Anatomy Combat System (Featuring Tiger Beetle v/s Jumping Spider)
Swishing antennae, flailing mandibles and blisteringly fast limbs, a virtual tour of insect anatomy is now presented in DoN, in the form of an "anatomy combat system".
The idea is to repackage traditional combat mechanics, a format that many players are already familiar with, in a manner that complements the game's focus on the natural world.
Strike the Thorax to weaken your opponent, launch a critical hit onto the Abdomen for that final blow, or patiently prod their Forelegs to soften them up.
Gameplay Video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xvriGPUi7Mw
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How it works - Explaining DoN's Anatomy Combat System
Each creature's body is divided into major body parts; the primary limbs for locomotion, the head, thorax (or cephalothorax if they're fused together like in arachnids), abdomen, etc.
Each body part then has a unique potency in an offensive capacity (eg: sharp mandibles deal more damage) and in a defensive role (eg: Abdomens are a weak spot, target them for earning critical hits on your opponent!)
When two creatures engage in combat these bodyparts are shown to the player when they're struck and additional commentary is provided in some cases. Additional features like permanent limb damage (target the legs to limit the opponent's mobility), limb severance, etc, may be considered in the future, but for now player feedback is being monitored to first perfect the basics of this system.
Which parts of the game have changed?
So far only Tiger Beetle v/s Jumping Spider confrontations use this new system. The existing grappling system is still intact across the board and will always continue to be the ultimate decider in settling creature confrontations.
How to try the new combat system?
To try this new system you can either use the "Face Off" mode and setup a Tiger Beetle v/s Jumping Spider matchup (or use the quick link when the game opens) or you can play the Survival mode as either species and eventually you'll bump into an ill-tempered rival :)
Sandbox Mayhem
Don't forget to use the Sandbox mode to setup your favorite matchups too!
A group brawl featuring a horde of Jumping Spiders overwhelming a smaller, but more fleet-footed troop of Tiger Beetles. Psst: The Jumping Spiders won ;)
Fleeing from Combat
It is worth mentioning that you can (and should) flee from combat when you are overwhelmed, either via loss of health, or when you're swarmed by multiple opponents. To flee, just run away from your opponent and exit the combat zone (which is a predetermined radius of distance away from your opponent!). Similarly, the A.I. also flees from battle when it is about to be defeated. By the way, try snatching a fleeing Tiger Beetle if you can. They're very fast!
Feedback Sought
Your feedback is eagerly solicited on this new system!
The current intention is to use this system to cover all rivalry interactions (predator v/s predator, etc) and some other future situations such as competing peers from the same species (mating rights, what not). The "Playfights" of Act 1 (which are the basis for this system) are meant to serve as training for the actual confrontations in Act 2.
You have the opportunity to influence the future direction of this experimental system, so please try out this update and voice your thoughts below, in the forums or via the in-game Feedback Tool.
Until next time!
So get those insect body parts swirling now and check out DoN's new anatomy combat system in this update!
WIth ❤,
Venugopalan Sreedharan
World's Fastest Insect arrives in DoN! Tiger Beetles playable now!
Japanese Tiger Beetles are now playable in Drunk On Nectar!
Blistering speed, fearsome mandibles and dazzling looks to go with them, they are perhaps the most fun creature to play in the game right now, so do not miss out on these swift beauties!
Gameplay Overview
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U2-UF-sIgfg
Obligatory grooming GIF
This poor Ant was simply not fast enough
Build v3.1.3 Highlights
As a show of thanks to everyone for patiently waiting for Act 2 all this while, the Tiger Beetle which was originally planned as an NPC (non-playable) has been released as a fully playable creature. The active cast of Act 2 is now slowly falling into place and just a few more creatures need to be added before all major players to support the Jumping Spider's lifestory are ready for action.
Apart from the iconic Tiger Beetle's inclusion, many other improvements have been added as well:
Rebranding of DoN: Drunk On Nectar - The Nature Simulator
As some of you have already noticed, the game's title now has a suffix to go with it! The intention is to allow people to better understand at first glance what the game is about. Please feel free to provide feedback on this change as the more swiftly DoN reaches a larger audience, the bigger the game too can grow!
Two New Original Music Tracks (Total of 10 now!)
To celebrate the Tiger Beetle release two new music tracks written exclusively for DoN have been added to the game! Check them out in the Extras -> "Music of DoN" section or simply while playing the game. This brings the total number of original soundtracks in DoN to 10!
On top of this, another new sound track dedicated to the Tiger Beetle is being written right now and will make it into the next release :) Eleventh for the swift one!
Random Maps with Seed input support
Players can now enter Seed numbers for random maps.
For those not familiar with the concept, random map seeds are numbers that you can enter or specify to control the outcome of the random map (visuals, population levels, spawn locations, etc) in a deterministic manner. This means if you find a random map you like, you can simply memorize the number and enter it again to replay the same random map!
Speed isn't everything when you're dealing with an ancient aviator
Fauna Interaction Bugfixes
With a keen focus on the Tiger Beetle's mandibles, a number of long-standing issues in the game with hunting visuals have finally been fixed. Creatures latch on to other creatures in a far more convincing manner now. Nearly every creature benefits from this change. There is more scope for improvement in this space and as always future updates will continue to iron out visuals over time.
Jumping Spiders v/s Tiger Beetles v/s Dragonflies
The rivalry is on. The three-way tussle between these three predatory forces is now underway in full swing and is a new dynamic that denizens of the forest floor will need to reckon with.
One is an expert grappler, climber and strategist.
Another is swift, fearless and built for combat.
The third, a master of the skies.
Who shall prevail?
Download this update and find out for yourself!
~
The new brawler-style combat system (playfights) is not yet in place for the Tiger Beetle but eventually this will be the mechanism through which its confrontations with the Jumping Spider are adjudicated. For now, its the plain old reflex based grappling system.
Calling Youtubers for Tiger Beetle videos!
The official release video is not out yet, so you can still make the first ever Tiger Beetle gameplay video of Youtube, the Internet and all of the world! If you're as swift as our fleet-footed friend, that is, as the official video will be out soon too.
That's it for this update! Enjoy playing as the fastest insect in the world and perhaps, perhaps one of the most beautiful ones too! :)
With ❤,
Venugopalan Sreedharan
PS: May More GIFs Appear Below!
A New City for DoN's Development!
For those wondering why things have been quiet of late, the game's development has been shifted to a new city. As DoN's sole developer I've been very busy with moving, shifting and setting up infra in the new place. Development of Lifecycles Act 2 was intentionally deferred to make room for this relocation. Things have finally settled down now, so it's back to building Act 2 at full capacity!
In addition to this, the game's development methodology has also shifted (original post) to allow for more detail, deeper gameplay and better QA than the previous updates. Lot of changes are coming including a transition from the game's random map generation to more traditional hand-crafted maps which accommodate detail far more easily than the current model of random map generation.
Sorry again for the super-long delay on Act 2. Many of you have posted via the game's feedback tool indicating your eagerness for it and your feedback is certainly being heard! Things should rapidly pick up pace now that this big move is complete.
Build v3.1.2
For those who missed out on this min-announcement, an update was released last Sunday with several improvements to the game including new animations for the Grasshopper!
Here's a quick summary:
Flying creatures no longer get stuck mid-flight
New animations: Grasshopper grooming and idle animations added, chem-reception cost tweaked, Grasshopper model, textures vastly improved
Grasshopper & Dragonfly A.I. vastly improved, various bugfixes to A.I in general
DoN's Lighting is reworked: Daytime brightness modulated, all in-game detail now more easily visible
That's it for this update! With the long gestation period involved in relocating to the new premises nearly complete, now the benefits of this move should be apparent in the form of faster development times, better content and of course, a fresh start for the game!
Development now resumes with maximum verve and vigor!
With ❤,
Venugopalan Sreedharan
PS: More of these beauties are headed your way soon :)
Grasshoppers Released, Survival mode Rebooted and more!
Featuring Grasshoppers, a redesigned Survival mode, Saving & Loading support and an improved foodchain, this update is a special treat for those who enjoy the survival aspects of the game, which by extension is also a key focus of the upcoming Lifecycles Act 2 release.
See for yourself in this video!
Video Overview
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DsY3LCPqbiY
Survival Reboot
Survival mode now requires you to go all the way from Spring to Summer to win. Definitely give this mode a whirl again as the gameplay dynamics have changed drastically with the arrival of new prey, a reworked food chain and longer survival requirements.
Jumping Spiders v/s Dragonflies - The rivalry is on
Jumping Spiders can finally get back at their winged rivals - while they are on the ground of course. This now means Dragonfly A.I. will actively flee from you while it is resting on a perch, but pursue you relentlessly if it has aerial advantage. Have the skill and patience needed to catch a Dragonfly unawares and give it a taste of its own medicine? Find out for yourself by playing the new survival mode!
Grass is now 3D, with full collision!
With our resident Grasshoppers demanding that their green stations of choice
be made accessible forthwith, a new 3D collidable grass has been added. Climb atop it, munch on it or use it as a launching pad to strike prey if you're a wily Jumping Spider.
As a result, the landscape floor is now drastically different for players as for the first time you can actually see into the distance without large clumps of purely visual grass blocking your vision. This should improve your gameplay experience, but as always do post your candid feedback on these changes!
Saving & Loading support
It's finally here. You can now save and load your games at any point. This is still in somewhat early stages so please report any bugs or issues with loading your saved games and they will be looked into straight away.
Grasshopper Gameplay
Browse on grass or leaves, use your strong legs or wings (as an adult) to get around and use your size and strength to thwart predators.
Jumping Spiders have a special bonus attack if they get the jump on you though (via long jump) so beware! Dragonflies do not normally mess with adult Grasshoppers, but for now (and on Easy mode) you will be able to overpower them.
Lifecycles for Grasshoppers will also be released in 2018, but only after the Jumping Spider and Monarch Butterfly's reproductive cycle (Act 3) is done.
Mouth-shapes/patterns for browsers!
For those juvenile Jumping Spiders left wondering whether that hole in the leaf was a poisonous fifth-instar caterpillar or a juicy grasshopper, now the guesswork is taken out for you!
Mandibles/Mouthparts make different impressions on foliage for different creatures, so now each browser leaves its own unique mark while munching on a leaf!
Little touches like these are being added for Act 2 to ensure the game's attention to detail continues to grow along with its creatures.
Lifecycles Act 2 News
Given that Act 2 - "The Great Outdoors" focuses on survival it was deemed essential to release this survival reboot along with the Grasshopper first.
With this release out of the way focus shifts back to Act 2. The development cycle has been protracted due to technical complexity and a steep increase in QA requirements; with the game continuing to grow and expand, the sheer number of QA permutations that need to be tested and bugfixed for every species, every game mode, etc is adding to the overall development cycle.
In the meantime do provide feedback on the new Survival mode and food chain so that any feedback received can be utilized to improve Act 2.
That's it for this update, hope you enjoy DoN's Green Grasshoppers! :)
With ❤,
Venugopalan Sreedharan
Major A.I. Improvements - Patch v3.0.5
This is another patch in the run up to Lifecycles Act 2 with a focus on A.I. improvements for the entire game. Major highlights include Dragonfly hunting A.I overhaul and Lifecycles Act 1 A.I. (Jumping Spider early instars). This patch carries significant improvements to both.
To whet your appetite, here's a preview of DoN's new Grasshopper for Act 2!
Texturing is not yet done! hence the golden hue
Changelog
Flying Creatures A.I.
Dragonfly A.I. can now travel to and snatch grounded prey with far a greater chance of success. Jumping Spiders esp, beware!
3D Pathfinding critical bugfix; flying creatures no longer get permanently stuck in mid-air .
Dragonfly A.I. stamina limited to compensate for improvements. A.I. is forced to rest/perch frequently and can only pursue prey for short durations.
Perched Dragonflies can be taken down by adult Jumping Spiders from the next update onwards (Act 2).
Lifecycles Act 1 A.I.
Major behavior bugfixes. Instar activity is now smooth and efficient, A.I. now completes its growth cycle fully.
Moulting mid-fight is now prevented (this was an edge case to do with XP earned from counterattack)
Bigger instars are now able to make combat contact with smaller instars more easily during combat
Bigger instars now deliver greater combat damage compared to smaller ones
Bigger instars pick up items with better accuracy
Hitbox modified for young Jumping Spiders to prevent visual intersection in some cases
A.I. no longer glitches/spins around while moving/turning for activity.
Fauna evasion behavior improved (upon colliding with each other).
Instars caught under the egg sac's silk webbing are now swiftly evacuated :)
Instars escaping the eggsac glitch has been fixed
Post-playfight toppling over anim now plays consistently.
Bonding system bugfixes <*>Follower / Spectator distances increased to give more room to the player.
<*>After grooming Min Walk Speed is now properly restored. Previously it was stuck at the grooming value (slowing down the player)
<*>Grooming visual feedback and audio now modulates correctly when players are frantically tapping LMB and RMB together :)
<*>Changed "follower lost" text color/style for readability
Misc
Caterpillar infinite leaf farming prevented; browsed leaf areas are no longer browsable (this used to work correctly in previous builds)
Gamepad input cue in the bonding screen (for Continue) corrected
Gamepad I1/I2 changed to A/B (from X/Y) for consistency
Your A.I. siblings can now finally grow up to third-instar quite briskly :)
Act 2 Dev
While this bugfix spree has delayed Act 2's core development a fair bit (many new species are planned, on that note!), it was inevitable as Act 2's gameplay revolves around A.I. hunting/evasion/etc and so this solid foundation was necessary.
On the bright side things like the improvements made to Dragonfly A.I. will benefit new species like the Spider Wasps that are being added to Act 2.
New Species confirmed for Act 2
The following A.I. species are confirmed for the next update:-
Grasshoppers (First-instar, Nymph, Winged adult)
Spider Wasps
Tiger Beetles
Springtails
Whiteflies
Possibly more...
Here's some Grasshopper WIP footage for your time :)
More WIP images of new species will be shared this week!
With ❤,
Venugopalan Sreedharan
Major improvements to Drunk On Nectar & New Act 2 release ETA
In anticipation of DoN's Lifecycles Act 2, this patch brings major improvements to the game that significantly bolsters gameplay experience, fixes several long-standing issues and improves upon nearly every aspect of the game.
Patch Notes
For a full list of improvements see further below.
When will Act 2 release?
Act 2 will release in January 2018, the exact time period in still being worked out.
Several factors contributed to this delay, let's look at some of them below:
1. The decision to finally develop a Save/Load system for DoN as part of Act 2 was one source of delay. The game's living plant simulation (where plants germinate from seeds, sprout leaves, blossom, etc) proved exceptionally complex to distill into a compact save file.
Saving/Loading was finally achieved last week though and is an important milestone for the game as players will soon be able to save their Lifeycles progress and eventually even share their Sandbox creations/etc.
2. Apart from infrastructure dev, there was the need to polish and fix outstanding glitches in the existing game before adding new content. These needed a fair amount of time to build and test as well.
That's ultimately the purpose of today's patch, so let's review that:
v.3.0.4 List of improvements:
Lifecycles Act 1
A.I. growth capacity significantly bolstered by smarter movement, evasion and foraging.
Now the A.I. will not only keep pace with you, but swiftly outgrow you if you don't keep up :)
Egg-sac occupants are now prevented from accidentally falling out of the egg sac / flipping over.
Visual glitches while picking up pollen grains fixed. Camera no longer jerks around! Creature turning anim plays properly too.
Pausing the game before narration no longer causes narration to get stuck after unpausing.
Bonding follower now behaves like a spectator during playfight (instead of annoyingly getting between you and the opponent :))
Grooming while climbing atop another creature (usually your Mother!) is fixed
Female Jumping Spider's texture details are now more evident (like the male) while growing to better emphasize their growth.
Added reminder to Act 1 outro that players can use the "Survival" mode to play as adult Jumping Spider even now :)
Egg emergence input cue changed to simply "Hold W" (instead of the previous "hold W/S/D/A")
Combat face/off distance is now correct for smaller-instars playfighting with larger-instars. Previously they'd end up under the larger creature.
Heavy Strike audio cue now plays consistently. It was previously getting swallowed in certain cases.
A.I. Locomotion
Creatures no longer fall off when bumping into another fauna. They hop off intelligently! Especially evident during playfights
Evasion - Flying creatures no longer get stuck when bumping into each other. Evasion behavior also improved.
Evasion on vertical surfaces/angles fixed for walking creatures
A.I. Behavior
Adult Jumping Spider scouting behavior fixed (this was broken recently)
Major bugfix that vastly increases a creature's ability to perceive flora/food in a map
Camera
Invert camera option now supports independent controls for Walking and Flying modes
Look up clamp relaxed for cam to make looking up easier
Mouse turn-around setting option removed. Streamlining camera management code became necessary due to multiple possible camera paths (spider cam, regular third-person, etc)
World Generation
Caterpillar now spawn on leaves with gentle slopes (as opposed to steep ones) to make camera viewing angle and movement easier for players.
Adult fauna spawning for non-Lifecycle game modes fixed
Population of Monarchs v/s Viceroys and Bees finetuned in favor of the latter (for gameplay)
Amount of nectar per flower decreased to encourage flower-hopping
UI
In-Game Clock fixed to show user-friendly time, removed from all modes except Survival and Sandbox
Stamina/bodyfat alert cue no longer flashes too quickly, readability improved.
Hunting
Prey Snatch mechanism rewritten; grasping prey with mandibles is more physical now.
Long Jump aiming+camera improvements in anticipation of Act 2; still more room for improvement here.
Long-Jump-Snatch positioning issue for Jumping Spider fixed
Long Jumping onto a creature you can't snatch no longer suspends you in mid-air!
Sandbox
Floral varieties spawning in Sandbox mode fixed (eg: different colors of Orange Lily flowers)
"Hard mode" improvements
Hard mode's mandatory "Manual snatch via Shift" for hunting is now explained to player at startup
Stamina mgmt for JP lifecycles in hard mode reworked
Grappling in hard mode reworked for all game modes.
Audio
Increased tempo of bonding-new-bond music cue
Reduced volume of jump tutorial feedback cue, fixed cross-play / overlap of progress cues
Eggs cracking open can no longer be heard by farway walking creatures :)
There's still plenty of room for improvement, but for now the focus shifts back to Act 2. Screenshots of new species (NPC) on both sides of the food chain will be shared next week!
Thanks again to everyone for your patience in waiting for Act 2. It is shaping up to be the game's most exciting update yet, so the wait will be worth it :)
Learn to live in the Great Outdoors, Build your own silken egg sacs, March on towards adulthood and beyond!
With ❤,
Venugopalan Sreedharan
Anniversary Release - Lifecycle of a Jumping Spider, Act 1
To celebrate Drunk On Nectar's first anniversary on Steam EA, DoN's milestone "Lifecycles" update was released last week on 16th November 2017.
Lifecycle of a Jumping Spider
Built at an unprecedented 0.1 mm scale and buoyed by several new gameplay systems, DoN's lifecycles journey is officially in full swing. The first update depicts the Jumping Spider's birth from an egg and growth up to the third instar.
Act 1 - The Silken Egg Sac
Here's a quick video overview!
https://youtu.be/2rgBjTuOLlI
New Features Roundup Several new systems were added to the game to support DoN's Lifecycles journey, here's a quick roundup of some of them:
Body Anatomy & Combat System
Major body parts of creatures have been mapped to limbs that players can interact with and learn about in various gameplay situations.
In combat, strikes to vital parts like the Cephalo Thorax or Abdomen earns you a critical hit. This new combat system will eventually supersede the existing Hunting/grappling system.
The anatomy system is also used for grooming - a simple mini-game where players learn about various limbs while improving their relationship meter with a creature (more on that below!).
Bonding & Relationship System
Every creature now has a unique "Creature Glyph" - a 2D hologram-like image that is procecdurally generated to be unique for every creature.
By bonding with a creature you unlock its Glyph (think of it like a name) and gain access to various bonding options.
Come With Me allows you to form a party of creatures that will follow you (and in future updates, assist you in combat, quests, etc). The better your relationship with a creature or your Clan Reputation, the longer they will follow you.
Play-Fight: Animals often learn the tools of their trade by playfighting with siblings. In a unique take on this concept, you can now playfight with creatures of your species. This fills an important gameplay vacuum for early instars too (one of the main motivations behind the bonding system as well).
Groom: Boost your relationship level with a creature and earn some Xp while you're at it in a simple grooming mini-game.
Give Item: Carrying an item on you, bond with a creature and offer it to them! In return, they will follow you around for longer (and generally approve of you).
Teach Skill / Learn Skill: Once DoN's multi-generation lifecycles update is out, you will acquire unique skills across multiple generations and that knowledge can be shared / acquired from peers through the Bonding screen. The idea is to make every creature unique in some respect (some will be better at combat, others will acquire special ways to use silk, build better shelter, woo a mate more easily, etc).
Experience System
Bodyfat is no longer the sole criteria for progress. To offer players a broader gameplay experience than would otherwise be possible, creatures need to saturate both their bodyfat and their Xp levels to moult/pupate/etc.
Quests & Narratives
A quest and narration system has been built from ground-up to guide new players with specific objectives and goals pertaining to a creature's life. The narrative adds another dimension to the game for those players expecting a broader context or storyline.
Procedural Cinematics system
Each time you start a new Jumping Spider lifecycles game, a completely new cinematic is generated as you're air-lifted through the green glades of DoN's procedurally generated world. Combined with random-map generation, this makes every cinematic and playthrough different from the other.
There's a virtually inexhaustible number of scenes that you can generate and enjoy watching simply by restarting the game over and over!
Diurnal / Nocturnal sleep system
Diurnal creatures (active by day) like the Jumping Spider are now coaxed into retiring at night via stamina and over-exertion penalties. Sleeping for the night triggers a timelapse which lasts till morning. Your health and stamina are fully restored when you wake up.
Creature Mounting Ability
Tiny creatures can now climb larger creatures (like their mother!) with limb accuracy and animation support. The larger creature can move a very tiny limb (like a pedipalp) and the tiny mounted creature will cling on snugly as the limb animates. Great news for creatures who carry their brood on their back!
And many more...
Many other changes and improvements including the HUD, menus, smarter flora generator, etc have been made. As this post is getting super-long already I will conclude here and get to the roadmap :)
Roadmap
The release video offers a colorful rendition of the roadmap, but if you prefer plain text here's a quick rundown:
December 2017 Jumping Lifecycle Act 2 - "The Great Outdoors"
- Hunting, Survival, Building shelter
2018 Q1 - 2 Monarch Butterfly Lifecycle wrap up (using all the new systems)
2018 Q1 - 3 Multi-Generation gameplay
- Character Progression across generations: Skills, Traits, Seasons, etc
Other items on the card include Carpenter Bee lifecycle, Ladybug lifecycle and the Dragonfly's lifecycle. After this marathon lifecycles march is complete, Multiplayer support (with lifecycles!) will finally be added to the game.
Bugs/Issues/Feedback
With so many new gameplay systems and experimental concepts, it was inevitable that bugs and issues crept in to the release build. Several patches were released over the past week to address these, though there's still some work to be done here. Please do report any issue you run into, that's the best way to ensure that your nature game lives up to your expectations.
Videos / Steam Reviews requested
If you have a youtube channel please upload videos of your Drunk On Nectar gameplay! This will not only help spread the word about the game, but also provides immensely valuable data for understanding how players approach the game and is also the primary source of feedback used to shape future updates of the game.
If you haven't written a Steam review for the game yet, please do consider writing one as well to help fuel the game's growth on Steam!
Finally, you have indeed reached the end of this super-long announcement. Thank you for reading! :)
With ❤,
Venugopalan Sreedharan
~~
PS: Time for a new DoN poem!
A Circle of Life unfolds,
Carrying in its bosom,
A story of creatures untold,
Hid among shimmering blossoms.
The Life of Animals, of Plants & Trees,
Nature's shapes and forms in view,
Come, experience the grand sum of these,
Drunk On the Nectar of Life anew.
Lifecycles! Here we come! :)
~~~
Lifecycle of a Jumping Spider [Video Preview]
Lifecycles - Drunk On Nectar's biggest and most ambitious update is being meticulously crafted around the clock. This is a complete gameplay rewrite of the current game with lifecycles, character progression and other genre-crossing mechanics headed your way.
Video Preview
Check out the first Lifecycles video!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8pUJuxwk65o
Release Estimate
This update is scheduled for Q4-2017. Anywhere between 8-12 weeks more is needed to do justice to such vast topics as Mating & Reproduction, Parenting, Character Progression, Skills, Seasons and more.
Lifecycles Itinerary
Starting with the Lifecycle of a Jumping Spider, DoN will wrap up the Monarch Butterfly's mating and reproduction (they've been waiting for this for a long time now!), then followed by the Carpenter Bee's fantastic nesting & lifecycle (wood tunnels!), then followed by the Ladybug's inimitable metamorphosis from a curious looking larva to the familiar bright-red elytra sporting adult.
This all will culminate in the mighty Dragonfly's fabled Aquatic lifecycle thus finally ushering DoN's arrival into freshwater ecosystems, a vast topic by themselves.
~~~
All that is a lot of stuff to build, so appreciate your patience as this humongous journey of Lifecycles development is being fulfilled. Everything that can be done to expedite this release is being done, however this is a very important update for DoN to fulfill its EA goals, so where necessary more time will have to be taken to ensure that the those goals are fully met, exceeded and comprehensively won over.
WIth ❤,
Venugopalan Sreedharan
(Developer of Drunk On Nectar)
In-Game Feedback dashboard added in Build v2.8!
As an Early Access game, Drunk On Nectar needs your feedback to grow and improve every day.
To make this easier, an in-game feedback dashboard has now been added! You can now voice your thoughts without using the forums or any other external channel.
1) Feedback Dashboard
Press TAB any time while playing to open the feedback dashboard (or use the new left panel while on the main menu).
If you have any feedback you want to quickly send before you forget or if you just don't feel like posting it in the forums, you can now simply use the feedback tool to make sure you're heard!
Feedback about the feedback tool sent using the feedback tool is also welcome ;)
~~~
This large patch also carries a number of improvements to the game. With these improvements now in place, development will finally switch gears from polishing the existing product to creating new content again :)
Graphics Improved for High, Epic presets (see section 5)
Chemical Vision now in full color (see section 4)
Here's an overview:
2) Climbing Mechanics Improved
* Creatures can now intuitively climb above/under any surface just by walking up to it!
* The previous "Alt to Flip Over" mechanic is now totally removed. Alt key is now used to switch between Simulation/Player mode in Sandbox.
* Major bugfix for walking creatures. Walking on complex foliage (eg: Fern Fronds) is now smooth and glitch-free!
3) Camera Improvements
* On vertical stalks and other steep surfaces, camera no longer tries to change your view while you're turning in-place.
* Auto-spider-cam: Camera is now pinned directly behind player while walking downwards along a stalk. Much easier to see where you're going.
* Spider-Cam can now be activated at any time by holding the right-mouse button (for walking creatures).
4) Chemical Vision Reworked
* Chemical Vision no longer desaturates the entire screen; chemical trails are now shown alongisde the colors of the actual world.
* This makes it easier (on the eyes) to spend longer time in chemical vision, it is much more closely aligned with the game's regular color scheme.
5) Graphics Upgrade
* The recent performance work has provided some leeway for graphical quality improvements, which have been leveraged in this patch:
* Shadow quality improved on High, Epic presets
* View distance tweaked for all flora to achieve a better compromise between good visuals and performance (in favor of visuals).
6) Gamepaly & Balancing Changes
* Increased Grappling Reflex of A.I. in Easy mode to make it a bit more challenging.
* Perception radius reduced for all creatures in Easy mode to add a bit more empahsis on exploration....
* Ant v/s Beetle - Sound effect added for when Ants sting you.
* Ant v/s Beetle - Input hints added to encourage players to fly away with the ants instead of grappling with them.
7) Misc
* Sandbox now displays a "Press to go back to Sandbox mode" hint.
* Sandbox difficulty dropdown disabled for now as it doesn't make much sense in the current scheme of things.
* Added EARLY ACCESS watermark to the game and menus to emphasize to players (and onlookers!) that DoN is still in early stages. Feedback is encouraged as the game continues to add new gameplay and content.
That's it for this update!
~~~ Do try out the new feedback dashboard and send your thoughts across! :D ~~~
With ❤,
Venugopalan Sreedharan
Build v2.7.3 - Tons of bugfixes,Gameplay rebalancing & Water splashing antics!
Flying creatures now splash water while skimming its surface!
If you haven't completed the "Curious Triad" creature quest yet, give it a try again because this patch contains rebalancing and bugfixes that make your Beetle-life quicker and easier.
The ongoing focus on improving the existing product first before moving on to new features continues with this build. Here's an overview!
Improvements & Bugfixes:
Multithreading support added for flying creatures' pathfinding. It is now possible to spawn many more flying creatures and have them respond to the world almost instantly!
Population levels of all creatures increased! thanks to the recent performance and multithreading work. The world looks so alive now! :D
Critical bugfix for walking creatures' pathfinding. Ants can now find their way up to any target much better. Beetles beware!
Creature consumption visuals vastly improved.
Flower perch locations fixed for walking creatures. They now no longer glitch/intersect while resting on flowers.
Honeydew particle fx fixed. Now you can see the ants farming mealybugs properly :)
Sandbox spawn camera angle reworked so you always see flowers around.
Sandbox brush tool now highlights the fauna you're placing separately so you know it's a brush preview (and not an actual creature in the world!)
Sandbox brush tool spawn height improvements - you now get a nice random spread while placing creatures
Fixed random spinning of flying creatures in certain situations
Dragonfly no longer takes off upon seizing an already fallen prey
Prey subdual bar now hides itself after an aerial grapple is complete
Imperata Cylindrica (grass) visual glitch fix
Water splash effect fixed for tutorial map while restarting to a prior checkpoint
New: Water gliding effects added for flying creatures skimming across any water surface! :D
Camera Zoom feature now prevents zooming in beyond the creature being controlled. Zoom settings are now carefully tuned for every creature in the game.
Spacebar can now be used to toggle fly/walk for flying creatures (in addition to the existing ctrl).
Short-jumps for flying creatures is now removed.
Fixed end-game messages to show up properly upon exhaustion/starvation/ant-stings/etc
Gameplay/Species rebalancing
Increased Ladybug walk speed
Increased Ladybug pre-flight hop height. This makes it easier to start flying without bumping into obstacles/etc.
Increased short-flight duration for Ladybug, lowered stamina cost
Decreased Mealybug consumption duration
Creatures that escape a grapple clutch no longer fall, but are instead rooted to a nearby floor. In the future this may be limited to Easy difficulty
(per above) Mealybugs dropped by Ladybugs now fall right onto the stalk and carry on where they left off (instead of heading for bottom of the stalk). This makes it easier to catch them again after you've chased away the ants!
Dragonfly is now permitted to hover in mid-air (spacebar key) and still snatch prey while hovering (previously you needed to attain a minimum flight speed)
Dragonfly is now permitted to hunt while groudned (results in auto-take off post snatch)
Dragonfly can no longer teleport across flowers to snatch prey. This makes hiding under flowers viable again! Esp relevant for PvP (not in the game yet, but still!)
Reduced Mealybug grappling strength to allow larger creatures to easily overcome them.
Intro text changed for Curious Triad Creature Quest.
Hint messages on dealing with ants improved to encourage players to use the Beetle's flying skills to carry opponents away as a viable strategy for winning the quest.
"What's New?" feature added to main menu
Now you can catch up on the latest DoN updates straight from the main menu using the new "What's New" button near the version number. Not all patches are announced here in the community hub, so this is a great way to keep up with new features released in minor patches that keep trickling frequently.
That's it for this humongous bugfix patch!
~~~
In-Game tutorials for all creatures are still being worked on and will arrive soon.
After that.... Lifecycles for all creatures! :D
Hope you enjoy this vastly improved version of Drunk On Nectar :)
