We're not far from concluding the beta testing for this upcoming large update - with this patch we are re-activating the campaign mode with the entirely new movement code. If any of you in the optional beta feel like starting a new campaign run, now is the time, and report back any issues to us!
It's not too late to join in the optional beta if you would like.
NOTE: The beta will only run on Windows. Once we've finished the beta period Mac and Linux will get the full finished update.
To access the beta, follow the below steps:By doing so, you are acknowledging that this is a beta and things are not in their finished state.
- Find Empires of the Undergrowth in your Steam library, right-click on it and choose "Properties"
- Choose the "Betas" tab
- In the box titled "Enter beta access code to unlock private betas", enter christmasants
- After the "Access code correct" information appears, make sure you've chosen "openbeta" from the "Select the beta you would like to opt into" drop-down menu
- Press close - the game will now update to the beta branch.
We have renamed “Formicarium” to “Story” as we feel it points better to where a player should start. Some content and settings have been added to the story. Additionally, there are a load of fixes added, some projectile optimisations and some substantial balance changes to ubers and AOE attacks.
New Content
- Challenge mode added for levels 3.1 and 3.2 - Phorid Flies!
- Avoid leaf patches infested with these critters; they will inject their eggs into the heads of your ants causing 2 minutes of reduced stats followed by inevitable death
- All ants have a chance of fighting off the flies when they are attacked, but level 3 mediae and majors have a 100% chance to fight them off. A successful defence will cause the fly to leave
- Difficulty settings added for formicarium challenge levels 1 and 2. You can now take these on in easier difficulties… or harder if you feel you were not punished enough!
Balance Changes
- Damage falloff implemented for some area of effect abilities doing less damage the further away from the epicentre of the attack the creature is (reaching zero at the very edge)
- Implemented on level 3 wood ant mortar attacks
- Implemented on all uber basic attacks
- Implemented on some whip spider attacks
- All Uber creatures have been rebalanced and should now be possible to take on with any colony
- All have had their damage, health and resistances reduced
- Hermit crab, beach tiger beetle and devil's coach horse ubers scaled down to be defeatable by a very large black ant army
- Beach wolf spider uber rebalanced to be strong against leafcutter majors but weak to larger armies of lower powered units (no AOE damage on main attack, very strong single target damage) also given high venom resist
- Jumping spider uber is now very dangerous to wood ants (very high venom resistance, ability that deals enough damage in an area to one-hit kill them)
- Spiny devil uber is now strong against black ants and other low health melee
- Whip spider uber is now strong against wood ants (high venom resist, strong, midrange attacked tuned to do well against them)
- Praying mantis uber is now strong against majors, weak to black ants and medium to wood ants
- Black ants now have all AOE damage dealt to them that they are not at the epicentre of reduced by 20% (new stat AOE damage resistance)
Optimisations
- Projectiles have seen significant optimisations and are now handled differently (this should be most noticeable with rapid fire wood ants)
- Projectiles visuals tweaked
Bug Fixes
- Fixed an issue where the player's ants could appear red on the surface minimap with fog of war turned on
- Fixed some visual issues in Crucible
- Alleviated some flickering shading issues
- Eaten creatures not part of a colony will now correctly disappear the moment they are eaten
- Battle arena now only removes creatures that are not in combat
- Uber whip spider now moves properly
- Fixed an issue with projectiles that could cause the explosion to veer to the bottom right
- Woodlouse is no longer in the floor
- Removed an unneeded sound from various rove beetle sprays
- Moved a food item out of the wall in Embankment
- ixed an issue where items dropped inside another undug tile were removed (they are now repositioned onto a dug out tile)
- Fixed an issue where a jumping spider that is killed mid jump would continue to be attacked even after its death
- Trap jaw walking animation should now better follow its movement
- Fixed an issue where rove beetle type B and its larvae would be switched around in tick boxes in freeplay advanced creature settings
- Fixed an issue where marker paths could go past the marker and loop back
- Fixed an issue where marker path arrows were pointing the wrong direction
- Fixed an issue where dead minims refuse model was blocking mouse tile interactions
- Photo mode is forced off when the menu opens to prevent confusion with it unpausing the game
- Seeds will no longer land part way up the stem on poppy plants
- Ubers will no longer ignore the nest invasion setting in freeplay setup
- Woodworm will no longer float