Empires of the Undergrowth 1.1 is out now! A major remastering of many art assets including the rainforest environment, leafcutter ants, black ants, and gene thief ants is included for all owners of the game. Many changes and fixes are also included - full details are included in the patch notes below.
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Releasing simultaneously is the Exploding Ants DLC, which adds the exploding ants (
Colobopsis explodens) and exploding termites (
Neocapritermes taracua) to the mix. These are based on real-life species that really do rupture their bodies in an act of self-sacrifice for their colony! Nature is endlessly inventive.
Finally, the Supporter Pack is also releasing today and is now available separately.
[h3]Leave a Review, Fuel the Swarm[/h3][hr][/hr]If you've been enjoying 1.1 — or even if you've just got thoughts on exploding termites—we’d love to hear your feedback in a Steam review. They’re not just a boost to visibility; they help us understand what’s working and what needs more love. Thanks for being part of the colony!
Empires of the Undergrowth 1.1
[h2]Rainforest Art Remaster[/h2]
The following rainforest levels have been remastered:
- 3.1 The Harvest
- 3.2 Front Line
- Custom game map Basin
- Custom game map Embankment
[h2]Creature Art Remaster[/h2]
The following ant species have been remastered:
- Leafcutter ants - queen, majors, mediae, minors, minims
- Gene thief ants - queen, workers
- Black ants - workers, soldiers
[h2]Improved Creature Animations[/h2]
The following rainforest creatures have had improved animations:
- Leaf mimic praying mantis
- Jumping spider
- Trapjaw ant
[h2]Fixes & Changes[/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
- AI colonies in custom games will no longer harass colonies that are dead / missing their queen
- 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
- Fix for Full House achievement issues
- Some grammar / spelling fixes here and there
The Exploding Ants DLC - Headline Features
The Exploding Ants DLC is now available from the Steam store. It includes not just exploding ants, but exploding termites as well! Both perform a remarkable function called
Autothysis which can be toggled on and off like climbing and aphid collection. Once you have the DLC installed, the following features will be available to you:
[h2]Exploding Ants -
Colobopsis explodens[/h2]
Exploding ant soldiers are available as unlockable units in ereptor colonies. When threatened, they explode causing high damage and a concussive blast. As part of an ereptor colony, the exploding ant soldiers have the following upgrades available:
- A choice of Controlled Blast or Violent Blast, increasing the damage or radius of the explosion, respectively
- A choice of Chain Reaction or Persistent Secretions, increasing the damage of other exploding ants caught in the blast or leaving a pool of liquid that causes continual damage, respectively
Explodings ants are available as full colonies in custom games, remix mode and the extra level The Harvest - Firebreak:
- Colobopsis explodens majors do not explode, but take less damage from the front and have an underground-only ability. They will go stationary, and buff the armour of allied units around them
In
The Harvest - Firebreak, exploding ants must eliminate an aggressive fire ant colony against the backdrop of two leafcutter ants bringing in their harvest. Find it in the Extra Levels section of the Arcade.
[h2]Exploding Termites -
Neocapritermes taracua[/h2]
Exploding termite workers are available as unlockable units in ereptor colonies. When threatened, they explode causing damage over time and confusion to enemies.
- Since they are workers, they will perform nest jobs as usual
- Workers are born inert but become explosive after a time, indicated by a change to their UI icon
- The older the worker is before it explodes, the more damage over time and the longer the confusion effect will be
As part of an ereptor colony, the exploding ant workers have the following upgrades available:
- A choice of Rapid Maturity or Accelerated Gland Filling, which reduces the time until they become explosive or speeds up the damage over time and confusion increase, respectively
- A choice of Extreme Toxins or Extreme Confusion, which increases the length of the damage over time or the confusion effect, respectively
Exploding termites are available as full colonies in custom games, remix mode and the extra level Front Line - No Ant’s Land:
- Neocapritermes taracua majors do not explode, but they have a dual ability called Asymmetric Snapping. Underground, this ability causes high damage to enemies. Above ground, it will sun an enemy and cause the termite itself to be flung back
- Exploding termites consume lignocellulose in a similar way to African termites, but they do not require the steps to process it into fungus and instead consume it directly
In
Front Line - No Ant’s Land, a small colony of exploding termites must survive a number of days against the approaching lines of army ants. Find it in the Extra Levels section of the Arcade.
DLC - Supporter Pack
The Supporter Pack does not add anything that affects gameplay, but is intended for those who have expressed that they missed out on the original funding campaign way back in 2016. It includes the following items:
- Myrmecia ereptor gene thief skin - new models and animations for the gene thief ants. Includes both queen and worker models. Inspired by real-life bull ants (Myrmecia genus)
- Original Soundtrack - the Empires of the Undergrowth soundtrack, 170 minutes presented in 35 separate tracks and downloadable as uncompressed WAV files
- Sounds of the Undergrowth widget to listen to the music and voice-lines in-game, with adjustable sliders for intensity
- 7 4k wallpapers with multiple variations for a total of 16 wallpapers
- 19 emojis, with some based on the game’s achievement icons
- 12 portraits
We hope you enjoy the update! This release completes a large swathe of our current roadmap, and puts a dent in the rest of it. So, go and marvel at the beauty of the jungle, and blow it up with exploding creatures!
Remastered rainforest environment, level 3.2 Front Line
New Formica ereptor models
Embankment & Basin custom game levels with the new artwork