Empires of the Undergrowth News

Thank you all for the amazing response to the new beta with the remastered artwork! We’ve had a bunch of feedback and have been able to fix the majority of the problems for the time being. Please see below for full patch notes.

The beta is now available on Mac.

If you didn’t join last time and would like to, see the previous post for details on how to activate the beta. The password for the beta is rainforestrefresh.

As before, any feedback you can provide on any errors or crashes, etc is much appreciated - please post on the Steam discussions for that.

[h2]Fixes & Changes[/h2]

• Fixed inaccessible leaves in several levels
  
• Fixed climbable plants & stuck aphids in Basin
  
• Fixed decorative water clipping through the ground in Basin
  
• Fixed black ants and trapjaw ants carrying things in the wrong place
  
• Fixed behaviour toggles not appearing in the formicarium when appropriate
  
• Fixed leafcutter mediae & majors not getting larger with level
  
• Fixed references to DLC creatures appearing where they shouldn’t
  
• Repositioned the glow effect on the leafcutter supermajor (Adventure extra level)
  
• Fixed messed up textures on starting workers in the tutorial & formicarium levels
  
• Fixed messed up textures on royal guard in Enemy of my Enemy 1 & 2
  
• Fixed some rainforest decorative plant model issues
  
• Removed a hexagonal dev tool graphic that was accidentally left in some levels
  
• Fixed the defeat cinematic animation in 3.1 The Harvest
  
• Level select now uses the new black ant worker model
  
• Latest localisations added
  
• Added Mac build to beta
  

[h2]KNOWN ISSUES[/h2]

Blurry textures on creatures and scenery - some users are having issues with the new environments and models, with a blurry look to the materials which is caused by texture streaming.

We intend to review this fully, but for now you can try disabling texture streaming on Steam by adding the following launch argument to the game: -NOTEXTURESTREAMING. To do this, find the game in Steam, go to Properties > Set Launch Options > … and paste in -NOTEXTURESTREAMING (make sure you include the dash). This is not guaranteed to fix the issue but testing shows it helps.

If you decide to do this, loading times may be affected and you might find that you need to drop texture quality somewhat from the in-game graphics menu.

Game stays running after closing for some users - we’ve narrowed the cause of this down - it affects AMD users but fixing it involves some deep engine changes and we don’t think it’s wise to be making the change so close to a major release. Please continue to report if you have the issue, as other changes have been made which may impact this.

Built-in crash reporter does not seem to currently appear reliably after a crash - please let us know if you get a crash without a box popping up referring to sending in a report.

An optional beta is now available for all Steam Windows users of Empires of the Undergrowth. We’ve had a very large graphical overhaul of several parts of the game - most notably the rainforest environment, leafcutter ants, ereptor ants, black ants, and others. Some creatures have had animation improvements. We’ve also fixed (we think!) a long-standing problem with the Pillage the Pillagers achievement and several others.

Remastered rainforest environment, level 3.2 Front Line

Any feedback you can provide on any errors or crashes, etc is much appreciated - please post on the Steam discussions for that.



If you would like to join the beta, the code is rainforestrefresh. If you don’t know how to join a beta and would like to, follow the instructions below:

1. Find Empires of the Undergrowth in your Steam library, right-click on it and choose "Properties"
   
2. Choose the "Betas" tab
   
3. In the box titled "Enter beta access code to unlock private betas", enter rainforestrefresh
4. After the "Access code correct" information appears, make sure you've chosen "Open beta" from the "Select the beta you would like to opt into" drop-down menu
   
5. Press close - the game will now update to the beta branch.
   

New Formica ereptor models

[h2]Headline Features[/h2]

• Rainforest environment remastered in the following levels:
  
  • The Harvest
    
  • Front Line
    
  • Embankment
    
  • Basin
• Full remastering for several ant species, which are:
  
  • Leafcutter ants
    
  • Gene thief ants
    
  • Black ants (workers & soldiers)
• New animations for several rainforest creatures:
  
  • Jumping spider
    
  • Leaf mimic praying mantis
    
  • Trapjaw ant

[h2]Changes[/h2]

• Added new custom game AI temperament - ‘hostile’
  
• Added new custom game reaction speed - ‘quick’
  
  • Aim with both of these is to create a smaller gap between moderate & aggressive
• AI hard preset changed to quick instead of fast & extreme set to hostile & quick
  
• Increased check rate of custom game objectives
  
• Battle Arena & Creature Spawner spider icons will change to question marks if arachnophobia mode is on
  
• Colony creatures collected for treatment will now lose any food value (termites)
  
• Colony creatures collected for food will no longer be able to be treated (termites)
  
• Many localisation updates
  
• UI icon updates in many places
  

Embankment & Basin custom game levels with the new artwork

[h2]Fixes[/h2]

• Pillage the Pillagers achievement can now be attained
  
• Fixed Matabele medics getting stuck if their heal target is removed from play
  
• Queens can no longer be picked up by larger creatures
  
• Fixed a termite mound issue in Drive Them Back (Custom Game Version)
  
• Fixed a texture chamber issue on old beach tile set
  
• A voice line referencing ants will no longer play if the player is a termite colony
  
• Prevented lignocellulose spawning in termite mound walls in custom games
  
• Seasonal hats will now appear in the right place on Matabele & termite queens
  
• Added a failsafe to a possible crash involving phorid flies
  
• Fixed player’s army ants counting towards objectives in Adventure in remix mode
  
• Some lighting corrections in Drive Them Back (Custom Game Version)
  
• Fixed All The Heals achievement failing on hard difficulty due to starting soldier tiles
  
• Fixed a crash relating to the American bullfrog
  
• Fixed mulch landmarks always being on the map with pre-set landmarks even when no Matabele or termites are in play
  
• Possible fix for Full House achievement issues
  
• Some grammar / spelling fixes here and there
  
• AI colonies in custom games will no longer harass colonies that are dead / missing their queen
  

[h2]KNOWN ISSUES[/h2]

Game stays running after closing for some users - we’ve narrowed the cause of this down - it affects AMD users but fixing it involves some deep engine changes and we don’t think it’s wise to be making the change so close to a major release. Please continue to report if you have the issue, as other changes have been made which may impact this.

Built-in crash reporter does not seem to currently appear reliably after a crash - please let us know if you get a crash without a box popping up referring to sending in a report.

Empires of the Undergrowth is part of the Steam Spring Sale at 50% off. Check it and other games out in the Hooded Horse Spring Sale.

Hooded Horse Spring Publisher Sale 2025

[h3]Exploding Ants DLC![/h3][hr][/hr]Down below, we're sharing details on the recently announced Exploding Ants DLC, arriving March 24. It introduces Colobopsis explodens and Neocapritermes taracua, bringing new mechanics, additional formicarium options, and two extra levels based on campaign missions.
https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/463530/view/496063443495814523?l=english
The team is hard at work on the Exploding Ants DLC, arriving March 24. This update introduces Colobopsis explodens and Neocapritermes taracua, bringing new mechanics and strategic choices to Empires of the Undergrowth.

Both species feature self-destructive abilities, but they function in different ways. Exploding ants unleash a concussive blast that sends enemies flying, while exploding termites cause damage over time and confuse attackers. Each has its own upgrade paths, offering a variety of tactical options.

Check out the trailer here! [previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

The exploding ants DLC is arriving on March 24! It comes with not only exploding ants (Colobopsis explodens), but also exploding termites (Neocapritermes taracua). Please enjoy the trailer!

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

Once you have the DLC they'll be available in your formicarium, in separate colonies for custom games, and in two extra levels that are twists on campaign levels (The Harvest - Firebreak, and Front Line - No Ant's Land).

The store page for the DLC is live now - add it to your wishlist to be informed when it releases. Exciting times ahead!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/3402420

[h2]Exploding Ants - Colobopsis explodens[/h2]

The exploding ant has an unusual defense mechanism - when the colony is threatened, some of the soldiers undergo a process called autothysis where they rupture their bodies, spraying a toxic goo over their usurpers. In the game, this is represented by a concussive blast that causes high damage to enemies, impedes their movement and sends them flying!

A queen with a healthy brood of Colobopsis explodens ants

When added to an ereptor colony, exploding ant soldiers will have a choice of upgrades. One choice is between Controlled Blast and Violent Blast - increasing the damage or radius of the explosion respectively, while Chain Reaction or Persistent Secretions will increase the damage of other exploding ants caught in the blast, or leave a pool of liquid on the ground that deals continual damage.

The major soldiers do not explode but take reduced damage from the front, and generate high threat (making enemies more likely to target it). It has an underground-only area of effect ability - it will become stationary, and increase the armour of nearby allies.

[h2]Exploding Termites - Neocapritermes taracua[/h2]

Autothysis is not unique to ants! Some termites have also evolved this remarkable ability, and in the case of Neocapritermes taracua it is the workers that do the exploding rather than the larger soldiers. For a while after birth they are inert, but will soon mature into their volatile adult selves (indicated by a darkening of their colouration).

A growing Neocapritermes taracua colony. Over time the workers darken in colour, indicating they are ready to go boom

Exploding termite workers will confuse and cause damage over time to enemies caught in the blast. The longer the worker has lived before exploding, the more damage will be caused and the longer the confusion effect will be.

As part of a gene thief colony, exploding termite workers have a choice between Rapid Maturity (reduces the time until it is explosive) and Accelerated Gland Filling (speeds up the rate at which the damage and duration of the explosion increases). They can also choose between Extreme Toxins (increases the duration of the damage over time effect) or Extreme Confusion (increases the duration of the confusion effect).

The larger taracua soldiers do not explode, but they have a dual ability called asymmetric snapping with different effects depending on if they are on the surface or underground - underground, the ability causes high damage to an enemy, while on the surface it will stun and cause the termite itself to be flung back.

[h2]Boom![/h2]

We hope you enjoy the Exploding Ant DLC coming on March 24! It will also be launching in the wider context of a major artwork overhaul for the game - with a completely reworked rainforest environment and updates to creature models, textures and animations in many areas.

In the past few weeks we’ve made a bunch of progress in the remastering of older art assets to the game, including some creatures - we’ll show you a little preview of some improved leafcutter animations - and the new rainforest environment. We’re also not a million miles away from our first DLC at this point; see the current roadmap below for a breakdown of what to expect in the near future.

The current roadmap - click to see the details

If you’d like to see an in-depth discussion of the full roadmap, then see our latest vlog - the timecode for it is 5:10. Some of the things noted on the roadmap might come sooner than advertised (remember: everything in our roadmaps is subject to change), particularly the improved creature artwork.

In this slightly shorter newsletter (there’s lots more upcoming stuff I could talk about, if I was allowed to!) we’ll mainly be going over what we’re doing in our continuing effort to bring more of Empires of the Undergrowth up to the visual fidelity of the more recent additions. Until the official announcement for what the first DLC will consist of is made I'm not at liberty to divulge any details about that, but we can certainly talk about what is coming in the base game.

Now is a good time, once again, to say a big thank you for all of the support you folks gave us during our release year of 2024 - if it wasn’t evident by now EotU is very much a passion project for us, and as well as producing more content for the game we also want it to be the very best it can be in its entirety. The support we received around the release period means we can dedicate the resources to improving older artwork and bringing it up to scratch - a luxury that wasn’t at all certain but is now secured.

[h2]Artwork Improvements Continue[/h2]

Firstly, we’ll talk about recent improvements to the creature artwork - the models, textures, and animations. Everyone please say hello to Aron and Jack, our two new character artists who have been hard at work over the past couple of months to do just that. Whole species are in the process of getting remasters, and the first of these is the leafcutters. I don’t want to spoil their new look in its entirely just yet, but we would like to show some updated animations - I’ll show off their new texturing at a later time, perhaps as a Screenshot Saturday (see our social media to keep up-to-date with that).

A new leafcutter idle animation

Up until this point all of the creature art in the game has been made by a single artist (Matt, one of the devs / co-founders of Slug Disco, who is also a coder and engine specialist) but having dedicated character artists means that, over time, we’ll be able to add a bunch more fidelity and character to the models.

A new leafcutter melee attack animation

As you can see, the leafcutters will be one of the first to get this treatment to go along with the improved rainforest environment artwork. Others are of course on the list (more about that in just a moment) but another improvement is one that wasn’t ever released in the first place - the Myrmecia ereptor worker skin that is coming soon for Kickstarter backers.

An improved Myrmecia ereptor model performing an idle animation

Whilst the older model was nice, at this point it was comparatively old so we thought it’d be a good opportunity to improve it for release. It’s absolutely terrifying up close! Those bull ant mandibles and the cold eyes make for an intimidating look, but these are only workers so don’t be too quick to pick up the bug spray.

I have the fear

Some of the other creatures on the short-term list for improvement soon include the black ants and even one of the amphibians, but as mentioned, over time we’re likely to update quite a few of the creatures to newer standards.

3.2 Front Line in the newer art style

Finally, we’re very close to the completion of the updated rainforest assets for the 3.x levels, and of course the custom game levels based in the jungle as well. We’ve covered this fairly extensively in previous newsletters and vlogs so I’ll just quickly show off these couple of more recent screenshots here rather than retread ground too much. In short, environment artist DanC has poured the majority of his time over the past half year or so into this upgrade for the rainforest, making it the last of the older environment art style to be brought kicking and screaming into higher fidelity by a dedicated artist.

Custom game map Embankment in the new art style - note the newly-redesigned climbable plants

[h2]Remix Updated Fixes - WIP[/h2]

We're currently working through a list of issues that evaded us during testing of the Remix update - most notably a couple of achievement issues, the most egregious of which is ‘Pillage the Pillagers’ which currently doesn’t trigger at all. Thanks for everyone who reported it - and we apologise for the frustration of trying to get that one and failing through no fault of your own.

Another issue that has been reported is the game not fully closing on exit for a small subset of players, and it needing to be Ctrl-Alt-Del’d or closed manually via Steam. We think we’ve narrowed this one down to an issue with the “Games by our Friends” widget on the main menu, but research into this area is ongoing and we may well run an optional beta fairly soon to see if we’ve worked out what the issue is. Thankfully one of our developers did experience it himself so that gave us a fairly reliable testbed for it.

There is also a semi-persistent crash again affecting only some players which appears to be due to the bullfrog, and probably to do with creatures climbing it - we’ve taken the time to remake its climbing rig for the next update and hopefully that clears the issue. Again, that is one for further testing the next time we run an optional beta.

[h2]Supporter's Pack[/h2]

More precise details on this will come closer to time, but since I’ve been asked about it several times recently I thought I’d just give a few more details on an upcoming supporter’s pack that is mentioned in the roadmap. In short, it will be a separately purchasable item for those who’d like to support the project a bit further consisting of the official OST / soundtrack to the game that comes with a ‘music toy’ that will allow you to experiment with the music from a separate screen in the DLC menu, adjusting its intensity and suchlike. I suspect I’ll be using it to make the background music for my tabletop RPG games a little more interactive!

Supporter's Pack music toy - WIP

Also bundled will be extras such as emojis, profile pictures, wallpapers and the like for use however you like. There may well be one or two other bits that I’m not quite allowed to talk about yet - so keep your eyes peeled for those.


[h2]Our Industry-Leading Sound Effects Process[/h2]

Here’s a video of developer Liam slapping himself in the forehead with a melon rind. It's worth watching the first time without any more context.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mTKs3R5wFQ0

It may raise a giggle, but long-time followers will remember a video from quite a few years ago that might add some context as to what he’s doing here. We make a lot of use of sound effect resources such as Freesound, but when we can get away with growling into a microphone or slapping ourselves in the forehead with fruit we will.

[h2]Screenshot Central[/h2]

I sometimes have to stop myself rushing to get to the end of a newsletter so I can do my favourite bit of it - some user-submitted screenies. The best way to take excellent screenshots is to hold down shift when you enter photo mode (check your button bindings for full controls - it's F9 by default) since this will uncouple the camera from the floor plain and allow for more creative shots.

To get the screenshots to me, the easiest way is to join our Discord and post on the screenshot channel. Otherwise, you can upload to the Steam Community tab and I'll occasionally peruse it for some gems.

A termite queen about to meet an unfortunate end from Serp

An ant inspects a greedy larva from berdidmose

A victorious big-headed ant colony from ArmyAntGaming

A whip spider surveys the scenery from EutU_fan666