Hello Keepers!
We've got some exciting news for you today - there is now an open beta available for Horticular's 1.1 Update!
This first update has a huge focus on how you build and manage habitats, and incorporates a lot of the feedback we saw from you, our wonderful community, following the game's launch.
Shall we take a closer look at what you can expect in Update 1.1 before we dive into how to get involved with the beta? Let's!
Habitat Rework
We've had a bit of a habitat overhaul in this latest version of Horticular, based on some of the feedback we saw around the way they worked at launch. Now, habitats will still spawn as per the whim of the creature in question, but they no longer automatically move around when a habitat is destroyed. You will be offered a replacement habitat in your garden, but you'll be required to move the creature in question yourself, allowing you more control over where your inhabitants end up.
Your creatures will also let you know much earlier on if they're unhappy with their habitat, giving you more time to fix it!
Aside from the above changes, we've also reworked habitat borders, allowing you to clearly see where a creature has come from when it's selected, as well as clear colour differentiations for uninhabited, inhabited, and poor habitats. This should make it easier than ever to ensure your habitats are keeping your creatures happy!
UI Updates
You'll now be able to utilise a new large Interface Size when playing Horticular - this will be the default setting for those of you playing on Steam Deck, and we've reoptimised the mod browser and tutorial page layouts to better accommodate the new option.
We've also incorporated a new zoom level for the camera during gameplay, so there's one additional zoomed-out view prior to the map overview, which should make planning out your garden a little easier.
Joining the beta
There are tonnes more quality of life changes coming in Update 1.1 - see the full changelog below for more details!
However, if you're ready to jump straight in and join the beta for this update, here's what you need to do:
1. Make sure to save and backup your current game!
2. Right-click on Horticular in your Steam library and select 'properties' from the dropdown menu.
3. In the pop up box that appears, select 'betas' on the left, then select the 'test' beta from the dropdown under Beta Participation.
4. That's it! Once your game has updated, you're ready to play!
Full Changelog
Habitat/Creature changes:
- Creatures don't automatically move around anymore but instead stick to their assigned habitat, allowing you to fix whatever problems it has without having to figure out where the creature lived before. Poor habitats may get overlapping alternative habitats that the player may choose to move their creature to.
- The habitat tool now allows you to create overlapping habiats so you can move existing creatures. Note that overlapping habitats automatically have 0% quality, so it isn't a good long-term strategy.
- The habitat guide marker has been visually merged with the habitat overlay. Gone is having two habitat UIs at the same time. Additionally, hovering a habitat with the overlay active displays the same info as the habitat marker.
- Placing the habitat guide on an existing habitat center now marks it for constant tracking regardless of which species you have selected.
- You can now unhome creatures from their habitat using the action wheel.
- You can now send creatures away from the garden using the action wheel.
- New curious creature block item available from the nectar store.
- New curious creature speed-up item available from the nectar store.
- Species/Habitat tracker has gotten a visual overhaul.
- Holding a creature now always shows its habitat details in the habitat tracker.
- Homeless creatures (or those with poor habitats) now report their unhappiness much earlier to give more time to fix the situation.
- Creatures now get unhappiness damage slower on easier difficulty levels.
- There is now sticky icons over inhabitants of hovered or marked habitats to quicker see which creatures live there.
- Creature thoughts now are more dynamic and have additional contextual lines that can be said.
Steam deck changes:
- Added more UI sizes, specifically ones that make the UI bigger. The largest one is now the default for Steam Deck.
- Added glyphs for more game controller vendors, including Steam Deck ones that are automatically selected.
Other changes:
- Interaction prompts have bespoke text now instead of just "Interact".
- Interaction prompts now show what holding the button will do.
- Gameplay camera now has a new zoom level just before the overview.
- Added a paused indicator.
- Upkeep and other expenses now have minus signs for clarity.
- Tool icons have been overhauled.
- UI should be more stable, especially on lower framerates.
- Surface selector now has a scroll bar (hello modders!).
- Mod browser has been polished and now show better numbers for each mod.
- Tooltips now have a high contrast background.
- Tutorial menu option shows how many tutorials have been unlocked.
- Setting to disable screen shake.
- Setting to adjust speech audio level.
- Tutorial UI streamlined to conserve space.
Bug fixes:
- Keepers could get into a state where the next one would take a long time to spawn.
- Signpost text wasn't transferred when the signpost was moved.
- Hortic Day competitors could get a score over 9999.
- Oak tree had 0 height.
- Sick creatures wasn't green.
- Pets insta-healed sick creatures.
- Watermelon can't go on raised beds.
- Barrier prevents flying creatures from traveling home.
- Crash when opening the mail archive and having no mail yet.
Known issues:
- NOT ALL OF THE GAME SUPPORTS LARGE UI MODES YET!!! Feel free to try the feature but you won't likely play on much larger than 100%.
- Some tutorials are off/outdated. In particular a couple of gamepad ones.
- Leaf litter allows moving items anywhere.
- Photo mode as issues with AZERTY keyboards.
- Magic cave is too rare.
- You get a dig tool guide when opening any tool for the first time.