This beta has two significant changes: we have overhauled the AI code to make it more efficient in terms of memory, so loading times and RAM memory usage during gameplay are noticeably improved. And we fixed a bug with the AI that can hurt performance, sometime a little, sometimes a lot. This has been most noticeable at times during Raise Pups and Rendezvous Site quests, but also can occur during elk hunts and other gameplay.
In this beta, game saves and wolves are backward-compatible with the last released version (1.0.7e2), so you can switch back and forth without any problems. Multiplayer is backward compatible as well, so you can create and join games with players who are still on 1.0.7e2.
This beta is available for Windows only. Instructions on getting the beta are at the bottom of this post.
1.0.7f beta 3, released 26 June
IMPROVEMENTS:
* Overhaul of AI code, now has smaller memory footprint (for shorter loading times and less total memory usage when playing the game).
* In multiplayer territory games, boosted player marking effectiveness, especially in games with more players.
* In multiplayer, host can give their pack a name to replace "Your Pack" in left column header.
* In multiplayer, there is now an option to cancel when the Quit/Leave Game panel is open.
* Sky at night is incorrect (lags actual star positions by a few months).
* Added tutorial tip when wolf drops carcass in water, to clarify that this is not a bug.
* Some improvements to distant tree appearances in Amethyst.
Also, the last patch (1.0.7e2) had a change, not mentioned in release notes, which reverts an inadvertant change in 1.0.7 (released in early May) which caused a slowdown in graphics rendering, so performance should be back to what it was previously.
BUGS FIXED:
* Sometimes the AI logic gets in a loop and slows down the overall game performance.
* In multiplayer fixed sleep schedule mode, problems ensue if player is standing in water with something in its mouth when the next sleep period arrives.
* Mate won't hunt summer mule deer fawns.
* Sometimes snow accumulates on the ground before snow begins to fall from the sky.
* Various music glitches.
* In Fixed Sleep Schedule mode, when one minute remains until sleep, readout in Pack Info does not have correct tense.
* Grizzly cub in springtime does not have scent glow.
* A particular issue with wolf eye coloration in Wolf customizer when on Basic Sky & Veg mode.
* Occasionally the previous year's elk calves persist into spring and summer.
* Flooded oxbox ponds are white in May, when seen at a distance.
* Through circuitous effort, player can create an Ironwolf game on Easy difficulty.
1.0.7f beta 4, released 27 June
BUGS FIXED:
* Mate sometimes glitches out or fails to respond properly to commands.
* Some creeks in Slough Creek winter have vegetation when they should not.
1.0.7f beta 5, released 28 June
IMPROVEMENTS:
* Mate will not feed pups now if a predator is lurking nearby (indicated by the red predator alert icon).
* Tweaks to nighttime lighting and brightness.
* Improved clarity of some text in multiplayer sleep alerts.
BUGS FIXED:
* Wolf does not adjust its footing if standing or lying on a carcass when the carcass sinks into the ground.
* If wolf is looking to the side when Photo Mode is enabled, the right-arrow key moves the wolf's head rightward.
* In the main menu, territory config and sleep mode selections are not remembered for subsequent sessions.
1.0.7f beta 6, released 29 June
NOTE: This beta build has a possible fix for the problems that some players have had with saved games (failing to load in early betas, and then in yesterday's beta 4, the save would load but NPCs would be frozen). If you've had these problems with the beta, please try loading those saves again and see if they work properly -- and then press F11 to report back to us. Thanks!
[h3NEW OPTIONS IN GRAPHICS QUALITY:
In Game Settings> Graphics Quality, two new options for customizing your graphics quality:
* Mid-Distance Terrains are disabled on low quality settings, but you can now override this to make them appear. This will substantially improve the game scenery, especially when looking out over a vista, but will reduce performance on integrated graphics. Also, by making this terrain appear, there won't be large rocks floating in the distance above the basic terrain.
* Scent Glow on Animals and Dens: This is also disabled by default on lower quality settings, but you can now enable it separately. When enabled, animals and dens will glow in scent view when you are close to them.
BUGS FIXED:
* Possible fix for problems loading saved games in this beta series.
* Stranger wolves often don't return to their own territory after a fight.
* Another cause for FPS/performance slowdowns when at the Rendezvous Site.
* Ponds in First Meadow are white, when viewed at a distance. (Earlier fix was inadvertantly lost.)
1.0.7f beta 7, released 29 June
BUGS FIXED:
* Loading saved games does not work for some players (whose computers are set to use comma separation for decimels instead of period).
* If your first mate in Amethyst dies and you find another mate, if you go directly from Amethyst to Slough Creek, your first, deceased mate will be there instead of your new mate.
* Occasionally a duplicate Family Snapshot is generated by mistake.
1.0.7f beta 8, released 30 June
BUGS FIXED:
* Scent posts are visible at long distances.
* When at rendezvous site, pupcam music does not play when in pupcam mode.
* In Lost River, when sun is low near the horizon, the terrain does not always block light and shadow.
* Sometimes multiple music tracks play simultaneously.
* Terrain and water tweaks.
TO GET THE BETA BUILD
1) In the Steam app, go to your Library, then right-click on the WolfQuest: AE name in the left column and choose Properties.
2) Then go to the Betas tab and select the WQ current Beta option in the pulldown. No password is necessary. Steam should then start downloading it. Later you can switch back to the public version in that Betas tab, by selecting NONE in that pulldown.