Update 0.1.1 is our first update since launch, and it's a big one. Based on what we learned from Early Access and player feedback, we've rebuilt the foundation of HYPHAE, and almost everything you know works differently now.
Instead of placing shapes, you now paint your roots exactly where you want them to grow. Roots cost nothing but time, they harvest resources from the ground, and enemies must walk around them or chew through them. Towers are now a permanent investment, and you can join the fight yourself with a new root attack. Your new goal is to grow the seeds the mothership sends down, and growing them all awakens the stage boss. The crater itself has changed too, and it's no longer the flat field you landed on.
And the nest is awake. Three new creatures rise from the crater, including the Isopod Boss.
To make room for all this, some features have been removed or temporarily disabled, including Stage 2, artifacts and boons. You’ll find what’s coming back, and what’s coming next, at the bottom of these notes.
Added
Root attack
You no longer have to leave all the fighting to your towers. Click an enemy near your roots (LMB), and a root tendril lashes out to strike it.
New creatures
Three new creatures have joined the first stage:
Isopod Ranged attacks your core from a distance.
Isopod Special is slow, but takes a lot to bring down.
Isopod Boss awakens once you've grown all the seeds.
A new crater
The crater is no longer a flat, round field. The ground now has a shape of its own, with terrain you have to grow around and openings that decide where enemies can reach you.
Changed
Root growing
Roots are now painted instead of placed as shapes.
Hold RMB and drag to paint where your roots should grow. Time slows down while you paint.
Release RMB to confirm, and your roots start growing.
Press C to cancel growth and plan a new route.
Growing roots costs nothing but time. You can run one growth operation at a time.
Roots as walls
Enemies can no longer walk over your roots. They must go around them or chew through them. If enemies cut through your network, the severed section starts to decay, but you can save it by reconnecting it with new roots.
Towers
Towers no longer wither over time. They are now a one-time investment.
Press 1 to pick a tower, then place it on your roots with LMB.
Press RMB to cancel placement.
Resources
The core no longer generates resources on its own. Each ground tile holds a small amount of resources, and your roots slowly harvest it.
Objective
Your new goal is to grow seeds sent down by the mothership. Reach them with your roots and protect them while they grow, because enemies will try to stop you. Growing all the seeds awakens the stage boss.
Enemies
Some enemies head straight for your core. Others want to reclaim their land and go after your roots. Take them out before they sever your network.
Learning the game
The old tutorial has been removed. Cursor icons and the HUD now show what you can do, and roots change color when they take damage. We want HYPHAE to be intuitive enough without a tutorial. If it isn't, we'll bring one back.
Removed / Disabled
Outposts have been removed. They functioned as an extension of the core – and were meant as the thing to protect in the next region. That role will be filled in a different manner.
The shotgun tower has been removed. We're preparing a major tower update, so the standard tower is the only one for now.
Artifacts and boons are temporarily disabled while we rework how upgrades work. They'll return in a future update.
Artifact trials have been removed. The purpose was to introduce a new mechanic in Stage 2 for receiving boons. The role is being replaced by seeds in a future update.
Stage 2 (Slug Dominion) is temporarily removed until the game's foundation is improved. That involves improving core features before adding more stages.
What's next
More to come for the foundation
We're continuing to improve how roots grow, how you gather resources, and how you build your defenses.
The return of Stage 2
Featuring:
A new map: Slug Dominion
Creatures: Slug Melee, Slug Ranged, Slug Special and Slug King
A new spawner
The Slug King's neck finally stays in place (fixed issue with its rig)
Meta progression
Upgrade your seed in the mothership before launching it toward the planet. This is where you'll unlock permanent upgrades between runs.
Tower modification
Defeat bosses to earn Boss Parts, a new resource.
Unlock 2 new towers made of 6 parts: new caps, stems and spores.
Mix and match parts to change how your towers look and behave.
We're also working on bringing back in-run upgrades!