Empires of the Undergrowth News

We're back with another vlog! This time Mike goes over upcoming changes to freeplay, how the Adventure + update went (and some changes coming to Adventure in the future) as well as talking briefly about a new unique seasonal level that will arrive in the not-too-distant future.

Towards the start of the video, our product marketing manager Dan talks about two other games that are published (but not developed) by Slug Disco, Ecosystem and Adapt. If you're not interested in those, skip to timecode 2:28 for the Empires of the Undergrowth meat.

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What could get you more into the spirit of the season than defending gifts against a horde of insects and arachnids using more insects and arachnids?

The Festive Spider is here for the holidays! Touch the gift box on the main menu to play.

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Help the Hungry Spider keep the gifts safe from the invaders. Be warned - like the Halloween level, this one is punishingly difficult and unforgiving - expect multiple playthroughs to perfect your strategy. This unique tower defense game mode is sure to keep you on your toes well into the new year.

We've made some updates to the free demo - if you've not taken the plunge yet then now's a great time to try out the demo, and if you like it, the game is 10% off for Steam's Autumn sale! This update adds the tutorial level that we recently added to the main game, as well as a limited form of the Battle Arena - a mode where you can easily pit the various critters found in the demo against each other to see what wins.

• Tutorial added to demo
  
• Battle Arena added to demo with creatures included in the demo
  
• Demo levels The Nest and Hold Out updated to use rotting log textures
  
• New menu added to demo
  
• Various smaller changes from the full game are now reflected in the demo
  
• Support in demo for recently-added languages
  

V0.302036 has been released, addressing a few issues that came up over the last couple of days as well as making some mainly visual changes to the Hungry Spider level.

Patch notes below:

Additions

• The Hungry Spider level now uses the new rotting log tile set
  
• Enjoy the Hungry Spider event for longer - now until Nov 10th!
  
• A few extra pillars for cover and lighting near spawn on Hungry Spider
  
• Queens now have a gentle spotlight on them
  

Fixes

• Fixed invisible cricket issues in Adventure
  
• Fixed a visual error in 1.2
  
• Tweaked rotting log materials
  
• Removed any possibility for unfinished landmarks to spawn in freeplay
  
• Notification given in the tutorial will always appear regardless of settings
  

Surprise, we’re doing it now! As it turns out, everything we talked about in yesterday’s newsletter is good to go, so here it is! The Adventure + update is available now.

This is a ‘regular’ update, but quite significantly larger than most of our regular updates. As well as the long-awaited extra level Adventure, we’ve also put the even longer-awaited velvet worm into its rightful place in the 3.x levels - including previously unheard narrator lines!

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This update also includes a feature that has been overdue for a long time - tutorial mode. New players will be encouraged to first play through the tutorial before diving into the campaign, and even more experienced players may benefit from the refresher course it provides. A redesigned menu integrates this addition into the game, with a new section called the ‘arcade’ for extra levels, battle arena, and demo levels

Finally, the 1.x levels now have their own tile set - the rotting log will no longer look like sand! A new texturing of decomposing birch wood and crumbly soil will set it apart from the beach. Full patch notes below.



[h2]Velvet Worm[/h2]

• Added to 3.x levels, freeplay, battle arena & new extra level Adventure
  
• Long creature with the ability to spray slimy glue at its enemies that slows them
  
• Comes in 3 sizes of varying strength
  

[h2]Adventure[/h2]

• A long-form leafcutter extra level with unique mechanics
  
• Build up XP to upgrade your colony & unlock new units
  
• Unlock the uber velvet worm for use in freeplay as a reward
  

[h2]Tutorial mode[/h2]

• A new 10-15 minute tutorial to explain the basics in a practical way
  
• Goes over digging, hatching, pheromones, combat & more
  
• Both new & experienced players should benefit from this thorough tutorial
  

[h2]Main menu rework[/h2]

• More descriptive buttons to guide players to the right place
  
• Will highlight tutorial mode for new players
  
• Added an arcade section for battle arena, extra levels & demo levels
  

[h2]Rotting log tile set[/h2]

• Woody, crumbly textures added for the rotting log environment
  
• 1.x levels no longer use the beach underground tile set
  

• Big-headed ant workers are no longer encumbered when carrying
  
• Camera rotation buttons are now rebindable
  
• Resource, tile & creature info toggles moved to side of pheromone panel
  
• Reworked underground lamp distribution
  
• Hold Out scoreboard changed to match that of Extremis
  
• Added thumbnails for demo levels
  
• Some rewording of objectives & descriptions
  
• Numerous improvements & optimisations to many game processes
  
• Updated localisations
  

• Enemy colony in 3.1 should no longer hide underground permanently
  
• 1.1 victory cinematic reworked slightly to not show the ‘sky’
  
• Subtitles no longer overlap if a certain creature is killed too quickly in FC4
  
• Fixed an issue that caused lynx spiders to shrink on loading a freeplay game
  
• Fixed accidental switching of some minor improvements menu descriptions
  
• Status effect particles now present for the hungry spider
  
• Extra level scoreboards now all display the difficulty
  
• Fixed some spelling mistakes