Questions? Some Answers!

Find out what we're doing and thinking as we develop WolfQuest 3: Anniversary Edition and the Tower Fall expansion!

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loboLoco
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Questions? Some Answers!

Post by loboLoco » Thu Mar 24, 2022 1:44 pm



We love reading players' comments and questions about WolfQuest -- and there are so many questions! So, for today's devblog, I thought I'd answer a handful of them. The text below has concise answers to each one, but please watch the video for more expansive answers.

Are there any plans to make territory hex colors customizable?

This is not a big task -- but we have a list of more than one hundred minor improvements that we'd like to make to the game, and it's a constant struggle trying to prioritize them. Which ones offer the most the bang for the buck? Which should we do now or soon, knowing that they'll take some time away from work on the Saga, and which should we set aside for the future? So, this one is on the list, but, honestly, it's pretty far down the list.

In the Saga, if all your pups die, will the year continue on rather than resetting you into the past like it currently does?

Yes, if all your pups die you'll just keep on playing. Time will continue to pass, through the seasons. If it's your first litter of pups that died, then you and your mate will just hang out and live the rest of the year hunting and exploring and whatnot. In subsequent years, you'll have your yearlings until the next pups are born in the springtime.

When the pups are older, there will be more emphasis on establishing dominance?

No. Wolf packs generally are a family unit, and they don't have intra-pack dominance challenges of that sort. I posed this very question to one of our advisors, Dr. Dan Stahler, wolf biologist at Yellowstone National Park, about this sort of drama -- a three-year-old offspring challenging a parent for the breeder role. But he reaffirmed that this is simply not known to happen. If they want to lead a pack, they disperse and look for a good situation.

Will the Saga be released in stages or all at once?

There are some aspects of the saga that we will be rolling out incrementally -- the courtship overhaul that we released last month was one of those. There will be others but much of the Saga consists of interlocking parts that don't work properly alone, so the bulk of the Saga will be released all together.

Will there be any new achievements when the Saga is released?

Yes!

Will there be collectible objects on the new Lost River map?

Yes!

Will i be able to bring my mate from Lost River to Slough Creek or Amethyst or vice versa?

No, for several reasons. One is that Lost River is some distance away from Yellowstone (though as a fictional locale, we don't know exactly where or how far). While wolves have been known to travel very long distances, generally those are solo wolves who are looking for a new place to have a territory and find a mate. But maybe more importantly, Lost River is its own world. Some weird things have happened there. Whereas we want to make the Yellowstone maps as realistic as we can, Lost River is an alternate universe where we can have some fun, and I don't want to connect it to the reality of Yellowstone.

Will there be a multiplayer mode where you can put players in different packs and have territory battles?

We have thought about this since starting work on Anniversary Edition. It sounds fun and certainly would be realistic in many ways -- but multiplayer has evolved in ways that make PvP much harder to implement properly. In addition to the usual measures necessary to prevent cheating, we would need to somehow handle special functionality like teleporting which has a legitimate use in the game, but could be abused by malicious players. So this still remain on the back burner, at least for now.

Will we be able to change who gets to be the host if the current host needs to leave?

This feature, called host migration, is obviously very desirable. It's also technically challenging, but we do plan to look into it sometime.

Where are the bighorn sheep?

We've been planning to add bighorn sheep for quite awhile but, because they spend their time up on and around the cliffs, we first need to improve the physics and IK and grounding functionality so they can navigate those areas nicely.

Where are the toads?

Years ago, a devblog showed a pup pouncing on a toad. We are still thinking of adding toads, probably as part of some new pup play and practice-hunting behaviors.

Are there any major parts of the game development process that often don't get shown in devlogs?

Good question! Yes, most parts of game development don't get shown on devlogs, because it's just not particularly interesting to watch our developers Tommi, Mikko, and Andrei coding on their computers. But that is the most essential work of all, of course. So you can get a glimpse of it in today's video.

What are the team's favorite and least favorite bugs?

For me, it's always the goofy graphical bugs that we've featured in many devblogs. Tommi likes bugs that are easy to reproduce and hard to solve. Mikko's least favorite is the Windows file system issue -- this is the main reason why games fail to load, because for for some mysterious reason, Windows can't find the save-game file that it just showed you 20 seconds earlier. And Andrei's favorite bug is from 2019: an enormous mule deer that fills the screen and has big bright eyes.

What's been your favorite part of developing the Lost River map so far?

I've been having a lot of fun developing it, setting up a lot of neat little locations -- but if I shared them here, I would have to delete this devblog before anybody saw. So you'll just have to wait!

In what ways has the community helped shape the game?

First of all, the game wouldn't exist without the community, which initially formed back in 2007 before the game was even released. And the fact that the community continued playing the game after development stopped in 2011 made me think in 2014 that maybe we should revive this thing. And then enough people bought WolfQuest 2.7 that I thought maybe we could start over and remake the entire game. So, fundamentally, the community is responsible for the game. But going beyond that, players have suggested many things that have truly informed game development. On top of that, public and private beta testers have helped shape the direction of all the new features and gameplay that we've been developing. So ultimately it's been a collaboration between the team and our ideas about what kind of game want to make, and wolf researchers who have published an enormous amount of knowledge about wolf biology and ecology, and our players who contribute their energy and ideas and suggestions about what kind of game they want to play.

What is your favorite place in Yellowstone?

Slough Creek, especially First Meadow, have been my favorite for awhile, but on our last visit in September, we explored a few new areas. We hiked up Bunsen Peak, which was spectacular. We hiked into a new (to us) area of the Northern Range, which is likely going to be another DLC map after Tower Fall. We're not ready to announce where exactly that is, but it has that combination of mountains and valleys and forests and grasslands and rivers and a couple special spots that will make an excellent map.

Are there more wolf coats coming?

Yes! We're now working on a new DLC pack which will have more new coats, which brings me to a question for you all: Would you like to nominate a Yellowstone wolf with a beautiful coat to be included in this next DLC? If so, please post that wolf's name in the comments below -- and if you have a link to a nice photo of that wolf, please include that. We will look them over and see what we can do!

________________________________________

The WolfQuest saga will continue! Stay tuned for more news in upcoming devblogs. More maps and wolf customizations are also coming in 2022!

Once the game is completed on PC/Mac, we will turn our attention to other platforms.

We do not announce specific release dates. We will release them when they are ready.
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Re: Questions? Some Answers!

Post by Teltaar » Thu Mar 24, 2022 2:23 pm

I would like to nominate 1229F from Junction Butte Pack. I think it's a very interesting looking brown toned coat with a black face.
Link to a good photograph: https://www.yellowstonewolf.org/yellows ... og_id=2652
And link to the wolf's overview page: https://www.yellowstonewolf.org/yellows ... olf_id=357

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Re: Questions? Some Answers!

Post by Phasoli » Thu Mar 24, 2022 2:47 pm

Had a blast with the Q&A style video and am certainly looking forward to more of these!

Two wolves that I'd love to have considered for future dlc are 470F, and 1276F.
470F from the Leopold Pack appears on Yellowstone's Photo Collection here: https://www.nps.gov/features/yell/slide ... age-18.htm
1276F, meanwhile has her own page on the Yellowstone Wolf website: https://www.yellowstonewolf.org/yellows ... olf_id=299

I couldn't find the ID of this next wolf, but here's a link to another gorgeous brown-point type wolf pelt I'd love to see as part of the DLC: https://www.nps.gov/media/photo/gallery ... 8be082fe26

And then last but not least, Akela in her younger, browner phase, (From the Grizzly and Wolf Discovery Center) would be a lovely addition even if she isn't exactly a wild Yellowstone wolf: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File ... center.jpg

Can you tell I'm a sucker for brown wolves? Haha.

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Re: Questions? Some Answers!

Post by Loach » Thu Mar 24, 2022 3:10 pm

It would be nice to see some more 'grey grey' coats! (or like, more monochrome? like not black coated but genetic gray that is more neutral than brown) (if that makes sense) Like Grizzer, perhaps, but with more defined body features.

356M of Swan Lake
https://www.yellowstonewolf.org/yellows ... og_id=1903

821F Prospect Peak
https://www.yellowstonewolf.org/yellows ... og_id=1551

I don't know who this one's ID is but the two grays in this pack page photo is quite distinct. Brightest almost has a stripe on the side of their back (i'm guessing their coat has faded). But they both have a nice monochrome look going on
https://www.yellowstonewolf.org/yellows ... pack_id=20

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Re: Questions? Some Answers!

Post by -Wolfdog- » Fri Mar 25, 2022 6:23 pm

I think 1229F would make a great addition. Her fur is very multicolored in my opinion. It's filled with dark brown, black, and cream undertones, and her tail is almost entirely cream-colored in her summer coat which I think would look very distinctive.
https://www.yellowstonewolf.org/yellows ... og_id=2652
https://i.ibb.co/SBP57fc/05142021142909-Wolf12291.jpg
Phasoli wrote:
Thu Mar 24, 2022 2:47 pm
Had a blast with the Q&A style video and am certainly looking forward to more of these!

Two wolves that I'd love to have considered for future dlc are 470F, and 1276F.
470F from the Leopold Pack appears on Yellowstone's Photo Collection here: https://www.nps.gov/features/yell/slide ... age-18.htm
1276F, meanwhile has her own page on the Yellowstone Wolf website: https://www.yellowstonewolf.org/yellows ... olf_id=299

I couldn't find the ID of this next wolf, but here's a link to another gorgeous brown-point type wolf pelt I'd love to see as part of the DLC: https://www.nps.gov/media/photo/gallery ... 8be082fe26

And then last but not least, Akela in her younger, browner phase, (From the Grizzly and Wolf Discovery Center) would be a lovely addition even if she isn't exactly a wild Yellowstone wolf: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File ... center.jpg

Can you tell I'm a sucker for brown wolves? Haha.
I also support adding more brown colored wolves. They look so unique and might have a hint of Erythrism? Adding paler coats like Aidan's would be nice too. Not quite white, but not completely tawny either. There are so many wolves from all over the world who have such unique coats, especially the European ones and wolves like Takaya who had thick, beautiful black bands of fur. However, I understand if Wolfquest is trying to strive for realistic coats for just Yellowstone wolves. But I feel like after adding IWC wolves, why not try something more international?

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Re: Questions? Some Answers!

Post by Pepper » Sat Mar 26, 2022 10:45 am

Thanks, all! Great to know your preferences.
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Re: Questions? Some Answers!

Post by -Wolfdog- » Fri Apr 01, 2022 2:44 pm

I have another VERY (at least to me) important question which I don't think was addressed in the devblog. What will happen to the cattle ranch in 3.0? I haven't heard many plans from it at all. It would be a nice feature to demonstrate that wolves do occasionally go after livestock, but I understand if you guys don't want to keep it because it's too inaccurate, or it wouldn't fit in with the game.

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Re: Questions? Some Answers!

Post by rowantobias » Fri Apr 01, 2022 3:08 pm

-Wolfdog- wrote:
Fri Apr 01, 2022 2:44 pm
I have another VERY (at least to me) important question which I don't think was addressed in the devblog. What will happen to the cattle ranch in 3.0? I haven't heard many plans from it at all. It would be a nice feature to demonstrate that wolves do occasionally go after livestock, but I understand if you guys don't want to keep it because it's too inaccurate, or it wouldn't fit in with the game.
Per recent youtube comments: Stay tuned!
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Re: Questions? Some Answers!

Post by CryptidGoat » Tue Apr 05, 2022 8:26 am

You guys are all doing amazing so far!
One coat that I think would be beautiful to see in game is 472F of the Agate Creek pack. She was known to be a highly assertive alpha with keen social skills, leading her pack for 8 years (one of, if not the longest, reigns of a female as alpha in Yellowstone) and living to 10! While she was born black, her coat slowly turned a silver-white color with age, with darker markings on her neck, nose & ears, as well as a grayish tail and side stripe. Even if genetically black, I think this coat color would also support Loach's request for more monochrome-gray type coats!
Here are a couple images of her: (https://scontent-msp1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/ ... e=62701BDF) (https://scontent-msp1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/ ... e=6270CF0A)

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Re: Questions? Some Answers!

Post by KotiKkRotikK » Thu Apr 14, 2022 10:55 am

Speaking of coats. The uniqueness of the coats is much wider than it seems. All the coats I would suggest have been suggested by others. But I have this idea: adding five new gray secret coats (in addition to those black ones and DLC), this would increase the interest in the passage and would bring a special variety to the genetics of woolen puppies.

Albinism.. I know that adding an albino to the game is not in the plans. However, obtaining an albino from a snapshot of a wolf family by meeting certain conditions when passing(for example, if both parents was Elder Wolf, 1 parent is runt, 1 parent is black, attributes -2 in one or both wolves, etc.) with having a 1-5% chance of having a puppy with this mutation would be an interesting achievement in the game. And it seems to me that will be albino will be more difficult to play because he will be less adapted to nature due to chronic problems.

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Re: Questions? Some Answers!

Post by -Wolfdog- » Wed Apr 20, 2022 8:20 am

KotiKkRotikK wrote:
Thu Apr 14, 2022 10:55 am
Speaking of coats. The uniqueness of the coats is much wider than it seems. All the coats I would suggest have been suggested by others. But I have this idea: adding five new gray secret coats (in addition to those black ones and DLC), this would increase the interest in the passage and would bring a special variety to the genetics of woolen puppies.

Albinism.. I know that adding an albino to the game is not in the plans. However, obtaining an albino from a snapshot of a wolf family by meeting certain conditions when passing(for example, if both parents was Elder Wolf, 1 parent is runt, 1 parent is black, attributes -2 in one or both wolves, etc.) with having a 1-5% chance of having a puppy with this mutation would be an interesting achievement in the game. And it seems to me that will be albino will be more difficult to play because he will be less adapted to nature due to chronic problems.
The devs will probably not incorporate albinism, as it has never been recorded in wild wolves (or even captive wolves) and it would be unrealistic and an inaccurate representation of the game. The thing here is, the ''albino'' pup in 2.7 was never actually albino, players started to call it that because it was bright white. Even in 3.0, the ''albino'' pup no longer exists and even the lightest coats have been dimmed in order to be more accurate. And quite honestly, I don't get the appeal in having weaker pups.

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Re: Questions? Some Answers!

Post by ayluu3 » Tue Apr 26, 2022 12:37 am

:wolf: Hellooo. I need to ask something that has been making noises in my head for a long time, is it soon planned at some point to remodel the wolf so that it looks and has more fresh and realistic movements? I love what they have done with the textures and the new skins for the wolves.. but I feel like it needs a less clunky model and an option to change the size of the wolf at least a little bit.

I know that changing the wolf model took a lot of extra effort to re-animate everything, but it really needs it!
It is noted how the drawings and illustrations are wolves that look much better than the current 3D model and the cubs are modeled much better than their parents.
It is the only change that I would really care a lot if they manage to make, even if it is a little. :pawprint: :pawprint: :pawprint: :pawprint:
Thanks in advance for everything and lots of support!
PD: I leave you a gif that I found on the internet that could inspire. (I emphasize that it is not mine) https://cdnb.artstation.com/p/assets/im ... 1554522396

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Re: Questions? Some Answers!

Post by DinoDogDude209 » Tue Apr 26, 2022 7:54 pm

I'm glad to see the team paying attention to players' questions and making sure to answer them. I really like getting these little sneak peeks at the development process, it makes me appreciate the team's effort and hard work even more than I already do. I admit, I haven't played WolfQuest in a little while because I've been playing a lot of other games in my free time, but watching this dev blog really makes me want to play it again sometime soon.

I'm really excited for the release of the Saga, I feel like it's going to completely change the game forever. I'm also really excited for the new Lost River map, which seems to be coming along very nicely, might I add :) . It'll also be pretty cool to get some new wolf coats in the game again, I'll definitely need to post another showcase on my YouTube channel when those are released :wink:

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