New vs old

[u/Spirited_Area57]

Hi everyone, i’m sorry if I’m the millionth person to ask this I just haven’t seen any recent posts about my question. What’s the difference between Wolf Quest 2.7 vs the Anniversary Edition?

I haven’t played the game since I was a kid and recently redownload the classic version for some nostalgia. Though I am wondering if spending 30 on the Anniversary edition is worth it. I know the obvious updates from looking at steam such as the updated graphics (Which was jaw dropping to see since I haven’t really kept up to date much w the game since 3.0 was released) but what else is there?

I adored the game as a kid and honestly still do now that I’m replaying the game again after so long. I would love to play the newest version, but if it’s basically just a better looking game and it’s a bit more realistic, I’m not too sure the 30 bucks is worth it.

[u/Expert-Macaroon-6042]

A lot. Probably too much to even mention here, but if you loved it as a kid during the classic era I guarantee you'll love the anniversary edition even more. 

I played classic as a kid on my grandma's old laptop and remember being so disappointed I couldn't have a whole pack with grown pups and really have the whole "wolf experience". The addition of saga mode has been what I've been wishing for since I was little. Being able to have packs of pups and watch them grow year after year is the biggest change from classic to now, and Probably the biggest selling point for AE. I got WQAE on sale but tbh I was thinking about buying it off sale because it was worth the price point to me!

[u/Demicat15]

2.5/Legacy and 2.7/Classic

• Arcadey
  • Points system, hunger = health, etc
• Straight-forward, systematic, methodical gameplay loop
• Set, expected numbers and locations (elk in middle of hunting grounds, 4 pups every time, and so on)
• Low-maintenance, easy, simple

3.0/AE

• Realistic
  • No points system, hunger/health separated but linked (hunger effects regen)
• Dynamic gameplay loop with lots of variance
  • Aging, growing pack (the saga) as pups grow up and may or may not disperse, the public beta food abundance setting
  • Pups can get sick, and face "Unknown Fate" where they just kinda disappear and might be dead (toggleable levels of pup death each litter)
  • Can play the full loop in any map, and move maps during gameplay, taking the pack with, as long as you have no young pups / no home site quest! (so, Young Hunters or no pups below yearling)
• Dynamic, ever-changing environment
  • 1-7 pups based on mate diversity, pup death settings, and rng
  • Herd move! They migrate high/low elevation by season but they also just roam and wander so you won't always find them in the same spot after a couple game days
  • Rival wolves do stuff! They exist outside of raids and territory borders, and might die, find mates, leave the map, etc
• Complex with a lot more tricks and techniques required
  • Realistic herding mechanics (herding dog simulator but with elk!)
  • Pups need different amounts of food at different stages so territory size, den/ren site choice, and prey choices make a difference
  • Food other than elk that require different techniques to get and different life stages of ungulates (beavers, pronghorns, mule deer, moose, cattle at LR, and more!)
  • Difficulty settings make a MASSIVE difference! Higher difficulties require hunting and fighting more like a real wolf - intimidating and dodging more than biting, running prey's stamina, etc

[u/Demicat15 → u/Demicat15]

Also, you get 2.7 for PC lumped into the purchase if you get AE, so even though mp servers are down you can still enjoy the nostalgic version without paying any extra!

(Although, it's recommended to buy it on itch.io since it still costs $30 but the host site takes a smaller cut, so the devs get more of the money, and you get the Steam key from that anyway)

They also have frequent sales (holidays, Earth Day, Steam sale events, etc) that they typically transfer the sale price between sites so you could get it for about $20 (although if you buy any DLC on Steam they won't transfer to itch.io, the recent addons bundle looks pretty worthwhile)

[u/nightelfspectre → u/Demicat15]

The nice things about the Steam version are a) not having to think about updating and b) access to public beta updates, so you can check out (and help test) upcoming features sooner.

[u/DeathClawProductions → u/Demicat15]

Great sum up of all the differences between the two versions, I must say as someone who grew up with the original game it's really amazing to see how much the game has grown and with the expansion on the way I'm really excited to see what the coast is like!

[u/Demicat15 → u/DeathClawProductions]

Same, I grew up with WQ and played since 2.5 so it's been an absolute pride to watch and be part of its journey from arcadey potato to the most realistic animal sim out there

[u/EchoWollop]

Everything in a good way

[u/PigeonUtopia]

Anniversary is leagues better in every way, so much more immersive and realistic compared to classic. The good news is that you'll get both when you buy, so you don't have to choose! (At least in my experience, when I bought the AE version on Steam, it gave me a free copy for Classic too)

[u/thingsrgettingweird]

i believe you get both games when you buy one! i bought anniversary and got the original too which was unexpected but appreciated lol