole mating and dating problem isn't likely to stop. The strategy of having games be at-your-own-discretion is more than enough warning in its own right.

I don't know if this is possible, but what about an auto kick/ban/mute feature? If someone enters a message containing a bad word and sends it, the message is prevented from being submitted and the player is muted for # minutes. If they repeat the offence, the mute timer doubles on the second and third attempt. Anything more results in a kick or a (temp) ban/cooldown period, preventing that device from being able to play MP until it expires.

[SilkenGalaxy]

That sounds like a good idea actually, people have been wanting that for a while...

[duskypack]

That sounds great! Also, this is another multiplayer map idea: a snowy version like the Slough Creek with Snowpack.

[alethe]

I don't know if this is possible, but what about an auto kick/ban/mute feature? If someone enters a message containing a bad word and sends it, the message is prevented from being submitted and the player is muted for # minutes. If they repeat the offence, the mute timer doubles on the second and third attempt. Anything more results in a kick or a (temp) ban/cooldown period, preventing that device from being able to play MP until it expires.

Sounds so much better than censoring every single word that could *possibly* have an inappropriate connotation.

[SilkenGalaxy]

Yes, I definitely agree with that, it would be easier to use for chatting.....

[SolitaryHowl]

Our original vision for WolfQuest was as a multiplayer game. During the original development period, however, we put much more effort into the single-player missions, and as a result, there's not a great deal to do in multiplayer. And then over time, we had to place more and more restrictions on chatting in order to ensure (or at least try to ensure) a safe environment for players of all ages. And so now....multiplayer just isn't that great.

We aim to improve that with the new version:

1) We've switched to a more robust MP service (Photon), which should make MP games more robust. As part of that, we're eliminating the bugs that make Private Games finicky to join.

2) We're creating a new multiplayer map that should be a lot of fun to explore and hang out in.

3) We're planning to add co-op multiplayer to Slough Creek. That's not guaranteed yet, since we haven't gotten deep enough into the work to be sure of it, but so far we're optimistic. It would let up to five players join a game as adults (parents and older offspring), raising the pups together. (Yeah, I know everyone wants to play as pups. That's not in the plan for this new version initially for a number of reasons, but if we get lots of sales, who knows what we might do?)

But what about chat? We've added a new option, voice chat, which is obviously unconstrained by the lexicon. That will be available only in Private Games. For Open Games, we plan to offer only Phrase Chat and No Chat, and encourage players to use Private Games if they want better chat options.

So what about text chat (with or without the lexicon and bad-words blocking)? I had thought that for tablets, text chatting was not very desirable -- it'd be quite awkward having the game pause for the virtual keyboard -- but I've learned that some people really prefer text chat over voice chat. And if we do eventually release this new version of the game for Mac/Win, then text chatting is obviously attractive for many people.

So we have to figure out how to balance risks and benefits of text chat. Possibly, Private Games could have some kind of text chat option. Everybody (including me) would prefer that to be open and unconstrained by the lexicon, but I do worry some about the risks that would entail.

So: what do you think about private vs. open games with these options? What would you really like to see? Knowing what you do about the current MP situation, what risks do you think these options would create or prevent?

Maybe, help to stop inappropriate behaviour, there should be an in-game report button. When you press that button, it automatically takes a screenshot of the game, and then a pop-up shows up where you can fill in a form to report an inappropriate player. When you press the 'send' button, this report (along with the automated screenshot of the game) can be sent to a WolfQuest Admin or Moderator (maybe similar to how reports on the forum operate), so they can take care of the matter quickly and efficiently. For repeat offenders, the I.P address of the offender should be banned (which should discourage them from just creating another account). The permanent banning can be overseen by either a WolfQuest Admin, and/or a trusted/long-time Moderator. You can also look into it being doing automatically, as in looking for certain keywords in a report.

Also: Speaking as a previous mod, Moderators should be able to join ANY game (private or no) for moderating purposes. They should be able to have the option for the game to announce if a moderator is present (or not). If the game is 'full', the moderator should be able to join as just an 'observer' to moderate the chat, and should not be 'announced' to the current players (unless the moderator chooses to do so).

Ideally, current moderators should attend a 'training session' where they are trained as to which things are inappropriate and which things are not, and they should be given a test. This 'testing' will ensure only the more reliable/more trustworthy/or more "qualified" moderators are chosen, which can help prevent corruption in the system (ie: Moderators not reporting on inappropriate things their friends are doing in games, which can lead to resentment from other users). You could also implement 'game only' moderators, that is a special team of moderators that solely focus on moderating the game and not the forum.

It is important to have a fast, effective, and efficient system of banning inappropriate users, otherwise people will take advantage of any weaknesses in the system. And, since WolfQuest is marketed towards younger kids, it is vital to ensure parents feel safe having their kids play the game. Also, whenever I recommend the game to people, I always warn them about multiplayer having inappropriate content, and I shouldn't have to do that in a game marketed towards younger people.

In regards to the co-op: that can be a good or bad idea, depending. Currently existing glitches need to be sorted out for smoother and more enjoyable gameplay. The lexicon should be disabled for this type of thing, as effective communication is vital in a co-op game, yet this is a double-edged sword...people WILL take advantage of the no-restrictions and say inappropriate things. Perhaps it can have a trial for a couple of months (or however long you choose), to see how people react to it. If the majority reacts positively, and there are only a few bad apples...those bad apples should be removed promptly from the game and the forums.

When the phrased chat is added, there should be a 'suggestion button' that a player can press which brings up a form they can fill out to suggest a new phrase. If the phrase contains a swear word or any inappropriate content, an automated system should either reject that phrase, or send a report to an Admin or Moderator to deal with.

Maybe, if finances allow, more features could be added to the game that will hopefully prevent boredom and thus hopefully reduce inappropriate behaviour or roleplaying. Things that will enhance the gameplay, and aren't just aesthetic...so things like: more missions to complete (some much more challenging than others that require teamwork and cooperation from everyone), maybe some time-trial related things (get from random point A to random point B in a certain amount of time, or do this random task before time runs out).

Those are just my views.