Public Beta for v1.1.0

[loboLoco]

The next big update of the game is now in public beta on Steam, for those interested in trying it! We’ve had a dedicated group of private beta testers hammering on it for awhile now, so it’s in good shape but undoubtedly there are still some things that need fixing and tweaking.

Saved games from this beta build are NOT backward compatible with the last released patch (1.0.9h), nor is multiplayer backward-compatible, so you can only play MP with others who have the beta. Because of that, if you want to try the beta but might want to switch back to the last released patch (v1.0.9h), I strongly encourage you to follow the instructions in the video and make a backup of your WQ user files.

TO GET THE BETA BUILD ON STEAM:
1) In the Steam app, go to your Library, then right-click on the WolfQuest: AE name in the left column and choose Properties.
2) Then go to the Betas tab and select the WQ current Beta option in the pulldown. No password is necessary. Steam should then start downloading it. Later you can switch back to the public version in that Betas tab, by selecting NONE in that pulldown.

Here are some of the big changes and improvements in v1.1.0 -- for the full list of patch notes, please see the announcement on Steam:

BIG CHANGE: We have converted all animal AI to our new, improved AI system. In most cases, this should not change animal AI or behaviors, so please report any new issues that you notice.

NEW:
* All quests are now playable in Amethyst and Slough Creek, with more than 20 dens on the Amethyst map.
* Several territory configurations to choose from when starting new game in Amethyst, Slough Creek, and Lost River (DLC).
* Added a Territory hex color picker in Game Settings.
* In Wolf Customization: Primary and Secondary howls are now combined into one panel, so you can choose any howl for either type. There are also 22 new howls added. (Controller support for howl selection coming tomorrow.)
* Pronghorns now roam the grasslands of each map. They are very fast and generally extremely hard to catch, except for summertime fawns: in June, newborn fawns hide in the grass like elk and mule deer, while later in the summer they are ambulatory but easier to catch than adults are.
* New coyote model.
* Player can do most emotes when sitting and lying down (but not tail emotes).
* Pups are now more tentative and clumsier for a short time after first emerging from the den at the start of the Raise Pups quest.
* Pups have a few more play behaviors, including chasing each other around the homesite area.
* Bigger, better fire tower in Lost River DLC.
* New, improved cottonwood trees.
* New, improved lupine plants.
* Research airplane occasionally flies overhead to observe wolves if any in the group have a radio collar.
* Find a Mate quest: Upon accepting your trial mate, you can now choose to hang out with your mate for awhile, or proceed onward into winter season and Establish Territory quest. If you choose to hang out with your mate, once you're ready to proceed into winter, you can do so via a button in Pack Info.
* Juniper bushes added throughout Slough Creek.
* Better meat chunks from carcasses.
* New game title art now used in game loading screen.

IMPROVEMENTS:
* The Family Tree snapshot now auto-saves if you rename your mate or pups, or you get a new mate after your old mate dies.
* Loading screens (between main menu and maps) have many new tips and images, and all tips are now matched to appropriate images.
* Reduced memory footprint in Amethyst and Slough Creek.
* Some performance improvements in Amethyst Mountain.
* Starting and joining MP games should now be more reliable even if it takes quite awhile (several minutes) to load in.
* Some performance improvements around big cliff rocks in Lost River DLC map, if Big Rock Quality is set to Medium.
* In Lost River DLC map, human actions are no longer possible causes for old wolves.
* Domestic cattle carcasses in Lost River DLC now show partially-consumed textures when partially-eaten.
* Spike elk now lose their antlers in late spring and regrow them over the summer.
* Reclassified tree stump den north of Lost River fire tower as Wooded.
* Improvements to tree appearances.
* Boulders now always have snow on them during winter season.
* Improved movement on fawn and calf carcasses when being carried.
* Improved springtime overflow waterfall on Lost River DLC hydro dam.
* Small fawn and calf carcasses, and collectible objects, now respect gravity when being carried.
* Some additional wolf growl and audio.
* Additional pup howl audio.
* New idle animation variations when wolf is lying down.
* Improved wolf walk and stalk animations.
* Reduced ambient noise in some animal vocalization audio.
* Amount of dust kicked up by running animals is now tailored to each season (based on how wet or dry the season is).
* Many minor improvements to Amethyst natural environment.
* Improved snow accumulation on tree dens (to better match accumulation on surrounding terrain).
* Enabled Fearful Snarl emote when moving.
* Bull elk fights now feature more frequent antler clashes.
* Lost River DLC: Some big rocky outcrops now have permanent snow throughout the winter. (in progress)
* Refinements to Slough Creek small ponds in early spring.
* Enlarged the short-grass area around each den in Slough Creek and Lost River DLC.
* Increased distance that mate will hear player's woof to go back to den.
* New Woof animations (tailored to audio)
* Improved waterfall graphics at Fairies' Falls.

BUGS FIXED:
* Foxes don't know to avoid stray dogs.
* Short tail looks slinky in main menu wolf carousel.
* Strength perk alters wolf's body size.
* Mate will eat small carcass or meat chunk instantly.
* Old outdated text on "You cannot mark territory in Lost River" notification.
* Some dispersal names are too long for Scent Readout.
* In Lost River DLC, on Basic Sky & Vegetation mode, creeks don't respect fog when viewed at a distance.
* In Lost River DLC, if wolf is caught in a second trap after escaping the first trap, the second trap doesn't disappear after escaping it.
* Snow can fall in far corner of Lost Luck Silver Mine in Lost River DLC.
* In Lost River DLC, player can't go quite as close to the map border as prey animals can.
* In Lost River DLC, can get stuck, unable to move, when going under the bridge (on the ravine slopes just underneath the bridge roadway) to the west of downtown.
* Stray dachshund swims underwater.
* Many minor issues with terrains and dens.
* Alert about not being logged into Microsoft OneDrive doesn't appear when it should.
* Multiplayer: Only host can view rendezvous sites before Raise Pups quest is completed.
* Removed Fixed Sleep option for MP Story games.
* Sometimes ungulates have snow when farther away from the player, but it disappears when they get closer.
* Clever wolves can obtain multiple mates.
* Lamar River flickers when viewed from far away.
* Maple bushes along creeks get thicker when you're farther away from them.
* Multiplayer: Pup death notifications sometimes don't appear.
* Multiplayer: Stuck notification during Fixed Sleep schedule.
* Multiplayer: Scent tracks sometimes have blank label in scent view.
* Blank notification if pup dies of burns in hot springs.
* Mate frequently stops following player for a moment.
* Some reductions in memory usage.
* Improved waterfall graphics at Fairies' Falls.
* Mate marker on map is rotated 90 degrees.
* Empty notification at edge of game map.
* Tall grass patches are tilted at a few rendezvous sites.
* Inside dirt den, snowflakes can still fall.
* Wolf gait is too fast when running in deep snow.
* Sky is often very bright when you first switch into scent view.

_________________________

The WolfQuest saga will continue! Stay tuned for more news in upcoming devblogs about it and other new features!

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.

[Wolfie-WolfquestFan]

Yes yes yes!! I’m sooo excited! All of the new stuff sounds so much fun! Really, I can’t believe this is happening. I also didn’t expect so much from the new public beta! New meat chunks, new plants, so much! I even forgot about pronghorn! I am probably going to wait until this officially releases, just to be safe, since my computer isn’t the best. (It’s old and can’t run very high graphics, hopefully in the future I will get a new computer) I can’t wait!!! Keep up the incredible work!!

[-Wolfdog-]

I always thought the coyote model looked off. Glad to see it's getting an update.