Empires of the Undergrowth News

We love events, but for obvious reasons we've so rarely been able to attend them recently. Enter the Gamescom 2021 Indie Arena Booth, an online event that is running from 25th-29th August! We have a booth in the virtual world, which you can visit with your 2D avatar. There's an NPC representation of the scientist there to answer some questions, and of course we'll be there ourselves too!

To celebrate this, from the moment of this post there is a limited-time demo level available. For the first time we're letting fire ants loose for a preview before their appearance in the upcoming 4th tier levels! In The Promised Land, you'll need to use the fire ant's bridge building skills to acquire resources from neighbouring islands, before building as long a bridge as you can to reach the aforementioned land that was promised on the right side of the map.

Simply place a pheromone marker on an island you wish to reach, and your fire ants will use their bodies to make a floating bridge for their sisters to use. Beware of falling water levels stranding them - ants that get cut off from the colony will panic and quickly die. Also, keep an eye on the bombardier beetle population - they'll attack your colony together with their near-boiling liquid spray.

The Promised Land will be available until August 29th, when Gamescom ends.

Full patch notes below:

[h2]Features[/h2]

• Fire ant demo level The Promised Land available between 23rd and 29th of August (accessible through a pop-up in main menu) whilst Gamescom is running
  
• Vulkan can now be used in Windows (add -vulkan to launch options)
  

[h2]Improvements / Changes[/h2]

• Improved walk cycles across game (creatures should now longer look like they are sliding when slowed)
  
• Enemy underground tabs will now stretch to the full available size above the minimap rather than just taking a set size (this allows up to 6 colonies on a map, needed for future levels)
  
• Creature’s slow resist will now also resist attack slows
  

[h2]Fixes[/h2]

• Really slow creatures wiggle left and right less
  
• Fixed an issue with creatures killed during pickup getting stuck in the creature’s jaws
  
• Disabled colony section of the colony setup tab in freeplay setup (due to a bug that could cause it to be inconsistent with the basic setup tab)
  
• Fixed a bug that could sometimes cause ants to spin on the spot for a short amount of time
  
• Reward tooltips will no longer display if the mouse is hovered over the invisible reward area on levels without rewards
  

[h2]The Promised Land[/h2]
Your Solenopsis invicta fire ants are trying to reach a bountiful area of the jungle. Build floating bridges to nearby islands by placing a pheromone marker on it, when water allows. New objectives will appear as you complete the existing ones. Beware the bombardier beetles!

Time for the last of the extra levels we put out in beta earlier this year to be released - it's The Culling! In this black ant level, packs of enemies will slowly swell in number during the daytime. If you allow them to grow too large, they will overwhelm your colony when they attack en masse at night.

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

The trick is to keep their numbers in check by regular culling - every slain enemy will reduce the intensity of the nighttime onslaught. There are aphid farms to keep you supplied with food, but they'll need defending from ladybird beetles that can strip them bare. Also, beware the tiger beetle larvae lying in wait!

The Culling represents the last of the four extra levels we had scheduled to release, but we're not done with extra content yet! We've got an exciting announcement regarding a special demo level due to coincide with our appearance at the Gamescom Indie Arena Booth which is open online from August 25th - 29th. And yes, it will feature fire ants. More on that when we're ready to update! Also, we might have managed to sneak in one more non-Gamescom related extra level whilst we were at it.

Notice about the campaign we must post with each new extra level:

For those concerned about extra levels taking up dev time, please know that compared to the campaign content, these missions take practically no time at all to develop - just a few short hours apiece (you can watch us do most of the development for these on stream). Because they all use existing assets, systems and artwork, one of our devs can create an extra level very fast indeed.

We're still charging full steam ahead with the fire ant update - we just thought there's plenty of you who would appreciate something new to play in the meantime.

It’s been an important last couple of months for Empires of the Undergrowth, and those of us at Slug Disco Studios! Work continues apace on the fire ant update, and we’re not too far away from having all of the 4th tier creatures complete and ready for placement in the levels. We’ve also decided that now is the time to expand our dev team, and we’ve brought in a fantastic new artist to work on our environments – I’ll introduce you to Dan (yes, this is the 2nd time in the past year we’ve hired someone called Dan) a little later in the newsletter.

A whip spider observes a trail of Atta cephalotes from Crazlex9 on our Discord

Last time, the creature feature was all about beetles. We’re (almost) moving away from insects for our newly-finished critters this time, into the world of spiders! We apologise in advance to any arachnophobes who already find looking at them difficult. There’s also a beetle larva to show that wasn’t ready in time for the last newsletter.



Spiders elicit fascination in us as much as they instil dread. What is it about the form of the spider that makes them so intimidating to us, despite very few of them posing any real threat at all? Perhaps it’s the unpredictable stop-start movements they make. Maybe it’s that they’re all business at one end, many eyes and fangs staring right back at us. Or is it that, despite our intelligence, deep down we know that nature perfected functional physical form long before our ancestors could sharpen a stick? Whatever the reason, today we have three spiders to introduce that will battle your fire ants in the 4th tier levels!

[h2]Green Lynx Spider[/h2]

The green lynx spider (Peucetia viridans) lurks in foliage, using its pigmentation as camouflage. It is an active hunter, seeking out prey rather than building webs, in a similar way to wolf spiders. It can also defensively spit venom a long distance – a very rare adaptation, and we felt this trait made it ideal for our game.

A green lynx spider confronts fire ants

Like all three of the spiders being introduced in this newsletter, it is what is known as a “true” spider, being a member of the order Araneae. This is in contrast to, for example, the whip spiders of the 3rd tier, which are arachnids but not true spiders.

Lurking in the leaves

[h2]Magnolia Green Jumper[/h2]

The magnolia green jumper (Lyssomanes viridis) hunts using excellent eyesight & powerful back legs that allow it to jump many times its body length. It will be the 2nd jumping spider in the game, after Psecas viridipurpureus from the 3rd tier.

Cute but cunning – a magnolia green jumper

Jumping spiders are highly intelligent, even curious in nature, carefully observing targets before making the decision to pounce at the opportune moment. They represent the largest group of Aranae (true spiders).

I’m not sure I like those odds

[h2]Six-Spotted Fishing Spider[/h2]

The six-spotted fishing spider (Dolomedes triton) is a large semi-aquatic spider native to North America. It lurks near the bank, exploiting a hydrophobic (water-repelling) coating on its skin, surface tension and air bubbles to stay afloat. It can lie in wait (float in wait?) patiently for many hours for a suitable prey item to drift or swim to within striking distance.

They swim now?!?

Its prey includes insects (both aquatic and ones that have fallen into the water) and small fish. It is capable of fully submerging itself for a time, breathing from a pocket of air it takes with it. Air bubbles that get trapped on its body mean that as long as it is not submerged for too long, it will emerge completely dry.

Ready to strike – keep your distance, ants!

The fishing spider will be the optional challenge creature for the 4th tier levels – this means it is likely to not be in the game with the initial release of the fire ant levels, but added in after in an interim update between the 4th and 5th tiers (following the pattern for the 2nd and 3rd tier challenges).

[h2]False Bombardier Beetle Larva[/h2]

And to finish off our creature reveals for this newsletter, let’s leave the world of arachnids and return to a beetle we’ve talked about before, but this time in larval form. Like many ground beetles, the larval form of the false bombardier beetle (Galerita bicolor) is as voracious a predator as the adult.

Born ready for battle

There’s an interesting difference between the larval form of the false bombardier and the true bombardier (Brachinus alternans). Although the false bombardier mimics the true bombardier in its pigmentation and shape, its larvae are much more fearsome than that of the true bombardier. Like devil’s coach horse larvae, they are born ready for combat, and are more than capable of tussling with fire ants on their home turf.



A couple of months back we recruited a new member of the Slug Disco team – working alongside Matt on environments for upcoming levels of Empires of the Undergrowth (and perhaps adding his touch to existing ones) is artist Dan Coates. I asked him if he wouldn’t mind introducing himself as a team member, so here he is in his own words:

My name is Dan (Dan.C/Dan 2) and I’m the new Environment Artist here at Slug Disco! This means I’ll be working on some seriously cool level art for EotU and any future projects (spoilers).

If you want to get in touch I’m over on the Slug Disco Discord, you can also find me on Artstation where I’ll be posting how the assets for EotU were made, as well as some personal projects! And if you’re interested in seeing what an Environment Artist with an irrational fear of spiders looks like, make sure to tune in when we stream EotU!

Keep an eye out for future screenshots and environment updates, I can’t wait to share with you what we’ve been working on!

Thanks guys,
Dan.C

The most pressing concern for our new environment artist is of course the look of the Green Swamp, the nature reserve in North Carolina in which the fire ant levels are set. So far Dan has nearly completed work on the underground look for the levels, deciding on a teal glow to contrast the red of the critters themselves.

The new underground look. Fungus is a placeholder from the leafcutters; it’ll be replaced

It’s early days yet and there’s lots more to come, but check out the general aesthetic that Dan is going for in these in-engine shots. One really big advantage of joining a small team is that you can have a quite sizeable influence on a project, and we’re looking forward to seeing Dan really get his creative teeth sunk into Empires of the Undergrowth.

Bathed in the teal glow of the swamp



I’ve found it to be a lot of fun to do size comparisons like this every so often, to give people some perspective of what to expect when new content arrives. The fire ant levels will feature our first official titan-class creature – the great blue skimmer – so here it is in comparison to some of the other new arrivals coming with the 4th tier.

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

Here’s one which is more thematic, given the “spiders” feel that this newsletter has! It should give you a clear idea of how our new green lynx spider compares to the big boys. The huge whip spider still reigns supreme in terms of sheer bulk, but the lynx gives the juvenile form a run for its money!

You have no idea how hard it was to get them to keep still



A couple of weeks back, Dan P (our marketing content creator) and Liam (dev) sat down to have a deep discussion about the colony AI systems in EotU, and the incoming changes that will be happening to them along with the 4th tier. Liam has been working on a much more flexible, modular AI system for the game, which will be used in all of the remaining campaign levels to varying degrees and will eventually find itself transplanted into freeplay, allowing for much more sensible decision making by the AI colonies in that game mode. Take a look at the vid if you’ve got a spare hour!

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

Whilst it’s often very appropriate to have more heavily scripted AI colonies, as in 2.2 or to a lesser extent in 3.1, the more generalised approach feels like it’s been worth the effort for us. Such a tweak-able system will be extremely useful for any future content we create, from potential post-release additions to future extra levels.



Think yourself pretty handy with the photo mode tools (F9 by default)? I’m always glad to see them sent my way. By far the easiest way these days is to join our Discord; friendly nature-loving gamers guaranteed! We have dedicated screenshot categories for all three of our games. Alternatively, you can email your snaps in ([email protected]). Let’s have a look at this month’s selection!

Angry army ants attack an uber mole cricket from SheevPalpatineee

An uber jumping spider from TheRealStormCZE

Tip: hold shift whilst entering photo mode for a free camera, like in this shot from GamingAnt13

There's a new extra level for Empires of the Undergrowth - and this one is rather unique. In Enemy of my Enemy, packs of enemies are hostile to each other - the trick is to get them to take each other out before they reach your queen. It's a short game mode, with lots of different solutions - the puzzle of how to unlock the packs gets more complex at higher difficulties.

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

Digging is instantaneous and done with the mouse, and marker placement is not allowed - instead, your queen is protected by a number of strong Royal Guard ants that will always stay near her. They're your last line of defense against the enemy packs, but of course you should be aiming to set them on each other and wipe each other out before they get close! A bit of trial and error is expected, but the average run of Enemy of my Enemy only lasts 10-15 minutes.

Perhaps in the future we'll run a speedrun competition for this level; its short form factor would suit it! The mission will be in your Extra Levels menu now - your client will not need to be updated.

Notice about the campaign we must post with each new extra level:

For those concerned about extra levels taking up dev time, please know that compared to the campaign content, these missions take practically no time at all to develop - just a few short hours apiece (you can watch us do most of the development for these on stream). Because they all use existing assets, systems and artwork, one of our devs can create an extra level very fast indeed.

We're still charging full steam ahead with the fire ant update - we just thought there's plenty of you who would appreciate something new to play in the meantime.

Cramped is a new extra level for Empires of the Undergrowth, and it's out right now! This leafcutter level is very tight on space - with a tiny underground nest and many enemies that must be slain, only a superior knowledge of the game systems will allow for victory. Find the level now in the "Extra Levels" section of the menu.

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

Your game client will not need to be updated to play; the level will already be in the list. Thanks to everyone who helped test and balance this level when it was in beta.

Notice about the campaign we must post with each new extra level:

For those concerned about extra levels taking up dev time, please know that compared to the campaign content, these missions take practically no time at all to develop - just a few short hours apiece (you can watch John do most of the development for these on stream). Because they all use existing assets, systems and artwork, one of our devs can create an extra level very fast indeed.

We're still charging full steam ahead with the fire ant update - we just thought there's plenty of you who would appreciate something new to play in the meantime.