The Sapling

Devlog

• This is what happens if you run The Sapling for 7 days straight
  November 15, 2021 by Wessel Stoop

  1

  By popular request, I did another Twitch stream following the release of the Fight & Flight update; this is a summary of the most important things that happened... Continue reading
• Video devlog 6/6: How I hid the same melody EVERYWHERE in the game's music
  September 01, 2021 by Wessel Stoop

  2

  In this sixth and final devlog for the Fight & Flight update explain how there is one piece of music in the Sapling that is reused everywhere... Continue reading

  
• The Fight & Flight update is live!
  June 15, 2021 by Wessel Stoop

  2

  #simulation, #evolution, #god game, #unity3d, #graphics, #blender3d, #sandbox, #sim game, #procedural generation, #indie game, #random mutations, #ecosystem, #flying, #wings, #stripes, #spots, #fur, #feathers, #eggs, #devlog, #spore

  Today the Fight & Flight update is available for evolution simulation game The Sapling. This second big update extends the game with eggs, fur, feathers, family trees, an extended combat system, glidi... Continue reading

  
• Video devlog 5/6: designing hot and cool scenarios
  June 08, 2021 by Wessel Stoop

  1

  This fifth devlog introduces two new scenarios, to gradually teach the player about all new complexity and minimize frustration and boredom, and showcases the new family tree and soil editing features... Continue reading
• Video devlog 4/6: so you guys wanted flying animals?
  May 26, 2021 by Wessel Stoop

  1

  This fourth devlog introduces something that has been requested numerous times: flight. The community already knew this, because despite me painstakingly blurring all spoilers in previous devlogs, I m... Continue reading

  
• Video devlog 3/6: small carnivores can now eat the eggs of giant herbivores
  May 19, 2021 by Wessel Stoop

  1

  In this third devlog a lot of related new features are introduced, allowing for a lot more niches and richer ecosystems:... Continue reading

  
• Video devlog 2/6: procedural walking from scratch
  May 18, 2021 by Wessel Stoop

  1

  A lot of dev, not so much log this time :). I was so unhappy with the old simple walking system that I completely rebuilt it from the ground up. This new system responds to its environment and gives m... Continue reading

  
• Announcing the next big update in a series of 6 devlogs on Youtube!
  May 05, 2021 by Wessel Stoop

  1

  #simulation, #evolution, #god game, #unity3d, #graphics, #blender3d, #modeling

  The next big update to indie evolution sim The Sapling is planned for June 15. The new feature set will gradually be revealed in the form of 6 weekly devlogs, starting today. This first week, temperat... Continue reading
• Blender modeling timelapses for the flower update
  December 01, 2020 by Wessel Stoop

  1

  #timelapse, #modeling, #blender, #blender3d, #low poly, #sandbox game, #god game, #sim, #evolution

  During the development of the flower update, I had to learn a ton of new 3D modeling techniques in a short amount of time. Here's a showcase of what I learned:... Continue reading

  
• Optimization: what I did to make the game 300 times faster
  November 03, 2020 by Wessel Stoop

  2

  A major point of feedback for evolution simulator The Sapling is that the players wanted larger levels. To make this possible, I spent three months optimizing the underlying game engine. This article... Continue reading

  
• Running The Sapling for 7 days straight: this is what happened
  October 06, 2020 by Wessel Stoop

  1

  #sandbox, #evolution, #sim, #simulation, #god game, #indie, #wessel stoop, #relaxing, #ambient, #spore, #twitch, #live stream, #procedural generation, #global warming

  To celebrate the release of the flower update of The Sapling, there was a 1 week live stream of the game on Twitch in the beginning of September. I have now created a video that summarizes and explain... Continue reading

  
• The flower update
  August 13, 2020 by Wessel Stoop#unity3d, #simulation, #evolution, #god game, #update, #solo dev, #indiegame, #flowers, #bioluminescence, #pollination, #sandbox, #procedural, #life, #god, #spore, #trailer

  Today the first big update for evolution simulation game The Sapling is announced: the flower update. It will release September 10th, and will extend the indie sim with major new functionality. A very... Continue reading

  
• Interactive breakdown of the visual style of The Sapling
  February 13, 2020 by Wessel Stoop

  2

  #unity3d, #interactive, #breakdown, #tutorial, #simulation, #evolution, #post processing, #graphics

  W riting game code and creating game graphics are two fundamentally different beasts, and what is fun about them is very different. Programming has the clear advantage when I'm inspired by another gam... Continue reading

  
• Under the hood of the procedural music in The Sapling
  January 12, 2020 by Wessel Stoop

  2

  #procedural music, #music, #soundtrack, #game music, #relaxing, #ambient, #ambient music, #sandbox, #evolution, #simulation, #sim, #god game, #indie, #wessel stoop

  The arrow button above plays a short excerpt of what the music in The Sapling sounds like. I hesitated a long time before I settled on this musical style. Normally, I prefer memorable, hummable melodi... Continue reading

  
• How player content works in The Sapling
  November 21, 2019 by Wessel Stoop

  The Sapling was built from the ground up with community interaction in mind. This interaction goes both ways: players can take stuff generated by or for the game, and use it in their own creations, or... Continue reading

  
• The Sapling main theme music available
  November 14, 2019 by Wessel Stoop

  1

  #the sapling, #wessel stoop, #simulation, #theme music, #cover, #mashup, #remix

  Today, the main theme of The Sapling was officially released on SoundCloud. It's an attempt to mix an ambient music like sound with a recognizable melody - and if you listen carefully, you will indeed... Continue reading