Nature And Life - Drunk On Nectar News

A major graphics update has been released for Nature & Life - Drunk On Nectar!

Significantly improved visuals for all game modes and species come with this update, so be sure to give it a try!

Aside from graphics, various gameplay improvements have been made as well, read on for complete details!


Be sure to watch this short 1 minute video for the improved visuals :)
[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]



[h2]Lighting & Colors[/h2]
Overall lighting has been improved to make longer playtimes more comfortable for your eyes. The new lighting is more consistent and should significantly improve player experience across the game.



[h2]Camera Focus Effect[/h2]
Since much of DoN's gamplay takes place in the foreground and the game's current creatures are so tiny, keeping the player's visual attention focused on the gameplay elements (flora like leaves and flowers) was considered very important. To help with this, background elements are now taken out of focus.



As game's older players will remember, this was already part of the game before, however the effect was somewhat inconsistent and could not cope with the game's complex requirements of modes like Lifecycles. The effect was eventually removed in 2023 for this reason.



This update however, has finally answered the gargantuan task of configuring the lens effect for every game mode, for every lifecycle and for every creature's instar! After rigorous playtesting. the graphical feature has now been restored again!



[h2]Atmosphere & Fog Effects[/h2]
Draping the entire game world in two layers of fog, this graphical effect brings an additional layer of immersion and realism for the game.

Note: This scene was created using the Nature Sandbox mode

Currently this effect is somewhat intense and some players may indeed prefer a clearer air for their favorite creatures. However for now this was deemed necessary to minimize the visual influence of the background environment. In the future this will probably be reivsited, depending on how much progress is made on the game's background environment visuals.






[h2]Improved Perspectives[/h2]
Camera perspectives have been improved for nearly all creatures in the game! The new perspectives complement the graphical improvements and should greatly enrich the experience of players across all fauna species.



[h2]Flight Experience[/h2]
Flight experience has been improved, particularly noticeable for species such as Monarch Butterfly, Dragonfly, Bee and Blue Mud Dauber



[h2]Faster Lifecycles! Consumption Rates Increased[/h2]
Completing a lifecycles is now faster than ever before! Consumption speed has been significantly increased across all species, doubled in some cases.

The goal is to help players focus on their gameplay and complete the lifecycles as quickly as possible. With multi-gen lifecycles around the corner (Gen2/Gen3/etc), it was deemed critical to make it as easy as possible for players to complete each Generation and move on to the next.

Note: This update changes only the speed of the consumption visuals - i.e. how fast you eat a given prey. The amount of food provided by a prey remains the same as before! Therefore, this does not affect difficulty level in any way whatsoever, only the speed with which you progress.

[h2]Performance Improvements[/h2]
The Ladybug Lifecycle now has various performance improvements, particularly for the later instars. This should make it easier for players to complete the entire Ladybug lifecycle.



[h2]Various Bugfixes[/h2]
This update also includes an entire range of bugfixes across the game.

Some of the notable bugfixes include Praying Mantis and  Ladybug Lifecycle quest related bugs, Monarch Lifecycle Racing (Courtship Mini Games)  related bugfixes.

Also improved is AI Flight Landing for Pollinator Insects (like Bees, Butterflies, etc) onto Orange Lily and Knapweed Flowers!




The game's current focus is on polishing and improving the existing product to ensure that the full potential of all the existing game modes and species is fully realized.

While this update focused on important graphical improvements, the next set of updates will focus entirely on gameplay and overall quality. Before adding any new features or content to the game it is now considered essential that the existing product is properly polished, optimized and uplifted to a point where players can truly enjoy hundreds of hours of solid gameplay from the existing roster.

Once that goal is achieved the game will look towards building on this foundation :)




Thanks to everyone for your interest in this game!

I sincerely hope that you will enjoy the improved visuals of this update. There is a lot of potential for more great things and the game will keep striving to improve with each day.

I want this game to reach a point where it is the most fun and most enjoyable game to play in their game library for all players who come by this way.

With your support, enthusiasm and feedback, this goal will be realized one day!

Thank you!

With Love,
Venugopalan Sreedharan
(Developer of Nature & Life - Drunk On Nectar)

Good news for DoN's Linux players!

The Linux build has been updated with the game's latest spectacles and now also runs on a new graphics renderer - Vulkan Graphics API.

It's a lot faster, smoother and more fun now to play!


This is a request for Steam Deck owners to try out DoN's new Linux build and provide your feedback!

The game's previous Steam Deck build was based on OpenGL, while this new "Vulkan" version should be a much better experience graphically.

Presently I am not able to test with a Steam Deck myself, so I'd be very grateful for your feedback to learn about its current state :)

Note: Official Steam Deck support is highly desired and will hopefully come soon!

"Mantis Tree World" rendered using the new Vulkan Graphics API (on Ubuntu 24)


This update brings the Linux build on par with Windows after gap of several years.

The game's long absence on Linux was due to a combination of technical issues as well as a lack of dev resources to address those.

Resolving these issues proved challenging and required many late hours, but now that it's finally done, regular updates on Linux platform will now resume again!

Jumping Spider Lifecycle rendered with Vulkan (on Ubuntu 24)


Personally I'm finding the latest Linux update to be the most enjoyable version of the game in terms of smoothness and fun.

Playtesting on Ubuntu 24 was an amazing experience for me and I highly encourage all Windows players to give the Linux version a try too.

Dragonfly Survival screenshot from the latest Linux build :)


Thanks to all the game's players as always!

Additionally, a special thanks to the game's Linux players for putting up with the lack of updates all these years.

I hope you will find this latest update to be fun and rewarding!

As a reminder, if you have a Steam Deck please give this new Linux update a try on your device :)


With Love,
Venugopalan Sreedharan
Developer of Nature & Life - Drunk On Nectar

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

Dear players,

The 2024 video trailer for DoN is now out!

This video summarizes the key offerings of Nature & Life - Drunk On Nectar as of today.

The Monarch Butterfly Lifecycle, Praying Mantis Lifecycle and Jumping Spider Lifecycle are the key highlights.

While DoN's lesser known game modes like "Face Off", "Free Exploration" are not featured in this particular trailer, they will be emphasized in upcoming videos along with game updates that will focus on helping players to get the most of out of these modes.

For now, I hope you enjoy the trailer! :)


October has been a quiet month for several reasons, including inability to finance the game's full-scale development this month.

Hopefully this situation will improve in the coming days. As a reminder, the game's soundtrack is available for purchase on Steam for interested players to support the game's ongoing development. Much thanks to the game's fans across the world for your support and enthusiasm!

At the earliest opportunity the game's next set of major updates will recommence.


Thanks to everyone for your kindness and support all these years :) It is deeply appreciated!



With Love,
Venugopalan Sreedharan
(Developer of Nature & Life - Drunk On Nectar)

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Dear Wonderful Players of Nature & Life - Drunk On Nectar!

Patch #3 for the Praying Mantis Lifecycles is out!

Bringing Gender selection, Locomotion improvements & lots more, this update is a must-play for every fan of DoN!

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[h2]Mantis Male / Female Gender Selection[/h2]
Players can now choose Gender for the Mantis at the outset.

Similar to other species in the game, the Female's gameplay includes Oviposition, while the male is allowed to proceed directly to Gen 2 after Mating (via the "Skip To End Of Life" option in the Main Menu).



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[h2]Mantis Locomotion Vastly Improved[/h2]
Moving around is now much easier!

Large Mantis Instars will now find crossing across leaves easier than before. Getting stuck in mid-air has also been resolved, yielding a far more smoother and reliable overall experience.



These improvements also carry over to the game's other major spectacles, such as the Jumping Spider and Ladybug Lifecycles too!

Do try playing DoN's other spectacles once again if it's been a while since you've played them! :)

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[h2]Beauty of Vision[/h2]
Smoother camera for the Praying Mantis Lifecycle makes it possible for players to experience the "Mantis Tree World" with far greater immersion than ever before.

Additionally, zooming for the adult Mantis has also been fixed, enabling players to take in unique vistas and perspectives by zooming out more easily.



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[h2]Praying Mantis Lifecycles - Generation 2[/h2]
Gen 2 has been fixed. This was recently broken with a bug that prevented Moulting in Gen 2. Now players can continue from Gen 1 into Gen 2 without issues :)



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[h2]Lifecycles Presentation[/h2]
Quest icons have now been added for each Life Goal making it easier for players to relate to pending quests.



Along with new animations for the Life Goals HUD, quest summary has been improved for several quests.

Finally, various minor improvements have also been included, such as better workflow for the Benchmark and Feedback tools.

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[h2]Thank you![/h2]
Thanks a lot for your interest in this game! :)

All in all, this update is essential for all those who enjoy this game! Be sure to pick it up and try out your favorite game modes / creatures!

~ That's it for this update, but there's always more to come! :)

With Love,
Venugopalan Sreedharan
(Developer of Nature & Life - Drunk On Nectar)

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

Patch #2 for the Praying Mantis Lifecycles Release is out!


The following improvements have been made:

[h2]Locomotion improved[/h2]
Stepping onto flowers and out of them is now much easier!

[h2]Ambush gameplay improved[/h2]
Ambush now triggers "quick reflex" based on the size of the prey.

For very tiny Aphids players no longer have to sit through the quick reflex anymore.

[h2]Settings Menu - FPS [/h2]
FPS Limit setting has been added to the game, enabling detailed customization of FPS options.

[h2]Music & Audio[/h2]
Audio level of certain music tracks has been rebalanced to provide a better overall experience as a Praying Mantis

In case you haven't yet seen the Praying Mantis Release video, please check it out above!


Thanks to everyone for your patience :)



With Love,
- Venu