

Battle against opposing colonies, huge insects and other critters Toggling behaviours efficiently can reduce losses, speed up victory and ultimately turn the tide of battle against a superior foe in your favour. For example, passive workers can collect food even when enemies are nearby, while specialised soldiers can be instructed to ignore food, running straight toward battle. You can also assign specific behaviours to your groups. Command your army with pheromone markersĪnts can be assigned to groups and controlled by placing pheromone markers: They head towards their marker gathering resources or fighting enemies they meet along the way. Eggs and food need to flow freely throughout the nest, and soldiers should be able to reach the front lines quickly, so planning out highways and connecting corridors is key to overall colony efficiency. Excavate and construct a nest to your designĬommand your worker ants to excavate the earth to your exact specifications. You can upgrade them by playing one-off missions, sometimes with your home colony and sometimes with other ant species.Set in the world of ants, Empires of the Undergrowth is a real-time strategy with extensive nest building and management features: Control armies of ants in battle against rival colonies, dangerous insects and other critters while autonomous workers respond to your high-level commands to maintain nest operations below ground.

The primary game mode in early access is Formicarium, where you take ownership of a home colony of unique DNA-harvesting ants as they work to assimilate the desirable traits of their foes. Missions are narrated from the perspective of a documentary film maker studying the ants, who offers intelligent insight into the goings-on of the colony and the undergrowth beyond. Nest design, army size, composition and attack timing are key to securing victory. On the surface, the ants claim territory, gather resources, overwhelm fearsome arachnids and clash with other colonies. The player excavates their nest underground, constructing tunnels and chambers to store food and raise brood. The workers will need to be vigilant."Įmpires of the Undergrowth is an ant colony management game, in a fast-paced real-time strategy style. Their priority now is to find food, and there is plenty around but there are other hungry creatures in the undergrowth. Her first brood will need to move quickly if the colony is to survive. "Your queen has set up home beneath a rotting log.
