I Smell Elk!

[Windstrider]

Wow, I'm always excited to see a new update every Friday!

Hm...perhaps making the windborne scent particles a little larger so they are easier to spot? Or increase their contrast with the greyscale background? They might be hard to see when you're moving around, turning in one spot, etc.

Yeah, from a distance they'd probably look like leaves.

Agreed that they're a little bit hard to see.

[Rifka]

This has to be the update that has excited me the most so far! Migrating elk? AWESOME.

[7KodaWolf7]

This looks amazing! I love the improvement. It's simple and subtle, but it makes all the difference!

[PearlyReborn]

Wait, are those some new-looking trees I spy?

[Wolvencall]

Wait, are those some new-looking trees I spy?

Yeah that's what I thought! The terrain looks a wee bit different too but I could be wrong

[Windstrider]

Wait, are those some new-looking trees I spy?

Yeah that's what I thought! The terrain looks a wee bit different too but I could be wrong

No I think you're right; some of the trees are especially tall or skinny, and the leafless one looks new too.

[Ecliptic]

Wait, are those some new-looking trees I spy?

Yeah that's what I thought! The terrain looks a wee bit different too but I could be wrong

No I think you're right; some of the trees are especially tall or skinny, and the leafless one looks new too.

Yeah, I think this is Tower Fall... ?

[Noala]

AMAZING!! I love love LOVE it!
The new scent tracks are so much more realistic.
I also believe this will make hunting other things suck moose a lot easier. Currently we have to be almost on top of a scent to see it but if we could smell a moose scent on the wind that would help tremendously.
Pluse I would really enjoy the challenge of tracking the scent. It's truelly awesome how much more depth it adds to the game. Love it!

[SheWolf17]

It will be like, Follow trails, smells and footprints until find?

[Koa]

It will be like, Follow trails, smells and footprints until find?

You will follow scents on the wind, first, then a scent trail as you get closer, and then yes, animal tracks. From the first post-

In our new scent system, scent spores will float long distances on the wind. Players can pick up a scent trail a kilometer or two downwind. By heading upwind into these scents, players will hone in on their target — and then pick up a scented trail of elk tracks to close the remaining distance.

[SheWolf17]

Amazing!!! thanks

[Koa]

Amazing!!! thanks

You're welcome. In the future, please make sure your posts are at least three words so they are not considered SPAM; emoticons do not count.

[Polynesia]

I have a concern about the new spawn system and huge maps. The pups on higher difficulty settings lose health extremely quickly. Since tracking will be more challenging and will take place over a wider range, you'll have to tweak their health, right?

Currently, pups on high difficulty settings lose health much faster than pups on low difficulty settings. You might want to consider flipping this around. Since hunting is expected to be much more difficult and time-consuming on the higher settings, it would make sense for the pups on 'Bring It On' and 'Arduous' to last longer than pups on 'Pretty Easy.'

You might view the difficulty settings as realism settings; the most realistic being 'Bring It On.' With this in mind, you may want to account for the fact that not every hunt will end in a kill. In the wild, about 10% of wolf hunts end in success. (But since you're aiming for a sweet spot between realism and fun gameplay, this figure will be higher in the game. However, the success rate in the game (for cow elk at least) is pretty much 100%, which hopefully will change after the AI update.) If hunting will be more challenging in the update, then a failed hunt should not be fatal to your pack. The pups on 'Bring It On' should lose health slowly enough to last until a second hunting attempt, whereas the pups on 'Pretty Easy' should lose health more quickly because hunting is expected to end in success.

Anyway, the new system looks really cool and I think you did a great job! It might also prevent farming for XP since right now people are mowing herds like grass, which kind of devalues the fun of catching an elk.

I also have a question concerning the AI update. Will you be modifying the elk's herd mentality? Currently (in 2.7) the majority of the elk will stand their ground, with only a few weaker elk fleeing. That is not realistic because if you think about it, the wolf pack's strategy is to get the herd running, which allows them to pick a target and attempt to separate it from the others. Elk don't naturally splinter off; the whole herd runs together. What I see in all versions of WolfQuest is that the elk never stick together when chased. They always scatter and actually don't appear to be very much aware of each other.

My point is, selecting a target and separating it from the herd is ridiculously easy in 2.7 because the elk don't stick together in the first place. Some will stay, some will run, and those that run won't run together.

For reference here's a cool video of a wolf hunt. As you can see, they ALL run, including the stronger cows.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8V8_HNtyLXk

[Lebron BMT]

Polynesia wrote:
I have a concern about the new spawn system and huge maps. The pups on higher difficulty settings lose health extremely quickly. Since tracking will be more challenging and will take place over a wider range, you'll have to tweak their health, right?

Currently, pups on high difficulty settings lose health much faster than pups on low difficulty settings. You might want to consider flipping this around. Since hunting is expected to be much more difficult and time-consuming on the higher settings, it would make sense for the pups on 'Bring It On' and 'Arduous' to last longer.

Good point and seconded. It's a bit ridiculous how quickly pups lose health, and if the hunting system is getting some much needed depth that itself makes hunting more time-consuming (especially on higher difficulty levels) then hopefully pup health will be updated so it is easier to maintain (again!). The devs will probably have to play around and test this to find the right balance. Especially since there are very few carcasses on higher difficulty levels, which are also the most realistic levels and therefore the best levels for simulating wolf life.

Polynesia wrote:
My point is, selecting a target and separating it from the herd is ridiculously easy in 2.7 because the elk don't stick together in the first place. Some will stay, some will run, and those that run won't run together.

In my experience it is usually the weakest elk that run immediately. The strongest ones are more likely to stand their ground. I can only assume this is by design--although it would be if neat elk herds ran together--or maybe just the weak ones? Or maybe they will flee together only if you approach them with a specific amount of wolves, but if you're by yourself or just with your mate the current system stands. Or maybe this will be a feature unique to bison when they are added to the game one day.

[Ecliptic]

That's a pretty good point. I love the challenge of Bring it On, but when my pups starve before I can even do a single hunt it's a little ridiculous.