Gridworld v1.30 is live!

I’m proud to announce version 1.30, the biggest update yet.

This release brings stability and UI improvements, along with major new or improved simulation mechanics: digestion, toxins, multicellularity, webs, and more.

Core Changes

Introduction of digestion.

Creatures now digest food instead of instantly converting it to energy. Digestion is specialized per food type, making it harder to switch between herbivore and carnivore diets. This adds ecosystem complexity, punishes omnivores, and greatly increases the chance of predator–prey splits, which in turn leads to co-evolution between predator and prey.

Toxins Rework

Toxins now disrupt neural signals instead of causing damage. They’re divided into two categories:

• Poison: stored for defense.

• Venom: injected into targets, or emitted on tiles.

Multicellular Mechanics Rework

Previous experiments with chains, muscles, and groups didn’t work as hoped. v1.30 introduces a unified system: creatures can now connect, lock rotation, and move as one. Predators use this to immobilize prey, and temporary multicellular organisms now emerge much more often.

Webs

Creatures can now place sticky webs to trap prey or defend themselves.

Slimes

Creatures can produce slime as a defense mechanism, slowing down others.

Neuron Changes

Many new neuron types have been added, while others that didn’t work as expected have been removed or reworked.

DNA Improvements

Simplified DNA by removing mechanics that did not work as intended such as switches and neural ranges.

Pheromones Rework

Pheromones now remain on a creature instead of being emitted.

Stability

• Faster saving and loading

• Significantly fewer crashes

Graphics

• Better looking symbols with more detail

• Cleaner, more readable UI

Menus

• New microscope windows to inspect creature properties:

  • Diet and food preference

  • Toxins and poison

Store & Trailer

• The Steam store page has been fully updated with new gifs and text

• A brand new trailer has been created to showcase the game in its current state.

Under the hood

Many technical changes have been made that improve the game in many ways.

Save Compatibility

Old worlds and creatures are not compatible with v1.30 due to the extensive core changes.

Please start fresh with new worlds to experience the update as intended.

Other Improvements

• Countless small bug fixes

• Many additional tweaks and refinements

Gridworld v1.30 is live now with a 20% launch discount.

Thanks for your support over the years. I hope you enjoy v1.30