Since I returned from DICE, our focus has been on building the social mechanics of the game atop our pretty new environment navigation. That means giving people something to do on a daily basis, and rewarding them for returning many days in a row. In the open field, your key activity will be pollinating flowers, which will subsequently produce seeds and spread through the environment. The more subsequent days you return in a row, the more flowers there will be and the more “honey dust” (the game’s currency) you’ll collect, which you can then go back and spend in your home grove (pictured above). This launch screen for the game is kind of like your home in Pet Society. You’ll launch into all your adventures from here by choosing one of your butterflies. You’ll decorate the place with various flora, and over time your vibrant environment will attract other rainforest creatures to make it their home (more on that later).

If you’ll be at GDC this week, pop me a line as I’d love to show you the game in the flesh. For those that cant make it, we’ll be putting up a teaser video in the next couple of days to whet your appetite.

Things we loved this week:

Sushi Cat is Sushi Cute

The Witness is coming and it looks pretty as hell

GLaDOS Returns!

Creators of Zoo Tycoon enter the Facebook arena with the super slick Zoo Kingdom