New version: game ending

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loboLoco
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New version: game ending

Post by loboLoco » Thu Jan 22, 2015 11:42 am

Currently the game ends when the player, the mate, and all surviving pups reach the rendezvous site. It can be a bit tricky to get everyone in that zone, and then the ending (everyone howling as the camera pulls up) is a bit abrupt. We'd like to refine that in the new version. The game still has to end at this point, but does anyone have any suggestions to improve the ending?
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duskypack
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Re: New version: game ending

Post by duskypack » Thu Jan 22, 2015 12:38 pm

What about a montage, cut-scene thingy showing your pups playing in the Rendzevous Site, hunting, hunting with the pack, howling and it could end at adulthood. It wouldn't be playable, but it would be nice to watch. At the end of that co-op mode could be accessible... A crazy idea, but it would be really cool. The only thing I can think of similar it that is predator cam, or more rightly, the family howl at the end where you can't move.

Those ideas don't exactly sound what you seem to be looking for, but it will certainly be enjoyed if it happened! You might get less or more asking to play on the montage, so I think co-op mode being unlocked would be good after that.

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Re: New version: game ending

Post by Koa » Thu Jan 22, 2015 3:30 pm

Is there any way to make the active area of the site larger, or at least large enough so that it is easier for everyone to count as present in that zone?

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Re: New version: game ending

Post by duskypack » Thu Jan 22, 2015 3:31 pm

I like the current size of the clearing, I want to be able to hang around with my pack before the game ends. That is just my opinion, though.

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Re: New version: game ending

Post by Koa » Thu Jan 22, 2015 3:33 pm

duskypack wrote:I like the current size of the clearing, I want to be able to hang around with my pack before the game ends. That is just my opinion, though.
Sometimes it is difficult to get the NPCs in the zone, though. Even if it may not solve all issues, making the site slightly larger could be an easy way to alleviate or lessen any problems present with the end of the mission.

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Re: New version: game ending

Post by SilkenGalaxy » Thu Jan 22, 2015 3:45 pm

duskypack wrote:What about a montage, cut-scene thingy showing your pups playing in the Rendzevous Site, hunting, hunting with the pack, howling and it could end at adulthood. It wouldn't be playable, but it would be nice to watch. At the end of that co-op mode could be accessible... A crazy idea, but it would be really cool. The only thing I can think of similar it that is predator cam, or more rightly, the family howl at the end where you can't move.

Those ideas don't exactly sound what you seem to be looking for, but it will certainly be enjoyed if it happened! You might get less or more asking to play on the montage, so I think co-op mode being unlocked would be good after that.
A very cool idea Dusky, but I have something to add to it, how about at the adulthood part it shows some of the pups as adults with their own pups, that would be an adorable ending.....

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Re: New version: game ending

Post by duskypack » Thu Jan 22, 2015 6:06 pm

But I was only thinking a year montage. Co-Op mode being unlocked would be like a year going by, and a second litter being born.

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Re: New version: game ending

Post by SolitaryHowl » Thu Jan 22, 2015 7:42 pm

I like dusky's idea.

A montage (if limited funds, perhaps the art could be provided by fans via a contest or something) could be put in place, showing the pups growing up, learning how to hunt, and eventually some dispersing on their own (this would be a good point to enable co-op, or have the option to play as one of your now-grown-up pups...essentially 'auto restarting' the game at the beginning with a random coat colour and random traits). The montage can be educational, which is what WolfQuest is all about, and the 'random traits' can be explained by the fact that you can't control what genes you get from your parents, and that you just have to adapt and enjoy life as it is, no matter what curve-balls life throws at you (which I think is a nice message).

Then, after the montage but before the option to allow the player to 'start over' as one of their pups, the screen should dim (or fade into sepia tones), and credits should roll...with some nice music accompanying it. There should not be an option to skip the credits, unless the player has beaten single-player multiple times, as the hard work and dedication from the WolfQuest Team Members and any volunteers should be recognized and seen by all. I think it would just add a little bit of class to the game, and shouldn't be that hard to do.

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Re: New version: game ending

Post by estonianpenguin » Thu Jan 22, 2015 8:27 pm

i like that idea a lot, especially the idea of an art contest! it seems like a really awesome way to involve the community and help them feel like they've 'earned' a better ending. i also like the idea of being able to restart the game and play as one of your pups; i do it already manually and it would be a really cool bit of immersion. i do like the 'random traits' idea, but if it's possible, i think it would be cool that the stats would be based on the pup's weight, or something?

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Re: New version: game ending

Post by SilkenGalaxy » Thu Jan 22, 2015 9:41 pm

SolitaryHowl wrote:I like dusky's idea.

A montage (if limited funds, perhaps the art could be provided by fans via a contest or something) could be put in place, showing the pups growing up, learning how to hunt, and eventually some dispersing on their own (this would be a good point to enable co-op, or have the option to play as one of your now-grown-up pups...essentially 'auto restarting' the game at the beginning with a random coat colour and random traits). The montage can be educational, which is what WolfQuest is all about, and the 'random traits' can be explained by the fact that you can't control what genes you get from your parents, and that you just have to adapt and enjoy life as it is, no matter what curve-balls life throws at you (which I think is a nice message).

Then, after the montage but before the option to allow the player to 'start over' as one of their pups, the screen should dim (or fade into sepia tones), and credits should roll...with some nice music accompanying it. There should not be an option to skip the credits, unless the player has beaten single-player multiple times, as the hard work and dedication from the WolfQuest Team Members and any volunteers should be recognized and seen by all. I think it would just add a little bit of class to the game, and shouldn't be that hard to do.
I think this is a great idea!

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Re: New version: game ending

Post by duskypack » Fri Jan 23, 2015 9:09 pm

What do you think, Dave?

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Re: New version: game ending

Post by loboLoco » Sat Jan 24, 2015 5:08 pm

I understand the appeal of the montage, but I worry that the effort required to create it wouldn't equal the value to players.

Koa: I agree that it can be tricky to get everyone into the zone. My concern about enlarging the zone is, again, with the abruptness of the ending. If the zone is larger, you can trigger it without necessarily feeling like your pack is all together there.
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Re: New version: game ending

Post by duskypack » Sat Jan 24, 2015 5:14 pm

Perhaps you can consider the montage a little more in some future update... I understand it would be a difficult idea, but it would probably be a satisfying one, especially to Wolfquest players who wish they could see what happened in their pack.
You very well could be right, and to probably figure out the enthusiasm of all the players much more effort would have to be put into such a simple thing... Oh well, it was just an idea.

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Re: New version: game ending

Post by wolfstorm13 » Sat Jan 24, 2015 7:57 pm

The howling in the end is pretty good as it is it gives me a sense of victory after getting all my pups to the den alive and all the stress of my mate messing up by taking the pups back toward the old den is behind me. But instead of you and the mate just standing there the pups would explore the area the dad would keep the pups in the clearing and play with them and your wolf would celebrate for a bit by chasing the pups and mate playfully around the clearing and start marking the territory and walk around it for a second before finding a nice spot to take a nap. lol cause with the creek crossing, the moving of the pups, and all the predators (especially the bear and hawk) would make me want to take a nap after that journey to must likely.

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Re: New version: game ending

Post by loboLoco » Sun Jan 25, 2015 12:16 pm

I think I've come up with an improvement: What makes the ending unsatisfying is (a) It happens so abruptly, and (b) It can be tricky to get everyone into the "zone" -- and it's not 100% clear where exactly the "zone" is. By making this last task more game-like, I think we can address both issues.

1) Show the rendezvous zone somehow (big circle on the ground).
2) Display a counter indicating who is in the zone, and who isn't, so getting your mate and pups to come into the zone is a more obvious challenge, and you get a better sense of progress toward that goal, and it builds up to the payoff -- the howling and camera zoom-up.

Thoughts?
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