Creatura
Creatura Beta 0.4 Update Stream with Allenuhh
Check more great streams from Allenuhh at https://www.twitch.tv/allenuhh
Follow Allenuhh at https://twitter.com/allenuhh1
Creatura Beta 0.4 Update Community Stream
Beta Update 0.4
- Implemented collections
- Implemented depth of field
- Implemented color grading
- Implemented ruler in research slot
- Beta statue decoration added
- German and Polish localizations are now available
- Codon markers can be now removed with right-click
- Global inventory is now available from collections menu
- Options menu has now graphics post-processing settings
- Fixed DNA stored colors blue chanel precision
- Fixed keyboard base input in edyGene
- Improved in-game UI legibility with “frosted glass” backgrounds
- Refactored game controls to use Unity Input System
- Refactored vivariums into pooled instanced objects
- Refactored vivarium loading interface
- Refactored cheats input method
- Refactored rewards system
- Engine updated to Unity 2020.1
Beta Update 0.33
- Implemented consumable growth hormones and antioxidants
- Balanced animals growth time and lifespan
- Plants now generate oxygen
- Tutorials have now dialogues
- BioCord statue decoration added
- Herbicides and pesticides are now growth inhibitors
- Biome humidity/acidity affects now organisms lifespan
- Consumables use on decorations effect now fades over time
- Biome oxygen affects now organisms mutation rates and size
- Fixed animal pathfinding
Beta Update 0.32
- Implemented freeplay mode
- Implemented scenario mode
- Implemented online almanac
- Tutorials are now scenario based
- Plant root nodes can now mutate
- Monocots are now single node plants
- DNA values can now roll over on reaching limits
- Codon markers are now independent from vivarium
- Plants with hollow tissue can now mutate tissue type
- Plant seed DNA is now inherited from recessive gene pool
- Fixed plants not responding to hovering and clicking
- Refactored DNA and almanac into discrete controllers
- Refactored main menu default background animation
- Refactored biomes into discrete controllers
- Refactored quests and dialogues
- Refactored taxa systems
Freeplay Vivarium Generation and Incoming Scenarios
Meanwhile, Creatura is supposed to cater for 3 main gaming "styles":
- Evolving animals and experimenting with ecosystems
- Designing sandbox aquariums/terrariums
- Changing genes using realistic DNA editor
...And truthfully, none of above necessarily includes watching green stubs grow for hours until desired mutation pops up. Players would use cheats, developer editor or global inventory to jump-start the game into point where it became fun for them, and while it was viable solution for people already experienced with Creatura - it also turned the game into grass watching duty for other, with many resorting to the very late-game DNA editing tool as progression mechanism (And the alpha tutorial introducing DNA editing in one of first objectives certainly didn't helped).
While realistic DNA simulation and manipulation methods are fundamental parts of the game, those are optional features for players interested in genetics or other educational aspects of Creatura, and aren't fun for players just interested in designing tanks and evolving animals.
To make the game more entertaining for them, starting with first revision (and update cycle) of version 0.32, Creatura implements freeplay vivarium generation. Customize any tank creation conditions, decide on spawning flora composition and colors, all with proper live preview. Whether You want to start the evolution from basic algae, or with nightshades and clovers of your favorite color, new freeplay generator got You covered.
Along with the more customizable generator, scenario vivariums are introduced. Gradually over next weeks You'll see patches adding more tutorial scenarios, explaining in much more accessible and predictable environment all the aspects of the game, and moving the DNA editing out of the way for new players. The feature will not be however used only for tutorials - hopefully before release of 1.0, scenarios will be the best way to experience ecosystems evolution in Creatura, with objectives to sustain environments and emerge species under pre-specified conditions.
Upcoming changes will also affect game balance. Mutagens price will be decreased, while structural mutations rate for plants will be increased, hopefully resulting in faster flora progression. There is also now a guide on Steam describing every animal evolution tree and requirements in game. It's far from perfect solution, but should help until proper scenarios for each evolution tree are implemented. Public list of cheats is also coming soon, along with many, many revision update waves. Until then, stay tuned, and stay safe!
PS. Last month Creatura broke the daily players record, by basically doubling it up to over 100. Great, great thanks to each and every one of You, nothing of this would be possible without Your support!
Beta Update 0.31
- Implemented ground tessellation
- Implemented ultra wide screen support
- Animals spawn now with different possible eye types
- Animals decompose now and turn into skeletons
- Amoebas can form now into sponges
- Fixed consumables duping when loading game
- Fixed crashing when saving on slower hard drives
- Optimized plant ground imprinting shader calls
- Optimized main menu idling vivarium animation
- Optimized rarity textures to utilize texture array
- Optimized DNA editor by culling out of screen codons
- Optimized animals rendering by combining skinned meshes
- Optimized animals family list by culling out of screen families
- Optimized animals and plants materials property management
- Optimized animals pathfinding by sharing paths for common targets
- Optimized animals rendering by disabling animations when time lapsing
- Refactored animals pathfinding to discrete global pathing controller
- Refactored platform dependencies for Nintendo Switch support
- Refactored plants loading into discrete loading controller
- Refactored vivarium state saving into discrete coroutine
- Refactored particle effects shaders
The Great Migration
You've probably seen already that for the past half of month not much has happened development-wise - that was caused by quite a lot of administrative work and changes around here, necessary to upscale the whole project.
While i'm deliberately sparse with details, don't worry - normal development cycle should resume in week or two, as soon as we are "adapted" to the new enviroment, with the old-pipeline rocking new hardware. The game is still fully developed by me, i'll be still helping You with game support and hanging out on Discord/Steam, and Creatura is still fully independent, without any corporate publisher entity backing us.
For players already running Creatura on PC not much should change - development cycle stays the same, with 1.0 and end of Early Access hopefully before end of the year. However, the MacOS version is now officially on the roadmap (Should be expected around 0.4 release), along the Nintendo Switch release (with optimistic estimations of release the same date as 1.0 Steam version). The mobile version is still in-works, but has no ETA at this point, and lowest priority of all ports. Steam wallpapers, collectible cards and emoticons for Creatura are coming soon.
Thank You all very much for great support the game got so far, for the patience to the crashes and bugs, and first and foremost - for spending combined thousands of hours already in a game that no publisher deemed viable to release couple years ago.
While the game is still relatively very small and has yet to break record of 50 daily players - the recent uptick in popularity definitely gave it so much needed fuel to keep going with development. I can just now hope to keep on going, and maybe some day break that record, with people worldwide having fun while getting experienced and familiar with gene editing, evolution and ecosystem dependencies.
Keep on, and thanks for the support again!
Beta Update 0.3
- Implemented microbiome
- Amoebas float now in microbiome
- Animals families limit (8) has been raised (to 100 families)
- Animals families list can be now scrolled
- Fixed animals randomly not moving
- Fixed blackwater not generating outside of small tank
- Fixed animals pathfinding outside of home biome issues
- DNA editor slots now display stored species thumb and name on hover
- Improved decorations physics after loading and changing ground level
- Improved ground shaders and textures
- Refactored plant cutting methods into plant controller
- Refactored plant cuttings mesh combiner
- Refactored plants mesh combiner
New Substrates
Over next couple days please expect more revision updates that will clear out glitches with new grounds, and address crashes reported in last week. Thank You very much, have fun playing with the sand, and happy new year!