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Cell to Singularity - Evolution Never Ends News

Dev Diary for Sep: The Evolution of Explore Events

Greetings Universe Architects,

In the last days of summer, we shared our game at AnimeNYC. There, players got to play an early version of Explore: Rocks — Set in Stone, that we released last week.



We’ve been on a roll with Explore Events. We went from having a new one every six months to five this year (with more to come). We are really proud of this accomplishment, and we see it as a testament to the team's enthusiasm and hard work.

We also completed our first ever Explore Event partnerships. For the first one, we teamed up with Brooklyn based Pariah Studios to create Explore: Visual Art — The Power of Images. Later that summer we did a brand partnership with YouTube influencer TierZoo for Explore: Cats — A Feline Journey. It was exciting to collaborate with these creatives and develop something cooler than each of us could have made on our own.



Last week we released yet another new event, Explore: Rocks — Set in Stone. It was inspired by an April Fool’s joke we made in 2021. After seeing the joke, a surprisingly large number of fans tirelessly advocated for a Geology event, and three years later we were able to make their dream a reality (as well as share this topic with new players).

Get spooky! In honor of our favorite chilly season, we are working on a different type of Explore Event. We’ve never done this type of content before and we are curious to hear what fans think of it. We'll be talking more about it in our upcoming October livestream, so stay tuned.



Outside of Explore Events, the Beyond is still in the works. We will soon be releasing Episode 26, with Episode 27 slated to release before the end of this year. Beyond Phase II is coming to a close with its current stage of development. Our amazing beta players have already seen a sneak peak of some of the content coming up. It will take time before all that content will be available to all players, but not to worry— it is not the end. As we take a pause with the Beyond, we will be reevaluating in what shape or form more space content will be developed. Space is still #relevant.



Another piece of content that will go on pause is Civilization in the Primary Tree Simulation. As players remember, we started renovating the Ancient Civilization garden in October of 2023. Following the renovation, we also added new content to the Primary Simulation tree with new Augmentations to purchase. The release of the Age of Exploration closes out the Ancient Civilization track with Scientific revolution moving into the Modern Civilization track. We will use the time to focus on features and bugs that players have been requesting for a while. For example, quality of life improvements, first-time player experience, Main Simulation tree tuning, old prevalent bugs and much more. We're excited to be working with our beta testers on these important updates. For those interested, follow the instructions on our official subreddit.



Lastly, to reflect the amount of work we’ve accomplished over the past months, here is an updated roadmap along with features we are currently working on. Our last roadmap was in April. We're happy to say that we've hit our goal in running more contests, and we hope everyone who's participated in them so far has been having fun. We want to give our players the opportunity to showcase their talents in different areas. We also accept feedback and requests regarding future contest ideas. As a reminder, roadmaps are scheduled to go out two times a year. Dev diaries are scheduled once every quarter, a total of four per year. The next one will be in December.



We’re grateful to each of our players for your continued support of our game, especially to our beta players who test rough versions of features we are working on. Cells is going through a time of change with exciting new updates on the horizon. We look forward to sharing this journey with our greatest community ever and we always look forward to your feedback.

Stay cellular and cozy!
- The Cells Team

Unearth Crystals and Minerals in Explore: Rocks — Set in Stone

Hi Universe Architects,

Let’s rock and roll! We’ve been listening to many player requests over the years asking us to turn an April Fool’s joke into a reality. Now rocks and minerals have finally joined the simulation, and we can’t wait to get down to the nitty gritty.

Are you ready for this?

[h2]Explore: Rocks — Set in Stone[/h2]


[h2]Sticks and Stones[/h2]
The research in this Explore Event is rock solid. Start at the earthly origins of Minerals, and work your way up through the rock cycle to reach the glistening beauty of crystals.
  • Collect 48 new Research Nodes and discover their components.
  • Upgrade 6 new Generators to gain the highest quality production.


[h2]Mineral Stockpile[/h2]
Mine rocks from the comfort of your couch. Enter the Explore Event garden and utilize your tapping power to break apart rocks and gems. It’s very satisfying!




[h2]Hidden Gems[/h2]
No need to dive deep into any caves. With a little elbow grease, these sparkling treasures can appear in the palm of your hand.
  • Dust off and acquire three new valuable badges: Rock Cycle, Crystal and Gongshi.
  • Mine the Gemstone Quantum Charge to obtain its riches.

[h2]Shine Bright Like a Diamond[/h2]
We’ve struck gold! Along with a new event, this release features an updated tutorial for new players, the introduction of the friend system, and more:
  • Customizable player profiles are better than ever. Your personal player profile can now be accessed in the Settings menu in the top right-hand corner of the screen.

  • Have a fellow Cells loving friend? Add them to your friends list through your player profile. Once a friend has been added, you can track their Explore Event progress on the tree while you play. This is a repurposed feature from the past, and we hope you enjoy its new and improved form!
    • *Note: Friends cannot actively compete together in the same Leaderboard division. A max of 100 friends can be added in the friends list.
  • The Global Leaderboard has been removed from the Neural Network and is now available inside the player profile card.
  • We streamlined the Global Leaderboard tiers to be more straightforward. You can also earn Darwinium when you rank up after your Simulation Score increases.



  • New to the simulation? There’s now an updated beginner’s tutorial at the beginning of the game.



Explore: Rocks — Set in Stone is available to play on Steam, Android and iOS today at 11am ET until September 18 at 10am ET.


This topic has been a long time coming. We owe it to our players who have voiced their interest in geological studies over the years, including those who have voted in the most recent Explore Event survey. Thank you for your contributions!

The Civilization Screenshot Contest is approaching its deadline. Have you submitted your screenshot of the updated Ancient Civilization garden? It’s a chance for some very talented photographers to win up to 2,000 Darwinium cubes. Read the contest rules, details and other information on the official contest page. Good luck to everyone participating!

Not to worry, space fans— another episode of the Beyond is underway. While we can’t share too much information yet, it’s safe to say that the upcoming content will really suck you in.

Enjoy this new Explore Event! And remember— don’t take learning for granite.

Stay cellular,
The Cells Team

Patch 28.77: Customizable player profile cards, friends list and more

Hi Universe Architects,

Exciting new updates are out with the release of build version 28.77:
  • Players can customize their personal player profiles by accessing it in the Settings menu in the top right-hand corner of the screen.
  • Add players to your friends list by accessing it in your player profile. Friends' progress will appear live on the current Explore Event tree.
  • Note: Friends cannot actively compete together in the same Leaderboard division. A max of 100 friends can be added in the friends list.
  • The Global Leaderboard has been removed from the Neural Network and is now available inside the player profile card.
  • The Global Leaderboard tiers have been streamlined. Earn Darwinium after every rank up as your Simulation Score increases.


[h2]UI updates and reorganization of player profiles[/h2]


[h2]Stay tuned for Explore: Rocks — Set in Stone, coming Sep 13th at 11AM ET![/h2]


Thank you for your support.

Stay Cellular!
- The Cells Team

A Voyage of Discovery: Age of Exploration

Welcome Universe Architects,

Beyond E25 had us explore our solar system’s galaxy. It’s time to return back to Earth and set sail. Another age is upon us as we begin to travel through the early modern period. Join Semblance as humanity travels across land and sea in the — Age of Exploration.



[h2]A New Era[/h2]
With the expansion of the Primary Simulation, the Age of Discovery has evolved into the Age of Exploration. It was a transformative period in history where different civilizations discovered one another and laid the groundwork for globalization.
  • Unlock five new nodes such as the rocket and global trade in the Age of Exploration tech tree.


[h2]West Meets East[/h2]
The need for adventure grew with the promise of profit from overseas trade. As land routes were plagued with desires of control, many looked to the potential of ocean passages as an alternative route. As such, development of ships and weapons arose for the journey ahead.
  • Zip through the sea with the caravel.
  • Following its success, the caravel led to the development of its descendant— the galleon. These are large ships that were cheap to build and could be converted into warships.
  • Arm your ship with muskets and cannons to prevent any nautical threats.
  • Much more lies ahead for your discovery.


[h2]Spice Controls the Universe[/h2]
Three new Augmentations are ready to be added to your fleet.
  • Invest your Logits to establish the Spice Islands western trade route with Magellan’s Expedition.
  • Uncover the lost city of the Incas, Machu Picchu— a masterpiece of civil engineering.
  • Witness the construction of the Taj Mahal, a marble mausoleum inspired by a blend of Indian, Persian and Islamic architecture.


[h2]Fluffy Overload[/h2]
A wooly secret achievement is waiting to be discovered. Can you find this sacred creature? Spitting is optional.



[h3]Additional Features:[/h3]
  • You can now track the Science Point progress of your friends on the Leaderboard!
  • Fixed: Text is no longer missing on the Ursa Major and Eridanus achievement tooltips.
  • Fixed: Placeholder icons are no more for the E25 generator achievements.
  • Fixed: Tapping production should now be scaling correctly in Explore: Money’s challenge mode.
  • Other minor bug fixes and improvements.


Civilization: Age of Exploration is available to play now on Steam and will be available on iOS and Android by 08/19/2024 at 11:59 PM ET.


To celebrate the release of the new Civilization update, we are holding a Civilization Screenshot Contest starting August 19, 2024 at 3:00 PM ET. Share your favorite or most impressive screenshot of the Ancient Civilization garden. More details regarding the contest will be posted soon. Lucky players will receive the Infinity pass as a prize. Join in and show us your most cinematic shots!

It’s been more than a year since we started renovating Ancient Civilization in the Primary Simulation. We hope players enjoyed the new content that’s been added and the garden’s new look. It has come a long way and we are proud of the incredible work our 3D artist Jenna has accomplished.

Thank you for playing. We're always aiming to rock your world.

Stay cellular!
The Cells Team

Bug Fixes and QoL Enhancements

This version has several critical bug fixes found on the Beyond E25 release alongside some minor QoL improvements.

27.63 Patch update:
-Added a Darwinium notification on the news feature.
-Moved the profile card to the Settings menu.
-You can now use Darwinium to skip 4 hours on Astronomy Missions.
-Fixed an issue where Leaderboard prizes are not rewarded after an event.
-Fixed an issue where the game would softlock after starting Challenge Mode.
-Fixed Crab Nebula and Crab Pulsar size on the Beyond tree.
-Several other minor bug fixes and improvements.