Nature And Life - Drunk On Nectar News

An exciting revision to Drunk On Nectar's roadmap is now underway!

Planetary Ecology, Biomes and Plant Life are the game's new focus; these exciting additions will provide a larger context for the game's existing attractions while greatly enriching the surrounding flora, landscapes and the Nature Sandbox mode's untapped potential as well.

Your enthusiasm and ideas are greatly encouraged for this exciting new direction :)

A picture from DoN's original Dev Prototype, depicting the game's early vision :)


Thusfar Drunk On Nectar "The Nature Simulator" has provided a detailed treatment of invertebrate life, but with only minimal depiction of the larger macro level habitats which its creatures inhabit, such as landscapes, biomes or even planetary ecology.

To bridge this obvious gap between the game's larger vision (and subtitle!) and its current focus, the time was now deemed ripe to shift gears, zoom out and add broader perspectives as part of the game's already unique offering.

This will provide a larger context for the game's existing attractions while allowing a more free and relaxed growth of the game's overall natural world depiction.

Time to zoom out a bit, as our little Grasshopper (see left) clearly inferred! :)


This initiative is still in very early stages, so there is enormous scope and interest in your own ideas, creativity and contributions. Please use this Inspirations Thread for sharing your inspirations.

Any pictures and inspirations of the Natural World/Landscapes/etc, personally taken by you are particularly welcome in this thread along with your thoughts, commentaries and suggestions :)

For those wondering what this means for the eagerly awaited Praying Mantis update, that update has currently been indefinitely postponed. The current plan is to pick up that thread again at an opportune time; I appreciate both your enthusiasm and understanding in this regard :)


As always, a heartfelt thanks to everyone for your patience, kindness and support in helping the game grow and thrive all these years. Please join me on this exciting new adventure by posting your inspirations in the official Inspirations Thread :)

That's it for now, but stay tuned for more Nature Goodness!

With ❤,
Venugopalan Sreedharan
Developer Of Drunk On Nectar

Finally!

It's time to flex those raptorial limbs, groom those sharp mandibles and strike from the shadows!

The most iconic predator of the invertebrate world finally makes its way to Drunk On Nectar's colorful glades!

Stealth, Camouflage and Ambush find their supreme exponent in the very beautiful and accomplished Praying Mantis as players will experience the complete lifecycle of this very unique creature.




Development for the Praying Mantis lifecycle begins next week!

The Pink Praying Mantis is currently the most favored candidate for its striking good looks, though other suggestions of your favorite Mantis species are very welcome in this early stage.

The gameplay prototype is expected to revolve around stealth, camouflage and ambush while visual depiction will revolve around the lifecycle itself and the various life stages. The overall presentation format is expected to be similar to other lifecycles currently depicted in the game.


Thanks to everyone for your enthusiastic mails and votes for the Praying Mantis which has finally won this unique creature a place in the game.

It's time to strike a pose!





Here's a round-up of recent Drunk On Nectar videos by various Youtubers!

First up, Draegast covers the Ladybug's Lifecycle in this entertaining overview:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=933Q-OcRDRs

For other videos of Drunk On Nectar from Draegast check out his very memorable Monarch Butterfly lifecycle which has crossed over 1 million views on Youtube while opening up a new audience for the game, and also his recent Grasshopper Lifecycle video.

And for DoN's French audience, Youtuber Dan Field covers the Jumping Spider lifecycle in French!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JJTgttx7tJs


That's it for now, but the beautiful Praying Mantis is poised to strike and will quietly, but very strikingly, arrive on your screens, soon!

With ❤,
Venugopalan Sreedharan
(Developer of Drunk On Nectar)

New visuals have been added for key moments in the Ladybug Lifecycle's including Pupation, Moulting and Metamorphosis Emergence, greatly enriching the overall experience.

Here's quick trailer focusing on the new visuals!

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]


Celebrating the new Ladybug visuals, join Drunk On Nectar's Developer Venu in this special gameplay series, as we "Enter the world of the Ladybug" with gusto across its 4 instars, all the way up to pupation, adulthood and even beyond!

Here's the walkthrough!

Part 1 - Birth, Early Instars
[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

Part 2 - Metamorphosis, Mating & Reproduction
[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

Part 3 - Generation 2 is planned too :)

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An educational snippet has been added for the main Metamorphosis segment, further enriching the Ladybug's lifecycle offering. Wing development and Colorations of the Ladybug are briefly discussed.

Here's an excerpt, do check out this update or the videos above for more :)


Here's a quick overview of this update:

• New Metamorphosis Visuals
  
• New Educational Content
  
• Grooming animation
  
• Birth scene population increased to ensure player doesn't run out of prey
  
• Intro Cinematics bugfix (these no longer stop abruptly at the end).
  

With the release of this update, the Ladybug Lifecycle comes closer to attaining its full potential, though there is always room for further improvement. Apart from a few outstanding player reports (which are currently being investigated), additional feedback from you is always welcome and will greatly help in realizing the sublime potential that is innate in every creature's lifecycle, whether for their unique gameplay or for visual depiction and most certainly so, for the inimitable Ladybug!

Enter the World of the Ladybug! New visual content awaits you! :)

Thank you!

With ❤,
Venugopalan Sreedharan
(Developer of Drunk On Nectar - The Nature Simulator)

Rip-roaring Carnivorous Beetle larva action is here!

Charming as an adult, terrifying as a larva, the most voracious insect carnivore in popular lore is here for your play!

Action-packed gameplay meets beautiful vistas and Educational narratives, making the Ladybug's lifecycle release the game's most significant update yet, by far!



Survive the most densely populated vistas ever seen in the game. Thrust amidst hoards of prey (New Species - Aphids are here!) and wily Ants, you and your siblings must journey across a blistering life experience as a tiny carnivorous larva with an enormous appetite.


From Egg to Larva to Pupa to Winged adult, the Ladybug exhibits a "complete metamorphosis", much like the fabled Monarch Butterfly.

That's not all though, Mating & Reproduction is included too! As a female or male Ladybug find a partner, engage in courtship, lay eggs and thus complete your Gen 1 life story.



Generation 1 is a carefully guided experience for new players and veterans alike, while Generation 2 (and beyond!) offer pure Sandbox gameplay with unlimited potential for exploration and emergent interactions.


Certain visual features are still pending, these will be added in due course:
1) Ladybug Pupa transition visuals
2) Various Colorations - before pupation, after emergence, egg shells, etc
3) Grooming & Grappling Animations etc

Gameplay wise there is also further room for expansion, however it was deemed essential to get this initial version out for your enjoyment and valuable feedback.

Please provide feedback on the things that you enjoyed or would like improved, as this update will continue to be polished over the coming days and your input is absolutely essential in realizing the full potential of this update.





I would like to take this opportunity to say Thank You! to all for your great enthusiasm, lively support and boundless patience in witnessing the unfoldment of Drunk On Nectar's joyous dream to depict Nature in a format that we love and enjoy so much.

2019 has seen several milestone releases for the game so far including the Monarch Butterfly and Jumping Spider's Mating & Reproduction, Grasshopper's Complete Lifecycle and now the Ladybug's Lifecycle too.

The obvious desire among all of us to see more new content arrive rapidly into the game is clear. That goal is now finally attainable as the game's development effort has been greatly empowered through various lessons learned in this year of 2019 and through many challenges that have been successfully overcome in developing and growing the game over the years.

So truly, a powerful creative momentum to propel the game's further growth and expansion is now strongly in place, so rest assured for Drunk On Nectar the show has only just begun! :)

With ❤,
Venugopalan Sreedharan
(Developer of Drunk On Nectar - The Nature Simulator)

The Ladybug's Lifecycle is all set to become Drunk On Nectar's next major lifecycles update!

Hatch as an egg, survive and grow as tiny larvae feeding on even tinier scale insects and enter your pupal stage to undergo an epic metamorphosis from a hardish yellow blob into a beautiful winged Ladybug!

But do watch out for Ants along the way!



Mating and Reproduction will also be featured, so much like the Grasshopper, Monarch Butterfly and of course the Jumping Spider, the Ladybug too will go on to find a mate, reproduce and experience multiple generations!

Generation 1: New players entering Gen 1 will receive quest based gameplay and educational narratives similar to the Jumping Spider's Gen 1.

Generation 2: After completing Generation 1, players will enjoy a Pure Sandbox and non-linear experience with emergent gameplay for advanced Ladybug enthusiasts to enjoy at their own pace!

Any feedback on this proposed format is welcome :) This is set to become the game's future lifecycles presentation mould, so your feedback on this subject is greatly valued!

Release ETA:
This will be a quick release arriving in 2-3 weeks from now, so do post your feedback early! :)



The Ladybug - An iconic, widely loved and beautiful species is all set to hop, fly and land on Drunk On Nectar's green glades soon, so the Lifecycles scene just got a lot more prettier and exciting!

I greatly value your patronage, feedback and interest in Drunk On Nectar.

Thank you for being an essential part of Drunk On Nectar's journey!

Let us soar through the air as the inimitable Ladybugs, soon! :)

With ❤,
Venugopalan Sreedharan
(Developer of Drunk On Nectar)