In the first weeks of June, the pups frolic at the rendezvous site in Slough Creek while their parents bring them their first meals of fresh elk meat. When the elk herds move down into the Lamar Valley the pack follows — only to find other packs have already established territories in the valley. So they journey further south, up and over Specimen Ridge, then down into the valley of the Yellowstone River. There, on the banks of the Yellowstone, with Tower Fall thundering nearby, the pack makes a new home amid fellow predators and plentiful prey. Here the pack will stake out a new territory, protect their family from danger, and and raise a new generation of skilled hunters. 

Thus begins the next episode of WolfQuest — or rather, that’s how it will begin. We’re still in the early stages of gameplay design and development. But we’ve got some very exciting ideas for Episode 3, and we’ll be discussing our thinking and our progress here in this blog over the coming months.

One of our first big decisions was where to set the new episode. We spent hours on Google Earth, roaming around the Northern Range in search of a good area. Lamar Valley is the obvious choice, being central to wolf activity since reintroduction. But it’s problematic as a game map. As a broad, open valley, there are no natural barriers for the walls of the game map. We need a smaller area with at least some natural barriers like steep bluffs or rivers. Then we were tempted by a little spot called “Death Gulch,” but that seemed more appropriate for a different kind of game.

Finally, we got ahold of our fabulous science advisor Dr. Dan MacNulty, a wolf biologist at Utah State University. He suggested Antelope Creek Basin, which drains into the Yellowstone River just above Tower Fall (marked by "waterfall" on this map):

This area is a lovely microcosm of northern Yellowstone, with broad upload slopes as well as rugged river bottomlands, two creeks and a major river, and a spectacular waterfall. And, of course, plenty of wildlife. It’s also a reasonably short journey (as the wolf trots, at least) from Slough Creek, as you can see on the map. We all quickly fell in love with the area and what it would bring to the game. While the waterfall itself will only be one small part of the map, we knew that “Tower Fall” was the perfect name for what we’re sure will be the biggest and best episode of WolfQuest yet. (And yes, the name is singular, according to the U.S. Geological Service, which gets to decide these things.)

Tower Fall (Wikipedia)

Yellowstone River above Tower Fall

What else will this episode include? Lots! In future posts we’ll talk about how we’ve compiled all the ideas from the “Ideas for new episodes” threads here and on Steam to see what aligns with this period in a pack’s life. We’ll be sharing details over the coming months as we refine our designs and start production. For now, we can say this:

* The pups continue to grow — and so do their appetites.
* Fortunately there are elk and moose calves around, which make easier hunting for clever wolves.
* As the summer progresses, those pups will grow big enough to join in the hunting trips.
* Rival wolf packs may try to kill your pups and even take over your territory — unless you’re strong and skillful enough to fight them off.

Oh, and did someone ask when Episode 3 will be released? Nah, nobody cares about that, right? Well, it won't be soon, but hopefully before the end of the year.