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Steam News25 June 20269d ago

v0.4.1: New tools and controls!

v0.4.1: Improved controls (need testing): Selections can now be filtered via the inspector Right-click sets a waypoint for your selected cells to follow, up to 128 cells per order Waypoint orders persist when selection

Full notes

Full Substrate: Emergence update

Read the full published notes in a cleaner layout. The original post stays linked below.

What changed

1 fix11 additions7 changes2 removals
  • Gameplay
  • Server
  • Balance
  • Fixes
  • Performance
  • UI and audio
changedImproved controls (need testing):
addedSelections can now be filtered via the inspector
changedApoptose order moved to Delete (rebindable)
addedShift + select adds to selection, ctrl + select removes (works with box select)
addedalt + left-click dettaches plasmodia from their network, reattaches them to a nearby network, or makes them grow a new network depending on the context
addedAdded automatic strain naming:

Substrate: Emergence changes

changedImproved controls (need testing):
addedSelections can now be filtered via the inspector
changedApoptose order moved to Delete (rebindable)
addedShift + select adds to selection, ctrl + select removes (works with box select)
addedalt + left-click dettaches plasmodia from their network, reattaches them to a nearby network, or makes them grow a new network depending on the context

v0.4.1:

  • Improved controls (need testing):

  • Selections can now be filtered via the inspector

  • Right-click sets a waypoint for your selected cells to follow, up to 128 cells per order

  • Waypoint orders persist when selection changes

  • Apoptose order moved to Delete (rebindable)

  • Shift + select adds to selection, ctrl + select removes (works with box select)

  • alt + left-click dettaches plasmodia from their network, reattaches them to a nearby network, or makes them grow a new network depending on the context

  • double-click now works on plasmodia too, forcing them to spend energy to grow faster

  • Added automatic strain naming:

  • Tag distinct genes. Defaults to one gene, but more can be added. Preferences should persist

  • Customize shorthand for genes in the glossary

  • M and E now confirm, so double tap either to quickly register/preserve cells from new strains

  • Improved lineage trees and strain registry (Note: might cause weirdness on old saves)

  • Archetypes (ciliate, plasmodia, flagellate, etc.) consistently transfer to offspring

  • User-authored archetypes persist across labs and appear on the new culture preview

  • Delete now works on archetype tabs too

  • Added per-culture lineage trees (opened with O by default) that automatically register all strains in that culture (needs more testing)

  • Strain registry (opened with Y by default) now can sort cells by traits

  • Experimenting with new GLOBAL culture option "Dense Expanse" replaces the petri dish ring with an endless field of dense substrate

  • Experimenting with damage source rework: Digestive enzymes, caustic cilia/flagella, and other damage sources now have a pH which is mutable and seeded by the cell's own pH tolerance. Damage only applies when a target cell has a mismatched pH tolerance. This prevents friendly fire across strain that share pH tolerances, which also should reinforces pH niches

  • Cryobank now allows cells of the same strain to be stacked

  • Implemented fix for specimens being lost from the cryobank when starting new culture, needs testing

  • Fixed mutagen so it's more consistent. Global mutagen now both increases mutation rates and their magnitude, and the particle's effect builds up on cells when they come into contact with it and passes the effect on to their offspring

  • Further work to improve the acidic bias expressed in cultures has slowed the bias ramp down, but there is still a general bias towards acidification. This is particularly noticeable in small and unmaintained cultures

  • Improved flagella colors

  • Improved stability of digestive enzymes so they should appear more often

  • Improved bug reporting: bug report button now automatically zips the active save files and logs into a single zip for easy sharing

  • Reduced UI fuzziness for hex button labels

  • Removed O as the default keybinding for toggling the objective HUD, replaced with the per-culture lineage trees. This function caused confusion so it is no longer bound to any key

  • Amoeba sorta work now but they are still VERY WIP and janky abominations... be warned

  • Removed experimental "lineage control mode"

  • Minor visual tweaks

Source

Steam News / 25 June 2026

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