The Sapling is a short simulation game where you design your own plants and animals, and put them in a world together. Or you turn on random mutations, and see what evolution does to your ecosystem!
Changes to temperature on your planet:
* Added the option to add a ring around your planet, making the equator (below the shadow) colder
* Seasonal temperature changes are now way less extreme near the equator, giving plants a 'safe haven' to evolve
Temperature related fixes:
* Fixed that plants using wind pollination weren't aware of the temperature (which allowed them to grow in very cold and hot places)
* Fixed that some seed types (like the ones sticking to fur) weren't aware of their temperature limitions (which allowed them to grow in very cold and hot places)
Instinct fixes:
* In the instinct editor, dropdowns no longer disappear when you move the cursor down too slowly
* In the instinct editor, dropdowns now disappear when you click anywhere next to them
* Prevent mutating animal cries if the animal can't make any sounds
* Prevented instinct mutation from mixing up various instinct options ('if you [feel] food' instead of 'if you see food')
* Slower animals can now also use 'go towards' instincts again
* Fixed a problem where algae 'forgot' their colors in the underlying simulation (still visible), which stopped color seeing instincts from working
* Added a missed mechanic where colors of other animals couldn't be detected underwater
Fixes to statistics:
* I still haven't been able to fix the problem with negative population counts, so I've now added a workaround that counts all organisms from scratch every now and then. Negative species are still possible, but they should be less common now.
* You can now click the 'info' button for the species detail view for aquatic animals
* In the species detail view, the death causes now have a smaller font, so you can read the full description
* There now is a 'poisoned' death cause
* There now is a 'ground too soft' death cause
* In the timejump statistics, a species is only counted as 'terrestrial' if it ALSO breathes air (in addition to being able to move on land)
Small UI fixes:
* Made the intro sequence background fitting on larger screens
* Decreased the font size of the time jump notifiction 'prebuilding frequent species', so it fits on one line
Misc:
* Fixed black eyeballs for eyes on stalks
* Fruits can no longer mutate into illegal shapes, causing the game to crash
* Decreased wind strength in mountain level
I often forget to read comments below release notes, so if you have questions or bug reports, feel free to reach out via the Steam forums or thesaplinggame@gmail.com.