For a while Dave and I have been trying to figure out what we could do community wise with Intelligent Design. With our other game Cycle 28 we always try to post the monthly leader boards to encourage some friendly competition. That kind of thing doesn't fit with Intelligent Design since it's meant to be a relaxed experience.
Something I often do is look through the community screenshots of ID on steam. I know some people disagree but I genuinely love the look of this game, and clearly people have put the effort into taking great shots of their evolving worlds.
...so I thought I would try to set aside some time each month to pick out a couple of shots I really like and share them with you. I probably won't write too much, but just share these shots. Feel free to discuss them in the comments!
The first shot is by ablunk. This one caught my eye simply because of all the plants! Over 8000! ... and not a single carnivore - clearly a vegan world.
The next image by iocaio is just nice to look at. The green glow from the buildings, eggs and creatures on the floor, seeds flying in the background.
Finally for this week an image by The Ghost in the Trenches showing the results of some genetic modifications I think. Seeds so big and with so much drag they never fall to the ground... Is it a bug or a feature? I'll let you decide!
Genetically Modfied Update Developer Playthrough
Over the past few weeks Dave has been playing through a new save on the new map, with me coaching him along the way. You can follow us on twitch to catch the streams live each week, and catch up by watching the archives below.
Let us know how you think Dave is doing! Any tips you can share with him?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jucUE3FgWeU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VR7WvM0h5-I
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XxcJ55olCTg
Patch Notes 12/10/18 - Plus Support Cycle 28 in the GDWC2018 Fan Favourite Vote
Patch Notes
Population counters are now checked for error once per in game day. The time acceleration may be introducing slight errors which will grow over time on extreamly long runs. This sanity check should deal with those errors.
Creatures can now no longer see things which are far above or below them, such as on the cliffs in the new map.
Our other game, Cycle 28 has made it to the final of the GDWC2018 fan favourite award. If you could support us by clicking the image below and voting for Cycle 28 we would really appreciate it.
I've just pushed a patch to the experimental update based on an idea from the discord community.
When a seed lands the slope of the landscape is checked, based on some genes I won't reveal, if the slope is too steep (like on the sides of the maps) the plant will not grow.
This should stop all the weird looking plants on the map edges and will also add some interesting evolutionary strategies for the plant genes!
Let us know what you think! The change only effects new plants, so existing plants in your game saves won't be effected.
Edit: This is now live on the main branch.
The Genetically Modified Update is Now Available!
Thanks to everyone who helped us test this update (the biggest we’ve done) over the past few months. It’s full of new content and improvements. Give it a try, let us know what you think, and please tell your friends!
New Map
We’ve made a new map for you to play on. It’s inspired by arctic landscapes, and so features big flat plateaus with deep crevasses snaking around them. Will micro-ecosystems emerge in these dark depths? Will plants evolve to find their way up these sheer cliffs? We’re so excited about this new map, we’ve made it the first map new players will see.
New Controls
The controls have been completely changed. We read your reviews and we watched countless YouTube videos, and the hard decision was made to drop controller support (though you can still access the original version of ID via the Classic branch). Now the game controls something like Factorio or Two Point Hospital. Move the camera with WASD and holding down the middle mouse button. Then simply use the cursor to click where you want to build buildings or create creatures.
New Genetic Engineering UI
We have also completely changed the genetics panel. Now you can see every gene you’ve unlocked for an organism on one screen, and then edit them all at once using a slider-based system.This new UI also allows for quick and comprehensive inspection of existing organisms in your world. We hope this gives you a better sense of what is going on.
Massive Performance Improvements
It took a lot of work but we’ve managed to significantly improve performance in the game. This is mainly due to the experience gained developing Cycle 28 for Nintendo Switch™, but also due to updates in Unity3D. Population numbers can now get much higher at a playable framerate. The population cap is still something you can disable, so those of you who want to push your thinking machine supercomputers to breaking point - or just want to heat your room as we head into winter - can.
Time Acceleration!
The performance improvements have meant we have been able to add time acceleration unlocked right at the start. This is a feature that was previously unlocked by completing all Performance Targets in the game, but due to feedback from the community we have decided to provide players with this feature from the beginning. Use it wisely!
If you want to see what this all means in game, Dave and I sat down to play the new version of the game Saturday lunch time...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jucUE3FgWeU
Full Patch Notes
Save directory has changed. To copy your old saves over launch the game and start a new save. Push escape to open the menu and hit ‘Open Data Folder’. The old data folder will be one directory above the /intelligentdesign folder. Exit the game and copy all your old files over to the new one and restart the game.
Significant performance improvements
Controls completely reworked. Controller support has been removed in favour for a management game style mouse based input.
Added time acceleration unlocked by default.
Added a new map
Revamped tutorial - Changed wording to reflect new controls, removed voice-over, made the tutorial button driven.
Added tool tips to some buttons, these can be disabled in the options menu
Changed the fire effect and behaviour
Buttons are now highlighted red when selected
Wind audio now changes smoothly
Added join discord button to launch menu
Changed the wording on the science panel
Revamped the genetics panel so you can see all genes at once when editing
System menu now accessed by pressing escape in game
The Mac version now runs with newer versions of MacOS.
Patch Notes for Experimental Branch 23/09/2018
Thanks again for everyone giving us feedback on these updates. This is a big one, Dave and I have completly re-designed the UI for custom organisms!
Wind audio now changes smoothly
Added join discord button to launch menu
Changed the wording on the science panel
Revamped the genetics panel so you can see all genes at once when editing
Adjustments to tutorial text
System menu now accessed by pressing escape in game
Fixed drone shadow bug
Experimental Branch Patch Notes 16/09/2018
I just pushed out a patch for the experimental branch, as ever we would love you hear your feedback either here or in our discord. Thanks to everyone posting screenshots of the new stuff in the steam community, it really helps us with design!
Revamped tutorial - Changed wording to reflect new controls, removed voice-over, made the tutorial button driven.
Added tool tips to some buttons, these can be disabled in the options menu
Changed the fire effect and behaviour
Moved the starting position of the radar on Map 1
Buttons are now highlighted red when selected
But wait, there's more...
After finishing off this patch I had an idea how to optimise memory management in the game. After a hard day's coding I've implemented it and pushed out a patch. Everyone should notice some significant performance increases with the current version - let me know how it goes!
Introducing the Pill Bug Interactive Collection Bundle
There has never been a better time to be a Pill Bug Interactive fan.
So if you already own Intelligent Design: An Evolutionary Sandbox now you can get a copy of Cycle 28 and the fantastic soundtrack by Jordan Rees (Composer of trailer music for The Mummy [Universal Pictures], Mother [Paramount Pictures], The Defenders [Marvel Studios]) for 20% off.
Cycle 28 is an intense retro shooter with a mystery at it's heart. First you think it's an arcade game: simple controls, powerful upgrades, and intense dogfights. But you’re stuck living the same day over and over, trying to find out who the enemy are, and what they want.
Check out the review below to see if Cycle 28 is your cup of tea.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1FPXrf2Le_w
New Map in the Experimental Branch
Good news, ecosystem engineers! We have added an entirely new world in which you can now test your efficiency and scientific prowess.
The as-yet unnamed world is Map 1 on the experimental branch of Intelligent Design. Conditions on this world are not considered stable, so all employees are advised to anticipate changes as we adapt to this new environment.
We value all staff feedback. Please let us know if you have any thoughts, comments, or concerns regarding this new and exciting opportunity.
Our Discord channel is an excellent medium for engineer-employer interaction, try it today!
New UI and Time Acceleration in new Experimental Branch - Available Now!
Back in April we shared our plans for an Intelligent Design: An Evolutionary Sandbox content update, you can read them here. Today I'm really excited to launch our experimental branch!
We decided to give you access to the content update as we build it because (1) we think the improvements we have made so far will allow more people to enjoy the game and (2) we want to get your feedback as we go. We can't push this patch into the default branch because, since the controls have changed, we will need to re-write the tutorial.
To download the update go to Intelligent Design in your Steam library, right click it and select properties. Then click on the Betas tab of the window which appears and select the Experimental Branch from the drop down list. The experimental branch will store game saves in a different folder, if you want to copy over existing saves into that you can, there is a button in the system menu (in game) which opens up an explorer window in your save game directory.
Here are the main changes:
General performance improvements
The controls have been reworked so they are entirely mouse driven. You now left click on the menus to select a unit or building you want to create, then right click on the map where you want to create it. Move the camera with WASD, shift, ctrl and hold the middle mouse button to move it.
We have added a time acceleration slider. This was something you could unlock if you completed all of the performance targets, after lots of thought we decided to make this available right from the start.
You can watch a video of Dave and I discussing the new controls below:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8cXhnqeXKYI
The best place to discuss and give us feedback about these changes is in our discord, we would love to hear what you think!
Finally, I want thank everyone in the community who continues to support us at Pill Bug Interactive. We are both continually humbled that so many people enjoy this weird abstract genetics sandbox.
