https://youtu.be/dR0QQsClMbA
To those of you who’ve asked us to livestream as we work on the game, today’s video is for you (and now we’ll see how many of you really want this). Today we take a long (too long?) look at tuning one aspect of the elk hunt: how quickly elk get tired as they run, and how much they slow down as they lose energy. We’ve gotten some requests for the elk to slow down as they tire out when being chased by wolves. While we do have that in WQ 2.7, it’s fairly subtle, so we’re looking at it more closely now for WolfQuest 3: Anniversary Edition to find the sweet spot where it’s noticeable but doesn’t happen too soon.
Actually, I was planning to show how we tune several different aspects of elk physiology and behavior – but after this one aspect clocked in at 12 minutes, I decided that was perhaps enough for one video. So here’s a close look, with various digressions, about how we tweak the elk’s energy.
Another digression cut for length: While it’s true that most of the big predators and prey in Yellowstone run at about the same speed (about 14-18 m/s, or 35-40 mph), since they’ve evolved to reach that balance, the pronghorn is the exception. It can run 25 m/s (55 mph), far faster than any predator in the region. Some scientists speculate that it’s being chased by “the ghosts of predators past” — that is, 10,000 years ago, it had to outrun North American cheetahs and hyenas, and even though those are now extinct, the pronghorn hasn’t slowed down yet. (See this article for more.)
Of course, your next question is are we adding pronghorn to this update? The answer is no pronghorn, for now. Someday! For those of you just joining us, WolfQuest 3: Anniversary Edition, we are adding more animals you can actually catch to eat: mule deer, beavers, bighorn, and baby ungulates. And yes, bison are the top of our future wish list (the plan is that bison hunting will be coming in a future winter episode).
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.
See more FAQs and catch up on all the news at http://WolfQuest.org/blog