Good Mate Hunting

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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Good Mate Hunting

Post by loboLoco » Thu Aug 23, 2018 2:08 pm

[youtube]9e8EjK7WwY4[/youtube]
Video link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9e8EjK7WwY4

We’ve been making good progress with the new hunting mechanics — not only the chase that we’ve shown before, but also now in the showdown when elk stand their ground and defend themselves. The player attack mechanics aren’t quite done yet, but here’s a peek at the mate’s attack AI. It’s so much more active than in the old game. Tommi Horttana, our lead Unity developer, created these behaviors, so I’ll let him explain more:

The mate's AI uses a few simple actions: approaching, circling, attacking, and sprinting away. It tries to get behind the elk, though in this one-on-one case it's pretty hard. Every now and then it'll try to attack, but might be scared off mid-way by the elk's counter-attack (with or without getting kicked).

The tricky part is building the AI calculations ("scorers" in Utility AI terms) around when exactly to do each of these things. How often should the mate try to attack, and how much risk should it take? What should it take to scare it away? Should it always keep circling in one direction or frequently change the direction? How far should it circle? If it does land a bite, how long should it keep it?

And how does personality (mainly "Cautious - Bold" but also the other axes) influence this? We decided to give both ends of the "Cautious - Bold" spectrum their own pros and cons. A Bold wolf will waste less time fiddling around while a Cautious one will be smarter about timing and target selection. We also want to use uniform mechanics for other fights, so we can use the same / similar AI."

I’m so excited about how the wolf and elk are in constant motion, circling and turning. It really captures the dynamism of a wolf-elk encounter so much better than we were able to do in the old game. In fact, there’s so much movement that it’s difficult to get all the animation transitions to work smoothly, but we’ll get there.


You can also see some of the gorgeous clouds in our new dynamic skybox, drifting across the sky at sunset. (These are maximum quality; we’ll have simpler clouds for less powerful computers and mobile.)


FAQs

___When will WolfQuest 3 and Tower Fall be released?
We are aiming to release the first episode, Amethyst Mountain, by the end of 2018 for PC/Mac on Steam and itch.io, as Early Access, followed by Slough Creek in early 2019, then followed by the mobile versions.We’ll then resume development of the next episode, Tower Fall.

___How much will WQ3 cost?
WolfQuest 3 will be a free update to players who own WolfQuest 2.7. If you are buying WQ 3 for the first time, the cost will likely be more than than the current game 2.7 (so it's cheaper to purchase it now and get WQ 3 as a free update). The Tower Fall expansion will be an in-game purchase (DLC).

___Will WQ3 be available on mobile?
WolfQuest is available for Mac, Windows, iPhone, iPad, Android & Kindle. So yes, WolfQuest 3 will be available for mobile phones and tablets...at least some of them, and/or in some form. Bigger maps and more animals may be too much for mobile devices with limited RAM memory. We'll do our best, but there's a good chance that some mobile devices won't be able to get it, and/or we will have a simpler version of it for some mobile devices.

___Will WQ3 be a new game?
For PC/Mac, we plan to release WolfQuest 3 as a new app on your computer, so you can keep WQ 2.7 and play either version of the game at any time. (On mobile, we are still working on the plan, since app stores are more restrictive about app upgrades.)

__Will my wolves import?
WQ3 will use the same player accounts as 2.7. You’ll be able to log into WQ3 and import your existing wolves and they will remain available in 2.7 as well (though you won’t be able to import a wolf from WQ3 back into 2.7). We are still deciding about how ranks and achievements will integrate into WQ 3.
Dave/loboLoco
WolfQuest Game Producer

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IceaPlayzPC
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Re: Good Mate Hunting

Post by IceaPlayzPC » Thu Aug 23, 2018 2:11 pm

The new mechanics look absolutely beautiful! God Job, WQ team! The mate looks so much more alive now ^^

Might i mention that the sky looks beautiful? I can't wait to explore the WQ world in full daylight without changing it every once in a bit :D

A question... How long does the daylight cycle last, from one sunrise to the next sunrise?

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Re: Good Mate Hunting

Post by Wolvesarelife994 » Thu Aug 23, 2018 2:13 pm

Love it team! Glad to be here waiting every Thursday to post! So excited for the game!! One question Dave while your online, are there going to be new species of trees in the game? If so what kind of new trees? :tree:

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Re: Good Mate Hunting

Post by YellowstoneWolves1 » Thu Aug 23, 2018 2:16 pm

Amazing! I'm very excited for Early Access. Keep up the good work, but again at your own pace. It's done when it's done, even if Early Access has to be pushed to 2019.

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Re: Good Mate Hunting

Post by DispersedHowl100 » Thu Aug 23, 2018 2:26 pm

I love the new sky! The entire scene is so life-like! Also how many GB will the new game be? I'm going to get a new PC and want to know so I can get a good computer for WQ!!! :wolf: :wolf: :wolf:

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Re: Good Mate Hunting

Post by MysteryFoxSpirt » Thu Aug 23, 2018 2:29 pm

I am now wishing the computer i had wolfquest on didn't die... Because mobile is coming last. I can be more patient though, and I've been patient every since you announced WolfQuest 3 and tower fall. I'll be even more patient if I must.

Also, I though this meant something other than Hunting elk. XD

Keep it up, my fellow Wolf Quest enjoyers! :wolf:

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Re: Good Mate Hunting

Post by LamarWolf » Thu Aug 23, 2018 2:38 pm

The new face off and mate hunting mechanic look like the real life behavior. I can't wait for early access.

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Re: Good Mate Hunting

Post by SolitaryHowl » Thu Aug 23, 2018 3:04 pm

This looks amazing! I'm chomping at the bit here! :)

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Re: Good Mate Hunting

Post by sophiaww » Thu Aug 23, 2018 3:18 pm

Wow I love this!! I like how the mate helps a bit more. I love the backround and the music is great to. Keep up the good work WolfQuest!!!

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Re: Good Mate Hunting

Post by PearlyReborn » Thu Aug 23, 2018 3:25 pm

Looks awesome! Keep up the good work!

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Re: Good Mate Hunting

Post by Phasoli » Thu Aug 23, 2018 4:10 pm

Even with the fairly choppy transitions, the animations overall are stunning! The fast paced nature of the hits and turns truly makes it look like a real struggle between the wolf and the elk. It's everything I've ever wanted it to be--looks like something straight out of a documentary!

That skybox is gorgeous too. I'd love to play on max settings, but boy would my computer hate me for it, haha. Amazing work as always.

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Re: Good Mate Hunting

Post by Gillato » Thu Aug 23, 2018 4:21 pm

Wow This looks so Great!! The mate doing the tango with the elk! and the sky WOW!!

Awesome job guy's!!

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Re: Good Mate Hunting

Post by Desulto » Thu Aug 23, 2018 5:18 pm

I’m kind of confused. The FAQ makes the new release sound to me like WQ 3 will be both an individual computer app release and an update to the existing 2.7 app. Am I mishearing things? Also, will Lost River be included in 3?

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Re: Good Mate Hunting

Post by poncho0287 » Thu Aug 23, 2018 6:15 pm

This looks amazing. The mate doing the tango with the elk XD.

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Re: Good Mate Hunting

Post by StarFoosh » Thu Aug 23, 2018 6:51 pm

That looks so cool! I’m super excited for the update, ha but I know everyone else is too! I was wondering, will multiplayer for amethyst mountain be available when the new amethyst mountain gameplay/map is released later this year?

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