Survival mode just got a lot easier with this update as population levels will now auto-recharge when a species hits a critical minimum.

Performance benchmarking has also been added and players are graded into 3 groups with optimizations automatically enabled depending on your benchmark results.

Read on to learn more!



No more unpleasantries exchanged with a rival wasp or sibling as the last spider or food source on the map is air-lifted by a rival. Now there's plenty for everyone!

Only Survival mode uses this system, Lifecycles mode is unaffected by this change to ensure simulation integrity.

The motivation behind this change will become clear below as the new "performance grading" system is explained. In short, it became necessary to ensure that small maps with low population levels could still sustain gameplay for Survival Quests like Wasp nesting.

One-time performance bechmarking is now performed the first time you open the game (or this update). A performance grade is awarded based on which default values for various game settings are chosen.

There are 3 performance grades:

1. Grade - "Pass"
   Players with this grade meet or exceed the recommended system requirements. The default graphics quality of High is retained and by default the performance intensive "Temperate Forest Flowers" population preset is used.
   
   
2. Grade - "Below Recommended"
   For systems that meet the minimum requirements but fall short of the recommended specs this grade is awarded. Video Resolution is automatically downscaled by 50% (this provides significant performance gains without adversely affecting visuals). View distance is also lowered to 0.5 (as opposed to the default 0.75)
   
   
3. Grade - "Below Minimum"
   Systems that do not meet the game's minimum requirements are now provided with relevant benchmark details when they open the game. Graphics quality is automatically lowered to minimum and more importantly, "Performance Friendly" map preset is automatically selected as the default map.

If you believe your PC has been incorrectly graded do share your benchmark scores and system details below! (you can also email the support mail mentioned here)

This auto-calibration will enable players who aren't familiar with graphics settings, population presets, etc to automatically enjoy the best possible format for the game relative to their specific system.

Recognizing player feedback around these three topics, a small but significant detour was taken from content development this month to focus on cleaning up bugs and improving ease of play.

Upcoming patches and updates will continue this trend of making the game easier for new players to get into.

~~~

A Nocturnal Wasp now awaits!
As twilight gives way to a velvety dark.
Soon to strike from shadows bright
A stinger that glistens with a spark.

(In mundane words, the nocturnal wasp release is coming soon, you Jumping Spiders beware! :))

With ❤,
Venugopalan Sreedharan

Player feedback on the forums, feedback mail and youtube videos have been used to roll out one of DoN's biggest bugfix and general improvement release. Here's an overview:

• A.I. now flees from predators more consistently
  
• Wasp A.I. no longer freezes up after catching spiders, nesting behavior is now reliable.
  
• Wasp A.I. snatch speed increased to improve snatch consistency
  
• Snatch issues for Dragonfly v/s 3rd Instar Grasshopper, mitigated
  
• A.I. now looks at you only if you're the same species (previously any species would turn and look at you when you get close to it)
  
• Simplified Grapple-Stamina: A.I. now gives up when you tire it out by draining its stamina (just like Ants in the Ladybug quest)
  
• Grooming for A.I is now more consistent
  
• Grooming for Flying A.I. now begins only after they land and touch down.

New animations

• Tiger Beetle - snatch animation
  
• Tiger Beetle - Grapple-Pin animation
  
• Tiger Beetle - Idle Struggle animation
  
• Blue Mud Dauber - Toppled Over anim
  
• Blue Mud Dauber - Immobilized anim
  
• Blue Mud Dauber - Idle struggle anim

Updated animations:

• Wasp Grooming anim extended to include hindleg and wings cleanup :)
  
• Wasp Walk to Drink Nectar anim transition issues fixed
  
• Tiger Beetle prey anim interactions (as prey) fixed.
  
• Grapple idle animations no longer get stuck after grappling
  
• Tiger Beetle walk/flight anim now plays properly while it has a prey snatched

• Ant Sneak tutorial for Ladybug creature quest fixed
  
• Wasp Nectaring phase made shorter for players and longer for A.I. Wasp Player hunger increased to compensate
  
• Hovering Explained: Players flying fast are now provided a flight hint about hovering. Essential for wasp gameplay (entering mud tunnels swiftly, etc)
  
• Crashing issue fixed - The game would crash on returning to the main menu in certain cases, now fixed
  
• "Performance" and "Exploration" Population Presets updated to include Blue Mud Dauber and Grasshoppers by default

• Stinger is now used as the face-off finisher for Wasp against any creature (eventually the main modes will support this too for non-prey confrontations, etc)
  
• Wasp Snatch interaction setup designed for various creatures
  
• Survival quests are no longer triggered for the wasp in face off mode
  
  
  Recommended Face-off matchups
  • Wasp v/s Bee - Unlike the Dragonfly, the wasp's flight speed is insufficient to catch the bee, so you'll have to rely on strategy to come out on top. It's not easy to win this fight!
    
  • Jumping Spider v/s Wasp - Frantic dodge training practice as a Jumping Spider is what this often ends up being. Unlike the simulation mode the wasp has no nectaring phase here and always knows exactly where you're located so this confrontation is far more intense than its survival counterpart!

• Grappling keys font changed as requested by a player, for easier readability
  
• Wasp players are now informed that they can use any nest for carrying spiders into. It doesn't have to be the first one you chose in the previous quest.
  
• "Strike" UI popup frequency reduced. Wherever it is obvious, only the prey outline visual cue is shown.

• Third-Instar Grasshopper added to Fauna spawn brush. Eventually players will be able to select the exact lifestage you want to spawn inside the sandbox (just like the population editor)
  
• Creature "Activity text" fixed for consistency. It was previously getting blanked out too frequently, now it easier to monitor a creature's activities in the sandbox

There's always more to come! Development for the nocturnal wasp (required for Lifecycles Act 2) begins soon and there's more bugfixes and improvements in the pipeline as well.

Please post your feedback as always! :)

With ❤,
Venugopalan Sreedharan

Meet DoN's latest species: A Wasp that provides for its larvae by capturing spiders and sealing them shut inside a mud nest. Yikes!

Here's the official release video!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nG6gNeCLih8




Oviposition occurs next to the spider

By popular demand, this species has been made fully playable even though the original plan was an A.I. only cameo to facilitate the Jumping Spider's Act 2 lifestory.

The "Blue Mud Dauber" Wasp features new Survival Quests, Egg laying and Nest provisioning gameplay. This update offers perhaps DoN's strongest gameplay yet, so please be sure to check out this new species (and the Jumping Spider survival where you now have a new adversary!)

This is also DoN's biggest bugfix release yet, with several fixes and improvements added to the game.



Nectaring on flowers


Grapple Montage. Watch out for that stinger!


Inside a Mud Nest


Carrying a spider back to the nest

So Is she a sweet nectar drinker or a fabled persecutor of spiders?

Both actually, as the adult wasp only feeds on nectar. It is your larvae that have a penchant for spiders, so each egg of yours is carefully laid in a secure mud nest and provisioned with at least three spiders.

This hybrid gameplay is what makes the wasp standout in the roster because it is simultaneously a benign pollinator of flowers, whilst also being a serious threat to the resident spider population.

Currently the A.I. uses a densely packed cluster of mud nests (co-located) while the player is provided with smaller chambers scattered throughout the map for you to explore and find.

Mud Nest building is not a part of this update but, it will be added eventually.


An A.I. nest cluster. Best experienced in Jumping Spider "Survival" mode

Including, but not limited to:

• A.I. snatching issues fixed for tiny prey; they no longer enter a futile snatch loop while snatching tiny prey such as first-instar grasshoppers, Mealybugs, etc
  
• Milkweed leaves now support building silken nests on them (various bugfixes were needed to support this)
  
• Lifecycles - Moulting now covers health, stamina and other attributes as well (this was previously ommitted due to a bug)
  
• Lifecycles - Moulting now applies difficulty levels correctly (previously this was getting overwritten every moult)
  
• Plant Simulation - Sandbox planted plants now correctly set their lifestage up. This has implications for flora intersection handling and some other subtle visuals.
  
• Anatomy combat system - Damage per attack anim is now limited to one frame for normal attacks.
  
• Anatomy combat system - Multi-hit attack now allowed for some special moves. Currently only the Tiger Beetle's heavy strike supports this.
  
• Anatomy combat system - Larger Instars are now no longer vulnerable to smaller instars. Previously the larger body surface area of larger instars made them weaker in combat.
  
• Anatomy combat system - Stamina cost is now correct for fully grown Jumping Spider (previously the 1st instar's stamina cost was being used)
  
• Tiger Beetle grappling anim transitions fixed
  
• Tiger Beetle species name now shortened to "Cicindela Japonica"
  
• Ant grappling skill, strength reduced (it was previously nearly on par with a Jumping Spider, this was unintentional)
  
• Fixed exhaustion safety logic for A.I. from resulting in a behavior loop (for flying creatures)
  
• Fallen prey no longer wake up to jump/flee upon landing from a height :)
  
• ...and many more.

Greatly benefiting the game's landscape both visually and gameplay wise, this release brings with it "Hollow Logs" that players (and A.I!) can travel inside:





With the parasitoid wasps finally in place, all the building blocks for Act 2 are here. A nocturnal wasp will need to be added though, so that, along with gameplay design for Act 2 (and maybe another ground-based prey) are the pending tasks. Almost there now!



Thanks as always for reading, hope you enjoy playing the Blue Mud Dauber! :)

With ❤,
Venugopalan Sreedharan

PS: Release video coming soon!

Why use someone else's silken tent when you can build your own?

For shelter, for stashing food and so much more!


Male Jumping Spider happily ensconced in his palatial silken estate

https://youtu.be/oPACKRoIPNw
Watch the new Silk Tent system for yourself!

Building silken tents of your own, was a key theme of "Lifecycles Act 2" and now this update now brings it just one step away from release.

Use the Survival mode to try the silken tents right now! Your feedback will be used to improve the gameplay for the subsequent Act 2 release.

Sleeping out in the open will no longer remain a safe option, so better build shelter if you seek to last the night. Parasitic Wasps are planned for the next release to act as a deterrent for night-time loafers (and thus wrap up Act 2's incremental stream of updates) and with these wasps looking to lay their eggs on you, you had best build a silken tent and keep it closed at night!


Cautiously peeping across the great outdoors

Hoarders beware! A.I. will now opportunistically seize any prey you've left lying around, so gone are the times of piling up your day's hunts in an idle corner.

All fallen prey now emit a chemical trail that both you (and A.I.) can detect and investigate.

With that background, you'll see why silken tents are also double-up as a neat storage depot. A closed silken tent cannot be opened by A.I. (although this might change in the future) making them ideal for stashing things.

Furthermore, decomposition rates of all prey are frozen inside silken tents, so not only can you stash, but you can also preserve your food for a rainy day more easily.


Your personal silken storage depot. Remember to keep the door closed though!

To facilitate the "Build With Silk" release various bugfixes and control improvements were also added for this release.

Most notably movement on leaves, flowers and stalks should be a lot more stable now, making it a bit easier to carry heavy prey along those thin stalks and back to your silken home.

Various bugs reported by players via the in-game feedback tool have also been addressed. Please keep the reports coming :)


Open Sesame!

There is now a keen focus on wrapping up the Jumping Spider's Act 2 release so that the game's ongoing focus on survival can transition back into Lifecycles, with mating and reproduction and the next milestone.

Tthe Monarch Butterfly's long-awaited lifecycle completion (laying of eggs, etc) can finally be facilitated with this, followed by lifecycles for other creatures on the roster.

New plants, flowers and natural props are also long-due and will be taken up at some point.


Almost there... Lifecycles Act 2 is incrementally heading towards release!



Appreciate your feedback on this new release! Videos, screenshots, forum posts, et al are all very welcome.

I hope that your gameplay experience is as smooth as silk! ;)

With ❤,
Venugopalan Sreedharan

Swishing antennae, flailing mandibles and blisteringly fast limbs, a virtual tour of insect anatomy is now presented in DoN, in the form of an "anatomy combat system".

The idea is to repackage traditional combat mechanics, a format that many players are already familiar with, in a manner that complements the game's focus on the natural world.

Strike the Thorax to weaken your opponent, launch a critical hit onto the Abdomen for that final blow, or patiently prod their Forelegs to soften them up.



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xvriGPUi7Mw
Subscribe to DoN's Youtube Channel to be notified of new content!

Each creature's body is divided into major body parts; the primary limbs for locomotion, the head, thorax (or cephalothorax if they're fused together like in arachnids), abdomen, etc.

Each body part then has a unique potency in an offensive capacity (eg: sharp mandibles deal more damage) and in a defensive role (eg: Abdomens are a weak spot, target them for earning critical hits on your opponent!)

When two creatures engage in combat these bodyparts are shown to the player when they're struck and additional commentary is provided in some cases. Additional features like permanent limb damage (target the legs to limit the opponent's mobility), limb severance, etc, may be considered in the future, but for now player feedback is being monitored to first perfect the basics of this system.

So far only Tiger Beetle v/s Jumping Spider confrontations use this new system. The existing grappling system is still intact across the board and will always continue to be the ultimate decider in settling creature confrontations.

To try this new system you can either use the "Face Off" mode and setup a Tiger Beetle v/s Jumping Spider matchup (or use the quick link when the game opens) or you can play the Survival mode as either species and eventually you'll bump into an ill-tempered rival :)

Don't forget to use the Sandbox mode to setup your favorite matchups too!



A group brawl featuring a horde of Jumping Spiders overwhelming a smaller, but more fleet-footed troop of Tiger Beetles. Psst: The Jumping Spiders won ;)

It is worth mentioning that you can (and should) flee from combat when you are overwhelmed, either via loss of health, or when you're swarmed by multiple opponents. To flee, just run away from your opponent and exit the combat zone (which is a predetermined radius of distance away from your opponent!). Similarly, the A.I. also flees from battle when it is about to be defeated. By the way, try snatching a fleeing Tiger Beetle if you can. They're very fast!

Your feedback is eagerly solicited on this new system!

The current intention is to use this system to cover all rivalry interactions (predator v/s predator, etc) and some other future situations such as competing peers from the same species (mating rights, what not). The "Playfights" of Act 1 (which are the basis for this system) are meant to serve as training for the actual confrontations in Act 2.

You have the opportunity to influence the future direction of this experimental system, so please try out this update and voice your thoughts below, in the forums or via the in-game Feedback Tool.

So get those insect body parts swirling now and check out DoN's new anatomy combat system in this update!

WIth ❤,
Venugopalan Sreedharan

Swishing antennae, flailing mandibles and blisteringly fast limbs, a virtual tour of insect anatomy is now presented in DoN, in the form of an "anatomy combat system".

The idea is to repackage traditional combat mechanics, a format that many players are already familiar with, in a manner that complements the game's focus on the natural world.

Strike the Thorax to weaken your opponent, launch a critical hit onto the Abdomen for that final blow, or patiently prod their Forelegs to soften them up.



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xvriGPUi7Mw
Subscribe to DoN's Youtube Channel to be notified of new content!

Each creature's body is divided into major body parts; the primary limbs for locomotion, the head, thorax (or cephalothorax if they're fused together like in arachnids), abdomen, etc.

Each body part then has a unique potency in an offensive capacity (eg: sharp mandibles deal more damage) and in a defensive role (eg: Abdomens are a weak spot, target them for earning critical hits on your opponent!)

When two creatures engage in combat these bodyparts are shown to the player when they're struck and additional commentary is provided in some cases. Additional features like permanent limb damage (target the legs to limit the opponent's mobility), limb severance, etc, may be considered in the future, but for now player feedback is being monitored to first perfect the basics of this system.

So far only Tiger Beetle v/s Jumping Spider confrontations use this new system. The existing grappling system is still intact across the board and will always continue to be the ultimate decider in settling creature confrontations.

To try this new system you can either use the "Face Off" mode and setup a Tiger Beetle v/s Jumping Spider matchup (or use the quick link when the game opens) or you can play the Survival mode as either species and eventually you'll bump into an ill-tempered rival :)

Don't forget to use the Sandbox mode to setup your favorite matchups too!



A group brawl featuring a horde of Jumping Spiders overwhelming a smaller, but more fleet-footed troop of Tiger Beetles. Psst: The Jumping Spiders won ;)

It is worth mentioning that you can (and should) flee from combat when you are overwhelmed, either via loss of health, or when you're swarmed by multiple opponents. To flee, just run away from your opponent and exit the combat zone (which is a predetermined radius of distance away from your opponent!). Similarly, the A.I. also flees from battle when it is about to be defeated. By the way, try snatching a fleeing Tiger Beetle if you can. They're very fast!

Your feedback is eagerly solicited on this new system!

The current intention is to use this system to cover all rivalry interactions (predator v/s predator, etc) and some other future situations such as competing peers from the same species (mating rights, what not). The "Playfights" of Act 1 (which are the basis for this system) are meant to serve as training for the actual confrontations in Act 2.

You have the opportunity to influence the future direction of this experimental system, so please try out this update and voice your thoughts below, in the forums or via the in-game Feedback Tool.

So get those insect body parts swirling now and check out DoN's new anatomy combat system in this update!

WIth ❤,
Venugopalan Sreedharan

Japanese Tiger Beetles are now playable in Drunk On Nectar!

Blistering speed, fearsome mandibles and dazzling looks to go with them, they are perhaps the most fun creature to play in the game right now, so do not miss out on these swift beauties!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U2-UF-sIgfg


Obligatory grooming GIF


This poor Ant was simply not fast enough

As a show of thanks to everyone for patiently waiting for Act 2 all this while, the Tiger Beetle which was originally planned as an NPC (non-playable) has been released as a fully playable creature. The active cast of Act 2 is now slowly falling into place and just a few more creatures need to be added before all major players to support the Jumping Spider's lifestory are ready for action.

Apart from the iconic Tiger Beetle's inclusion, many other improvements have been added as well:

As some of you have already noticed, the game's title now has a suffix to go with it! The intention is to allow people to better understand at first glance what the game is about. Please feel free to provide feedback on this change as the more swiftly DoN reaches a larger audience, the bigger the game too can grow!

To celebrate the Tiger Beetle release two new music tracks written exclusively for DoN have been added to the game! Check them out in the Extras -> "Music of DoN" section or simply while playing the game. This brings the total number of original soundtracks in DoN to 10!

On top of this, another new sound track dedicated to the Tiger Beetle is being written right now and will make it into the next release :) Eleventh for the swift one!

Players can now enter Seed numbers for random maps.

For those not familiar with the concept, random map seeds are numbers that you can enter or specify to control the outcome of the random map (visuals, population levels, spawn locations, etc) in a deterministic manner. This means if you find a random map you like, you can simply memorize the number and enter it again to replay the same random map!


Speed isn't everything when you're dealing with an ancient aviator

With a keen focus on the Tiger Beetle's mandibles, a number of long-standing issues in the game with hunting visuals have finally been fixed. Creatures latch on to other creatures in a far more convincing manner now. Nearly every creature benefits from this change. There is more scope for improvement in this space and as always future updates will continue to iron out visuals over time.

The rivalry is on. The three-way tussle between these three predatory forces is now underway in full swing and is a new dynamic that denizens of the forest floor will need to reckon with.

One is an expert grappler, climber and strategist.
Another is swift, fearless and built for combat.
The third, a master of the skies.
Who shall prevail?

Download this update and find out for yourself!

~

The new brawler-style combat system (playfights) is not yet in place for the Tiger Beetle but eventually this will be the mechanism through which its confrontations with the Jumping Spider are adjudicated. For now, its the plain old reflex based grappling system.

The official release video is not out yet, so you can still make the first ever Tiger Beetle gameplay video of Youtube, the Internet and all of the world! If you're as swift as our fleet-footed friend, that is, as the official video will be out soon too.

That's it for this update! Enjoy playing as the fastest insect in the world and perhaps, perhaps one of the most beautiful ones too! :)

With ❤,
Venugopalan Sreedharan

PS: May More GIFs Appear Below!

Japanese Tiger Beetles are now playable in Drunk On Nectar!

Blistering speed, fearsome mandibles and dazzling looks to go with them, they are perhaps the most fun creature to play in the game right now, so do not miss out on these swift beauties!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U2-UF-sIgfg


Obligatory grooming GIF


This poor Ant was simply not fast enough

As a show of thanks to everyone for patiently waiting for Act 2 all this while, the Tiger Beetle which was originally planned as an NPC (non-playable) has been released as a fully playable creature. The active cast of Act 2 is now slowly falling into place and just a few more creatures need to be added before all major players to support the Jumping Spider's lifestory are ready for action.

Apart from the iconic Tiger Beetle's inclusion, many other improvements have been added as well:

As some of you have already noticed, the game's title now has a suffix to go with it! The intention is to allow people to better understand at first glance what the game is about. Please feel free to provide feedback on this change as the more swiftly DoN reaches a larger audience, the bigger the game too can grow!

To celebrate the Tiger Beetle release two new music tracks written exclusively for DoN have been added to the game! Check them out in the Extras -> "Music of DoN" section or simply while playing the game. This brings the total number of original soundtracks in DoN to 10!

On top of this, another new sound track dedicated to the Tiger Beetle is being written right now and will make it into the next release :) Eleventh for the swift one!

Players can now enter Seed numbers for random maps.

For those not familiar with the concept, random map seeds are numbers that you can enter or specify to control the outcome of the random map (visuals, population levels, spawn locations, etc) in a deterministic manner. This means if you find a random map you like, you can simply memorize the number and enter it again to replay the same random map!


Speed isn't everything when you're dealing with an ancient aviator

With a keen focus on the Tiger Beetle's mandibles, a number of long-standing issues in the game with hunting visuals have finally been fixed. Creatures latch on to other creatures in a far more convincing manner now. Nearly every creature benefits from this change. There is more scope for improvement in this space and as always future updates will continue to iron out visuals over time.

The rivalry is on. The three-way tussle between these three predatory forces is now underway in full swing and is a new dynamic that denizens of the forest floor will need to reckon with.

One is an expert grappler, climber and strategist.
Another is swift, fearless and built for combat.
The third, a master of the skies.
Who shall prevail?

Download this update and find out for yourself!

~

The new brawler-style combat system (playfights) is not yet in place for the Tiger Beetle but eventually this will be the mechanism through which its confrontations with the Jumping Spider are adjudicated. For now, its the plain old reflex based grappling system.

The official release video is not out yet, so you can still make the first ever Tiger Beetle gameplay video of Youtube, the Internet and all of the world! If you're as swift as our fleet-footed friend, that is, as the official video will be out soon too.

That's it for this update! Enjoy playing as the fastest insect in the world and perhaps, perhaps one of the most beautiful ones too! :)

With ❤,
Venugopalan Sreedharan

PS: May More GIFs Appear Below!

For those wondering why things have been quiet of late, the game's development has been shifted to a new city. As DoN's sole developer I've been very busy with moving, shifting and setting up infra in the new place. Development of Lifecycles Act 2 was intentionally deferred to make room for this relocation. Things have finally settled down now, so it's back to building Act 2 at full capacity!

In addition to this, the game's development methodology has also shifted (original post) to allow for more detail, deeper gameplay and better QA than the previous updates. Lot of changes are coming including a transition from the game's random map generation to more traditional hand-crafted maps which accommodate detail far more easily than the current model of random map generation.

Sorry again for the super-long delay on Act 2. Many of you have posted via the game's feedback tool indicating your eagerness for it and your feedback is certainly being heard! Things should rapidly pick up pace now that this big move is complete.

For those who missed out on this min-announcement, an update was released last Sunday with several improvements to the game including new animations for the Grasshopper!



Here's a quick summary:

• Flying creatures no longer get stuck mid-flight
  
• New animations: Grasshopper grooming and idle animations added, chem-reception cost tweaked, Grasshopper model, textures vastly improved
  
• Grasshopper & Dragonfly A.I. vastly improved, various bugfixes to A.I in general
  
• DoN's Lighting is reworked: Daytime brightness modulated, all in-game detail now more easily visible

That's it for this update! With the long gestation period involved in relocating to the new premises nearly complete, now the benefits of this move should be apparent in the form of faster development times, better content and of course, a fresh start for the game!

Development now resumes with maximum verve and vigor!

With ❤,
Venugopalan Sreedharan



PS: More of these beauties are headed your way soon :)

For those wondering why things have been quiet of late, the game's development has been shifted to a new city. As DoN's sole developer I've been very busy with moving, shifting and setting up infra in the new place. Development of Lifecycles Act 2 was intentionally deferred to make room for this relocation. Things have finally settled down now, so it's back to building Act 2 at full capacity!

In addition to this, the game's development methodology has also shifted (original post) to allow for more detail, deeper gameplay and better QA than the previous updates. Lot of changes are coming including a transition from the game's random map generation to more traditional hand-crafted maps which accommodate detail far more easily than the current model of random map generation.

Sorry again for the super-long delay on Act 2. Many of you have posted via the game's feedback tool indicating your eagerness for it and your feedback is certainly being heard! Things should rapidly pick up pace now that this big move is complete.

For those who missed out on this min-announcement, an update was released last Sunday with several improvements to the game including new animations for the Grasshopper!



Here's a quick summary:

• Flying creatures no longer get stuck mid-flight
  
• New animations: Grasshopper grooming and idle animations added, chem-reception cost tweaked, Grasshopper model, textures vastly improved
  
• Grasshopper & Dragonfly A.I. vastly improved, various bugfixes to A.I in general
  
• DoN's Lighting is reworked: Daytime brightness modulated, all in-game detail now more easily visible

That's it for this update! With the long gestation period involved in relocating to the new premises nearly complete, now the benefits of this move should be apparent in the form of faster development times, better content and of course, a fresh start for the game!

Development now resumes with maximum verve and vigor!

With ❤,
Venugopalan Sreedharan



PS: More of these beauties are headed your way soon :)