Thank you to all who contributed their experiences on the forums to help us diagnose this and look for specific scenarios.
First, background on why animals can fail hunts to begin with: previously, predators ALWAYS succeeded, then everything always died unless it was in perfect balance. Having hunting failure is an effort to make it possible for some predators to die off before everything is eaten so that you may get some ecosystem bounce back as you'd see in real life ecosystems with boom-bust populations. Obviously this is more challenging in a much smaller game ecosystem with less variables than real life, but something that gave ecosystems a chance of recovery.
However, there were a few issues as we've discovered with more edge cases and your feedback. As our gamers have pointed out, insectivores were struggling pretty regularly. The other issue is that the algorithms to determine failure rate was based on the ratios of predator-prey relationships across the entire biodome, which would make some zones' behavior not make sense.
So, here's what we did:
We've fixed how the success rate algorithm sees insect/swarm populations comparing to insectivores so that they don't get out of balance and begin failing so easily.
The success rate is now determined only by populations within each zone.
We've added more variables to the hunt success rate algorithm to make it more sensitive and specific, such as the health of the prey animal and the hunger of the predator.
We've added limits to the amount that a singular variable like the comparative population ratios can impact the success rate (i.e. one variable cannot make success completely impossible for a predator any longer).
Save Improvements
Previously, ALT+F4 or other sudden closes (including crashes) would sometimes corrupt your save file, which would then wipe your plants. Saving has been refactored so that this should no longer happen.
Optimizations
Graphics performance has been improved (engine upgrade).
More effective use of CPU threads is now present (engine upgrade).
Window mode switching on OSX will no longer randomly crash your game (engine upgrade).
Stability improvements, especially during time skips.
KNOWN MAC ISSUE, MAC USERS PLEASE READ
Unfortunately, there is a known bug between our version of Unreal Engine and Steam which is causing issues with Steam integrations. We are waiting for Epic to fix this and then will update with the fix.
If you use a Mac, your Steam overlay may appear washed out, and your screenshots via Steam will not work so we've implemented a back-up method.
Your screenshots will (for now) save to:
User > Library* > Application Support > Epic > Tyto Ecology > Saved > Screenshots
* Library is a hidden folder. The fastest way to access is to go to Finder then when in the "GO" drop-down on the top, hold down your OPTIONS key. Library will then show up as an option.
Again, we'll put this back as soon as Epic and Steam start playing friendly on Mac again!
Cretaceous Mongolia launching THIS FRIDAY!
The highlight: we're approved by Steam and ready to release THIS FRIDAY at 9 am PST.
Now, to those that were concerned about how long it took, we had a few delays due to personal situations like Hurricane Irma (picture of how we protected gear in our bathrooms - then we sandbagged it in!) and our Creative Director getting married and taking time off for her honeymoon.
Now, on to the Cretaceous Mongolia DLC! Head over to the Steam page to see a list of all species included, and enjoy this adorable picture of how Tarbosaurus sleeps:
We look forward to you all getting your hands on these awesome new creatures this Friday!
There will also be a few broader improvements to the game, like some optimizations and fixes to insectivore hunting failure rates. Full patch list will come with the update on Friday!
Feedback Request for Dino-Dome!
Hello, everyone!
We've been excitedly prepping for our new Cretaceous ecosystem. Our Creative Director, Caroline, has been calling up unsuspecting academics and asking them questions for a video game, to which some have been surprisingly open!
First, we have put together a public Trello board with the species we are currently planning on using in the ecosystem. This is of course subject to change as research and gameplay testing continues.
If you all know of any resources about these species, especially harder-to-find ones like about plants and insects, please do share! There is open commenting and contribution on the board.
On the note of plants, we found when calling up researchers that the conditions that are suitable for excellent preservation of dinosaur bones are different than those that are good for plants. So you basically don't get a lot of plant information from the same places you get great dinosaur fossils. Which means generalizing information from similar ecosystems in other places.
In-progress model for the velociraptor!
We also have some specific questions for feedback.
Q1: What should we actually CALL THIS ecosystem?
We knew that if we were going to make a biodome based off of Cretaceous Mongolia or Flaming Cliffs, we would need to include velociraptor, arguably the most "famous" dinosaur of the region. Velociraptor fossils, along with protoceratops and oviraptor, have been found in the Djadochta geological formation in Southern Mongolia (also known as the Flaming Cliffs.) This region dates back to the Late Cretaceous period, around the Campanian and Maastrichtian ages (around 70-80 million years ago.)
Many of our other dinosaurs were found to the southwest, in what is known as the Nemegt geological formation, some 220 miles away. This is where fossils of therizinosaurus (aka "Danger Floof"), Tarbosaurus (the t-rex of the Gobi), and Opisthocoelicaudia (an enormous, long-necked dinosaur) have been located. All fossils were found in what is now the Gobi desert during the Late Cretaceous period, though there isn't sufficient fossil evidence to prove that all of these dinosaurs lived at exactly the same time or exactly the same place. The only irrefutable, fossilized proof that any of these dinosaurs interacted with one another lies in a fossil depicting a protoceratops locked in battle with a velociraptor--all other interactions between dinosaurs have been inferred or assumed.
All this is to say...we aren't sure what exactly to call this ecosystem! Not all species hail directly from the Flaming Cliffs region, but all did live in the Gobi Desert. The "Gobi Desert" was not a desert in the Cretaceous era, however, which makes it a bit awkward to use that descriptor. Not all species have been proven to have co-existed, though they all lived in the Cretaceous period in around the same area. How precise should we be with our ecosystem name?
Can we call it "Flaming Cliffs" because that's close enough? Should we call it "Gobi Desert," even though "desert" is an inaccurate word? Should we simply say "Mongolia," even though the Gobi Desert is a very specific region that may have had wildly different species from, say, Northern Mongolia in the Cretaceous era? We aren't sure!
Q2: What are your thoughts on the issues of color and, um, creative expression in making dinosaurs?
Some dinosaurs have rich information and even evidence about their color (see this article: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2010/01/100127-dinosaur-feathers-colors-nature/ )
However, many don't have that much available when it comes to any preserved feather bits or other indicators of color. A lot of artists seem to stay more simple in their depictions, but there are some pieces of concept art of dinosaurs with incredibly bright and unexpected color palettes.
What are your thoughts on how we should handle this when there is no evidence of color (helping us find some for our dinosaurs would certainly be helpful!)? Stick with expectations of whatever is most common? Create a beautiful palette of our own creation and run with it? Something else?
(On this note, if anyone has found scientific research on the colors of any of our species, please post it!)
And the dino-dome winner is...
The winner is...
Cretaceous Mongolia, including Flaming Cliffs!
This ecosystem includes the Velociraptor, Protoceratops Deinocheirus mirificus, Plesiohadros, and more!
Now, several people noticed that it ended in a close tie at the end between Mongolia/Flaming Cliffs and Hell's Creek, so we took a look at the IP addresses of the votes to make sure our own office votes didn't skew the results. What we found instead though, was... drum roll... massive voter fraud!
Okay, not that massive, but our top IP address voted 29 times for Hell's Creek!
Now we do recognize some of the smaller ones can be multiple family members or people in the same location, but 29 people with the exact same IP address voting for Hell's Creek with most of the votes only taking 2-3 seconds to complete? Sorry, someone was cheating.
So we dug into the data, removed excess suspicious votes, and by the end, Flaming Cliffs was the clear winner:
Flaming Cliffs: 43%
Hell's Creek: 33%
Europe: 24%
And, for your humor, we made this handy cheating infographic -- really all in good fun because it's not like this was a super serious legal vote. But we did want to get to the bottom of what the actual most popular ecosystem would be, and we did!
It's time... vote on your dino-dome!!!
Today we have a big announcement…
We’re about to begin work to add a dinosaur biodome to Tyto Ecology!
This has been our most-requested addition, and we're thrilled that our art team is finally about to have the resources and time to pull off a new biodome highlighting the Cretaceous Era! It’s really important for us to be as scientifically accurate as possible, so we have three pretty specific times and locations we’ve been trying to choose from.
So that’s where you come in!
From today until Tuesday, June 26, you get to vote between three different dinosaur groups and locations.
VOTE HERE! HTTPS://WWW.SURVEYMONKEY.COM/R/KWL79B6
One vote per person!
(1) Cretaceous Mongolia, including Flaming Cliffs: including the Velociraptor, Protoceratops Deinocheirus mirificus, Plesiohadros, and more!
(2) Cretaceous Hell Creek: including Tyrannosaurus Rex, Triceratops, Ankylosaurus, and more!
(3) Cretaceous European: Including lesser-known dinosaurs such as Turiasaurus riodevensis, Ampeloasaurus atacis, Baryonix walkeri, and more!
Once the votes are in, we’ll announce the final winner! Then we’ll start the research needed to create a sustainable ecosystem from producers, consumers, and decomposers with species from that era and location! This will be based on all the most up-to-date theories out there that we can find, and we’re super excited to release an as accurate-as-possible prehistoric ecosystem expansion pack!
VOTE HERE! HTTPS://WWW.SURVEYMONKEY.COM/R/KWL79B6
Images from Paleo Guy on Deviant Art, who does absolutely incredible work!
Also, we're debating if we should just release this as an expansion, or if we should run a Kickstarter first to give people the opportunity to get cool rewards like art prints, 3D Printed Models of their favorite dinosaurs, and help set some stretch goals to make it even cooler. Let us know what you think we should do in the comments.
RESULTS AS OF MONDAY AT 8:30 PM EST - GUYS WE'RE TIED!!!
Patch 1.14: Twice as Cute, Just as Delicious (The Baby Update)
Our next update is now available to download as a free content addition... babies!
Previously in the game, all babies (not yet mature animals) were half-sized versions of the adults. But of course, many babies look quite different from their adult counterparts, so we've been working on an update that would allow us to all squee at baby cuteness.
With this update, the baby phase lasts the first half of their childhood (i.e. before sexual maturity and becoming an adult). During this phase, for the species that have unique baby versions, they will appear as these new adorable babies we've created. Not all animals have this, as some species look similar as babies and adults or are too small to notice a difference, in which case they will still be scaled down versions at 50% of adult size. During the last half of childhood, every species will be a juvenile version at 70% of adult size as their sort of teenage years. Then they'll mature into adults at the end.
To make sure this functions better in the ecosystem, we've also adjusted it so that baby carnivores (separate from juveniles) can eat animals one size lower than their adult counterparts. This is so you don't see a tiny baby cougar take down a mule deer.... as we did during testing before we added this!
List of Species with Special Baby Versions Added:
Asian Black Bear
Asian Elephant
Bison
Bobcat
Capybara
Caribou
Coatimundi
Collared Peccary
Cougar
Coyote
Dhole
Gray Wolf
Grizzly Bear
Jackrabbit
Jaguar
Marsh Deer
Moose
Mule Deer
Muntjac
One-Horned Rhino
Pronghorn Antelope
Red Fox
Red Panda
Tapir
Red Junglefowl
Watch a brief intro video: https://youtu.be/H2zghbiGzdA
Recommended: Save Backups!
Patch 1.13 is out with a major update to our saving system that will greatly improve reliability in case of file corruption or unusual circumstances (like reports of power going out, etc. that then lost biodomes for people). When you launch after the upgrade, it will convert all your save files, which means the first load will be longer than usual.
So far we've had two users report issues -- one who is having a biodome crash on load, and one with extremely long load times. We tested it as thoroughly as we could before going live, but of course testing with 20 people we can get to do it versus the entire user base of thousands of players can reveal some additional issues we didn't find before a release.
We are working on debugging the issue, but for now, we'd like to recommend backing up your save files if you have not yet upgraded to 1.13 just to be safe, if you're worried about losing biodomes.
How to backup my save files?
Here's some instructions in case you want to save a back up your save file.
1). Locate your save file. Both Windows and Mac locations are different, so I'll list them both here.
Windows directory:
C:->users-> [Your Account Name] -> AppData -> Local-> Tyto Ecology
The AppData Folder is hidden by default, so you'll have to enable viewing hidden options.
You can do this by selecting the view tab located at the top of your window then turning on the "Hidden items" checkbox.
Mac directory:
In your finder, click on "Go" on the top bar and hold down your option key to reveal the hidden folder, and then click on the Library Folder. Then go to application support -> Epic -> Tyto Ecology
2). Compress the Tyto Ecology folder through .zip, 7zip, or by right clicking and sending to a compressed file. If you're not comfortable compressing the folder to create a backup, then you can choose to copy and paste the "Tyto Ecology" Folder somewhere else where you'll remember it.
After you upgrade, the old save files will be in the previous format and if you run into any issues you can hold onto them while we debug from reported problems and then you can try the upgrade again after a hotfix is released.
Patch 1.13 + Three New Species, including Red Junglefowl for Chinese New Year!
Thanks to everyone who tested 1.13 for us, it's now ready to launch!
New Species
Red junglefowl. It's the Chinese New Year today, and Year of the Rooster! To celebrate, we added the red junglefowl to the Himalayan biodome. The red junglefowl is thought to be ancestral to the domestic chicken. We're thrilled to have this adorable new feathered insectivore in the game.
Clouded leopard. We added the clouded leopard as our standard medium carnivore to the Himalayan biodome! It was a much needed role, so adding a new species made the most sense for this situation!
Sunflowers. Sunflowers were added to the Great Plains Grassland! While not having many leaf points, sunflower do have a fruiting period for their delicious sunflower seeds. Be warned as they live to only bloom one time, so be sure to have some pollinators when the time comes!
Please note this is a replacement for the Milkweed; see the patch notes below.
Gameplay
Added three new species: red junglefowl, clouded leopard, and sunflower.
We're removing the common milkweed from the game as it has presented balance issues. Milkweed has a poisonous tag, meaning that only poisonous eaters can it. In the grasslands, the only animals able to eat milkweed are badgers, given they can eat poison, but they don't eat milkweed in real life. This resulted in milkweed being a poor selection to have in our grassland biodome. When you upgrade to 1.13, all milkweed existing in your biodome will disappear and it will be removed as a selection. This change will impact ecosystems very minimally since milkweeds only fed badgers, the most eclectic eater in our game. Hopefully this will reclaim space for biodomes that were taken over by the milkweed, leaving not enough room for other plants.
If the game detects that you had milkweed in any of your biodomes, then that account will unlock the Sunflower for free. Don't worry, it's only 30 tyto coins to unlock it manually!
Thanks to all those that contributed to insane.tobi's ecologic exploits thread to bring about the changes above!
Bug Fixes/Tweaks
Coyote accidentally had one of it's digits removed for their max hunger, making them die from starvation within a minutes of placing them down. Coyote Max Hunger is now back up to 90 from 9. Shout-out to Evernight for reporting this!
Artic Hare population notifications will now fire off when the territory pop goes under 3 and it will reset it goes back to 5. Shout-out to Mbiggiani for reporting this!
Tufted Saxafridge babies now have their meshes corrected and aligned instead of separating from each other. Shout-out to Mbiggiani for reporting this!
Fixed a bug where clicking on a swarm territory like a pollinator for the first time on login, caused their UI to have additional overlapping elements.
Fixed a bug that was preventing some notifications from loading on any biodome other than the first loaded biodome.
Changed the "sizes" of different animals and their predation size ranges in the Alaskan Tundra in order to better reflect real life eating patterns. Now ermine can no longer hunt baby foxes.
Changed the leaf points and/or impact points of: Cottongrass, Diamondleaf Willow, and Field Horsetail.
Filled in values for detritus removal in the add life HUD for Jewel Lichen and Caribou Moss.
Corrected the scientific name of the Lemming.
Edited the physical size of various Tundra animals to make more sense.
Save System Update
Now this isn't a very user-facing change, but after seeing cases of save files mysteriously disappearing, we decided to change the way that our game saves files to improve the system! There are now about 100x less files being stored, so you might experience quicker loading times. More importantly, this will fix issues of player save files missing or becoming unreadable from corruption. We're sorry to all those that lost their save files, but we hope that we see an end to these problems with the save rework.
Please note that you MAY experience a longer launch time than normal on your first game launch as it converts your save files.
Need Help Testing Patch 1.13: Save Refactor, Sunflowers, & Clouded Leopards!
We have an exciting upcoming patch for you all! We're introducing new species that solve problems for ecosystem balance and we're removing a species (milkweed) that didn't quite make sense to keep around. We also made changes to the way that our game handles saving. However, we need your help to test if our methods of removing milkweed from your biodome and compressing your save files are safe. Don't worry, we did as much internal testing as we could before making this public and asking you guys to help us!
How do I help?
1). [Optional - but has prize] Place down milkweed in any of your grassland biodomes.
Place down as many milkweed as you want. We're removing it anyways when you go over to patch 1.13, so don't worry about it impacting your ecosystem. Prize: if the game detects that it's removing milkweed in any of your domes, then that account will automatically unlock Sunflowers when you convert over to 1.13.
2). Accessing our Beta Branch (1.13)
Go over to your steam library and right click on Tyto Ecology and then select the "BETAS" tab at the top. Under the "Enter beta access code" type inside the textfield:
ajskdl21l2jeaisd
Then click the "Check Code" button. Afterwards select "1.13" from the drop down list above and press close. If you've performed this all correctly, then you should see "Tyto Ecology[1.13]" selected in your Library meaning that you're on the 1.13 Steam beta branch! Be sure to stay on 1.13 until we release it live.
3). What to look for when you're in game!
Place down new species: sunflower from the Great Plains and clouded leopard in the Himalayan Forest!
Check your biodome and see if your milkweed are gone from your ecosystem.
Check out your other biodomes and see if our loads have improved.
Play the game as you normally would. Just tell us if you encounter crashes or bugs, especially around saving, on this post. We'll be keeping an eye out!
How to backup my save files?
Here's some instructions in case you want to save a back up your save file. There is a small chance testing this beta will break something, so we highly recommend this.
1). Locate your save file. Both Windows and Mac locations are different, so I'll list them both here.
Windows directory:
C:->users-> [Your Account Name] -> AppData -> Local-> Tyto Ecology
The AppData Folder is hidden by default, so you'll have to enable viewing hidden options.
You can do this by selecting the view tab located at the top of your window then turning on the "Hidden items" checkbox.
Mac directory:
In your finder, click on "Go" on the top bar and hold down your option key to reveal the hidden folder, and then click on the Library Folder. Then go to application support -> Epic -> Tyto Ecology
2). Compress the Tyto Ecology folder through .zip, 7zip, or by right clicking and sending to a compressed file. If you're not comfortable compressing the folder to create a backup, then you can choose to copy and paste the "Tyto Ecology" Folder somewhere else where you'll remember it.
How do I restore back my old save file?
Should your save files become corrupted while trying to help us test, this is how to get your saves back, assuming you created a backup as instructed above in this post.
1). Leave the Tyto Ecology 1.13 and go back to the live Tyto Ecology. You can do this by going to the drop down list under the "BETAS" tab in the game's property window. Select none and then close the properties window and you should now be back to the normal game. You can confirm this by making sure that in your library it just says "Tyto Ecology" rather than "Tyto Ecology[1.13]"
2). Go to your directory save file. First make sure that you have your old save files with you. Then delete the Tyto Ecology folder. DO NOT delete your old save files which might be zipped up or in another folder you placed. Afterwards, either unzip or copy and paste your old save file in the same place you deleted the Tyto Ecology folder.
3). Now if you play again, you should have your old save files back!
Alaskan Tundra DLC Now Available + Steam Winter Sale!
We know you all have been waiting, and the Alaskan Tundra DLC is now live!
The Alaskan tundra is a harsh landscape with short summers and long, freezing winters. Most plants grow very low to the ground to withstand high winds, and many animals have white coats to blend in with snow during the wintertime. Despite its unforgiving climate, the tundra is still home to a wide variety of flora and fauna.
http://store.steampowered.com//app/571960
Steam Winter Sale!
We are also participating in Steam's Winter Sale, with Tyto Ecology base game and Himalayas 50% off, our largest ever discount. Alaskan Tundra is also 30% off, larger than our normal launch discount to go along with the Winter Sale!
Alaskan Tundra
List of Consumers
Arctic Fox
Arctic Ground Squirrel
Arctic Hare
Arctic Wolf
Lemming
Lynx
Polar Bear
Caribou
Wolverine
Grizzly Bear
Moose
Ermine
Arctic Bumblebee
List of Producers
Cottongrass
Bearberry
Caribou Moss
Diamondleaf Willow
Pasque Flower
Purple Saxifrage
Tufted Saxifrage
Field Horsetail
White Spruce
List of Decomposers <*>Jewel Lichen
<*>Caribou Moss
The decomposers also have access to the Mushrooms, of course, so there are plenty of choices!
