Making a Video on Wolvden, Need Your Help! (EDIT: Video Released!)

Hihi!! I'm making a video, and I'd love some help. If you could, tell me a little bit about your experiences in Wolvden thus far.

Some questions (you don't have to answer all, and you can add your own talking points too):

- How did BUYING early access go for you? Thoughts on it?

- For those who were there directly when early access opened (it was like, 3AM for me. My alarm went off and I slept through it-), did anything notable happen immediately?

- What do you think about the difficulty of the game?

- What do you think of Wolvden compared to Lioden?

- What are some positives about the game?

- What are some negatives about the game?

- Thoughts on Wolvden's economy?

- Any notable stories to tell?

- Any theories or glitches you encountered?

- Anything notable about the breeding mechanics, puppies bred, genetics, anything?

- Anything else?

- If you're a staff member, what are your thoughts?

Again, you don't have to answer all, and you can bring up your own talking points. Thank you for your time!

Talks on drama are not permitted in this thread. You can PM me concerns, but don't bring up anything regarding a specific user or anything breaking Wolvden's TOS.


(EDIT: Video has been released!
https://youtu.be/2hoKqgcv1RA)

I haven't gotten to play as much recently but I'm enjoying it so far!

- I thought buying early access went well and I liked there were various options with different perks- I got the lowest tier since it was the only one left when I was signing up but I def think it was worth it! I personally didn't have problems logging in or playing after, though I wasn't there right at launch.

- I like that there's enough similar to Lioden to not be a completely new learning experience but there are some improvements from the other site that just make it nicer to play (I think things like the herbalist page or trading page are more clear on here than on Lioden, at least last time I played). So far difficulty seems the same but I like how you need to explore more advanced areas and can still encounter tougher enemies from the start.

- The economy so far is really interesting to figure out, especially the SC/GC values. I see really different prices and it seems like GC is the preferred currency as well as a more common one. I'm sure the longer people play the more valuable it will become but right now it's kind of funny to see some of the conversions.

- I don't have any immediate negatives for the game, the only thing I've found annoying is finishing up tutorials and working on getting more/better wolves. Nothing wrong with the game itself! Just myself wanting to jump into the breeding aspect lol

- I haven't done much with breeding myself but it's probably what I've been most excited about! I like the exclusive bases for release and I've spent lots of time making wolves and learning the different markings. Lots of the pups I've seen have similar stats so I think it'll be fun to have some more focus on the aesthetics. Plus the whole other side of the skin, eye, and nose colors mixed in!

- Kind of related to genetics, but the most notable thing I can think of is seeing the first melanistic pup of the site! Besides being super cool to see mutations so early, It'll be really interesting for mutie breeders and studding prices!

I've been having a lot of fun with the game so far and I'm really glad it's out! I've been following development for a while and so far it's living up to the hype (at least, it is for me :p)!

- How did BUYING early access go for you? Thoughts on it? / For those who were there directly when early access opened (it was like, 3AM for me. My alarm went off and I slept through it-), did anything notable happen immediately?

I timed my whole day around being awake at what would be 4 AM for me, counting down the hours. I remember trying to get one of the first Full Moons. I went to snag my ID, and then it told me it was all sold out, everything was. I was frustrated, yes, but not too much. Things happen, it's Early O'Clock, we'll try again next wave. I did get a Half Moon, because I'd rather get one and know I had it than risk not getting an ID I wanted. 

- What do you think about the difficulty of the game?

It is more challenging than most pet sims I've encountered, but it's refreshing in that way. The challenge isn't unreasonable, it just requires more forethought than some other games. 

- What do you think of Wolvden compared to Lioden?

Lioden is a good game, but it is a different game. Lioden has a large set of well-developed features and the long-time userbase you would expect of a game of that magnitude. Wolvden, on the other hand (paw?) has a smaller set of more detailed features, with fewer players (As of 10/10/2020), and there's still so much to learn. A full season cycle has yet to pass, some bases are still a mystery, and events are still a (not completely) distant dream. I do prefer Wolvden, though both are top tier games.

- What are some positives about the game?

It feels real in a way many pet sims don't. While events may bring about some not as realistic elements, and the coats are already embracing unrealistic standards (Looking at you, Sky, Denim, and Lavender), the diseases are significant, they mean things, and your choices as a player do have an effect on your pack. The world is detailed and the variation gives incentive to go looking. The breeding system is also sensible, but has random chance as an influence, giving the perfect mix of planning and luck.

- What are some negatives about the game?

The combat system can be unforgiving. It can leave you with no health from one misstep, but that's realism for you. The energy regeneration differences are somewhat irritating, specifically with the pregnancy hit, especially for a lead, but once again, realism. Silver Cones are very difficult to get, which has caused some... fluctuations in the economy. 

- Thoughts on Wolvden's economy?

The economy might have given me a better lesson on supply and demand than any class I've ever taken. The points of equilibrium, the ups and downs for buyers and sellers when supply OR demand are low. The selling and demand for Rich Healing Salves was only the beginning. Breed only bases, merles and inuit markings, stats, confirmed mutation carriers. There's so many trends that have come and also started to go.

The more interesting one might be the differences between the premium currency and the in-game currency in the early days especially. The most valuable thing was a Silver Cone. With 100 of them, you could go anywhere. People were shelling out what will honestly be the biggest of bucks someday for them. I'll probably always cherish the sheer chaos that came about.

I don't have much else to say, but this is a game I'm excited to play for years to come.

- How did BUYING early access go for you? Thoughts on it?

- For those who were there directly when early access opened (it was like, 3AM for me. My alarm went off and I slept through it-), did anything notable happen immediately?

Buying went very poorly but I kind of expected that they were underestimating the interest in it. I was up before the 4 am start time. The problem with the first round was that it did not lock the package that you selected. So if I tried to grab an account number that someone else did I was out of luck. I did actually get locked into crescent moon but it did not go through. It gave me a paypal error and Wolvden even sent me a confirmation email indicating I had got it when I hadn't. I'm still salty about it.

- What do you think about the difficulty of the game?

I don't mind difficult games, the issue I've been having with this game is that the difficulty is artificial. It relies too heavily on RNG for difficulty so different players may get a very different experience. It's like saying yahtzee is difficult. It's not difficult when you are winning the RNG but is when you aren't.

- What do you think of Wolvden compared to Lioden?

I started lioden because I was looking for a wolf sim like it but didn't find one so I settled for lions. It isn't more difficult as far as gameplay but a lot more frustrating. I've been considering quitting because I find myself annoyed with it more often than I would like. It seems like more of a chore sometimes.

- What are some positives about the game?

I like having different biomes and how that can effect actual gameplay. I like the different roles as well and how each wolf has a job in the pack.

- Any notable stories to tell?

- What are some negatives about the game?

The only real negative is also the source of most of my frustration. The illness rates are too high. And if you can't cure them right away you are punished further through disease spread. Sure you can isolate wolves but that doesn't help when your lead gets sick or a female with puppies. Mange has around an 18% pass rate. One of my females picked it up the day before her puppies were born. Both puppies were sick within 2 RO. I've already cured several cases of it that occurred spontaneously rather than between wolves so I don't have the herbs to keep attending to it. The day after my  new player immunity was over I had 8 or 9 wolves. 4 of them got sick that day. 2 from hunting, 1 from scouting, and 1 from the very first breeding I ever did besides the quest (it was Pox -.-). It's a bit insane. Even yesterday I hunted only a few times because I don't want to send them out and risk it and one came back with influenza. You get punished for playing the game more. It also makes me not want to purchase GC because it is just gambling unless you want to spend GC constantly on dealing with disease. It's a combination of the difficulty in getting specific herbs, the illness rate, and that there are so many different diseases that all have their own cures. Why do we have 3 different cures for fleas ticks, and mange? Why not a cure for external parasites? Why is healing salve and wound salve different and what is the point in the rich healing salve when it is so costly? Some of the cures really should span more diseases because even IRL they would. I can't even explore where I want because I spend all day looking for a single herb with no luck.

- Thoughts on Wolvden's economy?

I'm not worried about the economy. I expected as much since it is in EA. Everyone had to pay to be in EA so naturally there is more GC floating around per player. When it opens to the public it will change.

- Any theories or glitches you encountered?

Haven't any issues with glitches

- Anything notable about the breeding mechanics, puppies bred, genetics, anything?

Nope I've just had a bunch of potatoes. Now I've got mangey potatoes. I actually kind of liked one but it isn't worth the cost to cure her. So she will be chased.

- Anything else?

Nope

- How did BUYING early access go for you? Thoughts on it? It was a problem for me, but it wasn't due to Wolvden itself, and was due to my debit card being wonky. Another user (which I will not name directly here) said that it was their problem with EA as well. Basically, my card was having an off day and was not allowing international purchases all the sudden (as I am U.S. based while the purchases for EA was U.K. based). I got EA through someone else's help, though the issue with my card was fixed. I have no further thoughts, as what happened didn't pertain to Wolvden themselves.

- For those who were there directly when early access opened (it was like, 3AM for me. My alarm went off and I slept through it-), did anything notable happen immediately? I was not there for the first wave of EA, though I remember the Discord server blowing up about how there were issues getting it due to what I believe was too many people trying to get it at the same exact time. 

- What do you think about the difficulty of the game? I personally enjoy it. I played Lioden in brief waves previously. While I came there for the intricate breeding and artwork, the lack of difficulty made it boring after a while. The difficulty here keeps me on my toes and allows for me to exercise my brain via strategy.

- What do you think of Wolvden compared to Lioden? There honestly isn't a real comparison between the two. They operate differently from one another and I believe that both can stand on their own without comparisons or dependence between both games. If I am being honest, Wolvden shares the charm that brought me to Lioden originally with the art and breeding while solving the issues I often had with Lioden.

- What are some positives about the game? The artwork. The fact that it is North American based so it can be familiar to a bigger audience. How seasons are implemented and offer a change in play style. The use of roles and how personalities affect them.

- What are some negatives about the game? A small one, but I wish scouting would reset upon the scout's death instead of the retirement of a lead. It would personally make more sense. Scouting reset by itself is not a bad thing, just how it is handled.

- Thoughts on Wolvden's economy? Wolvden is still very new, and with taking a business class previously, it will take a while to even out. Many things make up an economy. How easy/hard it is to get currency. How much currency is in the market. How easy/hard it is to make a product. How much demand is in a product. How popular the product is. I can't say for sure how long it will be before things settle, but I cannot form a hard opinion on the economy right now with how unstable it is at the moment. Beta testers have an idea of how it should be, but there really wasn't much of an economy in testing either, as all testers were mostly just fixated on finishing tasks and squashing bugs.

 - Any notable stories to tell? During beta testing some users gave their wolves funny names (as our testing accounts were reset quite often). My testing pack (which was lovingly named Yote Bums) was named after arbitrary art supplies. My lead was named Pencil. One was named Paper, another Scissors, and so on. Our lovely dev Abbey even had a vulgar wolf named Egg.

- Any theories or glitches you encountered? In testing there was a lot of them. Though I think the one I remember most was scouts, "running away." Basically you would send out a scout and then you couldn't call them back. They would be stuck in scouting limbo until a dev forced them back home. As far as strictly EA goes, puppy counts have been off for me occasionally, but that was something that was fought with in testing too, so I was kind of used to it.

- Anything notable about the breeding mechanics, puppies bred, genetics, anything? Well, puppies die WAY more easily than cubs did in Lioden. That being said, it isn't hard to completely protect them, and I actually like this feature. I also like the adding in of large pups and runts. It adds more lore, and can even be useful to users who want high statted wolves in their pack.

- Anything else? Not that I am aware of.

- How did BUYING early access go for you? Thoughts on it? I was sleeping the first wave, and missed out on my dream number. My alarm went off four times but I still didn't wake up in time. Second wave worked just fine for me and was able to get a Full Moon for my second best ID. :)

- For those who were there directly when early access opened (it was like, 3AM for me. My alarm went off and I slept through it-), did anything notable happen immediately? I was there directly when it opened, but it was 2am for me. I pretty much set up my account with my wolves and went to bed right after though. Didn't see anything weird for the 15-20 minutes I was on after launch. 

- What do you think about the difficulty of the game? I think it's great, not too hard not too easy. A nice change of pace.

- What do you think of Wolvden compared to Lioden? I enjoyed Lioden when I played it and still play with it a bit too. I took a break because of life but now I'm not sure I can hop back into it after a couple years. I'm glad to be here on Wolvden from the beginning. 

- What are some positives about the game? Most everything. I love the herbalist section, makes me think of Warriors which I have a love for. xD

- What are some negatives about the game? I don't really think there are negatives, at least to me. 

- Thoughts on Wolvden's economy? The economy when a game starts is always wonky. It'll level out over time. :)

- Any notable stories to tell? Lots of fun here so far. I was a beta tester from the very start so I have done a lot of playing on this game. There is so much I have done over the last almost 8 months lol!

- Anything else? I saw Pixality said the illness rates were too high earlier up, but I have had only three wolves contact illnesses since start of EA. That is crazy how different it can be! 

- How did BUYING early access go for you? Thoughts on it?

My friend bought it for me. Initially, I wasn't going to buy it because the only one I could afford was the Moon Moon account and I didn't feel up to paying...how much was it again? 10$ (?) for a badge. I was just going to wait until public release. I'm happy my friend was so generous though!

- For those who were there directly when early access opened (it was like, 3AM for me. My alarm went off and I slept through it-), did anything notable happen immediately?

I set an alarm for 5 AM (when it opened for me) and my friend and I played for several hours, just taking it in and doing the tutorial. We had fun with it. We learned and talked about it together :)

- What do you think about the difficulty of the game?

So far, it's been fairly moderate in my opinion. I know a lot of people have been upset at the RNG aspect of it, with the illnesses and all. However, I haven't had a problem with that as I've been keeping my pack a decent size and making my herbalist constantly forage for herbs and making all the medicines. I think, maybe, the battling has been a little challenging for me mostly. It may be because I'm constantly challenging things at a higher level than me (lol) but I can't seem to get the hang of the strategy for it. I just spam one button. I almost feel like there's no strategy for it. Like...what exactly does the "Wait" button do?? Nothing??? I don't know, man.

- What do you think of Wolvden compared to Lioden?

Oh man, I haven't played Lioden in years now. I don't know how it's like now, but I feel like it's similar but different to how it was in the beginning. I was an alpha LD player. There was almost the same amount of content as now and it's nostalgic. Almost like I'm back at home.

- What are some positives about the game?

I like how, right now, it's just pretty straight forward. I have a little routine already and I like it. I also like the genetics in this game. How the bases are sorted by color and tiers and how you can breed different marks. The art is beautiful, as always. Also, this is a nitpick of mine with anything wolf related, but I like how there's only one instance of the word "Alpha" in this game, or it isn't heavily mentioned. Wolves don't have alphas. They have breeding pairs. Usually in wolf packs, it's consisted of the parents and the offspring. I wasn't expecting this game to be really realistic, but I just hate the words alpha/beta/omega because it has negative connotations. 

- What are some negatives about the game?

I actually don't like the fact that your lead wolf can't heal by themselves over time. I know they heal a little at rollover, but I think it should probably be a bit more. Maybe it should stop at some point, like at halfway? Also, the battling. As I said before, I feel like there's no real strategy to it. Just button mash your way through it. There's no dark mode for the site layout. When you start a quest one day and you finish it the next, it doesn't let you get a new quest. You have to wait the next day.

- Thoughts on Wolvden's economy?

I feel like it's too early to say anything and I don't know too much about it. Still, it's just starting to get its footing. I don't think it fair to judge it now, lol.

- Any notable stories to tell?

So far, I've bred two wolves, got 9 puppies, chased 4 of them, and am keeping (possibly) 2 of them. One of them, I didn't like at first but it started to grow on me. And it grew on me so much that I got opacity changers and made all their marks 100% :D Now she looks like a (what has been described to me) as a Halloween puppy and a koi fish.

- Any theories or glitches you encountered?

Not really.

- Anything notable about the breeding mechanics, puppies bred, genetics, anything?

So far, I've been seeing really lovely puppies. Merle is popular right now and I'm just wondering what the next craze will be, lol. I hope we can figure out how to breed tier 3s because I'd love to have Grulla.

- Anything else?

Overall, I'm having fun with it so far! The community has been really nice and I see a lot of great artworks :) I'm excited to keep going!

- How did BUYING early access go for you? Thoughts on it?

It went smoothly, I got a MoonMoon on the first wave as I had planned.

- What do you think about the difficulty of the game?

I have been a fan of games with permanent results from actions for a long time. So I dunno, I am being slow and careful about my choices and haven't had any problems per say. RNG has been a mixed bag with some days getting hammered with bad hunts/illness and periods of good hunts/no illness. But again, coming from a rogue-like games I think I understand the mindset I need to build up in a way that I can maintain with ease.

- What do you think of Wolvden compared to Lioden?

I feel like they are compared a bit much and shouldn't be. They are very different and meant to be.

Lioden is very easy, I have to plan very little but it is nice in that respect. I can just have my pretty lions and breed muties casually. There is such an established playerbase that most markings or bases or whatever else is obtainable with a bit of effort. I've even had one of my kings on the leaderboard before. I have a Primal King with a breed-only base.

I have to decide and plan ahead for Wolvden, I can't breed when I want or trust that my hunters will always do well enough tomorrow. But in that is also fun in a way, achieving little goals daily that help build a base for bigger goals and plans is satisfying on it's own. I like genetics, as a hobbyist, so the idea that recessive genes are in place for mutations and markings can combo and mutate to a degree is really interesting.

- What are some positives about the game?

The art is beautiful, genetics are interesting with out being too complex, and my playstyle is comfortable with the challenge level.

- What are some negatives about the game?

RNG can be really punishing, with explore fights being the worst example. But it's not been unsurmountable. I feel like as the game expands and the playerbase grows it'll be a bit easier to handle what comes your way. I also feel like explore is very barebones, but again that'll fix in time.

- Thoughts on Wolvden's economy?

I have been a part of many player-driven economies, beginning/middle/end included. I feel like Wolvden is far to early to tell anything and in a predictable state. I feel it is relatively stable, but I'm not an economist.

- Any notable stories to tell?

Not yet. I am one rollover into the survival of my first, non-tutorial, litter of puppies that I love all of them. I have done all I am able, but the fact that it's 100% or RNG can still happen is gonna make this Wolvden week pretty tense for me.

- Anything else?

I am very eager to see the first site event, even if we don't know when or what it could be. I hope for events that promote player co-operation.

Figured I would throw in some pocket change!

- How did BUYING early access go for you? Thoughts on it?

Buying EA I think was easy, but definitely had to be quick about it. I missed the first EA wave, and for the second, I thought I was going to miss out because I got up when I saw another 1000 accounts available. Within the minute of me coming back, most of the high tiers were sold out. I only got my account by refreshing the page as accounts were refreshed 2 at a time.

However, I did purchase EA again twice for two friends. My one friend got the third wave, and I got the account immediately with no trouble. I then purchased EA again after the game released for one of the base packages for a friend who was interested after my group started playing, and had no trouble there either.

- What do you think about the difficulty of the game?

I think the difficulty is good but wholly variable. I'll explain more in one of the later sections. Overall, I am content. The game keeps me busy.

- What do you think of Wolvden compared to Lioden?

I think it is a little unfair with all the comparison from Lioden to Wolvden, but I think this both helps and hurts the game. Having this comparison means a lot of players become familiar with mechanics easy and have a good time, but it also means it leaves open the area for players to complain about the difference. This is natural, since if we have some sort of base comparison and something we experience is different, it is noticeable. When I encounter players who never played Lioden (such as my girlfriend), versus those who have, ironically I feel those who play Lioden have a bit more distaste for Wolvden because they have something they played for years. This being said, the comparison is not something I enjoy much, but as a psychology undergrad I do understand at least the reasons behind it. After all, if someone has a negative experience, they are much more likely to focus on that than the 99 other good things that happened.

- What are some positives about the game?

For me I enjoy the increased systems. Having the added complexity and difficulty means that I don't lose interest, but I don't feel too terribly stressed. I enjoy the new genes and bases, as well as the explore variation. In Wolvden there is not so much difficulty in getting zones, but instead difficulty in knowing all the zones well (which is also good in its own regard) as I have to sometimes cater my needs to what zones I explore.

- What are some negatives about the game?

I do not really have too many negatives. I keep in mind that right now, the game is EA. There are a lot of features I feel missing, but I think its worth noting that the game clearly is in not a releasable state - and that is okay.

- Thoughts on Wolvden's economy?

The economy will stabilize. After a while, you will have all the players who had no money / could not purchase (due to age or other factors) GC or accounts who are flooding the market with their SC. When a game first starts, everyone is trying to figure out its worth, and it is worth considering most people who bought a EA account WILL have GC to spend and go crazy with. Right now the economy is kind of BS, because everyone is on a relatively equal playing field and a good amount of people still have their GC. Consider that the economy has started to stabilize a little bit now that there is more of a set idea, and that this will go up once the market floods, but eventually it will get to a point where GC/SC has little variation and all people have to worry about is the rare goods/wolves that most people do not have.

- Any notable stories to tell?

Not any notable stories, I don't think. Sometimes the chat gets a little unhinged or funny (the topic of illness can pretty much save any tense / bad conversation it seems) but otherwise I kind of just am enjoying it.

- Any theories or glitches you encountered?

Just bugs... I've gotten in the habit of just going 'not a bug, just a feature'. The only thing I came across was something with the October event, but since that never came to fruition, I don't think there is anything.

- Anything notable about the breeding mechanics, puppies bred, genetics, anything?

I hear everyone talk about all the RNG, especially in terms of early death or illness, but I think its worth noting that experiences are wildly different (as evidenced in the couple responses for this thread). I have had almost no issues, with the only recurring problem being one of the mothers of my pups getting repeatedly wounded every chance she gets. Otherwise, I think its cool to already figure out some of the mechanics and genetics going on, especially with eye color! Otherwise nothing truly notable other than my desire to have hella puppies and knowing I can't do that on here without mass death, haha.

- Anything else?

I am curious about the format / creation of this movie. I am wondering how it will be put together, for what purpose, is this for a class, how will a video be made as opposed to a paper, etc. Otherwise, no comments I think. At this point mostly just riding EA out and hoping when everything is released public we get more content (like the game, packs, etc).

Thank you for orchestrating this! : )

The video has been released!!!

youtu.be

Thank you everyone for your help <3