New Tricks for the Pack: Improving MP functionality

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Re: New Tricks for the Pack: Improving MP functionality

Post by -Revan- » Thu Jan 25, 2018 8:21 pm

I definitely support raising the player cap, perhaps doubling it to 16 if possible. Or, at the very least, allowing 16 players for "pack life" games. 16 wolves in a "raise pups" game would mean 4 wolves per pup, which might be a bit excessive.

I would also suggest search functionality when viewing the public games list. Being able to filter for pack life or raise pups games, and additionally being able to search by gametype applied by the host like "roleplay", "xp hunting", "other", and so on. Maybe even a option to show full games?

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Re: New Tricks for the Pack: Improving MP functionality

Post by Polynesia » Thu Jan 25, 2018 9:04 pm

-Mission- wrote:I definitely support raising the player cap, perhaps doubling it to 16 if possible. Or, at the very least, allowing 16 players for "pack life" games. 16 wolves in a "raise pups" game would mean 4 wolves per pup, which might be a bit excessive.

I would also suggest search functionality when viewing the public games list. Being able to filter for pack life or raise pups games, and additionally being able to search by gametype applied by the host like "roleplay", "xp hunting", "other", and so on. Maybe even a option to show full games?
In the wild, there are sometimes large and complex packs consisting of more than one breeding pair, which usually means two litters instead of one. (In these cases, the experienced pair are referred to as the alphas. It's a fine term to use in this context.) Since a PvP mode is being introduced to the game, there could be an inverse, ultra-cooperative mode which would comprise an unusually large pack, with 2 combined litters, so twice the amount of puppies.

It would be like a spectrum. Pack vs Pack would be on the super competitive side (2 regular-sized player packs against each other), the middle ground would be the standard game mode we have in 2.7 (1 regular-sized player pack vs. AI) and the opposite end of the spectrum would be on the super co-operative side (1 large pack, also against AI.)

Having these modes would explore the different and complex structures a wolf pack can have, so it's educational. Plus, it's really fun, and I agree with the others that having a higher player cap, even if it's restricted to its own game mode, would be awesome. :D

This is a random idea, but maybe there could be a mix of PvP and PvC. For example, in the PvP mode, there could be a third AI pack alongside the competing player packs. It would give the whole map a more competitive feel, and make players on both sides more mindful of borders. I think this would be cooler than having a purely PvP mode with no AI competition.

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Re: New Tricks for the Pack: Improving MP functionality

Post by chickiefoo » Thu Jan 25, 2018 9:33 pm

How exactly would the Pack v. Pack mode work? Would it be actual fighting each other (over territory or directly attacking other players?) or some sort of competition between the packs, or something else entirely? I wouldn't imagine y'all actually being down with PVP violence?

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Re: New Tricks for the Pack: Improving MP functionality

Post by -Revan- » Thu Jan 25, 2018 9:46 pm

Polynesia wrote:
-Mission- wrote:I definitely support raising the player cap, perhaps doubling it to 16 if possible. Or, at the very least, allowing 16 players for "pack life" games. 16 wolves in a "raise pups" game would mean 4 wolves per pup, which might be a bit excessive.

I would also suggest search functionality when viewing the public games list. Being able to filter for pack life or raise pups games, and additionally being able to search by gametype applied by the host like "roleplay", "xp hunting", "other", and so on. Maybe even a option to show full games?
In the wild, there are sometimes large and complex packs consisting of more than one breeding pair, which usually means two litters instead of one. (In these cases, the experienced pair are referred to as the alphas. It's a fine term to use in this context.) Since a PvP mode is being introduced to the game, there could be an inverse, ultra-cooperative mode which would comprise an unusually large pack, with 2 combined litters, so twice the amount of puppies.
Right, though I was thinking more from a gameplay standpoint, where having 16 wolves but only 4 pups might make the game too easy (though I suppose the host can simply limit it to 4, 6, or 8 wolves anyway if they still want a challenge). Though having twice the amount of pups as you suggest would be interesting and certainly make it more difficult.

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Re: New Tricks for the Pack: Improving MP functionality

Post by xc92u3 » Thu Jan 25, 2018 9:59 pm

Wow, starting from scratch, eh? I'm totally up for the new bugs, I'm tired of the old ones! :lol:
Did you already state this, but will you be able, like in the lobby looking for a multiplayer game, be able to see how far into the game everyone is? If not, that would be MY idea... I totally love the video, because it's based off real life: You have pups already? (Bye!) Where are you guys? (Bye!) Hey, I thought everyone was hunting! (Bye!) It made my day. :D

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Re: New Tricks for the Pack: Improving MP functionality

Post by duskypack » Thu Jan 25, 2018 10:07 pm

Everyone asking for larger games - the current cap has been thoroughly thought about and decided on if I remember correctly. They experimented with that for a while and 8 was the decided number because it ran fairly well on all devices and both old and new computers and wasn’t too chaotic. There was a glitch for a time where people could have any number of players in the game and there were a lot of technical difficulties with even 10 (let alone 30, which was the size of one game). Unless something changes I don’t *think* they’d consider raising the cap unless something changes on the technical end.

I’ve been rooting for a disabled chat to return for a long while, really. It was my favorite game mode because players had to communicate through emotes and body language and it truly was something special. Why did it leave?

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Re: New Tricks for the Pack: Improving MP functionality

Post by Polynesia » Thu Jan 25, 2018 10:24 pm

The devs did say they would try and raise the cap, at least for PvP games. :)

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Re: New Tricks for the Pack: Improving MP functionality

Post by duskypack » Thu Jan 25, 2018 11:02 pm

Polynesia wrote:The devs did say they would try and raise the cap, at least for PvP games. :)

Oh, really? I missed that, it would be fantastic if that is indeed possible!

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Re: New Tricks for the Pack: Improving MP functionality

Post by Nevara » Thu Jan 25, 2018 11:21 pm

Love what's in store!

The only suggestion I have at the moment is for the player to know who their friends are while playing the game. Perhaps when a friend joins/leaves they're listed as a "friend" in the chatbox, maybe their nametag has a little something special (maybe a darker grey), or possibly to have their text in the chat be a different shade as well. This would be lovely because friends come up in the list by their username, but since all multiplayer games use individual character names (except when they join/leave), it's very difficult to remember who your friends are once you both leave the server you met on

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Re: New Tricks for the Pack: Improving MP functionality

Post by ForeverEverest » Fri Jan 26, 2018 6:17 am

I think it would be cool to improve communication between wolves in multiplayer. More actions and emotions would be awesome. I know you're adding new emotions, I just think it would be cool if there were more ways to express affection or aggression to other wolves, like packmates or members of rival packs.

I think it would be cool if you could chose a resting pose, too. On a cold night in the middle of winter, it would be nice to curl up a little, or snuggle into the fur of your warm packmate.

I also think it would be nice to add different types of howl, for example: Territorial howl, or a howl to call your pack over.

This one may be a little difficult, but I would love it if there were more ways for your wolves to play. When they're not hunting, looking after pups, resting or patrolling the territory, life could get a little boring... It would be cool if you could fight over chunks of meat, or pick up sticks and attempt to tug the stick or meat out of the other's mouth. The chances of succeeding could be based on your wolf's strength percentage, or stamina. The stronger the wolf you're facing, the quicker your stamina drains. Once you're out of stamina, you drop the stick/meat. If you have high stamina, however, you won't run out of energy so quickly.

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Re: New Tricks for the Pack: Improving MP functionality

Post by SolitaryHowl » Fri Jan 26, 2018 9:18 am

I like the suggestion somebody made about server filters. I don't play any RP games, so it would be nice to be able to filter out 'RP' from the game name so I only see games that I would join.

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Re: New Tricks for the Pack: Improving MP functionality

Post by WholockInCamelot » Fri Jan 26, 2018 11:52 am

Alakaru_1 wrote:I'd love more room to type, the number of characters allowed in-chat is kinda limiting when it comes to RP servers. :,) Just curious, was it made that way to prevent spam?
I LOVE THIS! I do think it'd be a good idea to allow the option of clicking and dragging the chat box to be larger or smaller, wider or taller, etc as well!

But yes, the chat box as is is extremely small and the text allowed per ENTER press is restricting to say the least! I think you should allow us more chat characters, as well as chat font sizes! (So, we can have smaller font, but a larger chat box itself for RP! When I RP, I type long posts so I really don't enjoy RPing in WQ as it is!)
Nymeria10 wrote:*The MP could have more than 8 players, for example, 12 | 15 | or 20 wolves on a single server (this is the idea I most want)
Some wolf packs do indeed have these amounts of members, so I do love this idea as well! Imagine having a big RP group of 15+ wolves all chatting and RPing together!! It'd be so much fun! Definitely want this added as well!

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Re: New Tricks for the Pack: Improving MP functionality

Post by Brinnadaze » Fri Jan 26, 2018 3:11 pm

Hallavaturkki wrote:To make the game more realistic it would be nice if you could have the hierarchy stats; alpha pair, beta wolves, basic, youngsters and omega. This would be really useful for example when roleplaying realistically. And in generally too, like the point of this game is to make people more aware about wolves' life, and pack hierarchy is the most important thing in my opinion since it affects their everyday life.
With raising pups it could be seen with that who will be the ones teaching and defending the pups (beta wolves, since they are closest to alpa pair and thus would be allowed to have more responsibility), when the others would be off hunting food for the pups.
"The alpha wolf theory is based on an observational study undertaken in the 1940’s by biologist Rudolph Schenkel. The theory gained popularity in the 1970's when L. David Mech published his book The Wolf: Ecology and Behavior of an Endangered Species. Unfortunately, most scientists (including Mech himself) know that they alpha theory is based on faulty extrapolation. Mech has actually been trying to get the book out of print for a number of years."
http://www.sketchyscience.com/2014/08/t ... -wolf.html
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FUNCTIONALITY IDEAS:
1. The locking-on function can get super annoying when you're hunting elk or chasing off predators. Not sure how this can be improved on besides a toggle on/off option.
2. As a host, being able to remove others' comments from the chat if they're inappropriate or spam.
3. The bushes in Slough Creek in particular are such a pain when you're trying to herd an elk. Perhaps change them so they slow down whatever passes through them rather than act as a barrier?
4. Have carcasses despawn after a while? They can really lag up the game if there's a lot of them /w crows.
5. An auto-run feature -- will be helpful, especially with the bigger maps. My hand can get tired after an hour or two of holding down W.
6. When in 1st-person POV add the ability to rotate the wolf's head to look around/look up/down.
7.The ability to put down a marker on the map of where you want to go. Helpful for multiplayer, especially if it shows up on the compass. And maybe the ability to click and place a target above an elk’s head while hunting so you don’t lose track of it.
8. Maybe add an option to edit your wolf or change wolves without having to leave a server.
9. Along with the Pack VS Pack tabs, maybe you could add Local and Global chat tabs. E.g. Within X range, you can see Wolf’s message pop up in localized chat. I think this would, especially in roleplays, keep the chat from clogging up.
Last edited by Brinnadaze on Tue Apr 24, 2018 3:03 pm, edited 3 times in total.

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Re: New Tricks for the Pack: Improving MP functionality

Post by Phasoli » Fri Jan 26, 2018 3:46 pm

I would love it if the reliability of receiving messages in-game was revised. I don't get notifications that I've received private messages in servers, in spite of the update that was supposed to help with that.

Other than that, I love the idea of game filters in the multiplayer lobby, and adding bios to our characters is a very exciting feature to come!

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Re: New Tricks for the Pack: Improving MP functionality

Post by PearlyReborn » Fri Jan 26, 2018 3:53 pm

The improvements you have in mind are perfect.

I think, maybe it could show which mission you're on and the difficulty in the multiplayer hub?

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