Empires of the Undergrowth - Release & COMPETITION!

[Jubal]

Our friends at Slug Disco have released Empires of the Undergrowth to early access! It's a fantastic game, and we're extremely excited to see it get out of the next. Empires is an RTS about ants - building your colony, fighting over resources and food, and constructing a true Empire of the Undegrowth. Ants, spiders, larvae, and a whole host of other critters have been meticulously researched and lovingly rendered to make a game that is solidly grounded in the natural world it portrays whilst still offering smart, pacy, effective gameplay. Mechanics, including controlling ants via scent trails, have been selected carefully to mimic the systems of real ant colonies, adding to the immersive experience. From the regular struggles to get food and produce workers, to the high drama of avoiding predators or threats to the colony's queen, there's a lot of fun to be had - you can discover more about the game at the links below!

Find it on Steam

Discuss it on Exilian

Visit the website

Imperators of the Undergrowth Competition!

But the news gets better than that, because we've got three copies of EotU to GIVE AWAY - and so we're having a competition!

The idea is very simple: we want you to tell us about your favourite invertebrate in 300 words or less. Why do you like it? What's it's ecology, history, mythology? What drew you to it in the first place? Whether you're an ant aficionado, a flatworm fan or a dragonfly devotee, this is the contest for you! Beyond that the subject should be an invertebrate animal, there's no particular rules; we're mostly expecting people to discuss their favourite species, but individual creatures or subspecies are fine too! Ideally avoid writing about a very generic group like "crabs" or "spiders" - if you have a particular kind of invertebrate in mind but aren't sure what it's formally called, try posting in this thread or making a new thread in Exilian's Great Library forum and people can help you identify it!

Which species' will be crowned as Exilian's Imperators of the Undergrowth? Take part and find out!

To enter, just go through the following steps:

• Write up to 300 words on your favourite invertebrate!
• Message your entry to me (Jubal) via the Exilian messaging system. Do not post the full entry publicly!
• Post a reply to this post to say/confirm you've entered. Entries must do this to qualify.

The closing time for entries is 23:59 on Dec 30. Up to three winners will each receive one steam key for Empires of the Undergrowth, based on the judges' ratings of the different competition entries. The number of keys released will depend on the number of entries - a second key will be released if we hit 12 entries, and the third released if we hit 24.

The Judges

Dr. Helen Smith
A scientist and conservationist, Dr. Smith is a leading expert on the rare fen raft spider, Dolomedes plantarius, which is one of the largest native UK species and a powerful semi-aquatic hunter. She's a former president of the British Arachnological Society, was a co-author of the bestselling Britain's Spiders: A Field Guide, and of On The Margins, a book that delves deep into the private lives of raft spiders accompanied by art pieces by co-creator Sheila Tilmouth that represent aspects of their life on the water's edge.

Chris Cathrine
Founder and director of Caledonian Conservation, Chris Cathrine is a Scottish ecologist with a wide range of species interests. A member of the Chartered Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management and a fellow of the Linnean and Royal Entomological societies, his expertise and published articles range from habitat management to grass snake populations, and surveying animal populations from spiders to bats and birds.


We'll be announcing more about other members of our panel of judges soon.

Feel free to comment here with any questions about the rules - and good luck as you make your way into the undergrowth!

[BitGamerX]

My entry has been submitted. I had fun writing about my favorite Blattodea.

[Jubal]

Thanks for submitting it, and welcome to Exilian!

EDIT: Update - moved the closing date forward to Dec 30, and clarified the rules on how many keys we'll release at different levels/numbers of entries.

[awinner]

I have entered the competition.

[Jubal]

Thankyou - entry recieved!

[Stonelesscutter]

Hi Jubal, I have submitted my entry.

[Big_McLargehuge]

Hello Jubal!  I've entered into this contest!

[Jubal]

Thanks guys, entries received!

[Stonelesscutter]

May the best three win!

[Jubal]

Yes, entries are now closed!

@Stonelesscutter: we've only had four entries, so this rule unfortunately kicks in:

The number of keys released will depend on the number of entries - a second key will be released if we hit 12 entries, and the third released if we hit 24.

We'll be offering the other 2 keys as prizes for things in the near future though I'm sure - we've got this website's tenth anniversary celebrations coming up in March, so the next few months should be pretty busy

[Stonelesscutter]

Yes, entries are now closed!

@Stonelesscutter: we've only had four entries, so this rule unfortunately kicks in:

The number of keys released will depend on the number of entries - a second key will be released if we hit 12 entries, and the third released if we hit 24.

We'll be offering the other 2 keys as prizes for things in the near future though I'm sure - we've got this website's tenth anniversary celebrations coming up in March, so the next few months should be pretty busy

Darnit, now I only have a 25% chance of winning instead of 75%. Keeping everything crossed.

[Jubal]

Had the scores back from one judge now, waiting for the other

[Stonelesscutter]

Had the scores back from one judge now, waiting for the other

So how's things with the other judge?

[Jubal]

Sorted, the results were announced here:
https://exilian.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=5495.0

We are now having another competition with two more copies of EotU (and other prizes) to give away, and you can check that out here: https://exilian.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=5553.0