APICO news & patch notes

Hello Beekeepers! Been a hot minute, hope you are all doing well! I've been a bit busy recently making a new game - Snacktorio! https://store.steampowered.com/app/1902940/Snacktorio/ (It's a level-based factory sim about mass producing food to feed monsters! If you like modded MC and parts of APICO's automation, you might enjoy trying the demo!!) Now that it's game's out and the launch bugs are settling down, it's time for me to go and do some patches for all my other games. I've always aimed to do at least 1 maintenance patch each year for each game just to blow off the cobwebs and stop the cogs rusting - was just a bit of bad timing with Snacktorio this year that I didn't have time to get anything finished up earlier for APICO (last patch was June 2025!), so apologies for that! After this month ends and Snacktorio is settled I'll be coming back to Mudborne first (as there's less to do!) and then APICO for some bug fixes. I've got a few reports in the form to catch-up with, as well as here on the forums - but if you've encountered something recently and haven't let me know yet, now is the time to /gimme bugs!! {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/38479320/0e44a24becf8e2348d874de9be2e00f10aab8d2e.png I'll be going through everything here on Steam and in the form ( https://tngineers.com/url/apico-bugs ) around July/August time, so be sure to report anything in case I've missed it, I might even be able to squeeze a couple small QoL stuff if there's anything quick I can sneak in :) Some good news as well is that GameMaker have finally updated their major LTS version! From 2022 to 2026!! (not a typo, yes it's been 4 years!!!!!!!), which means that it should improve performance generally and fix a few legacy bugs, as well as finally fixing the Xbox bugs that have prevented 4.0 coming to Xbox! The bad news is it'll probably break so much that it's going to take a while just to clean everything up first, fun times for me (e.g. the mod extension will be broken, the steamworks api will be broken, etc etc :D) {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/38479320/b3cb125b33c09819c2e764c610ec917ce10987a4.png (me opening APICO in the new version and immediately getting a headache) So yeah, nothing exciting (unless you're on Xbox!), but if you have anything to report in the meantime please do get them in, and I'll be back later in the year with some fixes for you all! Thanks again for all of you for playing, from the seasoned beekeepers of over 5 years ago, or the fresh-faced unstung keepers of this year! I appreciate you all <3 ~ Ell

Hey Beekeepers! Limited Run are doing a physical edition of the game for Switch*, PS4 + PS5! You can pre-order your copy now with the link below until 20th July: https://limitedrungames.com/collections/all-games/products/apico-standard-edition-switch-ps5-ps4 There's nothing different with this edition, it's the same as the one you have here (4.X), just you can hold it in your hands and show it to your bees and dip it in honey. Once they're released that'll be it! There won't be any more copies available <3 ~ Ell *The switch version should work fine with Switch 2, AFAIK it's backwards compatible and I haven't been told anything different by Nintendo or GameMaker at this time

Bug Fixes

- Fixed an occasional crash with obelisks in the final chamber after using gates a few times

# Multiplayer - Fixed a crash occuring when a host butterfly despawned of a species that a client hadn't discovered yet - Fixed a crash with map rendering when Windows cleans up memory

- Update Steamworks lib to prevent crashes on some older MacOS versions

Hey Beekeepers, This is a maintenance patch for APICO to keep those pesky bees out of the cogs! Mostly bug fixes and some multiplayer tweaks, thanks to everyone who's been reporting issues <3 A few MacOS players have reported crashes when trying to use mods - currently this issue is still present in this build. These crashes are due to an issue with GameMaker and has been reported to them directly, so until they fix it MacOS players will not be able to run mods. I've tried to find some temporary workarounds but unfortunately there isn't anything I can do about it my side - I'll keep you all posted and I'm very sorry for any inconvenience <3 ~ Ell

Changes

- Added a new 'Borderless Fullscreen' option to the settings (this is a new engine option that is only available for Windows!)

Bug Fixes

- Fixed cached book entries not re-drawing when the book is re-opened, leading to stuff like population counts not incrementing until you re-selected the chapter - Fixed not being able to empty out spare liquid crystal in resonators if the resonator was showing an error - Fixed inventory bee progress bar sometimes rendering with pink icons - Fixed pencil edit menu not disappearing when the edited object is hammered - Fixed open menus not rendering correctly when using benches/beds to move - Fixed a couple of typos in books

Multiplayer

- Butterfly spawns should now be more consistent across players - Fixed cross-mutated flower spawns not always syncing correctly with butterfly hotel usage - Fixed butterfly hotels for clients not visually showing some butterflies - Fixed acorns planted by clients that grew fully before a host game autosave not getting saved properly to the world on restart - Fixed client sometimes being able to have weather run longer after the host weather has actually finished - Fixed client-placed canisters sometimes losing 5ml when filling up tanks in machines - Fixed desalinator progress bar 'flashing' on empty desalinators for clients - Fixed pots placed by another player with flowers added not showing flowers for other players unless hovered

Modding

- Added sc_mod_api_multiplayer_sync_prop(menu_id, prop_name) which lets you force a menu prop sync for hosts - sc_mod_api_play_sound() can now specify any game sound, i.e. tree_1, chop_2, hammer_4 etc - sc_mod_api_play_sound() now has a second parameter to set volume (number from 0-1, default 0.1) - Custom defined buttons should now correctly run their click script when pressed using a gamepad

Hey friends! It's World Frog Day, which means Mudborne is now officially released!!! :D It's been a long time in the works since the original gamejam entry, and I'm really happy with how it's all ended up! I can't wait for you to all get your slimy green hands on it <3 https://store.steampowered.com/app/2355150/Mudborne_Frog_Management_Sim/ There's a 10% release discount for the next two weeks - plus APICO players who own the game on Steam can use this bundle to also get 10% off, as a thank you for all your support over the years. If you find any nasty tasting bugs, please report them! You can use the Steam forums here, or the feedback form (link is also in the settings menu!) My number 1, 2, and 3 priorities now are making sure you all have the best possible experience, but there's only one of me - so let me know ASAP if you run into any issues and I can start fixing them immediately! If you're enjoying the game, pls leave a review! I need 10 reviews before the Steam algorithm will see this is a Cool GameTM and start showing it to other players <3 If you'd like to chat with other players at the same time to experience the game together, I've setup some new channels in the Discord specifically for Mudborne. Be sure to also check the FAQs for anything else I might have missed here! Finally - a big THANK YOU to everyone who's been so hyped throughout development, I truly appreciate every single one of you. Now, off to the ponds with you! ~ Ell <3

Hey all! Some exciting news today! First off, I can officially announce that Mudborne will be releasing on March 20th, aka World Frog Day! https://clan.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/images/43289866/22dd19fcf2bd4eab31a07293c131a20de94f03d2.png In just over a month you'll be able to experience the world of Mudborne and uncover it's secrets - however if that's still too far away, I've also released a new demo for Mudborne that you can play right now! https://clan.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/images/43289866/8bf332984b63b2989c8c3626bb9c70d922b400a8.png This demo takes you through the first area of the game - the Spawning Pools, and contains all the lovely feedback and QoL changes that came from the playtest (thanks again for everyone who got involved in that!) https://clan.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/images/43289866/1b25141dfe1faa2d3d2a6be6f9e02fcdea49baa7.png Whether you played the old demo or not, there's plenty of fresh content for you to experience. (Playtesters - this is just the first region of what you already played so you're not missing anything!) Be sure to wishlist the game if you haven't already to be notified of release - and I'll see you all at the pond in just under 5 weeks! :D ~ Ell

Hey friends! Excited to say that the playtest for Mudborne is launching now on Steam! You can request access over on the the store page here, just scroll down a bit to the "Join the Mudborne Playtest" section and click the big button! https://store.steampowered.com/app/2355150/Mudborne/ The playtest will unlock starting this weekend <3 https://clan.fastly.steamstatic.com/images/43289866/eb158fcb7520f08f973946270929456e43f75384.png This will be a playtest of the full game, limited to the first 3 regions - Spawning Pools, Central Junction, and Kindergarten. If you've played the demo this will still be quite different, as the demo has it's own map. If you can't wait to play Mudborne this is the time to get a froggy fix!

Why Playtest?

The goal of the playtest is mainly just to see how people find it, both APICO players and new players alike, and check you're all having fun. I have no expectations for anyone who wants to try it out, however there is a feedback form linked in-game that I'd appreciate you filling in when you're done! Any bug reports are also appreciated <3 https://clan.fastly.steamstatic.com/images/43289866/7246a31a09b114a4cc433a44af3ecf455144e9ce.png The playtest is limited to 3 areas and only contains 1/3 of all frogs, mushrooms, and bugs of the full game. I'd say there's maybe 10 hours of content-ish but I genuinely have no clue! If you want to chat with other players, you can use the new shiny channel "mudborne-playtest" channel in the discord to discuss the playtest and help avoid other players getting spoilers. https://clan.fastly.steamstatic.com/images/43289866/9545e60774f406d2508c3b790886ad7efa316e1c.png It's worth noting that playtest saves will NOT be able to be used in the full game, as like the demo they also have their own map.

When Playtest?

I'll be granting access to anyone waiting in the queue starting this weekend! If you're a streamer or content creator it's okay to make streams/videos, just make sure it's clear to your viewers this is part of the playtest not the final release If you're still holding out for release to play everything then 1. I applaud your resolve and 2. you won't have to wait too much longer... https://clan.fastly.steamstatic.com/images/43289866/c618b2bbc881e20795bc38fa23274798fa386267.png

Hey friends, and happy new year <3 I hope you all had a lovely break and are ready for the 2025! Here's a little recap of what I've been up to this past year:

Personal

2024 was the first year of me doing gamedev full-time, for the whole year! It's certainly different to back when I was making APICO on the side of a full-time job (and later freelance work). I feel a lot more pressure that what I make has to be 'good', and by 'good' I mean good enough to pay the rent. https://clan.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/images/43289866/fef0732a82fb772352b06dccacd84132bc6b2cde.png With a lot of APICO's gameplay, I just did what I personally thought would be fun, and the end result is a weird combination of things but those who get it, love it. With Mudborne I've been trying to do the same thing, but I have a lot more worries about certain mechanics or moments that I wouldn't have if it wasn't tied to keeping the lights on. I can't say I'd ever go back to my old job all the time I can sustain myself making games (the big red date on my whiteboard tells me I have until October 2026 until I run out of money!), but it definitely has been a noticeable change doing art for money instead of hobby. https://clan.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/images/43289866/8564160e6279c75b9d1f8de5cfeaf57549c7d575.png With APICO done, all the games I'm making are all in my own engine built on top of the LÖVE framework, and it's made things so much quicker to create. At the time of writing Mudborne is very nearly finished up, and it's taken only 8 months in total working full-time on it. I'd love to get into a place where I can comfortably making a game every year or so, without feeling rushed. I have so many different ideas I'd love to make, and only so much time! https://clan.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/images/43289866/1127c63e266f4cd9be2cf7a05888d469ccafb114.png

APICO

APICO had it's 3rd and final (sorry) content update, "A Hive Of Industry". This update added a bunch of automation machines, plus a lot of stuff you all asked for, including pets, decoration and a butt-tonne of QoL tweaks. https://clan.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/images/43289866/f2f770d3acf96b51c24d290d88453ac3a11b27bc.png I've also done a few little bug fix patches here and there which I'm sure gave you all a bit of false hope on new content when the download queued! It was nice to finally 'finish' up APICO - sometimes I wish I never did any of the content updates but I think looking at it now I'm happy with where it ended up, even if it's still a lil janky and bloated and I think all the art looks wack. https://clan.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/images/43289866/aa9f33d8325b49056cc914eabaceb59fd265b5d3.png I'd love to come back to it one day, in a seperate game. When I drew up the new credit postcards (above) I had fun invisioning a game where you do go to the mainland and help clean up the environment using your bees. I think it'd be nice to take the same APICO gameplay, streamline some of it and make it all fit better (especially the money making side), and then expand the bees to all have functions in restoring nature. However I think that'll need to wait a while as I have 2 game children screaming at me to finish, and a bunch of other ideas I want to get started on!

Synthesis

I don't often join gamejams, mostly because of the time limits they have, or I just don't personally have any time - but in 2024 I joined the LÖVE Jam, for games made with the framework. I was still learning the framework at the time and tinkering with the engine I'd made to create the Snacktorio demo, so I thought it'd be a good opportunity to have a break from the APICO stuff that was getting me down at the time, and learn a bit more of the framework. https://clan.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/images/43289866/23898e9113e1cbeab60da3cdb1d050db2875546a.png I was really happy with the end result - 'Synthesis'. I wanted to make a puzzle game with different modules like what you get with old patch synthesisers. As you mess with the different modules it changes the patterns drawn until you eventually come across the combination needed to match the required shape. I also made a point not to ever explain any module's function - you just learn through doing very basic levels and then the rest you just learn overtime by doing. I wanted it to feel very experimenty for the player. https://clan.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/images/43289866/ca9f2cbb523a66aed12db08ec1a66a4818b99f65.png It was really fun to put this together! I had 10 days and pretty much used them all. I also did the music for it because I wanted to start practicing music creation for Mudborne, and was interesting in having the music 'evolve' with the puzzle progress. https://clan.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/images/43289866/b493b5b873c28d5488345bc0f338e905a00b448b.png I think it'd be cool to revisit one day as a 'full' game, as you could have lots of different module types and interactions, and let players connect modules themselves in different orders which then affects the outcome. If you want to check out the game you can get it over on itch.io here: https://ellraiser.itch.io/synthesis

Mudborne

Ah Mudborne, my beloved. I've spent what feels like an eternity working on this game, when it's only been 8 months. I think I've stared at frogs more than I have the real world, but I've enjoyed pretty much every part of it. https://clan.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/images/43289866/a4be2a9028a1a444949e8d0517d196b405dd1715.png It's been an interesting process, first I did like concept art for the rough game, and worked on all the individual mechanics - then I worked on the actual world development and story and tied it all together. After the new demo was finished up, I spent a long time just designing the entire world and how everything connects, then piecing together the story. The writing in this one was definitely a killer as I've never written like a proper big story, let alone one with a few twists and turns. https://clan.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/images/43289866/fdfc46795338705c823e91bb129eeeb485ae2b70.png I wanted something players could piece together themselves, and get clues from all over the place to work out certain things, so there was a lot involved in making sure it all fit together nicely. At the time of writing this I've just finished up all the final dialogue lines, and now it's just a lot of drawing and polish left to go. I'm planning to do a private playtest in the Discord this month for the first time, so I can try and streamline any tutorialisation stuff and see if I've made things a bit _too_ difficult. I'm pretty confident it's a fun game but it's weird how hard it gets to judge that the longer you work on making the game. https://clan.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/images/43289866/2c470c72bc48bc64262e6b3210a6990196d44057.png Once the playtest is over it'll just be some last little bits to tweak and any changes to make and it'll be ready to release! Crazy to think it'll be my second published game. If you haven't already be sure to give it a wishlist! You can also check out the demo still: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2355150/Mudborne/ As for 2025, I'm not sure yet what I'll be doing! The only thing I do know is Mudborne will be released this year, which is very exciting, I just can't say when yet. After that, I'm not sure - I'll need a long break that's for certain. I'd like to start working on Snacktorio proper and get that finished, but it depends on my brothers workload (he still has a 'real' job). He did a lot of the work on the game design of Snacktorio and has a good idea for the levels, so I wouldn't want to really do it without him. https://clan.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/images/43289866/542ecfa04c935e8249cfd56191fa3fe07c0e6136.png If he is free, then I imagine Snacktorio will get polished off this year, maybe an early 2026 release! If not then I'll just have to work down the list to the next game idea and get started... A big thank you to everyone who played any of my games in 2024, all of the new APICO players, returning players for the 4.0 update, froggy friends excited for mudborne - without all of you I wouldn't be able to do this and I'm extremely grateful. Here's to 2025! ~ Ell

Hey Beekeepers! Tis the season! If you haven’t already, you can jump in-game to experience the mini “hivemas” event, all the NPCs are joining in! {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/38479320/cd554e94e6de5ee28e299ea38cab22313b28e3f5.png Bonk the presents that spawn with ur hammer to get lots of fun decor, special pets, and a fancy social + solitary bee! (You can turn this on/off from Settings > Accessibility at any time) This patch is just to add some bug fixes - sorry for the delay on some of these I’ve been very sick and then Mudborne was also kicking my ass but here we are! Also this is an engine upgrade so GameMaker might have borked some stuff, so bee sure to let me know if it has. This engine update is the one I’ve been waiting on to fix PS/XBOX issues so can finally start work on the 4.0.0 patch for those platforms now, only 500 years later... As always thanks for everyone who’s been reporting issues, and hope you all enjoy a lovely holiday! <3 ~ Ell

General Changes

• Updated to GameMaker LTS 2022.03, which should support MacOS 15.X but doesn't, so you'll have to still wait for a new update if you're on that version
• Made debugger 'hints' all lowercase to prevent confusion on correct syntax
• Added more honeycore machines to the machines that will 'work' for industrial bees
• Same for the honeycore machine 'achievement', it now looks for 3 or more from all honeycore machines
• Changed 'breathing space' chapter to make it clear you can change lifespan/productivity multiplyers in the accessibility settings

Multiplayer

• Fixed crash for some clients when entering through the hivemother's door (sc_obelisk1_draw)
• Fixed the sacred bee not appearing for clients if the host already got it themselves
• Fixed social bee repopulation status sometimes not syncing correctly
• Fixed repopulation values being able to occasionally sync 'lower' by clients
• Fixed donator progress not matching host (real progress) for clients, so looked delayed
• Fixed incense burners not syncing the correct scent
• Fixed incense burners not 'visually' working for clients
• Fixed 'Sunny Idol' and 'Lunar Idol' not syncing effects correctly (clear weather and set moon phase)

Bug Fixes

• Fixed a crash with centrifuges when unknown items were being produced (sc_centrifuge_add)
• Fixed an issue with the forge not setting the 'type' of liquid in canisters correctly if filling them with an empty tank
• Fixed a visual glitch on ice after hitting a deep water tile where you swim in the ice
• Fixed an issue with sometimes being able to shift-click to a menu that is closed
• Fixed being able to steal shop items on gamepad using R3 (naughty!!!)
• Fixed a zoom override setting remaining when changing out of fullscreen/windowed

Happy Hallowbeen Beekeepers! You might have noticed a slightly spooky change in the world during this week and the next, as Hallowbeen is here! Bonk any of the grave markers for some unique spooky items including some new decor and dyes, plus a special bee and butterfly you only find during this time of year <3 You can toggle the event off at any time from Settings > Accessibility - you can also use this to force the event whenever you like all year round! The special bee + butterfly are not needed towards finishing the game. ~ Ell

Hey Beekeepers! Been a busy bee with Mudborne recently (which had it’s new demo finally drop last week so you can play that now!) https://store.steampowered.com/app/2355150/Mudborne/ Now that’s released here’s a few outstanding bugs and multiplayer issues patched up for APICO - thanks again for reporting these to me! <3 ~ Ell

Multiplayer

- Fixed the natural gates not being open in a new session after having unlocked them as a client - Fixed donators placed and used by clients looping endlessly without getting a pet - Fixed butterfly hotels placed by clients not working - Fixed resonators placed by clients not working sometimes

Bug Fixes

- Fixed opening backpack on gamepad while another menu was open left that menu stuck open - Fixed not being able to place the Coral Shovel in the Anvil to repair - Fixed donator taking 5s instead of 120s lol - Fixed percolator working indefinitely after filter breaks - Fixed letters having the wrong tooltip category - Fixed tropic/polar icons being flipped in beebox/beebank filters - Fixed seeing {PLAYER.NAME} in solitary bee letters - Fixed a rare crash with the auto-centrifuge - Fixed beebank output slots being offset from the menu - Fixed getting 2 bees when adding a bee of a different species to current tab in beebank

https://clan.akamai.steamstatic.com/images/43289866/dec64eefe91cc6dd7397d6d86607d53a54673b83.png Hey friends - IT'S NEW GAME TIME! I’m excited to announce that Mudborne’s new demo is out RIGHT NOW on Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2355150/Mudborne/ I’m also excited to announce that the lovely folks at Future Friends will be helping to publish your new fav froggy game with me. Check out the trailer below for a sneak peak of what you're in for: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jJq7u9hcAUg&ab_channel=TNgineersOfficial A spiritual successor of sorts to APICO, Mudborne instead focuses on genetic manipulation and generational puzzles to create and discover all sorts of frog species, that act as keys to let you travel between the waking and dreaming worlds - the demo takes you through the main mechanics and creating 8 different species. If you love APICO I think you’ll love this, there’s a lot of stuff I’m doing differently but you should still feel right at home.

 Whether you played the original gamejam version or not you’re in for a treat, as this is a completely new game, new art, new mechanics, new music, new engine - the whole works. I’m really looking forward to you all getting your slimy green hands on it, I hop you enjoy!! <3 Dampest regards, Ell

Hot fix: Fixed beebank output slots being outside the menu

Hey Beekeepers! Just a small update to fix a few outstanding bugs, plus a couple quick QoL changes that are hopefully useful, including the hive tool now having a 2nd use with right-click to replenish frames, some better frame durability, and a proper sort order for hopper distribute targets (distance) :) ~ Ell

Patch Notes

General Changes

• You can now right-click with a Hive Tool to add empty frames to a hive (X/Square on gamepad) - you can still use left-click to gather frames/honeycomb
• Beebank 'tabs' section is now 4 bees wide so its much easier to scroll through all your species
• Tweaked "Breathing Space" quest to remind people the Lifespan+Productivity modifier settings exist for making the bee process faster or slower
• Apicobolt/Mysterious/Netted frames will now have 20 durability instead of 10 (will only apply to new frames)
• Crystal items + automation machines now need 24 bees unlocked instead of 14 bees to access (tools are still 12)
• Hoppers will now prioritise targets by distance (closer wins) instead of seemingly random - they're still first come first served until full
• Chance of honeycore seeds turning into normal crystals or the larger crystal stalagmites is now 50/50

Bug Fixes

• Fixed ploppers leaving 10bl in machines they gather from and not distributing their last 10bl
• Fixed a crash with pickers when there are suddenly no flowers nearby (sc_picker_alarm6)
• Fixed Beewell/Combristle seed packet sprites being swapped
• Fixed music playing multiple times when sleeping for multiple days
• Fixed watering can durability not going down with use
• Fixed being able to put liquid crystal in a bottler
• Fixed radio making it look like there were 12 special tracks added in 4.0 (there's only 11)
• Fixed mossy/checkered fences not connected with wood fences or walls correctly
• Fixed hoppers showing a visual of items moving to 'full' menus

Hey Beekeepers! Quick update to fix a crash a few of you have been getting with the picker! Also did a tweak that might help performance, or it might not so let’s roll the dice - let me know if you get any weirdness ~ Ell

Patch Notes

General Changes

• Some tweaks under the hood that may or may not help performance (this won’t fix the logger/picker/sprinkler lag yet)

Bug Fixes

• Fixed the “sc_picker_alarm6” crash

Rebuilt textures for a couple graphical bits

Hey Beekeepers! Couple leftover bugs that were raised over the last week or so! Thanks for all the reports, and also hello to all the new beekeepers who’ve joined us from the recent Daily Deal, I hope you’re all having a lovely time in Port APICO <3 ~ Ell

Patch Notes

General Changes

• Grey twine should of been double durability instead of red, this has been fixed now for new lures made

Bug Fixes

• Fixed mod workbench not being craftable on steamdeck
• Fixed Fermenter not doing 1 last cycle with 10bl honey and 5bl water left
• Fixed Fermenter/Resonator not retriggering logic with canisters
• Fixed door unlock achievement not retriggering when entering the chamber
• Fixed picker taking flowers from pots
• Fixed NPC dialogue prompts sometimes being not selectable

fix quick-store crash

Hey Beekeepers! Some more fixes, including some bits that were on my backlog while I fixed the more urgent stuff ~ Ell

Patch Notes

General Changes

• Crystal chests are now valid distribution targets for hoppers, this totally won't come back to sting me

Bug Fixes

• Fixed underwater butterfly spawning being affected by the (lack of) weather
• Fixed mods not downloading on Linux/Steamdeck
• Fixed not being able to place down our lord + saviour Sir Sengir
• Fixed resonators showing a placement error when hovering over coral (even tho they could still be placed)
• Fixed ploppers not storing their tank liquid type correctly when saving/reloading leading to being able to make milk
• Fixed using a net on the open Hivemother Door opening the progress menu
• Fixed "ghost" items moving to wrong chests randomly when using quick-store
• Fixed Forge filling with an empty liquid if you drained the forge and then produced more liquid crystal
• Fixed Forge able to continue making crystal when no honeycore is inserted
• Fixed standard boats not showing on map after saving
• Fixed the centrifuge propolis slot not being a valid gather target for hoppers
• Fixed nana's bookshelf crashing if you used the scroll wheel
• Fixed hoppers being able to pull the requirement items infinitely from donators
• Fixed some main menu button layering
• Fixed achievements + quit button not showing on Steamdeck homepage properly
• Fixed not being able to move up from the resonator back to your inventory on gamepad
• Fixed not being able to use the crystal shovel on beehives on consoles
• Fixed "more mods!" button on PC being offscreen slightly

Fixed radio bug causing game crash on start

Hey Beekeepers! Just some other fixes and a workaround for people who didn’t get the final achievement proc! ~ Ell

Patch Notes

General Changes

• You can now retrigger the credits (+ achievement) by clicking on the obelisks

Bug Fixes

• Fixed a crash post-credits if you pressed a key to continue instead of clicked/gamepad
• Fixed respawning not resetting any sleeping/sitting status
• Fixed Spooky Caterpiller having a cube for a sprite (spooooky)
• Fixed Ploppers+Hoppers not targeting the corner grid squares of their area-of-effect
• Fixed Hoppers not being able to distribute filled + empty filters
• Fixed Hoppers not able to distribute items to Bug Hotels (bee careful what ye wish for)
• Fixed Beebox/Beebank/Buttbox output being a hopper gather target (not intended)
• Fixed Xmas+Halloween tracks not working in music players
• Fixed Anvil not being able to fix spades, pickaxes and crystal tools
• Fixed achievement menu steam function (maybe)

Hey Beekeepers! A few little fixes for the new update, thanks for everyone who’s been submitting bug reports! <3 ~ Ell

Patch Notes

General Changes

• Final achievement will now proc before + after credits incase it gets skipped for whatever reason
• Buffed ploppers to move 10bl per cycle instead of 5bl

Bug Fixes

• Fixed Resonance meter always showing jukebox/moth resonance if a jukebox/tapeplayer/gramophone was active
• Fixed Resonators sometimes using the wrong position for Dream + Devland crystals
• Fixed Forge not filling into a canister if you had one in the output
• Fixed Forge having no tank cap when filling allowing it to fill over 2000bl
• Fixed Oracle showing stability + fertility in the wrong order (even tho functionally worked ok)
• Fixed Condenser not merging canisters correctly
• Fixed Ploppers not filling machines to 100% if they can and leaving the last 5bl empty
• Fixed Butterflies not being able to be hoppered into Butterfly Hotels
• Fixed Butterfly Eggs not being able to be hoppered out of Butterfly Hotels
• Fixed larger honeycore items not having correct item sprites when picked up
• Fixed Candice spice not having a name, and causing a crash when trying to view it in the beebook
• Fixed Imposter + Candycane bees having their special produce swapped around
• Fixed quest reward items not showing on Steamdeck + Consoles (Switch will have to wait for lotcheck)
• Fixed menus not redrawing when you crafting something using their contents
• Fixed marble pots being free (it was apico's birthday i guess)
• Fixed Apicobalt Canister tooltip category
• Fixed a crash when creating a brand new world with halloween/xmas enabled
• Fixed a typo in Apicobalt Flooring item name
• Fixed a typo in Imposter Bee's book entry

Hey Beekeepers! The time has come for the final farewell, and with it the final of the three free content updates - A Hive Of Industry! This update introduces a new process for honeycore crystals that allow you to melt them down and reform them into new crystals, which can be used to craft a whole host of new automation machines that'll do a lot of your beesywork for you - to get started check out the new quests in the book, you'll notice a few new ones added just to help new players with the newer content that's been added over the years! Some ideas for you to try with your new arsenal: - gather honeycombs and move to crates (or shipper to sell) using hoppers - auto quick-queen to put offspring back into the same hive using hoppers - auto-gather all seeds clogging up a centrifuge using hoppers - move empty+filled frames between a hive and auto-centrifuge using hoppers - move honey+water to a fermenter and then apicola to bottler using ploppers - sell bottler output automatically using hoppers and shippers - move water from raintanks/desalinator to barrels using ploppers - auto harvest logs + replant trees using loggers - make a steady supply of sawdust bricks using loggers, shredders, and hoppers - supply smokers with flowers automatically using pickers and hoppers - grow any nearby saplings/acorns faster using sprinklers - gather resin from multiple treetaps and move to an infuser using ploppers There's also a whole host of new things: pets, decoration, new tools, more bees, more butts, seasonal events, new music, more quests, a MP server you can host yourself, a new area through the door... There's also lots of things that have been on the backlog or have been requested by you all, I've tried my best to keep a good balance between what I've always wanted the game to bee and what all you bees what to see - check out the patch notes below for more! Hopefully there's a lot of "oh nice!" moments. I'll still be doing bug fixes of course, but for new stuff this is finally goodbye! <3 Speaking of bugs, there's bound to be some introduced in this update - I've spent a lot of time testing everything but there is only one of me, so if you find something please report it and I'll get fixing! Outside of that, I just want to say thank you to everyone who's beeen on this journey, whether it's been from the buggy days of the old HTML build, or just recently popped by because of a sweet sale, I'm extremely grateful to you all. APICO was the first game I ever made and I never really expected anything to happen from it, let alone have it start a full-time gamedev chapter in my life. I've learnt a lot of lessons and made a lot of mistakes but I'm very proud of my messy lil bee game, worts and all. If you can't bear to say farewell to APICO bee sure to keep an eye on Mudborne, as it'll be a spiritual sequel of sorts with some of the stuff you love from APICO - lots of stuff in the works I've yet to really reveal and a new demo later this year, so keep an eye out for that! Otherwise, so long, and thanks for all the bees! :') <3 Ell

Patch Notes

Honeycore Crystals

• Changed Bobbee's stock to sell new items used in making your own crystal machines and tools
• Changed the Forge to finally have a use, allowing you to melt Honeycore into Liquid Crystal
• Added Resonators, which allow you to solidify Liquid Crystal into different forms based on the environment
• Added the Resonance Meter, which can check the resonance of the environment, try exploring different areas and sounds!
• Added sev- I mean six different Crystals that can be created
• Added the Crystal Workbench, sold by Bobbee, which can be used to craft new automation items and crystal tools

Automation Machines

• Changed Auto-sawmill, Auto-centrifuge and Auto-squeezer to now be craftable at the Crystal Workbench (sold by Bobbee)
• Added 8 new automation machines, also crafted at the Crystal Workbench
• Added Hoppers, which let you gather items from output slots and move items to input slots automatically
• Added Shredders, which let you quickly turn logs/planks/sticks into sawdust
• Added Loggers, which let you harvest and replant trees automatically
• Added Pickers, which will automatically gather nearby flowers, leaving 1 of each species to still spread
• Added Sprinklers, which use water to automatically grow nearby saplings and seedlings instantly
• Added Condensers, which let you combine multiple canisters/frames/tools into 1 item with the durability of all items condensed
• Added Ploppers, which let you gather and distribute liquids between machines automatically
• Added Shippers, which let you sell items to the mainland automatically

Crystal Items

• Added Crystal Chests, each type of chest shares its inventory with all other matching chests, no matter where they are!
• Added 5 new late game tools, crafted at the Crystal Workbench:
• Added the Crystal Axe, a powerful axe that can chop multiple trees down at within the same area
• Added the Crystal Hammer, an enhanced hammer that can break the bigger honeycore crystals down to size!
• Added the Crystal Shovel, capable of removing delicate coral beehives, as well as the coral itself once restored
• Added the Tuning Fork, which can skip the current track playing from any Jukebox/Tapeplayer/Gramophone/Radio
• Added the PWNHAMMER, an otherworldly hammer that can break things not meant to be broken...
• Added the Relocator, a strange magical item that allows you to move objects with their contents intact...

Hivemother's Chamber

• The Hivemother Door now has it's own menu similar to gates, and only requires 18 specific bees to open
• After opening the game now lets you go to a new area by clicking on the open door...
• This new area acts as your final checklist to 100% the game!
• If you already 100%ed the game you just need to go up to the door, go through when open, and to the center to get both the new achievements

Pets

• Added Pets! Choose from 16 different critters you can find or buy to be your new BFF
• Added the Donator, sold by Skipper, it lets you donate special produce to the mainland in return for cute pets!
• Added some seasonal pets, found during Hivemas and Hallowbeen (including the competition winner dino!)
• Added the other competition finalists via the Nutcracker's special produce - 4 in total

Bees & Butterflies

• Added the Oracle, crafted at the Crystal Workbench, it lets you foretell the outcome of a queens offspring - with scary accuracy!
• Added Pressurised Hives, crafted at the Crystal Workbench, that allow you to keep deep sea bees above ground!
• Added Netted Frames, bought from Abbee, these fancy frames prevent any seeds from being collected and clogging up your extractors!
• Added Bug Hotels, sold by Sto & Codey, these allow you to use bee produce to attract bugs to eat it, leaving lots of flora for the biome they're in!
• Added the Fragile Bee, found in large honeycore stalagmites, that produces glass shards to let you craft your own bottles (finally free of the skipper monopoly)
• Addeda couple new bees and a butterfly for the seasonal events (see below)
• Added a small indicator to bees with the "beetrice" trait in beeboxes/beebanks
• Added "warnings" to show on beehives if Royal Trumpet or Perpetunia is nearby to explain the effect
• Added a "degrumped" label to the bee tooltip for degrumped bees
• All special produce now has either a special use, or is used for special crafting, solitary bees, bug hotels, fishing, alchemy, or getting pets
• Hovering over a beehive/apiary will now show a mini lifebar UI to quickly see how long a queen has left without opening the menu
• Books now show the exact number you have repopulated for each social bee, solitary bee and butterfly
• Beenjamin now has hints for all main bees, including coral and underwater bees
• Beeboxes and Beebanks now have some basic filtering and sorting for the 6 main traits
• Reef Skipper caterpillers have changed their mind and would now like seaweed instead of seashells, thanks!

Decoration

• Changed dyes to be much more saturated and colorful rather than being a weak tint (far more noticeable on flooring and marble too)
• Added over 50 new decorative items! Who says I don't give ya nuffin
• Added Beetrix's Workshop, sold be Beetrix, it allows you to craft lots of the new decoration items
• Added Abbee's Atelier, sold by Abbee, it allows you to craft even more of the new decoration items
• Added the Hive Wand, a craftable tool at the workbench that lets you turn wooden walls and flooring into honeycomb variants using honeycomb!
• Added Plinths, craftable items that can be used to display any item on a pedestal (crafted at Workbench using walls)
• Added new Marble Pots, sold by Skipper as part of his special items
• Added the number of the dye being currently used by the brush to the paintbrush item slot

Seasonal Events

• You can now celebrate Hivemas and Hallowbeen in the world of APICO, along with the NPCs!
• Hivemas will activate during the whole month of December (in the real world)
• Hallowbeen will activate between October 23rd and November 7th (in the real world)
• You can manually turn these events on and off at any time of the year in the Settings > Accessibility menu
• You can also activate these events for just a single day using the two new Apicolas (one for each season)
• During Hivemas, look out for presents, a new social bee + solitary bee, and 6 new pets!
• During Hallowbeen, look out for grave markers, a new social bee + butterfly, and 2 new pets!
• Added a couple of seasonal-themed hats, try them out at the Dresser!
• Festive bees+butterflies are not required for getting the book overview rewards or final chamber unlocks

Misc. Stuff

• There is a 10% chance that rainstorms will become "honeystorms" (50% when using the rain idol)
• During Honeystorms your luck will increase across all aspects of the game
• Added Apise Carpet, a fancy carpet you can craft at the Workbench that you run faster on!
• Added a smaller variant of the hydroponic pots for aquatic flowers (crafted at a Workbench)
• Added a few Terraria references, there's 8 to find!
• Updated the two bookshelf menus to have fancy designs to display your progress + stats
• Updated the credits and the credit "postcards" to add to the ending story
• You can "shift-click" buy on gamepad by using the quick move button to buy items

Music

• Moth has composed a final farewall to you all for the world of APICO, with 9 new tracks added to the in-game music!
• You can purchase these new "golden" tracks from Mothense during a honeystorm
• There is also a special seasonal song for both Hivemas + Hallowbeen, which you can also get from Moth's specials during a honeystorm
• Added the Radio, a special machine that will play music from all the tracks + tapes you've bought/discovered (crafted at crystal workbench)

Quests

• Added 10 new quests to help cover some of the older content update content as well as new content so things are a bit clearer
• Tweaked some of the rewards for some quests

General Changes

• Renamed "Acclimatiser" to "Adapter" to avoid people thinking it changed the climate bees liked
• Increased amount of pots made when crafting them (now 4 per craft)
• Flowers in pots now have unique sprites so they look nicer and fit better with the pots types
• Added some visual distinctions between different frame types
• Fishing rods now show a small icon for the color of lure you have equipped (if any)
• Increased amount of flora gained from composters a bit (but the new bug hotels are a better source of flora if you need volume)
• Increased smoker burn rates a little bit to help that sawdust go for longer
• If you hold "E" while holding "R" to respawn (L+R with A on gamepad) you'll respawn at Skipper's pier instead of your respawn point (you didn't dismantle that pier, right?)
• Captain's reward boat for completing all the fishing looks... slightly different
• The flower book now explicitly lists the flower's trait buff or the special effect nickname shown on tooltips (if any)
• Reduced the number of seeds got from frames in an extractor/centrifuge/seperators
• The map now shows the other areas, including underwater, geode caves, and the dream, which also fixes issues with crystal hive markers
• Social Bees that need honeycore crystals can now use all size crystals as well as crystal seedlings nearby
• Pots are now under the beekeeping section of the workbench to try and help show why they can be useful (prevent flower spread from bees)
• You can now craft empty bottles and incense bottles using the glass shards produced by the Fragile Bee
• Repopulation targets for Solitary Bees and Butterflies has been reduced from 20/12/5 to 15/10/5, meaning you need 5 less to fully repopulate each
• Couple buy/sell price tweaks here and there, mainly for Codey & Sto's stock
• You can now drop a single item from a stack on gamepad by picking up the stack and pressing Y over an empty slot (X still drops half the stack)
• Added a visual indicator of being blessed by the Hivemother (receiving Grandpa's Axe) in the top left corner
• Added the anvil to the "use with" icon list for tools to remind people it exists
• You can now use watering cans on seaweed/shell piles once you've restored that reef
• You can now use watering cans on algae/kelp that hasn't grown yet (don't think about that too much)
• Watering cans now have durability (so better save your now unlimited fancy watering can from 3.X)
• Reduced the "hunger" of caterpillers a large amount
• Reduced the time it takes for cocoons to hatch into butterflies by a third
• Reduced how long butterflies last for in the butterfly hotels (you can still use Butterfly's Friend to keep it longer for buff usage)
• Expanded the Magazine Rack so that you can fit all social bee mags in one
• Added a small tip on the expanded flower tooltips to mention you can place them on grass walls/hedges
• Having Pepetunia or Royal Trumpets near your beehives will now show a warning in the beehive menu
• Mined honeycore crystals that regrow chance to grow into the "larger" variant during the next full moon
• Having the game completed now makes for a 50% blessed chance permanently (instead of 100% chance before)
• Paintbrush now shows the number of dye currently active in the item slot
• You can now find books in the Lost + Found
• Nerfed candles soz fletch

Achievements

• You can now view achievements from the home screen in a new fancy achievements menu!
• For non-Steam + Switch players you'll need to play a bit to see achievements you already met the criteria for unlocked here
• For Steam players you can click on an achievement you've unlocked to force unlock it in Steam if for some reason it failed to proc
• There's only 2 new achievements, I still wanted to make sure new players got rewarded for some of the new content, but consious of the completionists! (If you already had 104%ed the game then should be easy to get these outstanding ones as you'll just be interacting with the new area and will only need the Fragile Bee from bonking the large crystals)

Modding

• Fixed the crash with Silk Moths + Butterfly boxes
• Fixed not being able to select shop or dialogue for modded NPCs on a gamepad
• The modding menu is now available on the SteamDeck
• Updated to use latest mod.io APIs as old ones were discontinued
• You can specify whether your custom tanks are distribute or gather tanks for Plopper purposes (distrib by default)
• Added api_define_pet() to let you define your own pet item
• Added api_define_preview() to let you override an object placement preview sprite
• api_slot_set now has an additional parameter to specify if you want a menu change triggered (default false to prevent infinite loops)

Accessibility

• Added a new A11Y option to remove the per-species fishing RNG chance, meaning as long as you have the right conditions + lure you'll get the species you expect rather than apicarp/junk
• Added a new A11Y option to manually set the season to Hallobeen, Hivemas, or None. By default these seasons activate to match real-life times

Multiplayer

• Fixed an issue where having a lot of beehives would cause a noticeable lagging every 1s when walking around
• Fixed an issue with beehives offscreen that the host hasn't walked near yet sometimes not ticking down when a client is near them
• Fixed smokers not being tied to the host world properly leading to mismatched smoker properties
• Fixed nurserys + butterfly hotels not syncing visually
• Fixed nurseries setup by clients not updating the butterfly repop counts for all players
• Fixed habitats placed by clients not having the correc biome for the host
• Fixed client map discovery not being saved correctly between sessions
• You can now enter a custom IP address to use for Beenet for people who want to host their own Beenet! The main Beenet server is NOT going down anytime soon so YOU DO NOT NEED A CUSTOM SERVER!
• You can get more info on how to host your own server here and get the source code for the server here
• Using a custom server will not change any multiplayer functionality at all, however there is some setup required

Bug Fixes

• Fixed not being able to get to the dev area when using gamepad/console
• Fixed not being able to use R-stick on gamepad to target above and below for placement when holding L or R to snap
• Fixed special dyes not animating - not sure when this stopped working, I think probably like 2.0 :')
• Fixed pots not showing different flower variants when placing flowers inside until the game was reloaded
• Fixed seeds not showing seedlings correctly sometimes
• Fixed highlight arrow on overworld objects clashing with crate/beehive/tank previews
• Fixed music players playing on the home screen
• Fixed the "degrumped" trait not being stored in beeboxes/beebanks correctly
• Fixed the menu tooltips not showing which told you you can drag them and also use ESC as a close shortcut
• Fixed not being able to place flowers on hedges when using a gamepad
• Fixed slot highlighting not wrapping on the inventory on gamepad
• Fixed golden fishing rod not giving higher shiny chance on caught fish
• Fixed some dropped items not showing the correct item sprite (honeycore, shellpiles, seaweed, algae, etc)
• Fixed Cathemeral bees not lighting up at night
• Fixed banners not sitting on walls or fences properly
• Fixed special flower effect names not being localised (Attractive, Caffienated etc)
• Fixed not being able to replant the swamp trees in the shallow water with acorns
• Fixed Abbee's Staff not planting swamp trees on shallow water
• Fixed not being able to discover fish via the item (mainly noticeable in multiplayer when sharing fishies)
• Fixed Composters not giving correct flora for coral/ocean biomes
• Fixed Shipsbane description having the wrong butterfly name (Reef Skipper instead of Stippled)
• Fixed a crash occuring if you somehow got another item into the coral slot of a coral tank
• Fixed Glitched Bee "crash" text being offset incorrectly
• Fixed deep water critters spawning in the white dream water
• Fixed the issue where modded butterflies would crash the game when put in a butterfly box
• Fixed entering dream achievement not proc'ing when playing in a hosted world
• Fixed Perpetunia seeds not being able to be planted in water
• Fixed clockwork machines not running when loaded offscreen on loading the world for the first time
• Fixed Glowing Dye icon not rendering properly on the Glowing Bee entry
• Fixed tooltip of backpack in backpack slot on gamepad showing wrong button
• Fixed Heater/Cooler climate modifier icons overlapping other icon
• Fixed merchant achievements sometimes not unlocking (pickup a mysterious idol or beebank to retrigger if needed)
• Fixed appearance randomiser not always randomising the hair color correctly
• Fixed starting a new world resetting your SFX/Music settings
• Fixed Heater/Cooler climate modifier icons not showing properly
• Fixed mods with custom books being hidden by the butterfly book if they were the first custom book added (BEI mod)
• Fixed mod crash with infinite loops on slot changes (uranium mod)
• Fixed underwater butterflies not liking the rain (even tho it was lowkey hilarious)
• Fixed workbench craft amount buttons/display not aligning properly until you moved for the first time
• Fixed not being able to use the golden net on the door on gamepad
• Fixed raintanks not filling into any canisters placed inside while it rains
• Fixed being able to sometimes select the moon icon in a random place during the day
• Fixed smokable bee icons in flower book moving after walking and reopning the book
• Fixed flowers being spread by bees when the game is paused
• Fixed solitary bee attraction stats not counting for the bookshelf stat info
• Fixed trait buffs showing in tooltips outside of just queens in hives
• Fixed the titles of some menus + bees being the wrong way round in italian/german/spanish/french
• Fixed being able to highlight beebox/beebank GUI outside the top of the menu
• Fixed Reef Skipper not liking Sea Cauliflower so when it mutated Shipsbane it made itself sad
• Fixed Sunset Butterflies not liking Pondshine so when it mutated Mothlight it also made itself sad
• Fixed getting stacks of honey hives or wax canisters when using Seperators
• Fixed Barnabee being immune to Charmed Incense and not giving you a sweet discount
• Fixed rubber ring sprite showing when walking on ice
• Fixed A11Y bee labels overlapping beebox/beebank output slots
• Fixed recipes with flowers that dont have hybrids not using up flowers when crafting (no more freebees 4 u)
• Potentially fixed an issue where the open inventory menu sometimes became inactive until you reopend it, keep ya keen bug-seeing eyes open!

Crash Fixes

• Fixed a crash that would occur if you scrolled the mouse wheel as soon as the game started (why tho)
• Fixed the "sc_beebank_change local bid not set before reading it" crash in MP
• Fixed the "sc_gui_press" crash that could occur in both SP + MP when using beeboxes/beebanks
• Fixed a crash that would occur when putting modded butterflies into a butterfly box

Hey Beekeepers! Today the 4.0 update is here, just in time for World Bee Day (and APICO's 2nd birthday!). Here you can watch a pre-recording stream showing some of the fancy new automation machines and how you can use them!

Hey Beekeepers! APICO is part of Farming Fest, with a 60% discount on the game and all OSTs until May 6th! https://store.steampowered.com/app/1390190/APICO/ Unfortunately because of this event I can't schedule a discount on 20th May when the new 4.0 content drops as it would be too close, so if you've been waiting for a good time to pick up APICO or wanted to wait for a sale to try it with all the content updates - this might be the time! The next sale won't be until Summer later in the year (although I am trying to request a Daily Deal from Steam for 4.0!) Bee sure to check out all the other games in the festival here <3 ~ Ell

Hey Beekeepers! To get you ready for the final content update for APICO, FletchMakes will be streaming the new content along with me, Ell! Tune in here on Steam on Friday 26th April at 5PM BST to see a sneak peak of the new gameplay as well as ask me things about the new content or the game in general Hope to see ya there <3 ~ Ell

Hey Beekeepers! Exciting news today, I can reveal that the 3rd and final free content update for APICO, "Hive Of Industry", will be dropping on PC+Switch on May 20th, aka International Bee Day, aka APICO's birthday! This update will bring new honeycore mechanics, automation machines, cute pets, seasonal events, a butt-load of decoration, new music, more bees, more butts, and a whole lot of QoL bits and bobs you've all been after - check out the trailer below for a preview: If you still want to know more, you can check out the patch notes for the upcoming content early over on the wiki!. It's a big one (and thats without all the bug fixes!) but should make for a wonderful farewell for us all. Keep an eye out over the next few weeks for a few events, including a livestream / AMA type thing, plus the new soundtrack in all it's glory <3 ~ Ell