Rivers reborn - every river now starts at a mountain spring, runs down to one of the three lakes, and the lakes drain to the sea; deeper pools and wider reaches along the way, no more streams out of nowhere

New island map - the M map redrawn with the new rivers, springs and lakes

Open sea - swim or fly out past the island and it keeps going: an endless sea floor, haze on the horizon, and a current that turns you back before the edge

Reefs - rock outcrops, pinnacles and shelves on the deep ocean floor, some of them huge

Swimmers - Megalodon and Mosasaurus hunt the open ocean; Deinosuchus patrols the lakes and river mouths and hauls out on the banks

Flyers - Pterodactyl flocks, Archaeopteryx and Rahonavis soar across the island, land to drink and hunt, and take off again

Favourite foods - every species has five favourites; eating one gives one and a half times the food

Level 20 - every dino now levels to 20; unlocks are exactly where they were

Stat points - earn up to 20 per dino (spending them comes later)

Peas and carrots - dinos no longer pee; they drop peas and carrots instead

Home ranges - species now have places they favour across the island: Brontosaurus in the centre, raptors in the western woods, tyrants in the south-east

Broccoli and Ritz cracker - two new power-ups that work like the brownie and the mac and cheese

Moving power-ups - a collected power-up comes back somewhere else, never in the same spot

Roaming herds - dinos no longer pace a home spot; herds travel the island for water, food and cover, and meet at the rivers

Sleeping - at midday and at night herds lie down to rest in cover, and wake when danger comes near

Wary prey - herbivores spot you gradually, keep their distance and watch you, and only bolt when you charge

Sneaking - hold Ctrl to creep silently; strike before you're spotted for an ambush bite (x1.5 damage and a startle)

Smell - carnivores pick up blood, dung and carcasses and may track them down

Carcass fights - the owner guards its kill, scavengers circle and steal bites, the stronger dino takes over

Revenge - kill a herd's baby and the whole herd may turn on you, and they remember you

Sizing up - dinos weigh up a fight first; a lone hunter won't take on a whole herd

Growth from food - you grow as your body burns what you ate; the first growth step lands a few minutes in

XP for staying alive - every minute alive earns XP (more when fed and watered), plus XP for kills and catching critters

Starving grace - 10 minutes at zero food or water before you start losing health, with a countdown

Low food and water warnings - the thirst warning reminds you to press M to find water on the map

Photoreal ground - new grass, meadow, dry plains, dirt, forest floor, sand, pebbles, cliff and rock textures

Wet ground - rain darkens the ground and fills hollows with puddles that slowly dry out after the storm

Photoreal rocks and bark - every rock, cliff, boulder, tree trunk, log and stump has a real texture

Underwater light - sunlight ripples across the lake and sea beds

Mudskippers - skip about on muddy banks and in the shallows

Bass - cruise lakes and ponds, and sometimes leap out of the water

Catfish - lurk on the bottom by banks and boulders

Piranhas - school in the rivers, and they bite back if you wade in near them

Fishing - catch fish while you're in the water

Lake, river and sea beds - rocks, boulders and underwater cliffs

Water plants - sway with the current and part around you as you swim through

Long weed and seaweed - grow taller the deeper the water

Lily pads - float in clusters on calm lakes and ponds, drift apart when you swim through, then settle back together

Floating algae - collects around the lilies and reeds

Coming soon: Flyers - Rahonavis, Archaeopteryx and Pterodactyl

Coming soon: Swimmers - Deinosuchus (a giant prehistoric alligator), Mosasaurus and Megalodon

Rivers - Six rivers now run across the Isle of Nugs, from the mountains down to the lakes and the sea. The dry west, north and south-west finally have water: over half the island used to be more than a kilometre from fresh water, now it's about a quarter

Tarn of the Summit - A mountain lake high on the western peak, spilling off the mountain in a cascade of waterfalls down to the sea

Strange Spring - A glowing turquoise hot spring on top of the plateau that steams day and night. Its creek runs off the plateau's cliff edge as a waterfall

Waterfalls - Rivers drop over ledges as real waterfalls, with mist and splashes where they land

River Rocks - Boulders sit in the rivers and the current breaks around them in ripples and spray

Micro Grass - Fine, dense short grass on sunny open ground breaks up the flat ground under your feet

River Current - Rivers carry you downstream when you swim or wade. Swim against it to fight the flow

Splashes & Wakes - Dinos splash when they jump or fall into water, and leave a wake as they wade and swim

Sticks - Every now and then a stick falls out of a tree. Pick it up in your mouth with E, drop it in a river and watch it float away

Night Vision - Carnivores press F to see nearby dinos glowing red, even through the dark and the grass

Rivers on the Map - The island map (M) now shows the rivers, the tarn and the spring

Intimidate Roar - Every raptor has a brand new roar on R: Oviraptor, Velociraptor, Balaur, Variraptor, Pyroraptor and Deinonychus

Raptor Calls - Raptors now chatter, chirp and call to each other as they roam, roughly once a minute

Voice Acted - Every Raptor TLC sound is voice acted by the dev

Recorded Chomps - New bite, chomp, miss and drinking sounds, also voice acted by the dev

Stun - Every dino has a stun chance: land a hit and you might stun your target, stopping it from attacking for a moment. Chain hits to stun-lock your prey

Look Info - Aim at a dino to see what it is and how hurt it is, just under the compass

Growth - You now grow from being well fed and watered, not from each bite: keep food and water topped up and you'll be fully grown in about an hour

Hatching - New hatchlings start hungry and thirsty, so your first job is finding food and water

Coating Preview - Pick a coating on a dino's card to see what it looks like before you wear it

Raptor Voices - New raptor roar and calls for every dino in the Raptors class

Recorded Chomps - Brand new bite, chomp, miss and drinking sounds

Bigger World - A ring of deep ocean now surrounds the Isle of Nugs, ready for swimmers

Mountains & Mesas - New mountain ranges with canyons to walk through, cliff-walled mesas with paths to the top, and a causeway between two of them

More Terrain - Plateaus, terraced cliffs, forest clearings, and far less flat ground

Deeper Lakes - Lakes now have real deep middles

New Map - The island map (M) is now a real top-down view of the island

Weather - Rain and storms now roll in on their own

Living Plants - Bigger bushes, ferns and flowers lean out of the way as you push through them

Tails - Tails counter-balance the head and swing with every stride

Charge - Horned and armoured dinos and Pachycephalosaurus can charge: sprint and hold bite to ram, do damage and send breading flying

Drinking - Hold E to drink, with your head down at the water

Overeating - Eat past full to grow faster, but you get STUFFED: less stamina and a faster-draining sprint until it digests

Eyes - Glossy, wet-looking eyes

Prestige - Max out a class to prestige it: the class XP resets and you earn a new nugget coating for that class

Coatings - Six prestige coatings: Spicy, Garlic Lemon Pepper, Grilled, Buffalo, Ghost Pepper and Golden

Food Glow - What your dino can eat now glows softly: tree leaves for tall dinos, shrubs for smaller plant eaters, bugs for small hunters (toggle in Settings)

Bite Sounds - New sounds for bites that miss, bites that land on a dino, munching plants, and drinking

15 New Species - 15 new land dinos join the island, for 31 playable in all

Classes - Every dino now belongs to a class: Grazers, Raptors, Horned & Armoured, Sauropods or Tyrants

Coming Soon - Flyers and Swimmers are on the select screen, labelled Coming Soon

Dino Select - Click any dino for an overview of its class, diet and stats, then press HATCH

Gallimimus - Now an omnivore, like the real thing

Experience - XP now builds on three levels: per dino, per class and across your whole account

Unlocks - Playing dinos in a class unlocks the next one, about every life and a half

Starters - Saltopus (the tutorial dino) opens up the island; Oviraptor starts the raptor line

Max Levels - Every dino has a level cap to work toward

Herbivore Feast - Plant eaters can now eat trees, bushes and shrubs, so the jungle is a buffet

Reach - Big sauropods browse right up in the canopy; smaller herbivores graze the undergrowth

Chomp - Leaves burst when you eat, and fall from the branches when you bite a tree

Scent Marks - Peeing and pooping mark the spot on your compass and map for a day, and other dinos can smell them

Nests - Up to 2 nests per life, with a 20 minute rest between them

Wind - Trees, plants and grass now sway in the breeze, with stronger gusts now and then

Falling Leaves - Leaves drift down around you in the jungle

Weather - Something is brewing on the horizon...

Head Tracking - Dinos turn their heads and give you a side-eye when they notice you

Your Dino - Your dino's head follows where you're looking, and it turns to strike when you attack

Eyes - New expressions: dorky by default, determined when sprinting, tiny pupils when fleeing a threat, mad in a standoff, and sad when a herd-mate falls

Voice Chat - Proximity voice now reaches 140 m

Island Map - The map shows where you are and which way you're facing, plus anyone sharing their location (with their names)

Hide HUD - New toggle in Settings (or press F1) for clean screenshots; ESC always brings the HUD back

New - An achievement for unlocking each dino, for mastering each dino, and for mastering them all

New - Become a Nugget

Capstones - Apex Predator, Megaherbivore, Dangerous Prey, Pack Alpha and Herd Elder: long-haul goals for the most dedicated nuggs

Icons - Every achievement now has its own icon

??? - Our visitors have started flying a lot lower. Keep watching the sky.

Living Island - Herds and wildlife now gather around you as you explore; regions repopulate over time so no species can go extinct

Ambient Life - Frogs, crickets, shield bugs and dragonflies now live on the island; small carnivores can snack on them

Repenomamus - A badger-like hunter now prowls woods and meadows, preying on hatchlings until they're grown

Lakes - Calmer, gentler water on inland lakes

Aimed Bites - Your bite goes where you aim, reaching all the way to the ground, with a crosshair that lights up on a target in reach

Breading - Bites knock golden breading crumbs off their target

Squash - Big dinos can stomp critters, but there's no meal in it

Stamina - Every dino now has double the stamina

Speed - Walk and run speeds increased by 20%

Experience - Earn XP per species for eating, hunting, nesting and surviving, and level up as you go

Spawns - You now spawn at a random safe spot away from other players

Messes - Mashed potato looks like mashed potato, peeing leaves a wet shine, and a fallen dino leaves a ketchup puddle

Roars - Every dino has a roar on R that matches its kind and size

Calls - Dinos make the odd call while they roam

Ambience - Forests, jungles, plains and wetlands each have their own day and night soundscape

Footsteps - Footsteps on grass, rustling through tall grass, lapping lakes and breaking sea waves

Island Map - Press M for a map of the whole island; hover anywhere to see its coordinates

Coordinates - Your X / Y now sits above the compass

Compass - Shows food, water and mates only, not other players

Controls - The key list moved off the HUD into Settings > Controls

New - Badgered, Badger Basher and Wanna Go Gigging?

??? - Something has been seen in the night sky. Keep watching.

Proximity Voice - Talk to players near you; speaking icons show over their dinos

Players List - Press TAB or pick PLAYERS in the ESC menu to see everyone in the server: dino, size, status, ping and mic

Location Sharing - Choose whether other players can see your X / Y and find you on their compass

Coordinates - Your own X / Y now sits above the compass (toggle in Settings > Social)

Nests - Once fully grown, lead a herd with an adult of the opposite sex of your species to build a nest

Eggs - Chicken-nugget eggs now come in colours per species, with variation

Mate Scent - Fully grown dinos can smell nearby mates; follow the heart on your compass

Hunger and Thirst - Now drain half as fast

Smell - Food and water can be smelled from twice as far away

Forests - Tree density reduced by about 30% for clearer sightlines and better performance

Controls - The key list moved off the HUD into Settings > Controls, grouped by On Foot, Swimming and Flying

ESC Menu - New PLAYERS button

Isle of Nugs - A brand new 64 km² open world island, about the size of GTA V

Vast Scale - 8 km edge to edge, so a hatchling needs over two hours to walk it end to end

Biomes - Long open plains, dense woodland, flower meadows, lush jungle and rocky dry highlands

Water - Lakes, shorelines and an ocean surrounding the island

Living Ground - Dense grass that squashes under your feet, scattered pebbles, rocks and boulders you can bump into

Forests - Thousands of trees and bushes, with big foliage you can hide inside

Herds Everywhere - 180+ AI dinosaurs in 55 herds, each living in the biome that suits it

Spawn Points - 16 safe starting spots spread across the island, near fresh water and a snack

Seamless Streaming - The world loads around you as you travel, with no loading screens

Distant Views - See the whole island stretch out to the horizon from any high point

New Sky - A hand-picked cretaceous midday sky with islands on the horizon

Sunlight - The sun in the sky now matches the real light and shadows

Day & Night - The sky blends smoothly from midday into golden hour, dusk and a starry night

Real Time - The day-night cycle follows real world time, shared by every player

Atmosphere - Horizon haze now matches the sky colour

Title Screen - New Dino Nuggs logo over a slow cinematic flyover of the island

Game Modes - Choose Isle of Nugs or Tutorial from the main menu

Tutorial - A smaller practice area to learn the ropes (unlocks and achievements are disabled here)

Pause Menu - Press ESC in either mode to resume, open settings or quit to the main menu

Menu Music - New ambient jungle track on the menus

Settings Menu - Available from the title screen, dino select and the pause menu

Graphics Presets - Low, Medium, High and Ultra

Graphics Options - Scatter density, grass and tree distance, far trees, shadows, fog, crispy crust detail, terrain detail, outlines and an FPS counter

Audio - Master, music and sound effect volume

Controls - Mouse sensitivity, invert Y and camera zoom speed

Saved - Your settings are remembered between sessions

Streaming - Travelling across the island no longer causes long freezes

Shadows - Small plants and rocks no longer cast shadows, for a big frame rate boost

Grass - Lighter grass rendering for higher frame rates in open fields

Trees - Tree shadows fade out at a distance

Missing Textures - Fixed pink UI and missing card art for players joining a game

Wrong Scene - Fixed joining players loading into the old test scene

Spawn Control - Fixed a joining player's dino spawning under the host's control

Roster Bars - Fixed stat bars overflowing, misaligning and showing gaps

Idle Animations - Fixed dinos freezing between idle animations instead of looping

Eyes - Fixed Variraptor and Megalodon eyes disappearing under the breading

Dino Select Order - Unlocked dinos now show first, then locked, then coming soon