Megaquarium News

[h3]New DLC![/h3][p]If you've not heard, Megaquarium's getting a new DLC. Head over to the store page for a rundown of what's included. Remember to wishlist if you want a reminder on the day it comes out.[/p][h3] [dynamiclink][/dynamiclink]Zooming in on magnifying and raised tanks[/h3][p]Magnifying and raised tanks let guests see species more easily, increasing the Prestige Chance - that's the chance that a guest will generate Prestige when they see the animal in the tank - by 40% and 20% respectively.[/p][p][/p][p]There are three groups that benefit from this greatly:[/p]

• [p]Small species, because their basic Prestige Chance is very low.[/p]
• [p]Rare species and those that Dislike Conspecifics, because you cannot add additional animals of the same type to boost Prestige Chance.[/p]

[p]So those are the benefits, what are the drawbacks? Both magnifying and raised tanks have very low capacities. Not only does this limit you to small species, it's also inefficient in terms of floor space. Too many small tanks spread over a large area makes feeding very time-consuming![/p][p]However, there are some clever layouts to lessen the load on your feeders like the one below. By limiting our species to those that eat zoo plankton and orange pellets and joining the platforms together, we can really speed up the process! What layouts will you come up with?[/p][p][/p][h3]Fishies beneath your feet[/h3][p]Underfloor tanks allow you to create exhibits under the very paths your guests walk. In terms of space efficiency it doesn't get better![/p][p]However, the animals inside still need the usual filtering and feeding. Pumps are handy for the former and a small opening, accessible via stairs, allows for the latter. Finding neat floorplans to incorporate the feeding hatch is a big part of the challenge with these tanks.[/p][p]I've been combining underfloor tanks with wall tanks, as shown in the screenshot below. This creates a space-efficient design that packs a prestige-filled punch![/p][p][/p][p]Underfloor tanks are ripe for exploitation by ingenious designers - personally, I can't wait to see what players do with them![/p][h3]Creating a vista[/h3][p]The new vista tank is a deep, square cornered tank that's perfect for housing the biggest backdrops and centerpieces.[/p][p][/p][p]This simple but effective tank has become a mainstay of my aquarium building toolkit.[/p][p][/p][h3]More to come[/h3][p]To make sure you don't miss a thing, click the 'follow' button under the trailer on the main store page and at the top of my developer page.

Until then,

Tim Twice Circled[/p]

[h3]New DLC![/h3][p]If you've not heard, Megaquarium's getting a new DLC. Head over to the store page for a rundown of what's included. Remember to wishlist if you want a reminder on the day it comes out.[/p][h3] [dynamiclink][/dynamiclink]Free update[/h3][p]As I've mentioned in previous posts, there will be a free update that releases alongside the new DLC on the 25th February. In fact, there's so many great improvements to highlight that I need to spread them across two blog posts![/p][p]In part one, we'll look at UI improvements, while gameplay changes will be left for part two.[/p][h3]Finding what you need[/h3][p]The message log will have extra buttons allowing you to filter messages to one of the following:[/p]

• [p]Objectives[/p]
• [p]Trades[/p]
• [p]Merchants[/p]
• [p]Messages with objects enclosed[/p]
• [p]Animals (grow up, breeding, death etc.)[/p]
• [p]Staff level-ups[/p]

[p][/p][p]This really cleans up the list and allows you to find exactly what you're looking for![/p][h3]Picking up where you left off[/h3][p]The build menu will remember its vertical position when you return to it, so it's easier to pick up where you left off.[/p][p]This really helps when you're switching between placing animals, aquascaping and equipment while building a brand new tank.[/p][h3]Tank capacity icon[/h3][p]Another small change that really reduces the friction. Ever wanted to know whether a tank would be full once all the animals are grown up? Soon you'll be able to![/p][p][/p][h3]Improved search[/h3][p]Last but by no means least, you will be able to search using the tag "dangerous" to see which animals are dangerous to a specific prey type. For example: "dangerous:soft corals" will show all the animals that are dangerous to soft corals.[/p][p]Even more useful, you will be able to put "!" in front of any search term to negate it (borrowed from the programming principle).[/p][p][/p][p]Therefore you will be able to use "!dangerous:stony corals" to show all the animals that are not dangerous to stony corals - allowing you to happily add these to your coral tank.[/p][p]The "!"symbol will work with all search terms. I'm looking forward to seeing what players will do with this powerful new tool.[/p][h3]Just a few weeks to go[/h3][p]And just to avoid any confusion, these changes are not currently live. This is just a sneak preview of what's to come. All these improvements and more will be coming in an update landing on the 25th February. [/p][h3]More to come[/h3][p]To make sure you don't miss a thing, click the 'follow' button under the trailer on the main store page and at the top of my developer page.

Until then,

Tim Twice Circled[/p]

[p]Hello Curators,[/p][p]No major changes. Another small patch fixing minor sandbox issues. Details are available in the changelog.[/p][p]Tim Twice Circled[/p][p][/p][h3]v4.2.8 Changelog[/h3]

• [p]Fixed bug: In Sandbox, various side objectives were being generated using content from installed, but inactive, DLCs.[/p][p][/p]

[p]Hello Curators,[/p][p]There are no major changes in this update, a player made me aware of an issue that needed an immediate fix. Details are available in the changelog.[/p][p]That "big" update is coming alongside the release of the new expansion next month.[/p][p]Tim Twice Circled[/p][p][/p][h3]v4.2.7 Changelog[/h3]

• [p]Fixed bug: ARG abyssal research side objectives were not generating with animal availability set to 'Very Limited'.[/p]
• [p]Simulation: Increased bin attraction strength to 1 so it can interrupt other pathfinding. This should resolve the issue of litter being dropped in range of a bin.[/p]
• [p]9. Carbon City: Made Orange Pellet available from the start of the level.[/p]

[h3]New DLC![/h3][p]If you've not heard, Megaquarium's getting a new DLC. Head over to the store page for a rundown of what's included. Remember to wishlist if you want a reminder on the day it comes out.[/p][h3] [dynamiclink][/dynamiclink]A new way to display corals[/h3][p]One of my major goals for this expansion was to make playing with corals and other static invertebrates more interesting. I wanted scope for more verticality in the displays to make the most of corals when placed in larger tanks.[/p][p]Secondly, I wanted the player to have more creative freedom when it comes to placing corals, to make more personal displays.[/p][p]To achieve this, I had to completely rework the way corals are placed in the game. Hopefully you agree that the results are worth it![/p][p][/p][p]When placing a coral, you can now choose to mount that coral on an existing rock or cave in the tank, as long as it has a new stat called 'mounting capacity'. By rotating the coral, you can cycle through available positions to get just the look that you want.[/p][p][/p][p]If there are no suitable decorations inside the tank, a default mount of 'small rocks' is provided for convenience. These improvements will go live in the base game as well as the new DLC, so everyone will be able to enjoy them.[/p][h3]Backdrops and centerpieces[/h3][p]For those that do invest in a copy of the Invertebrilliant Collection, you'll have access to some additional aquascaping options that take the new placement mechanics to the next level.[/p][p]Backdrops are vertical rock walls with high mounting capacity in a small footprint. The downside: they must be placed against the back walls of the tank.[/p][p][/p][p]Meanwhile, centerpieces are large rock piles designed to go in the middle of your tank, looking great from all angles. While they don't have quite as many mounting points as backdrops, they make up for this by coming pre-equipped with both rock and cave capacity, avoiding the need for separate aquascaping.[/p][h3]Add some foliage[/h3][p]The expansion also comes with a set of mountable plants which expand your options even further when working with vegetation loving animals. It's even possible to fill a centerpiece or backdrop with nothing but plants![/p][p]This small but powerful addition is one of my favourites from across the entire expansion. The display design challenge just went 4d![/p][h3]More to come[/h3][p]To make sure you don't miss a thing, click the 'follow' button under the trailer on the main store page and at the top of my developer page.

Until then,

Tim Twice Circled[/p]