In Development
In Development
Friday, 9th October 2009
Last week we delved in to the Achievements system. This week we look at a feature also in development for our next update, the Trophy Room.
One of the many enjoyable elements of hunting is not only the thrill of bagging the animal, but also recording the hunt and proudly displaying the rack. theHunter already delivers detailed stats of every hunt and every kill, and an image of you in the field with your best kills, but with the addition of a Trophy Room at last you can see a permanent display of your best ever racks.
The Trophy Room feature delivers a wall relating to each of Mule Deer, Whitetail Deer and Roosevelt Elk. Guests will see their best rack for each species displayed on the relevant wall, while members will get their best three animals for each species mounted for their viewing pleasure.
Of course theHunter also offers many competitions for each of these species, so we've added to each Trophy Room wall a space for your best competition trophies to be displayed.
In Development
Friday, 2nd October 2009
One of the next features to come to theHunter is the achievements system. First mentioned in the last In Development update, we can now reveal further details along with the first screenshot of the system in action.
Achievements are gained by doing all sorts of activities within theHunter. Many of the achievements available, including travelling to locations, tracking and spotting, and of course killing and harvesting animals, are visible in the achievements page before you complete them. As an example, if you visit the Animals section you'll find that you need to harvest 25 mule deer for one achievement, 50 animals (of any species) for another, and so on. As such you know exactly what you need to do in order to earn each of these achievements.
To balance this out, and add an element of 'mystery', there are also many hidden achievements. These are only revealed by completing the relevant - but unknown - task.
So, exactly what do achievement points get you? Firstly, as you gain points you'll progress in rank. The screenshot shows a player who has already reached rank 3, with a shiny rank 3 badge to show off. An all new Achievements leaderboard will show you how you rate against the rest of the community.
Secondly, for points accumulated by completing achievements in the 'Special' category you will be awarded with em$. The exact ratio of points to em$ is in the process of being agreed, but it will certainly mean that by completing the Special achievements you will have enough em$ to purchase something from Doc's Outfitters.
Finally, we will be introducing in the future competitions that are limited by rank. eg. HoneyBee's Midweek Muley for players only of rank 1 or 2. This will better group players of similar ability, and lead to more players being in a position to win a competition and the rewards that go with it.
The one final thing to mention at this time, is the matter of demerits. Some achievements are negative, gained by doing something contrary to the Fair Chase nature of theHunter. When one of these is gained you lose points rather than gain them. However, each demerit achievement triggers an additional mission ensuring you have the opportunity to gain back your lost points.
That's all for on the Achievements system. In our next In Development we'll take a look at the Trophy Room.
In Development
Friday, 21st August 2009
Right now we're working on some very interesting additions. The first of these is a feature many players have been after for some time, the Trophy Room.
We recently added the personal leaderboards making it easy to find your greatest kills. The trophy room takes that a step further, mounting your finest harvests on the walls of your own personal trophy room. Along with this, there will also be room to show off any competition trophies you might have won, making this a perfect personalized space to display your accomplishments.
The second addition to introduce is the Achievements system. This captures a wide range of achievements, from harvesting a certain number of mule deer or travelling a certain distance, through to the more challenging harvest an albino or harvesting an animal with a heartshot. There will be many different objectives to keep every hunter busy during their expeditions.
Further to this, each achievement brings with it a point score. These points will be tallied, and depending on the score you will be given a certain rank. Obviously the more achievements you complete, the more points you earn, and the higher your rank. Aside from the fun of notching up points and earning the best rank, we'll also be introducing ranked competitions. For example, HoneyBee may run a version of her Midweek Muley comp just for the beginner rank, another for the intermediate rank, and another for the elite rank (these aren't the actual names of the ranks!). As such, the elite hunters really will have to earn their competition victory, and the beginners will have a much better chance of a competition win as they will be competing against other beginners.
There will be more on these features and closer to their release in the 'Coming Soon' section.
In Development
Friday, 19th June 2009
Prepare yourself for another species on Whitehart Island, the coyote is coming! Many players have been after something a little different to add to the amazing animals already in the EHR and as the first 'vermin' species on the island the coyote will certainly be that.
You can also look forward to a new expert arriving in the EHR. With advice on coyote hunting, plenty of coyote missions and even a few new coyote competitions to run, this addition to our team of expert hunters will have their hands full keeping you all busy! And rumour has it they are also a bit of a legend when it comes to bow hunting...
Yes, our next major release will feature the first bow in theHunter. Recent firearms like the .44 and the .300 are superb items to hunt with, but there are many hunters out there for whom bow hunting is everything. That's why we're really pleased to announce that the bow will soon be making it's debut in theHunter. We also have plans to launch the bow with a one off "Win a Bow!" competition. The lucky winners will receive the bow AND get several days exclusive use of it before it hits the shelves in Doc's Outfitters.
The next update will also introduce two new clue types, one for running animals, and another for an animal bedding, both of which will further increase the realism of tracking an animal.
These features and more will be covered in detail closer to their release in the 'Coming Soon' section.
Journal Changes and the Competition System
Monday, 18th May 2009
Two of the features we're busy working on at the moment are some key changes to the way that journals work, and the all new competition system.
One thing we know players love to do is write journal entries detailing their exploits in the EHR. However at the moment the system doesn't make it entirely convenient for you to catch up with everything that your friends have been writing. This is about to change however as we're putting the finishing touches to a rework of the journal system.
These changes include adding a page that summarises all your own entries rather than having to browse them one by one, but also a new page showing all of the new journal entries from your friends. In practice then you can log in and go to this one page and get an overview of what your friends have been up to, and that includes the likes of Doc and Honeybee (and they love to give out help and advice via their journals).
Doc, Honeybee and our other experts love the way these changes make the journal so much more accessible. You can expect to be hearing a lot more from them once this system goes live.
The other key new system is our Competition page. With the introduction of this there will be even more reasons to get out there and hunt. Competitions will have specific parameters both in terms of what species you have to hunt, what firearm you can hunt with and who is eligible to enter, but also and perhaps most critically, what you can win! Some competitions may just run for a weekend, others for a week, but there will always be something running that you can join in with.
All competitions reward a trophy, so winners can expect to see themselves receiving a fine trophy from one of the EHR experts. For prize competitions you can win anything from em$ to items to memberships, and we have some really exciting competitions planned for the future.
Current Features In Development And Testing
Tuesday, 28th April 2009
With so much in development and testing it's time for another 'In Development' for an overview of some of the features you can expect to see coming soon to theHunter.
Realistic hunting lies at the heart of theHunter experience and a number of upcoming changes will improve existing features and take the experience to the next level. We've revisited the male models for both mule and whitetail deer in response to feedback from the community and they are now more lifelike than ever. We're also adding damage decals and have added much greater antler variation, including asymmetric antlers.
Animal changes aren't limited to a model makeover though, the animals of EHR will be more realistic in their behaviour too. Spook an animal and you can expect it to be that bit more nervous once it's stopped running. Also we're looking at the senses of each individual animal, so whilst bagging a low-scoring animal might become a bit easier, taking down a wise old buck is going to be a real achievement. We're also aware of a few issues with animal pathfinding, particularly when they are spooked and attempting to flee, but these will be resolved with our next client update.
There's also more to come within the social space of theHunter. A news page is on the way which will pull together journal feeds from everyone on your friends list. Also we are developing a brand new competitions area. theHunter competitions will allow players to sign up for a competition that runs for some period of days, such as a weekend, and compete against other members of the community in, for instance, harvesting the best scoring animal. There will be lots of variety with plenty for guests and members to do, and the chance to win prizes as well as the all important bragging rights! We'll say a bit more on competitions in the weeks to come.
In Development Right Now
Monday, 6th April 2009
Here's what theHunter development teams are working on right now.
Always remember that this is a community driven, evolving game! Let us know what you you'd like to see here!
Signing-up for the game and forum will make it easier for you to let us know what you'd like to see, and for us to let you know what's coming soon, so we highly recommend you get started and become part of this vibrant community.
Meantime, here's what we're currently working on...
Animals
New male version of mule deer.
New male version of whitetail deer.
Gameplay
New nervous state for previously spooked quadrupeds.
Scale animal senses more closely to the score of animals - them older, bigger bucks are going to get wiser!
Content
Damage decals.
Even better animal path-finding.
Even greater antler variations and asymmetrical antlers!
Technical
Option menu, settings: mouse speed, gamma, sound volume.
Social Space
News page including journal feeds from friends
Competitions page
Help widget to aid new players
And don't forget, we'll always add in as many community feedback adjustments as possible!
The Elk are coming!
Thursday, 26th March 2009
One of the great things about working on theHunter is that we can add new content to continually update and improve the hunting experience. And surely there's nothing better to add to a hunting game than a completely new species to hunt. We're delighted to say that Roosevelt Elk are now in the final stages of testing and will soon be appearing in the EHR. Roosevelt Elk are the largest of all elk species and make a very interesting addition to Whitehart Island.
The ethical hunting policy of the EHR extends to the mighty elk and whilst the existing firearms are great for the Mule and Whitetail, arguably they're underpowered for taking down an elk. As such you can also expect to see some new firearms coming soon, ideal for taking down larger animals.
The forthcoming update will also include a new expert who will be handing out missions for the elk, elk scoreboards along with many other improvements and enhancements throughout the website and the client. Check out the screenshots page for further images of the elk.
Remember though, to hunt the Roosevelt Elk and receive a preview month with the new firearms you'll need to be a warden.
In the meantime, good luck with the turkey competition.
theHunter team
After the Hunt
Wednesday, 4th March 2009
One of the areas the development team are currently focussed on is what happens after you've finished hunting in the EHR.
On the best of days you might harvest a superb trophy animal. On the worst you may endure a long hunt where the prey remains one step ahead of you, and out of sight. One of the many features we are currently working on ensures the details of all hunts will be permanently recorded. This means you will be able to see information including how far you've travelled, which weapons you've fired, your accuracy with each weapon and of course details of any and all kills that occur during your hunt.
In addition to being able to access this information for any individual hunting session at any time, you will also have a cumulative view showing how the statistics add up across your entire time hunting in the EHR.
On the best of days when you do harvest a scoring animal, you'll be able to see a scoresheet with full details of anything you've bagged.
All of this will of course be viewable not just by you but by anyone playing theHunter.
Happy Hunting,
theHunter team
What's In Store?
Monday, 2nd March 2009
Now that we're getting more and more players in to the Evergreen Hunting Reserve and you're really starting to use the social space, we have tons of great feedback and already compiled lists of new features and fine-tuning that we want to get into the game.
The first batch of these tweaks, fixes and optimizations has gone into the game this week (and a lot more are about to go into beta test). You might not even notice some of them, but we think your overall experience will be enhanced.
A little scroll bar on your Friends list when it gets long. Superb! :)
Oh yes, and there's a store!
There's lots of detail about that elsewhere on the site, so check it out. Even better, if you have an invite to play, get into the game and take a look.
"It's just a store!" I hear you say. "Everyone has one, what's the big deal!?"
Well, try telling that to the guys who've been relishing the prospect of getting one of the exclusive Warden permits! (And you know what? try telling that to the guys who coded it.)
Having the in-game store up and active is a big milestone on the route to full open entry to theHunter. It brings that a step closer.
Until then, register for your invite to play, and keep watching theHunter.com to find out what's in store when you get in.
Happy Hunting,
theHunter team
Space To Play In
Tuesday, 6th January 2009
We are just putting the finishing touches to the first area of the Evergreen Hunting Reserve.
Not only did we want an environment that was incredibly realistic, but also incredibly beautiful. We figured that if hunters would be spending a lot of time looking at trees and bushes waiting for their prey, that flora had better be the best looking possible.
The EHR, as Doc calls it, is inspired by Washington State and we sourced as much material as we could on that landscape. As such, all of the vegetation in the game should be recognizable; from the nettles in the undergrowth to the conifers in the forests.
We've set the first release of theHunter in late summer (it's always a great time to hunt in the Evergreen Hunting Reserve) as it gave us the best light. The midday sun lights the forest, flooding it with vibrant colors; whereas dawn and dusk gives us golds and reds. Dawn also brings with it morning mists, hugging the hills...
We're not just building a tourist park of course (say - that's not a bad idea...) we're also building a game. All of our environments have gameplay value to them; from the plains that offer long, un-blocked rifle shots, to the hills that provide cover, to the tree density that frustrates that perfect, clear shot.
And with a starting island of 1.2 miles (2km) by 0.6 miles (1km) and an eventual overall map size of 20 miles by 20 miles (32km by 32km), there's going to be a lot of space to play in.
Game Zone Interview
Wednesday, 24th December 2008
Our Technical Director, Gavin Rummery, has been interviewed by Game Zone and using the power of copy & paste you can now read it here too!
Game Zone Interview - with Gavin Rummery, theHunter - Technical Director
Do you think, outside of integration into some real-life type games, that there is a viable need for persistent avatars in the game world?
For the types of games Emote is making, this is very important. We want users to have characters that they can build up over time and use not only in game but also represent them on the social networking features of Participate. Most games have human characters at their centre, so it is not very restrictive to the types of game that we can support.
How will you integrate these avatars into products, forums or chat areas, or products from other companies?
The technology is standalone, so can be easily integrated into wherever characters are needed. For www.thehunter.com , the characters represent your avatar in the game and on the social network, and the technology is used to produce images for the player showing their character receiving trophies etc as the achieve things in the game.
How Detailed is the creation process? Does it use adjustable skeletons or slider features that have been employed by some games (say the body shop in The Sims 2) or products like DAz or Poser ?
At present, players select characters from a random choice (which they can randomise as often as they wish). So they just choose a character that appeals to them rather than spending ages pulling sliders about. Once they've done that, they can customise the character with different clothing, makeup, hairstyles, etc, but the base character stays recognizably the same.
How outlandish can the creations be? (You have shown some excellent human examples, but can a person go a bit more exotic?)
The system can create whatever we allow it to. At present we've purposely restricted our data to produce "good looking" individuals, but we'll add more variety as time goes by.
Do you foresee this product being used in association with voice-altering software to protect user identity, or do you see it as applying an extension of the person and generating that into gaming arenas?
It is not really meant for building a virtual copy of yourself, but for creating a character that you can use in different gaming environments and as an avatar on social networking / forums associated with the game.
What was the impetus behind this product?
There were several, but one was allowing people to connect to a game via their old PC or mobile phone and still receive high-production value imagery, even if the device in question wasn't up to producing it itself. We wanted to allow players to create a character that they could keep and develop over time, and which they could take into multiple Emote games and on the social network. This means the character has to be able to be updated to show them kitted out for different activities and scenarios.
What do you like the most about the capabilities of Participate?
Allowing players to mix social networking and gaming, and have characters that can build a history for themselves.
Blowing your cover
Friday, 12th December 2008
As I write, theHunter.com is in beta and we're inviting people to come in and test, give us their feedback, and ensure that it 'leaves other hunting games in the woods'.
Now, many successful hunters cite one particular thing as the most common reason for rookie failure. You can take the best equipment, find a great stand, locate lots of deer activity... yet still fail... if you don't consider the wind. A whitetail's nose is incredibly sensitive - and a mature buck takes even the slightest hint of human odor very seriously. A buck grazing 100 yards downwind of you will likely back away and change course, and may not return to the area for some time.
Rule number one in theHunter.com is 'never hunt when the wind is wrong'. Well, rule number one is probably 'never steal Doc Locke's stand' but rule number two is 'never hunt when the wind is wrong'.
Hunt with the wind either in your face or blowing across you. Checking wind direction before you set off hunting is essential. Buy a squeeze bottle filled with smoke or powder from the in-game store - then just hold the bottle up and give it a squeeze and watch which direction the powder travels.
Smell simulation in theHunter is highly realistic, using a basic area around each animal to identify the range of its sense of smell, which is then modified by the situation. The system takes into account the type of smell (human, deer, predator...) and the strength of smell too. The game will allow you to remove smells from your character's body and clothes, or to use bottled scents as 'camouflage' (temporary effect). Strong wind carries scent further, and stronger scents reach further with less help from the wind; but wind direction is the crucial factor!
In theHunter.com, as in real life, being downwind works to your advantage; it transports your smell away from the deer. So be aware of the wind - and don't blow your cover.
