Hi Universe Architects,

In March, the Cells team spent a week at the Game Developers Conference (GDC) in San Francisco. There was a lot of prep work involved as we wrapped up our schedules to prepare and showcase our game with other fellow game developers. Things were quiet in the forefront, but we’ve been busy in the backend working on some new upcoming content and features, including Beyond episodes. We hope players enjoyed our April Fool's post. Big changes to the game are also on the way.

For this dev diary, we wanted to talk about the future of multiplayer. In our last livestream and in past patch notes, we’ve alluded to the challenges of developing multiplayer features. It was our first time as a development team to tackle multiplayer and we’ve learned a lot along the way. To recap, we developed a new competitive leaderboard system for the Explore Events called the Research Race. This feature grouped players based on their progress and time started in the Explore Events up to a total of fifteen players per group. Each group would compete for first, second and third place and win prizes respectively. While the Research Race provided a fun and new way to play our events, it did leave casual players, who were less interested in the competitive aspect, little chance to win prizes. We also had cheaters who would consistently win the top prizes each round which created an unfair advantage. We did a number of changes over time from fixing technical issues to making the gameplay more fair, such as:

• Adjusting the badge boost bonus to a gradual uplift after gaining 200%.
  
• Players who were known to be cheating were shadow banned from the leaderboard (however, they will appear on the leaderboard if players have marked them as friends in the game).
  
• Time flux purchases were capped in Explore Events.

In the end, we feel that the Research Race was not the right fit for our game or the right environment we want to create. And so, multiplayer is evolving.


We will be phasing out the Research Race. We are currently developing a new segmented leaderboard where 1000 players will be playing in a group together. Players will be sorted in segmented groups based on the time they start and their relative progress in achieving objectives. There will be different tiers of achievements that will allow more players to win prizes. For example: Of a 1000 players in a segment, players would compete and could be placed in the top ten percent, top five, top one, etc. The higher the tier, the bigger the prize. The goal for this change is to be able to reward players who do not have as much time or who do not enjoy the competitive aspect in the game. Below is an example of a prototype. It is still a work in progress, the rewards and tiers are not a reflection of the final iteration.

Part of this new segmented leaderboard is in the game. We are collecting data in the background to make sure it works well with our Explore Events. Our beta players have already seen a sneak peek of this feature with a very conspicuous UI button appearing on the right side of their screen. We want to shape this system to be an enjoyable successor to the Research Race.


We also want to expand the multiplayer experience in Cell to Singularity. Another feature we are planning to develop is one where players can collaborate together as a team. It is still early in the planning process, but we are excited to share some of our thoughts with players. This feature will introduce a new branch in Explore Events where players would group up to unlock and purchase new nodes that would enhance the Explore Event's tree. This could range from making the event go faster, gaining more currency, or even earning better prizes.

Teamwork is an inherent part of human evolution, so why not make it a part of Cells? We hope to offer players a new experience outside of competition based on the feedback we’ve received.


Another direction we're considering is shortening the length of Explore Events. We’ve received feedback that Explore Events are difficult to complete within forty hours. If events could be completed faster, a prestige mechanic, similar to the Mesozoic Valley, could be introduced that would allow players to earn more rewards before the end of the event. The extra currency generated from the Explore Events could also be converted into other game currencies. For example: Converting tea leaves from the Tea event into metabits, entropy or even ideas. Shorter events would also benefit casual players by giving them improved chances of completion.

The sky's the limit. We welcome any other ideas and opinions our players may have. Is there a preference over competition or collaboration? Would players enjoy the Explore events with a prestige mechanic? Or something else entirely? Share your thoughts with us in the comments, Discord or email: http://lunch@computerlunch.com


Our latest exciting new event: Explore: Visual Art — The Power of Images concluded its first run on Monday. It was a labor of love and our first event collaboration with Pariah Interactive — a game studio located close by in Brooklyn. We spent time curating art from across human history which culminated into the grand opening of our 3D garden art gallery. To promote the event, we held a Visual Art Contest where art was submitted in three different styles: Dadaism, Cubism and Pop Art. The creativity and variety of the submissions were breathtaking, from human-made art to AI generated work. We announced the winners and honorable mentions in a short chill stream, viewable on YouTube and Reddit. Check it out!

As Stone leads to Bronze, Bronze gives way to Iron. The Iron Age will be making its appearance to the Civilization Garden soon. Marked as the end of the three metal epochs, the Iron age was known as the “classical” period which introduced many cultural achievements and political reform. Watch the rise and fall of great empires with our latest trailer.

The Beyond is still underway as our beta players caught a glimpse of its development last week. We welcome feedback as we continue to polish the next episode. Last but not least, by popular request, we have an updated roadmap for our curious players. Take a look at what’s in store. The future of multiplayer is in the forefront of our minds as we continue to create more content. We’ve also been adjusting the tuning of the main simulation to accommodate new content from the latest Civilization updates.

We want to provide more contests and other fun engaging events to our community. In order to accommodate, moving forward, we will be releasing our dev diary once every three months (once every quarter). Roadmaps will continue to be released two times a year— one at the beginning and another at the end of the year. Livestreams will continue to be bi-monthly, with the next one towards the beginning of May. We will also be multi-streaming on Twitch[www.twitch.tv] and YouTube.

Thank you to all our players who continue to support us. We couldn't have made all this without the greatest game community we could imagine.

Always thankful, stay cellular!
- The Cells Team

Hello Universe Architects!

Welcome to the grand opening of our new exhibition. Launching as the second event of the year, learn what inspired humanity through the ages to create art. A first-ever event collaboration between Computer Lunch x Pariah Interactive, Explore: Visual Art — The Power of Images is ready to play in Cell to Singularity.

Throughout history, humans were inspired to create art using a variety of mediums and tools influenced by their environment. These practices escalated into the growth of various artistic movements.

• The exhibit presents 12 generators and 52 trait nodes that explore the progression of visual art.
  
• Discover popular art movements as history follows artists’ journey from the Renaissance to the Modern Age.
  
• Tap into the power of inspiration by collecting the new event currency: Creativity.
  
• Express yourself through the Paint Palette Quantum Charge to gain more Creativity.

A special art exhibition designed by Computer Lunch and Pariah Interactive is available to view for the first time in the event garden.

• Adorn the white walls with art from various movements in the new art gallery garden.
  
• Use the event's exclusive camera feature to zoom in and take a closer look at every art piece.

Players can kick-start their art collections with three new badges, only available in this exclusive exhibition.

• A Mirror on Reality, Critical Lens and Everyday Artist are prodigious badges to possess.

• View the details of each painting when you click on them in the event garden. We hope you enjoy this special camera feature!

To celebrate the event’s grand opening, we will be holding a ‘Let’s Play’ today on Discord from 11am to 12pm EDT in our official Discord server. Click here[discord.gg] to join the Cells community as we give out Darwinium cubes in the ‘Let’s Play’ chat. Experience the event launch with Computer Lunch devs as we talk about the makings of this event.

This was our first event collaboration with an external game studio: Pariah Interactive, also located in Brooklyn. Outside of this Explore Event, we have been collaborating with them for a while with the Beyond space expansion. Their artist, Stephanie, has done a stellar job in creating the nebulas in our game, and we’re excited to show more of our combined efforts together.

For those who are part of our beta testing program, players were able to gain a sneak peek on various new content we will be releasing soon. We thank all our beta players for their invaluable feedback. Similar to the Visual Art event, humanity will be moving toward a new age. We gave away some information about it in our February livestream.

Time to smelt the ore— the Iron Age update is next in line for release. We hope you’re looking forward to it as we continue shining and polishing this upcoming update.

But for now, let’s stroll through the art gallery together and discover why the power of art is so profound.

Be creative, and stay cellular!
The Cells Team

Hello Universe Architects,

A few preparations and changes have been made to the simulation.

We’re all familiar with the sound you hear when you purchase a node. It’s been the same sound effect since Cells first launched, so we decided it was time to refresh the simulation a bit. We’d love to hear your thoughts on these new sound effects:

• First-time node and generator purchases.
  
• Generator selects and upgrades.
  
• Earning Logits and unlocking Augmentations.
  
• Completing Explore Events missions.
  
• Other miscellaneous sound effects.

For the past couple of months we have been updating the Augmentation Store. For this update we have done another visual update. We have also made it so that when you purchase an artifact in the augmentation store you will get a popup, allowing you to view your purchase in the tree view.

About a month ago we added diminishing returns on badge boosts after gaining 200%. We received some concerns about this change from players and are addressing those with this update. We have adjusted the badge boost diminishing return to be more gradual after the 200% cut-off. Players should see a higher boost for each badge gained as seen below.

The new Visual Art Explore Event is almost here! Get ready to unleash your creative side and discover why visual art is so compelling. Mark your calendars for its release on March 25, 2024 at 11AM EDT.

Keep your eyes peeled on our TikTok[www.tiktok.com] and YouTube next week for the Explore: Visual Art trailer. We’re excited to share what’s in store for this extra special event.

Until then, stay cellular!
- The Cells Team

Hello Universe Architects,

Recently there was a significant change to the boost power of Explore Event badges. We hear all feedback and concerns from players regarding this re-tune, so we're here to provide some extra information about what changes were made, why we made them and how this will affect the game moving forward.


Once a player reaches 200% badge boost in an event, there's now a dimensioning boost that comes with each earned badge. Dimensioning in this case means that after reaching 200% in an event, a badge earning a 10% boost now earns 8%. Then the eventual power of the badges will reduce to less than 1% per badge over time.

Previously players had a total of 300%+ badge boost, which have caused balancing issues as the developers continue adding significant gameplay changes to Explore Events. This brings us to:


There are a couple major reasons why we went ahead with this change.

• We've been continuously working towards making the Research Race more fair for all players. We've received feedback that it isn't fun for new players to play against late game players, in addition to cheaters. This feedback has been in the forefront of our minds when we make important tuning changes that affect the Research Race.
  
  
• Speaking of cheaters— this recent change has, for the most part, mitigated cheaters in the Research Race. Explore Events are designed to take around 40 hours to complete, while cheaters are able to beat an event in less than 15 minutes due to their unusually high badge boosts. In addition to shadow banning and time flux caps, we were hopeful that this change would improve the quality of Research Race against cheaters. There has already been a significant drop in cheater complaints following the change. We are always open to player feedback and we want to continue hearing about your individual player experiences.
  
  
• Explore Events have changed a lot from what they originally were. What's now a core feature in the game was once a bare prototype that left us unsure about its potential success. They were also originally designed without any multiplayer mechanics in mind. As we continue to tune Explore Events with a focus on multiplayer mechanics, it means that other parts of the events will need to be re-tuned in order to accommodate for future changes.

We are currently looking into reducing the dimensioning curve a little for higher level gameplay among other solutions. We are also exploring new multiplayer modes that would be more collaborative and less competitive.

For more information about this, watch our latest livestream that’s now available on YouTube. There we first introduce the team’s thoughts behind the dimensioning badge boosts. We’ll also be sharing even more information about our plans for multiplayer mechanics in our upcoming dev diary.

Thank you for taking the time to read about our internal process regarding the dimensioning badge boosts. Please let us know your thoughts and we look forward to hearing more feedback from players as we continue multiplayer development and Explore Event tuning.

As always, stay cellular!
~ The Cells Team

Hello Universe Architects,

It’s been quite the galactic journey. We’ve seen the natural life cycle of stars, discovered nearly habitable exoplanets, and turned our eyes towards awe-inspiring nebulas.

Beyond E22: When Stars Die showed what happens when a small star fizzles out. But, what occurs when a massive star explodes? It’s time to discover in:


There’s no need to crack out that dusty, old telescope from the attic. Players can get up close and personal with dazzling generators you can now find in the Beyond Garden!

• Get lost in the mists of two originally modeled nebulas: Crab and Carina.
  
• Venture deep within to find their supernova cores: Crab Pulsar and Homunculus Nebula.
  
• Wait… what’s that out in the distance?

A nebula is more than just a stunning cloud of gas. Learn fascinating information about supernova explosions (and how they’re different from massive star belches).

• Collect eight new Enhancement Trait Cards.
  
• Embark on a special Astronomy Mission to discover the dramatic Homunculus Nebula.
  
• Seek the source of the X-rays radiating from Beyond.

The breadcrumbs have been placed. New in-game achievements and constellations are waiting to be found!

• Two unique constellations have come into sight: Carina and Cygnus.
  
• Unlock 10 brand new achievements in the Beyond.

• Small fixes in the Mesozoic Valley, including the Alpha Predator not appearing and fixes to the Archosaur and Archeopteryx audio.
  
• Fixed issue with tutorials replaying in the Beyond.
  
• Fixed issues with Asian fonts missing characters.
  
• Small text fixes for localizations throughout the game.

Our team is incredibly grateful to hear so much positive feedback about this episode from our beta testers. Thank you for your continued playtesting that helps us make each release the best it can be.

Before we sign off, there’s a big ticket item that we want to share with everyone. This month’s livestream is coming up! Tune in on our Twitch channel[www.twitch.tv] next Friday, February 23rd at 1:00 PM EST to get a behind the scenes look at recently released content, the first 2024 roadmap, and more. Lots of fun is in the works, so don’t miss it!

We hope this new episode will make you want to shoot for the stars. Until the next simulation upgrade, stay cellular!

~The Cells Team

Hello Universe Architects,

The first Civilization update of the year has forged its way into the simulation. While there is still plenty of progress to be made, it’s finally the Bronze Age’s time to shine. Join Semblance on the historical journey of when humans traded stone for the beginnings of metal…

Along with the invention of bronze came many other historical milestones, including medicine, the first writing systems, developed warfare tactics, and more. Take a seat and let’s look at how the Bronze Age’s multiple components contributed to human evolution.

Did you know that trephination started in the Stone Age, but was further refined in the Bronze Age? Or that papyrus was also used to make sails, ropes and floor mats? From Cartography to Mummification to Timekeeping, there are plenty of fresh nodes to test your Bronze Age knowledge.

• Unlock nine new Research Nodes that connect to the Bronze Age generator.
  
• Fix the new Glitch Node for 5M Metabits to add Ziggurat of Ur to the simulation!

This once empty section of the Civilization Garden is bustling with activity! Now players can experience the opportunities that bronze provided firsthand.

• Join a busy potter in her outdoor workspace.
  
• Sail a boat around the glorious Hanging Gardens.
  
• Observe the process of papyrus production.
  
• And so much more!

Two new Artifacts in the Augmentation Store are ready for simulation!

• Use Logits to add the Hanging Gardens to the Main Tree and Civilization Garden.
  
• Unlock the Trojan Horse Augmentation with 75 Darwinium cubes.

Classic camera mode is fun and all, but have you ever wanted to see the fruits of your labor from the skies above? Take advantage of Map Mode, a new way to view the Civilization Garden in a fixed isometric state.

• Unlock Map Mode through the Augmentation Store.
  
• Once unlocked, select the compass icon on the left-hand side to activate Map Mode viewing.

• Discover two new secret achievements!
  
• Utilize Nanobots in the Mesozoic Valley!
  
• Re-tuning for the Bronze Age section of the Main Tree. Let us know your feedback!
  
• Whether too low or too high, impossible player times should no longer be part of the Research Race.
  
• Phone notifications can now be turned ON/OFF in the options menu.
  
• Once the Badge boost from Events rises above 200%, each new badge gives diminishing boosts.
  
• Badge boost now displays on player profile cards.
  
• Fixed: Changing game scenes would reset Nanobot cooldown.
  
• Fixed: iPhone 15 Pro Max Dynamic Island cuts into game text.

Civilization: Bronze Age is available to play now on Steam and will be available to all Android and iOS players by Monday, February 5th at 11:59 PM EST.

As players can now set their sights on completing a new age, our team is gearing up for another important release: Beyond E23. We’ve received a lot of excitement about the next Beyond episode, and we look forward to sharing what we have in due time. We don’t want to spoil too much, but we’ll be embarking on another unforgettable journey further into space!

Our latest dev diary entry was also just recently released. If you haven’t caught up on it yet, check it out here: link

Thank you as always for your continued support! We’re excited to explore this next jam-packed year with you.

Stay cellular!
The Cells Team

Happy New Year, Universe Architects!

After an end-of-year break, the Cells team is back at work. Let's recap on what's been released since our last update, and take a peek at what we've been working on now. As always, we rely on your feedback, particularly the feedback of our players who test all the new features of the game before public release. Our beta players play test never before seen content and provide feedback on their experience. As a result, many of the features added in the game are requests from our testers.



We released the first recurring event of the New Year, Explore: Human Body — Anatomy of Life. Based on a topic long requested by players, the event was the first to feature a content warning due to sensitive medical material and trypophobia. While the event was well received overall, we wanted to give players the opportunity to skip the event if they did not feel comfortable. The Human Body event is also the first to strategically feature two interdependent currencies: Deoxygenated and Oxygenated blood, which work in tandem to unlock nodes and generators. Generators purchased with one type of currency can produce the other type, which gave rise to new strategies in this event.

In order to ensure scientific accuracy, we consulted a medical doctor for this event. They made certain that the smallest details were correct from the particulars of the hypodermis to the complex functioning of the lobes in the brain. The pineal gland maintains your circadian rhythm - your sleep cycle - by responding to cues from the presence and absence of blue light in the day and night. Did you know that the blue-ish, green, purple vein popping out of your hand carries deoxygenated blood? For many, this was new information to learn from this event.

The launch of Explore: Human Body — Anatomy of Life was accompanied by a Discord 'Let's Play' event. A big thank you to everyone who showed. Attendees played along with the team and received Darwinium in the chat. If you enjoyed this event, we always welcome feedback to help us improve in the future.



With Beyond E22: When Stars Die, the simulation sailed into strange new waters. Modeling massive nebulae in 3D at 360 degrees was a large and complex undertaking. Stephanie Davila, a consultant who worked on this project, is a talented artist from Pariah Interactive game studio - our neighbors in Brooklyn. Using references from deep space images and drawing on simulations designed by astronomers, she created these amazing nebula models. Combined with advanced real-time mathematical data, the result is a feat no game has accurately depicted: distant nebulae in all their three-dimensional glory.

We chose a sampling of the most interesting, diverse nebulae for this episode. The Helix Nebula is a planetary nebula sometimes referred to as the "Eye of God". The Cat's Eye Nebula was investigated by William Huggins, who demonstrated that planetary nebulae were gaseous and not stellar in nature. Episode 22 has other exciting new content which includes some very interesting stars…



The Civilization team began work on the Bronze Age by collecting powerful images of artifacts that survived from that time period.. The statues of rulers, gods and goddesses of Ancient Egypt, Akkad and the Sea Peoples of Phoenicia are a wonder. The architecture of the Bronze Age was monumental: the Ziggurats of Ur, the palaces of Nineveh, and the Lion's Gate of Mycenae in Greece were overwhelming compared to what came before. In addition, new technological achievements inspired us to create immersive scenes in the garden, such as writing and paper, sailing ships, and the potter's wheel.

There is much to discover in the Bronze Age. A new addition to the Augmentation Store is the Hanging Gardens, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. It is said by an ancient writer that the trees and flowers of this monumental edifice were watered by the Euphrates river by means of an Archimedes screw. Some scholars believe the structure was built not in Babylon, but in Nineveh, as a palace for the Assyrian king Sennacherib. The truth may lie beneath the waters of the Euphrates. We will never know for sure as the Hanging Gardens did not survive antiquity.

Another addition to the Augmentation Store is the Trojan Horse. While it never existed in real life, the Trojan Horse made its own historical mark in Homer’s influential myth, The Odyssey. Also accompanying this age, new achievements are waiting to be discovered. Will you find it?

What’s more, coming soon to the Augmentation Store is a technology that can change the way the Civilization Garden can be viewed: Map Mode. With this tool, players can get a birds eye view of the terrain and more easily visualize the sweep of human history.

We released more content in 2023 than we have in previous years. Our team has grown to support the game as a live operations service. 2024 is jam packed with exciting new content in store. New Beyond episodes are currently in development, as well as future Explore Events. Keep a look out for the Bronze Age, coming out very soon.

At the end of 2023, Cell to Singularity celebrated its fifth birthday. We couldn't have made it this far without the greatest community of players we could imagine. Our game will continue to grow and improve with your continued interest and support.

Stay cellular!
- The Cells Team

Welcome Universe Architects!

Opening up into the new year, a brand new event is ready to be dissected. Get ready to explore what makes humans so different. Is it our organic bodies or something else? Connect like never before in Explore: Human Body — Anatomy of Life.

What is it that makes humans tick? Jump into the body and travel between organs. Follow the journey of blood and learn how humans function.




A first of its kind, Explore: Human Body — Anatomy of Life features an in-game content warning before players can begin the event. For those who are sensitive about topics regarding medical depictions of the human body, blood and possible trypophobia, participation is optional. Feel free to stop reading at this point.


Explore the cycle of red blood cells through its journey from deoxygenation to the heart. Oxygenation begins from the lungs and travels to the rest of the body before the cycle starts again.

• The human body is made up of 10 generators and 43 trait nodes, working together to keep the body alive.
  
• Unlock tiers of each biological system in this intricate tree of life.
  
• Tap around the heart in the tree to collect new currencies: oxygenated and deoxygenated blood.
  
• An anatomical model of the Heart Quantum Charge is brimming with new currency to receive.

Science comes to life. Watch the human body take form in the 3D garden as generators are unlocked in the tree.

• As the heart beats, tap to pump more blood in the garden view.
  
• Witness layers of each organ system come together to assemble the human body.
  
• Observe as Nanobots transfuse more blood into the body in this event.

The human body needs these three badges in order to function. They are vital organs in the body, working in unison.

• Only available in this event, The Nexus, The Bellows and The Engine are great badges to add to the jar collection.
  
• New profile icon- 3D model of the brain available in the Augmentation Store.

To celebrate the release of this event, we will be hosting a ‘Let’s Play’ today on Discord from 11am to 12pm EST. If you're not already a member of our official Discord server, click here[discord.gg] to join the Cells community! We will also be giving out Darwinium cubes in the ‘Let’s Play’ chat. Play with the devs and let us know how much you can complete within the hour as we talk about the event.

Thank you to our beta test players for assisting us in testing our content releases, especially for this event. The addition of the first ever content warning was a result of your invaluable feedback. We are also happy to hear positive feedback about this event’s garden.

But that’s not all! We have another content update coming up soon. We shared a sneak peak of it during the December 2023 livestream. Can you guess what’s next?

Human civilization has evolved into the next stage - The Bronze Age.
Marked by the development and increased use of bronze, stone was gradually replaced as new metal technologies prospered. New discoveries and Augmentations await in the next update.

We are back from our well rested break and ready to start the new year, new simulation. Thank you everyone for your support in 2023. We released a lot of content in December, and we have a lot more planned including our first new limited time event of the year: Explore: Human Body — Anatomy of Life. We look forward to your continued support in 2024. Keep an eye out for more updates to come.

Happy New Year and stay cellular!
The Cells Team

Greetings Universe Architects,

We have an exciting new update to kick off the New Year.

We are thrilled to announce a new feature that's been widely requested, it's our in-game news announcement. Whether or not you’re following us on Discord, Instagram, Reddit, or elsewhere, tap on the news icon to read about the latest in-game updates, information on events, community spotlights, development diaries, and much more!

We've changed how Explore Events conclude in the game. Previously, when an event (ex:- James Webb) was over, players could continue playing the event for as long as they did not exit the simulation. However, this was confusing for players and created issues for the research race.

Starting with build v22.93, Explore Events will close at the time scheduled in the game. When the time is up, it’s up! Make sure to claim all your mission prizes before the deadline. They will no longer be available after the event ends.

This patch might be small but we have big things coming soon on the horizon. Players should keep an eye out in our socials and the in-game news feature.

See you in the news feed. Stay cellular!
- The Cells Team