A downloadable game for Windows and Linux

Buy Now$16.00 USD or more

The Sapling is a simulation game where you design your own plants and animals, and put them in a world together. Or you turn on random mutations, and see what evolution does to your ecosystem!

Updated 1 day ago
StatusIn development
PlatformsWindows, Linux
Release date Dec 11, 2019
Rating
Rated 4.9 out of 5 stars
(10 total ratings)
AuthorWessel Stoop
GenreSimulation
Made withUnity, Inkscape, Blender
TagsCreative, ecosystem, evolution, Life Simulation, nature, Procedural Generation, Relaxing, Sandbox, Short, Singleplayer
Average sessionAbout a half-hour
LanguagesEnglish
InputsKeyboard, Mouse
LinksSteam, Homepage, Blog, Twitter/X

Purchase

Buy Now$16.00 USD or more

In order to download this game you must purchase it at or above the minimum price of $16 USD. You will get access to the following files:

the_sapling_w64_v9.40.zip 104 MB
the_sapling_w64_v10.30.zip 181 MB
the_sapling_l64_v10.30.zip 189 MB
the_sapling_l64_v11.14.zip (experimental!) 337 MB
the_sapling_w64_v11.14.zip (experimental!) 329 MB
the_sapling_l64_v11.16.zip 337 MB
the_sapling_w64_v11.16.zip 329 MB
the_sapling_l64_v11.17.zip 337 MB
the_sapling_w64_v11.17.zip 329 MB
the_sapling_l64_v11.18.zip 339 MB
the_sapling_w64_v11.18.zip 330 MB
the_sapling_l64_v11.20.zip 338 MB
the_sapling_w64_v11.20.zip 330 MB
the_sapling_l64_v11.23.zip 339 MB
the_sapling_w64_v11.23.zip 330 MB
the_sapling_l64_v11.26.zip 339 MB
the_sapling_w64_v11.26.zip 330 MB
the_sapling_l64_v11.28.zip 339 MB
the_sapling_w64_v11.28.zip 330 MB
the_sapling_l64_v11.29.zip 339 MB
the_sapling_w64_v11.29.zip 330 MB
the_sapling_l64_v11.30.zip 339 MB
the_sapling_w64_v11.30.zip 330 MB
the_sapling_l64_v11.31.zip 339 MB
the_sapling_w64_v11.31.zip 330 MB
the_sapling_l64_v12.20.zip 373 MB
the_sapling_w64_v12.20.zip 363 MB
the_sapling_l64_v12.21.zip 371 MB
the_sapling_w64_v12.21.zip 361 MB
the_sapling_w64_v12.23.zip 361 MB
the_sapling_l64_v12.23.zip 371 MB

Development log

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Comments

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Viewing most recent comments 1 to 40 of 77 · Next page · Last page

when im loading back in it wont spawn the plants it says there are plants i just cant see them

Hey, thanks for reaching out! I see this more often, but I have trouble reproducing. Do you perhaps have a list of steps I can follow to see this behavior? Thanks!

it just happens randomly when im loading in or after a fast forword  

and put something to enable mutations for fungi and to remove sexes because i accidentally added 4 sexes

Will be added in future patches. Removing sexes even this weekend :)

why dont you make it so that when you click an animal to spectate it the animals that are camouflaged to it appear highlighted in red because it cant see them and the animals to which it is camouflaged to appear highlighted in green because they cant see it

Thank you for this suggestion :)

(1 edit)

soo uuhh just getting the latest version of the game. I missed like more than a year of updates lol

new biomes idk

please delete that this thing that obley people to play the fisrt scenario...

I swear there was an option to donate here...  Where do I do that? I have followed all your links, maybe I missed something, but I just can't find it.

( 1)

Sorry for the late reply, and thanks for asking! I notice that players who want to contribute more do so with Youtube Superthanks or by buying merch. Thank you so much <3

I look forward to getting some merch!

( 1)

hey, big fan of your game. I was thinking while watching your latest video about seduction, it would be good if there was a trade off to looking bright and having big body parts: being more noticeable. I think that adding a camouflage mechanic would be pretty cool as it would have a flip side to the seduction side. Maybe certain terrains require different types of camouflage as well, then species would stay in their habitat or evolve to branch further out. Hope you consider implementing this :)

( 1)

Cool Idea :)

(1 edit)

Sorry for the late reply, and thanks! A simple camouflage system was introduced in the first episode of this seasons :)

what episode is that?

Yay there are gonna add mushrooms

(2 edits)

Hey wessel ,are you planning to release the sapling on mobile? I also love the videos you make!

FINALLY NEXT UPDATE FUNGIIIII

( 1)

idea for devlog 4-4(next episode): sound frequency. like so some animals can hear the other and other can't. that should give a greater use  for ears cu right now, they are just filler parts that people mostly only use for aesthetic purposes. and it can be in correlation with the scary update and the sex update. like certain animals will use there calls to atract mates but not predators. and predators can use this to trick prey like copying their prey's call like modern crows, ravens, or parrots.

( 1)

Without making promises, it's an idea I like!

:D

Wessel  you still remember me right?

(1 edit)

You've been cooking up some fire updates in this devlog. updates that could've been added before but yeah. im so exited for glitches,lag,bugs sex types, new parts, camouflage and more on october 31st! also you've worked tirelessly these past years and you earn all the player's respect.

Thank you :)

hey, i saw the new episode of the 4th develog, is all of this out or is it also coming the 31st of october?

All of the stuff in the 6 devlogs will be EXPERIMENTALLY (read: full of bugs) released on October 31 yes!

k thanks. 

Hallo Wessel Stoop der fehler das beim zeit über springer nur 0 und nicht ladet könnte daran liegen das ich die grafik quallidet bei den optionen höher gemacht habe .Ach und super spiel Wessel.

Danke!

Hallo ich bin  Alexander. ich habe einen  fehler  gefunden. die  zufälligen  mutationen scheinen  irgendwie nicht zu klappen .und die zeit überspringer  zeigte nur 0 und ladet nicht .

Hallo Alexander, ich habe dafür Google Translate verwendet: Danke für deinen Bericht! Ich habe noch nie von solchen Problemen gehört ... ist das etwas, das man nach Belieben herbeiführen kann? Danke

the hardest thing for me in the sapling isssss... this coulor thing. it ain't lemme make any plant bLaCk :( well u tried to make it a lil realistic, i respect that.i like chicken 

Can i Test it for myself pls?

Hahaha sorry it's not really playable at the moment (and it will still be a mess when the first experimental version will be made available on October 31)

(1 edit)

nah its fine, i knew but i was just asking. cuz the last time u said it was half way done was 2 months ago, and i know it takes a long long time to complete an update let alone test(i've  tested some of my games andd lets just say it wasn't too  good) hope u manage to fix any bugs u see later on. BUFFKIWI OUT also i erased all of my projects that we're tested cuz they were literally hell to fix but i  will make more.

LES GOOOOOOOOOOOOOO AN UPDATE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

WE NEED AN UPDATE DUDE!!!

wessel, is there any Demo here? i just wanted to test 

Deleted 104 days ago
(1 edit)

Hey Wessel, do you have an estimate about when the Update comes Out? and if so you can post it on any people will be fine with it but if you do it here, What did you think your doing!...JK cause everyone that would like the buy the game could just look here buy it and they could go check the comments and see the release date of the NEXT GIANT(i mean it must be giant it has been one or two months now) UPDATE!!!

the game still needs a little bug fixes and i swear if i play the game for like less than 20 minutes it'll just crash. so im not really sure if you are on vacation or something but if youre not i beg of you please fix these bugs.

Hey, bug fixing is currently on halt as I'm working on the next big update, but lots of helpful players keep sending me repros (lists of steps on how to reproduce unintended behavior). If you are aware of a repro, let me know!

(4 edits)

Hey, I'm exited for what you're big update is going to  look as its been a month or more since  you've done an update and also i wasn't aware of repro till now. Oh and thanks for the hard work that you did for us players i wish you that best Wessel! :D

Thank you :)

(1 edit)

hey im bunkiwi but also just another account of jackbun and im repeating my idea but more precisely:so its been a long time since you've done an update and if your willing you can use my ideas.we could add melanin productions as in the real world a lot of animals have different coulered skin,feathers,fur,scales ect. ect. so lets take the human for example so to survive the hot climates of where humans first lived they had to get darker skin too not catch too much sun radiation but when we moved to more northern areas we no longer needed that dark skin as there was no as much sun radiation so are skin got lighter in the northern regions and stayed dark in the warmer southern regions.you should also add fungi as if youre going back in time you'll realize that there are no trees but only long fungi sticks and like you made aquatic animals as in our planet aquatic life was first why not make fungi as fungi life was before plant life.now its time for intelligent animals now i chose that you unlock it at 3 millenia and these ones will probably take a lot of time and coding but you could make them be in packs able to pick up sticks and make fires but also these would be rare,as creatures don't turn intellligent that quick so im basicly saying its only possile to get it at 3 millenia and higher but no lower .and i don't really like the natural disaster thing anymore but its still cool tho.so wessel will you take my ideas i ain't forcin' ya but will you?oh and yeah i also have some representations but they might not be that good here look at it.

Hey, thanks for your suggestions and artwork! Currently halfway the next big update, so I definitely take notes when people take the time to elaborate on their ideas!

(1 edit)

Wessel if you have the time you could make a community post or a short video about a little sneak peek of what you've manage to do so far a thing that i'm might be wrong but will probably be in there is the nose as a part but people are unpredictable and if you like i could stop saying your name every time i comment something and ill see you when the video or community post comes out(if you do one).

I'd really like to get it free, and for Mac. My father really doesn't agree with this kind of game and i would really want to have it for Mac. There is features that don't exist in other free Mac-compatible or web browser simulators.

Why don't your father agree with this kind of game?

i have a new idea for the next update,intelligent creatures and natural disasters well...more natural disaster well anyway you can only get the intelligent creatures in the sandbox mode at 10 millenia and the new natural disasters could be TSUNAMIS,TORNADOES,FUNGUL INFECTIONS,now that i said that you should add FUNGI!!!

but land life only emerges at like 1000 millenia so intelligent life should be like rarer and we do need fungi

(2 edits)

uhh iamteproworld you said 1000 millenia AKA:ONE MILLION YEARS.okay...let me repeat that...ONE MILLION YEARS

yes but good thing one year is 2 second

Hey Mate. I just downloaded the game and after a while I decided to check the sandbox mode, and this happened. 

This bug is only on sandbox, it is constant and sometimes there is a VERY STRONG bright purple light coming from the terrain hitting my eyes. This lasts for a long time and it briefly stops when I'm placing a plant around, it does not happen on scenario mode. Is it related to my graphics card not being able to endure the game or is this a bug related to something on the game

Also, thank you for the work and the game is looking amazing, i followed you before the Fight and Flight update.

( 2)

Hi xenopunk0, thanks so much for following for such a long time, and also for reaching out! This is definitely a graphical glitch... it reminds me a bit of the grass problem that older versions of the game had in Linux (OpenGL). If you are not on Linux or on an older version of the game... would you be willing to send over a crash log to [email protected]?  I might be able to see what is going on in a log file (C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\The Sapling\the_sapling_Data) or crash report (C:\Users\YOURUSERNAME\AppData\LocalLow\Wessel Stoop\The Sapling). 

i think we can all relate to the fact that land animals never emerge and epochs are weird


and custom seasons feel to simple so i think this could solve it

(1 edit) ( 1)

the leaf is soil fertility and the sun is solar radiation which makes animals have to be a darker color or have an option of "melanin production" which means they will get darker the more they stay on the sun if there is high sun radiaton and "melanin loss" which means their skin color will get lighter with time if there is no sun radiation and minimum and maximum melanin which are the darkest and lightest color the animal can be to avoid it getting too dark or too light


an edited photo

(1 edit) ( 1)

i made the melanin thing because i accidentally placed the sun instead of the thermometer in the season image and btw "dark forest" is just like saying custom names could be a thing

Hey, thanks so much for your ideas (with illustrations even), and sorry for totally missing them until now.  Without making promises, I like your ideas about melanin. Would you claim that animals in sunnier areas of the world are also darker on earth because of this?

(1 edit)

yes and thats why people in deserts have a darker skin color and in europe they are as white as snow

One way road! ONE WAY ROAD!

i bought it but i dont know how to play anyone got suggestions?

(1 edit)

well i just figured out it doesnt even work for my chromebook -_-

How am I supposed to play this on my iPad what button am I supposed to press?

you cant i think

u can only play in laptop i think

how do I play this game on an iPad?

(1 edit)

is it only on steam?

Just added it to Itch as well!

(1 edit) ( 1)

how do i test the experimental branch of the food and fire update?

Just added it to Itch as well!

I am just saying this because I am currently short of money, but could you make a free version that only allows you to have 1 world, not including the tutorial world?


The world could only have certain maps to play on and you could only make creatures and plants using simple features.

(1 edit)

At the moment, I have no plans for a tutorial, but good to know you would be interested in that!

(3 edits)

i have an idea for an update that makes ecosystems interact more with each other: mushrooms can be edited, they would have a poison system to avoid some animals eating them, they can have patterns and be poisonous for animals, or make the animal resistant to a poison type or to lower or higher temperatures but animals will evolve to be resistant to that poison type or that temperature, that can unlock new body parts that can only evolve by eating mushrooms, they spread by spores which  can attach to animals and each specific amount of seconds a mushroom will grow where the animal is in that current time, mushrooms can grow mycelium that can make plants help each other, like passing water to another plant that needs it, also mushroom spores can grow into moss, a new plant type like grass that can increase a place's shallow water, which will mean that now places get dryer over time, then moss can evolve into grass or ferns and ferns can evolve onto plants. Plants will also change, making them instead of evolving seeds evolving spore droppers which are like mushroom spores, the spore droppers can evolve to drop more spores or evolve into seeds. And the last thing is a fruit growing animation, if a fruit is curved it will grow straight and then it will curve or a round fruit just growing bigger or a long fruit that gets longer, fruits changing colors while they grow like strawberries and that fruit poison is low and while the fruit gets older the poison intensity rises so animals have to eat the fruit while its still young and a sugar level for fruits that can make the fruit give more energy and body parts that make the animal more or less sugar resistant to absorb more sugar. I would like to see some or one of these features or something similar.

and also amphibian animals that can evolve from aquatic animals with special feet that can swim and walk and then evolve onto land animals or onto aquatic animals again but being able to stay more time in land, aquatic plants that are just plants that evolve back onto water and have leaves and flowers, also corals in the ocean that can evolve from algae and change color and size.

Thank you for so many ideas! Without making promises, these are all ideas I like! I will now go and google 'spore droppers' :)

(1 edit)

with spore droppers i mean a body part for plants that drops spores because i dont think that those body parts even have a name

they could have a lot of like hairs in them like in real life in some images i have seen

(1 edit)

an example picture


I absolutely adore this game, but I keep on running into an issue in the tutorial game: at a certain point, everything seems to freeze, but I still have free motion and can click on and select things. The years do not pass, and nothing moves or interacts. I suspect this is because of my admittedly limited computer's setup, but I just wanted to know if there was a way to avoid this.

Hey Lorewise, thanks for your report! This sounds very much like the game ran into an internal problem.  I might be able to see what is going on in a log file (C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\The Sapling\the_sapling_Data) or crash report (C:\Users\YOURUSERNAME\AppData\LocalLow\Wessel Stoop\The Sapling). Are you by any chance willing to send these to [email protected] ?

(1 edit)

when i try to play for first time with the plant i cant because it says the ocean depth is not enotuh so will not survive i dont know what to do i cant edit it and i cant edit the terrain, please help, i just want to play sandbox i will learn on the while im playing to be honest i dont want to play this one about the plant is becoming a headache to know why the ocean is too depth :S

Hey Krory90, the game only makes you go through the first scenario to avoid the sandbox being too overwhelming. If you want to place an alga, and the game says the ocean depth is not correct, you can either make it 'longer' (dragging up the red arrow in the editor) or shorter (dragging down the red arrow)... does that help?

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