Pupdate: Behind the Genes

Today’s devblog takes another look at our genetics system in WolfQuest: Anniversary Edition, now that we have built it out for pups in the upcoming Slough Creek episode. (We first looked at this in a 2018 devblog, which you can watch here: • Genes Behind the Scenes )
Since our systems designer and lead developer Tommi is responsible for this system, I’ll let him explain it:
“We made a mini-genetics system for the game. Instead of the around 20,000 (functional) genes a real wolf has, yours has 50 (25 allele pairs). They code for black vs gray (1 pair), coat selection and tinting (9 pairs), your stats (6 pairs), and personality (9 pairs). This means all these traits are inheritable to your pups! When we create your pups, we apply the Punnet Square law on each of your pups, on each of these pairs. Then we take this newly formed genome and find the right coat, the right tints, the right stats, and the right personality for everyone.
“Now, you may remember from school that allele pairs like this have "dominant" and "recessive" alleles. However, we only applied this to the black vs gray pair (or "K locus" as the experts call it): kk is gray while Kk, kK, and KK are all black (blackness is "dominant"). All the other genes are simply summed up with no concern for dominance, so to be very bold, your pup will need to have BB + BB + BB in the Cautious-Bold triplet. Conversely, a very cautious pup has bb + bb + bb. An average pup would have something like Bb + BB + bb. This is realistic enough for our purposes, since many genes do work in this manner. (The K locus is the only "real" gene in our genome - everything else is just a simple model we made up.)
“When it comes to stats, we ended up kind of accidentally representing something that comes up in genetics a lot: tradeoffs. Each of the six genes boosts one stat while reducing another. So, for example, SS would boost strength by one while reducing stamina by one, while conversely ss would reduce strength and boost stamina (and Ss would leave both alone). This means your pups will be just as balanced, stat-wise, as any new wolf you create. Unless they got unlucky and rolled KK on the K locus, which is known to be a bad combination: if that doesn’t kill the pup before birth, it has a significant impact on its health and vitality, making survival even more difficult than usual.”
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To learn more about the personality system for mates and now pups, watch “For Better or For Worse” at • For Better or For Worse
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We have released the first episode of WolfQuest 3: Anniversary Edition (Amethyst Mountain) for PC/Mac on Steam and itch.io, as Early Access. While in Early Access, we are updating the game frequently with more features, multiplayer, and ultimately the Slough Creek episode with pups. The mobile version will come after the game is completed on PC/Mac platforms. We’ll then resume development of the next episode, Tower Fall (DLC).
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Thanks to lord sivler for the title assist!

[@nettlebrand]

"And something is wrong with this one..." I laughed so hard

[@misapelantova4865]

same xD

[@nicolelindsey5613]

same 😁😂🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@Keen_.-3]

Same 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣😂😂😂😂🤣🤣

[@GamerTA13]

Same

[@SpaceYoshi377]

There’s always that one child 😂

[@melissagardner9686]

True

[@forgottenecho2163]

😂

[@meow3387]

XD

[@nicolelindsey5613]

LOL

[@kylecats2075]

🤣🤣🤣😂😂😂😂😂😂🤣🤣🤣🤣😂😂 iam dieing

[@marushard4974]

The one child who rebels agenst everything including mother nature herself X,D

[@brokenjelly2739]

iM cRyInG-

[@mickeymouseclub333]

🤣🤣🤣

[@auroralynch1843]

I died laughing when I read this🤣🤣🤣

[@dahlia5618]

The child 😂😂😂😂”something is wrong with that one “ bruh I felt that

[@i_am_a_gacha_editorgachasa5784]

Literally what was said when my sister was born. ;D

[@amyamayzing5659]

@@i_am_a_gacha_editorgachasa5784 XD

[@NightLightTNH]

“And something is terribly wrong with this one.............. oh dear-“ That made my day c: I have had a bad day, so this makes me happy! :D

[@wolfhead8926]

Star Wolf I hope you have a good day today!

[@deniedpassword7534]

nah i hope your day sucks because you made me cringe

[@jinxling2704]

Denied Password bruh

[@alynalydyarecord]

@@deniedpassword7534 i hope YOUR day sucks! Hater...

[@barrymcockiner6969]

@@deniedpassword7534 said I hope your day is awful :)

[@snowfall8093]

5:45 “and something is terribly wrong with this one” 😂 😂

[@hannahakadoom6666]

" And something is terribly wrong with this one" 😂😂😂 Im dead dude. Also Early early ^^

[@lol42069.]

@@amberthemagmawingqueen3956 this*

[@hannahakadoom6666]

XD thx guyssssss didn't realize I made an error

[@dzelila.c]

LMAOOO THIS MAKES ME DEAD

[@pamelabillington5970]

super lol

[@honeyfei]

I still can’t believe it’s been like 3 years already 😭

[@honeyfei]

Apollo The Wolf same 😭 like I swear it hasn’t been that long

[@Mona-hn3nd]

@Faith Ann, IKR! It’s seems like it was maybe a few months ago, I can’t believe it’s been that long

[@isangi3297]

The first video about ‘playful pups’ was TWO years ago 😳

[@user-mc7jw9ek3v]

@@isangi3297cant believe it was 5 years ago

[@ord1nar1ly]

Whenever I see developing games or game glitches in which a creature or object merges with the earth, I completely lose it.

[@poppy8449]

same

[@beckyholt2531]

My dad and I watch a lot of nature documentaries... and honestly I have learned much more about wolves by playing this game then watching hours of Nat Geo. Just goes to show how much detail and love has gone into this game :D

[@amyamayzing5659]

same

[@amyamayzing5659]

only i watch them alone bc either mah moms cooking or mah dads at work and if mah mom aint cooking shes watching some netflix

[@lupine6147]

I think for an update idea you should add a family tree thing, where you can pick a pup that you might wanna play as next! And keep going on and on with a family tree! I think it would be cool to see generations apon generations of one pack or multiple!

[@KL-xs5qq]

MollyDaWolf OMG YES

[@brookshadow2195]

YESSSS

[@sombrs44]

This would be so cool!

[@AwesomeYena]

Neat idea

[@brokenjelly2739]

I like this

[@KL-xs5qq]

5:46 BAHAHA and now we see why Slough Creek isn’t out yet. Patience is key, my friends. 💕

[@tohgo.]

Here's how many people are excited to play slough creek | I V

[@aryiahgramt3691]

Rip i dont have laptop

[@beckyholt2531]

@@aryiahgramt3691 get one for the sole purpose of playing wq. XD

[@aryiahgramt3691]

M e i s b r o k e

[@aryiahgramt3691]

Ima just play the older 1 till it updates for mobile :,D

[@jamesstyles8832]

I know I am

[@Kokiicat]

5:44 this one’s personality seems to be really down to earth

[@Boreas.Therian]

Lol

[@phoenixgirl264]

@Eclipse L'MANBURG!!!!

[@lumiiinous]

It's truly amazing how much thought they put into this. Playing with real-life genetics instead of just giving presets? Amazing. Kudos to the WQ team for putting so much effort into this game.

[@Randomplayer-ct9ig]

I remember watching the "genes behind the scenes" video 2 years ago, and I'm so excited for it to come into play in the game! The WolfQuest team is amazing!

[@od6rp3xv6q]

I couldn’t stop laughing when the pup was stuck in the ground xD

[@robyn8033]

Me: *sees the pups at first* "Aw, they look great. That might be almost done." Me: Sees the malfuctioning pup{s} Me: *AW HELL NOoO*

[@WolfQuestGame]

Easy fix :D

[@robyn8033]

@@WolfQuestGame seiufgwegwieug Oh mah gosh you responded to mee. That made my day. The mAlFuNcTiOnInG pUpS and you respoding.

[@doggosarecool7737]

Legend has it that the Floor Pup comes out when a wolf pup has strayed too far from his den. Keep up the great work!

[@hymenoptera_07]

*Floor demon*

[@Bonniethebunny]

That glitched pup made me laugh so hard. Keep up the good work

[@Ghostlysoul66]

Legend has it if your first litteraly no one cares

[@veryimportantspoon5468]

LITTERaly lol

[@starcycle4308]

LITTERally? -Totally didn't steal it from Faith that was hilarious girl-

[@wolfquest3096]

Legend has it that litterraly is secretly spelled literally…

[@veryimportantspoon5468]

@@wolfquest3096 *GASP* HOW DARE YOU SPEAK SUCH BLASPHEMY!?

[@starcycle4308]

@@wolfquest3096 HOW DARE YOU? Literally never would've thought. -Also it was a joke-

[@sunsetroses3027]

Hey everyone and Wolfquest dev and Wolfquest team! Made a poem about the glitching puppy's! A pup with a stick in it's snout, A pup phasing the ground, All black and gray, Oh no- A pup is going to space!! Hope you enjoyed! ♥

[@BluAru]

That was amazing! I can't believe I didn't think if it! You gots talent man~

[@sunsetroses3027]

@@BluAru Aw thank you! So happy you like it! ♥

[@Hotaruflash]

Your voice is so gentle and calm, I don't think I could imagine what you sound like mad.

[@delahayev7930]

Another amazing update, learning so much from this game

[@SauceyCheeta]

I love how u post updates so we know what your working on or whatever

[@henrymoore6070]

This game is getting better every time

[@against_thekitchenfloor]

'' He's having some trouble with the ground '' For some reason made me crack up

[@skeppyruiz]

"And this one got's a stick through its snout" Lol "That one has a black coat, that one has a brown coat, That one also another black one and something terribly wrong with this one. Oh dear "

[@ErenyExiandXykepreXessava]

Dave: The ark of Slough Creek basically working now it's all the little tweaks and bugs and also refinements we need to do before it's time to release. But we are making good progress! Dave that sounds like "amazing progress" to me.

[@CallaLily69]

So we're gonna have the possibility of having a sickly pup??? Oh no

[@orlandogumbs4703]

Oh no! One of my wolves has a 3 diversity star mate!

[@brokenjelly2739]

Lol..taking care of the pups is gonna stress me out so much

[@dawgcat3087]

@@orlandogumbs4703 same!

[@CallaLily69]

Phiaso and Aridan me too

[@CallaLily69]

Adrienne Ruetz ikr. I always have a favorite pup that I take care of the most

[@itzjustice8175]

“This ones got a black coat, this ones got a brown coat brown and grey are the same colour as far as the K locus goes, this ones got a black coat, and something is seriously wrong with this one.”

[@jordywolf162]

I cant wait for Slough Creek! The puppies are SOOO CUTE! Even if one of them is...a little different than the others LOL

[@jaylenevisser7412]

Same! 😃👍🏼

[@Scbootz]

5:47 Jimmy what did I say about getting stuck in the ground?

[@orlandogumbs4703]

This was before his poor demise...

[@starcycle4308]

Sees Title: YES! ANOTHER GENE ONE! K K kk Kk!

[@brookshadow2195]

Punnet squares are awesome :>

[@starcycle4308]

@@brookshadow2195 Agreed

[@Lizuma]

@@brookshadow2195 I agree! Love biology

[@jazzarey6798]

6:29 The cutest ear movement animation I've ever seen

[@caroq1426]

Yay! I love that he explains the Gene Rates to how or what kind of coat they will have, yet again You guys have been working so hard to make such an amazing game! Keep up the great work! Its looking great 😃👍

[@HER_Only_sIN]

"It's okay. Even though you have a thing for melding into the ground, I still love you"

[@hazelatticus4438]

I always get so excited for Thursdays because that means an update. It's looking so good, I tried multiplayer out a few days ago and I'm literally so impressed and it looks amazing.

[@victoriatrounson8812]

I seem to see the videos on Friday fault of being Australian

[@devious4439]

5:44 *oh dear indeed*

[@xyh3t5x8]

I am super excited for both versions to be released! It seems super fun

[@ghosttown3827]

Im legit so excited for this game to come out like i keep screaming excitedly and have never ending energy 😂

[@missmorgin]

Absolutely lost my marbles at 5:43 😂 the pups look so cute! I'm so excited to get a computer in the future that can handle this game! 😍

[@eeve30]

Wow as someone who loves genetics and is perusing a career studying animal genetic I appreciate this so much. I remember playing this game when I was younger and coming back to it brings so much nostalgia. On top of all that knowing how much accurate science went into this and is still going into this is amazing!

[@alynalydyarecord]

I just can't wait for these cute little fluffy pups!

[@riverxwolfy8530]

"And something is terribly wrong with this one." There's always that one bug in development that you have to fix but you have to show everyone, so they have a good day

[@wolfywolf7590]

When can we log out of our accounts? Also those pups are adorable keep up the great work 👍

[@EuchadraMelech]

everyone: and there is terribly wrong with this one **casual repeating of a funny moment** me: They look so cute and the grass and land around is beautiful

[@ello9316]

Learned about punnet squares in life science class today with genes. This is so cool! Teaches you so much about wolves! :D

[@amberandrews6692]

I love how that even though this is a game, you go all into genes and dens and how animals actually work. I love it. You're just teaching us about a game, how you're creating things in a game, how various animals work, and even how genes work. It's so interesting!

[@xk7474]

Never clicked faster!!! Looking good wolfquest!

[@lynne4802]

I can't wait for the pups to come to the game! Wolf Quest question, Later in the game will we able to go into the den, and will our pups in the future be full-grown and able to hunt with us?

[@WolfQuestGame]

The upcoming episode Tower Fall will continue your life with pups. What will be in the new episode? 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 amidst 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. The Tower Fall expansion will be an in-game purchase (DLC) and released after WQ3. Follow development of Tower Fall at WolfQuest.org/blog

[@silverfeather8278]

The pups look so fluffy I cant wait

[@Ominous_Odyssey]

Ahhh how I love these update videos. They really do just make you appreciate the game and it’s developers so much more, as well as give you more insight into the progression and hardships of game development. Thank you for these weekly videos, WolfQuest! You guys are bringing many childhood dreams of good animal simulators to life. On a side note, ima just go ahead and say what everyone else is saying. The “And somethings terribly wrong with this one” was hilarious.

[@silver4563]

Slough creek looks gorgeous and the pups are adorable! i’m so excited :D

[@lemon_wolf6438]

Oh my gosh, I love this game even though I haven't been playing very long and is super excited for this update to come! I am super excited to hear that everything is working out!

[@lucy4103]

I laughed so freaking hard "something is worng with this one" could be me 😂

[@gdwolf7]

That one pup running through the rocks got the X gene!

[@13wolfy13]

Now, is something terribly wrong with that one, or terribly RIGHT? Predator can't get you if you literally break reality!

[@wolfwriterRodger]

I really love how much educational content and care is put into this game. It's wonderful for kids, but also for dorky adults like me who just like animals and video games! Thanks for doing such a wonderful job.

[@sarbush6534]

Me: see puppies My dad: Why are you squeaking? Me: THESE PUPPIES ARE SOOOO CUTE I WANT TO PET IT! My dad: Can you go to your room I can't hear the TV.

[@ga.y.meofthrone]

I used the “black coats have dog ancestry” idea in my wolf pack book, gonna end up being a pretty big plot point. Thanks WolfQuest!!

[@lupinb-par8010]

I was just watching videos and drawing, the I saw the notification. INSTANT ATTENTION.

[@brokenjelly2739]

The amount of effort y’all have put into making this game is unbelievable...keep it up!

[@AveryCF]

7:15 "Some of the things with pups uuuuugh- MAYBE needs a little more work." Pup: waddles in, not so sure how walking works. I'd say they're stalking but it doesn't look quite right. x'D Love this glitchy child though, I hope they make it to glitchy adulthood. x'D Very happy to see the pups again though, and the friendly reminder on how genes work! I can't believe it's already been so long, I remember the original gene video, lol... You are all doing great.

[@NecroticWes]

The amount of work going into this game is amazing 💕

[@amyamayzing5659]

i like how when the puppy that was having troubles with the ground came along he raised his voice XD

[@stygian_blue3390]

Wait, so the video Genes Behind the Scenes was 2 years ago ?... Oh dear. Time flies.

[@oapies6329]

For some reason his voice makes me calm and happy?

[@animeclips8175]

"and somthings wrong with this one" ahahahh im dead 😭😂😂😂😂😂

[@theartsywolf5359]

AMAZING! I love watching the progress, ya'll are doing so good!

[@alaritheaurora5971]

This is absolutely amazing. The fact that you got the genes and the design. It's just so awsome. I can't wait for the Slough creek episode to come out but take your time and make something that you can be proud of.

[@babyluvx7387]

I am so excited!! Yet again you guys never fail to impress me and be even more excited to play! Love ya!

[@akuriana_8285]

When I say how fast I clicked

[@toxicandrave3018]

Same here

[@CrowzCarnival]

When I say how fast I reply

[@roibiiin]

Right as I saw the one pup I exclaimed |"Oh no!" and started laughing!

[@caramelizedkiwi483]

Thank you for making this video, I really like how you make update videos like these. I really like this one specifically because i am interested with genetics like the pup genetics and you explained it in a good way :)

[@Lizuma]

Seeing the pup in the ground made my day xD

[@brookbear3262]

"Aaaand something is terribly wrong with this one" I lost it 🤣🤣🤣🤣 There's always that one problem child!

[@cammm360]

Hey WQ! I just bought your phone case! It works great! Thanks a lot! It really works!

[@WolfQuestGame]

Cool! Which design did you choose?

[@cammm360]

WolfQuest It has the howling puppies on the rock with the fading wolfs in the purple sky! www.redbubble.com/i/iphone-case/Night-Sky-Pups-WolfQuest-Dream-by-WolfQuest/45495246.8DQ5H Thanks again for making these!

[@doodle_kat]

These pups are adorable

[@pamelabillington5970]

I love WolfQuest and all the work you put into it

[@SophieTheAiredale]

Oh yay! I forgot it was Thursday! What a nice surprise!

[@SpiritedWolf]

That pup discovered a superpower lol. But all and all the game is looking absolutely beautiful! The pups look amazing and adorable, the graphics are as well. Everything about the game is coming together nicely. Great job WolfQuest Team!

[@littlewolf5014]

So excited for the game to be fully finished

[@WolfQuestGame]

So are we :D

[@user-rs4cc6ql7l]

5:44 Pup : Daddy? Why do the other kids think i'm strange? Dad : Jesus get away from me

[@noktomo]

Very interesting and educational, I love how much work you put inside this game!

[@potatosoupss]

I love this game because it teaches you a lot about wolves and it gives you interesting and fun things to do while learning!

[@Spikefeather]

I remember watching this when they first posted it, now being 3 years ago, and I remembered most of it but got some of it wrong, i still love this video because animal coat genetics seem so interesting to me

[@SSquidFishh0]

First, I love the title lol, and second, I cant wait for the pups! It's super cool that you guys added the genetics and stuff! Cant wait!!

[@annacarpenter764]

AHHHHH YES ANOTHER VIDEOOOO💓💓💓I CANT WAIT

[@magnusartmageddon]

The title to this is just gold

[@Shrekoverlord]

The wolf quest thing is so smart! I found that so cool about the big K and little k!

[@jacksonmartinez2801]

Thank you so much for doing a pup video I have been looking for them for 2 months

[@OscarBoscar889]

thanks for doing this! we all appreciate it!

[@SaoriseCinema]

The whole genetics system is really going to be a very cool new feature to the game! I can’t wait!!! 😃

[@Honeydewple]

This is amazing who much you have been adding to the game

[@toxicandrave3018]

This is awesome! I hope it comes out soon :)

[@JustLiliannah]

2:24 "and if a wolf has KK then it is black but it is also probably dead." For some reason this had me dieing 😂

[@kayleerae1408]

Everyone: omg the puppies are sooo cute! Can’t wait to play! Me: *still can’t get over the graphics*

[@meow3387]

5:45 EVERYONE RUN FOR COVER FLOPPY CAME BACK AS A WOLF!!!

[@Griftyfox]

Honestly if i get stuck in the floor pup he'll be my favorite child XD