Dear Terraformers,

A new build is now available on the beta test branch to address known issues. Please let us know in the Draft Update Beta Feedback Thread if you continue to experience any game/rule-breaking issues. Please be sure that when you report an issue that you communicate it in as clear and concise a manner as possible to ensure that our developers have the best chances of finding and resolving it.

If no other serious offenders are reported, the content of the beta (bugfixes, Draft Mode, Game State, Awards & Milestones Competitors) will be pushed to the live branch.

• Helion can fall into negative M€ when attempting to buy Standard Projects using Heat.
  
• AI players playing as Helion, Phobolog or Interplanetary Cinematics can eventually display negative M€ resource values.
  
• The Scientist award does not properly handle evenly-matched players.
  
• Placing two ocean tiles as part of one action on spaces with Steel /Titanium bonuses as Mining Guild only raises Steel production by 1.
  
• Blue cards' actions can occasionally be triggered twice per Generation.
  
• Actions that let a user look at the top card to buy or discard it are unavailable with less than 3 M€.
  
• An AI using the Predators (024) effect with no valid targets will result in a game blocker.
  
• Player is unable to remove resources from Livestock (184) using Predators (024).
  
• Arctic Algae (023) does not grant plants when an ocean tile is placed through the use of Flooding (188).
  
• Capital (008) tile is not counted as a city by cards that interact with cities.
  
• Capital (008) doesn't award Victory Points for adjacent ocean tiles.
  
• Mars University (073) only allows 1 discard to draw when playing Research (090).
  
• Viral Enhancers (074) should get 3 plants when playing Advanced Ecosystems (135), instead only gives 1.
  
• Player is occasionally unable to use Power Infrastructure (194) after using other energy-consuming actions.

Please refer to the previous announcement for information about the contents of the beta, as well as instructions to join or leave the beta test:
https://steamcommunity.com/games/800270/announcements/detail/1690437137185609743

Dear Terraformers,

Good things come to those who wait: the Draft Update is now available for beta testing with a new mode, bug fixes and quality of life changes!

Read below to discover the changes and how to access them:

After listening to the wants and needs of the community , we are happy to announce that the third official variant has been implemented and is available as an option for local and online games. It allows players to affect which cards other players get access to, and increases your ability to pursue a certain strategy, or predict which parameter will rise first.
During the Research phase each player drafts four cards to buy from instead of just drawing four to buy from. Each player first gets four cards and chooses one to draft and put aside. Each player then passes the three other cards to the following player. You now set aside one of them and pass the rest to the left. You repeat this until all cards drawn have been drafted.
You now examine the four cards you’ve set aside (drafted) and choose which to buy (3 M€ each) and which to discard.
Drafting is not used during the first generation since the first Research phase is skipped. The Draft Variant adds some extra game time and is not recommended for players new to Terraforming Mars.



This new feature, available at any step of the game, allows you to pause your current action and check the information you need before making your decision.
For instance, you're at the end of the Research phase and need to select which cards to buy. Simply press the button View game state to switch to the main screen, view the surface of Mars and open any window you need (your Tags for instance).


A mouseover on any Award or Milestone will display the compared performance of all players.



All blocker bugs have been addressed in this update. We will continue ironing out the game and monitoring the forum for your reports in the next months.
- Fixed: The AI may stop playing in a local game, often at the research phase.
- Fixed: After an Online opponent forfeits, the replacing AI repeats the same move and the replay then doubles that move.
- Fixed: AI doesn't sub in when players disconnect in Online games with AI Sub option ON.
- Fixed: Cards purchased in previous Research Phases appear pre-selected when using Sell Patent; blocker may occur when leaving and resuming such a game.
- Fixed: The End Turn button remains on-screen during a local game replay when auto end-turn is enabled.
- Fixed: Player is wrongly able to draw a card when using Search For Life (005).
- Fixed: Nitrogen-Rich Asteroid (037) plant production is only triggered when the user has three plant tags or more
- Fixed: Noctis City (017) can't be played when no more cities can be placed on the board.
- Fixed: Heat UI element can become invisible during a game session.
- Fixed: Land Claim (066) is wrongly counted as a tile.
- Fixed: Mining Area (064) and Mining Rights (067) are missing visuals for production when using Robotic Workforce (card 086).
- Fixed: Missing minus symbol in front of the temperature in the requirement text on Extreme-Cold Fungus (134) in French


- The Tutorials are now available from the main menu instead of from the Options menu.
- Among the feedback we've received is the suggestion to add faster animations. Note that this option is already available in the Settings!



In the Library tab of your Steam client, browse the left-side list and right-click on Terraforming Mars. Select Properties.

In the new window, visit the Betas tab. In the drop-down menu, select betatest - Draft Update beta test and close the window. Steam will download the update.


Note that this beta is limited in its duration. We hope that you enjoy the new features and bugfixes and we're very interested in your feedback. Please share it in this forum thread: https://steamcommunity.com/app/800270/discussions/0/1742228532897548826/

If you wish to opt-out of the beta and continue playing Terraforming Mars with the live version, follow the below steps:
1- Opt out of the beta on Steam.
a. Go into Terraforming Mars’ properties
b. Select the “Beta” tab
c. Select the “NONE – Opt out of all beta programs” option
2- Delete the content of this folder:
C:\Users\<username>\AppData\LocalLow\LuckyHammers\Terraforming Mars
Make sure that you check all files have been deleted, some of them are set as “hidden” and will need to be revealed to be deleted.


If you experience any bugs, please send a description, your save and/or screenshots with the Contacts Us button on this page: https://asmodee.helpshift.com/a/terraforming-mars

Happy drafting and terraforming!

Dear Terraformers,

The second update of the game has been released and should be automatically downloaded by your Steam client. If Steam isn't downloading it, follow this guide to get the update: open your Steam Library and right-click on the game's name on the left-side list. Select Properties, then Local Files, then Verify integrity of game files.

As mentioned on Friday, it will not be possible to resume any games started before this update (but you won't lose any Karma or Ranking points). Make sure you complete your current games before updating.

The update 1.327 includes many improvements and bugfixes:

- Graphics: new settings to select your resolution and toggle windowed mode or full screen (in the meantime you can use the shortcut Alt+Enter)
- Online: addition of shorter game lengths: 30 min and 45 min
- Online: the AI substituted to timed-out human players will use the Hard difficulty level instead of the Easy difficulty level
- Online: version system check. To ensure everybody will play with the same version of the game, the server will verify if you've downloaded the latest update and request you to download the update if you don't. To be on the safe side, make sure Steam uses its default setting "Always keep this game up to date".

- Fixed: Mining Guild gains steel production for any tiles placed on the board
- Fixed: Landlord awards points to the wrong players
- Fixed: Disparity between displayed resources in Online games after playing certain red cards that remove resources
- Fixed: User is unable to play Quantum Extractor (079) when playing missing Science Tags in the same turn.
- Fixed: Protected Habitat (173) prevents loss of plant production
- Fixed: The effect of Inventrix and Adaptation Technology (153) does not stack together
- Fixed: User is forced to discard a card when playing a Science Tag while Mars University (073) is active
- Fixed: Maxed-out Global Parameters could prevent the use of some cards, such as Comet (010) when 9/9 oceans are placed
- Fixed: as Helion, user is unable to select which resources are to be used to decrease the cost of a project card
- Fixed: Rad-suits (186) can be played when only one city tile has been placed
- Fixed: Several menus and visual assets are overlapping on 21:9 resolution screens
- Fixed: The resource icons in the in-game Rules under 'Symbols' are partially cut-off
- Fixed: The list of online users in the Public Chat scrolls fast on its own for a few seconds
- Fixed: French localization update for the cards Space Elevator (013) and Chasma of Eos (026)

We're working on further bugfixes and improvements. A small update is being prepared for next week. Our major update planned for early December will include:
- the Draft variant
- Competition trackers for the race to the Awards and Milestones
- A new option to check the state of the game at any time and give you the insights you need to take the best decisions
- The Tutorial button moved to the Main Menu to help the beginners

If you experience any issue beyond this update, please describe the issue and send your save and/or screenshots to support@asmodee.mail.helpshift.com
Your save is located in C:\Users\Username\AppData\LocalLow\LuckyHammers\Terraforming Mars\Saves\LocalGameSave

We hope you enjoy the update 1.327 and we continue our efforts to improve Terraforming Mars.

Dear Terraformers,

The development team is currently finishing the second update of the game, planned for release early next week.
Make sure to finish your ongoing games before installing this update. This will be the last update which will not allow resuming old games: all updates coming after will be compatible with the games started earlier.

Let's now review the content of this update:

- Graphics: new settings to select your resolution and toggle windowed mode or full screen (in the meantime you can use the shortcut Alt+Enter)
- Online: addition of short game lengths: 30 min and 45 min
- Online: the AI substituted to timed-out human players will use the Hard difficulty level instead of the Easy difficulty level
- Online: version system check. To ensure everybody will play with the same version of the game, the server will verify if you've downloaded the latest update and request you to download the update if you don't. To be on the safe side, make sure Steam uses its default setting "Always keep this game up to date".

- Mining Guild gains steel production for any tiles placed on the board
- Landlord awards points to the wrong players
- Disparity between displayed resources in Online games after playing certain red cards that remove resources
- User is unable to play Quantum Extractor (079) when playing missing Science Tags in the same turn.
- Protected Habitat (173) prevents loss of plant production
- The effect of Inventrix and Adaptation Technology (153) does not stack together
- The resource icons in the in-game Rules under 'Symbols' are partially cut-off
- French localization update for the cards Space Elevator (013) and Chasma of Eos (026)

We're working on further bugfixes and improvements and our major update planned for early December including:
- the Draft variant
- competition trackers for the race to the Awards and Milestones
- a new option to check the state of the game at any time and give you the insights you need to take the best decisions


Don't forget to finish your games before the update, and see you next week!

Dear Terraformers,

Thank you for sharing your feedback on the forum and thank you for all the constructive reviews you wrote.
We can tell that you have a lot of passion for Terraforming Mars and we want to make sure that you know we are listening to the whole community.

First of all, we want to address the Draft variant, something a lot of players were very vocal about.
The Draft Variant is one of the highest prioritized upcoming features. The free "Draft Update" is our next major update for Terraforming Mars and is planned to arrive in December. We'll be sure to have this in your hands as soon as possible.

We also understand that a lot of you have experienced some technical issues. We want to reassure you that we are committed to improve the quality of the game.
This is why we have prepared a first patch today to address over 70 bugs:

- Fixed: AI players sometimes stop taking decisions and freeze
- Fixed: AI players freeze when allowed to place a Greenery during the final Plant Conversion phase if the board is full
- Fixed: The player log is cut-off on computers with a 1366x768 resolution
- Fixed: Ocean placement actions are still available when no ocean tile can be placed
- Fixed: Progression blocker with the project card Mining Area (034)
- Fixed: Progression blocker with the project card Ants (035) action without valid target
- Fixed: Project cards Martian Rails (007) and Zeppelins (129) take cities built on Ganymede Colony and Phobos Space Haven in consideration despite reading as giving resources for every city ''on Mars''
- Fixed: Mining Rights (067) is not seen as an option for Robotic Workforce (086)

if Steam doesn't automatically download the new content, follow this guide to do it:
1) Close the game.
2) Open your Steam Library and right-click on the game's title on the left-side list.
3) Select Properties -> Local Files -> Verify integrity of game files.
This will download and install the latest available update.

Hotfix 1.308 is the first of several updates coming to Terraforming Mars. In addition to bugfixes, they will also include player-requested improvements, such as:
- New options to play in windowed mode and change the display resolution
- Changes to the online mode to prevent inactive players to extend the game length
- Upgrades to the Hard AI
- And much more!

Please report any issue on the Bug Reports thread and keep posting your suggestions on the forum: your feedback is very important to us.

Dear players,

The United Nations Mars Initiative now declares the Red Planet open to colonization. It's time for you to start terraforming against 3 levels of AI and/or human players in single player, local hotseat or online. Veteran players can also test their skill with the Solo challenge variant, the Corporate Era variant and dozens of Steam Achievements to unlock.

Today is also the first step of a long and beautiful journey. With the support of Jacob Fryxelius and the feedback of our beta-testers, we're already working on the next step: the Draft Update! It will include:

• The official Draft variant
  
• An improvement to the Awards and Milestones panels to track the progression of all players
  
• An improvement to the standard project Sell Patents (select -> confirm/cancel)

The Draft Update is planned for early December.

Happy Terraforming and see you on Mars!

Dear Terraformers,

We have begun our final approach of the Red Planet: the game will release on the 17th of October on Steam. Please keep your seat belt on and prepare for landing. Your portable electronic devices must be set to ‘spaceship’ mode until our arrival.

In the meantime, we're implementing the last tweaks to the game based on the feedback of the beta-testers. For instance, the use of Event cards by all levels of AI has been improved, and the Milestones claimed and Awards funded are now tracked on the main screen:


Gardener Milestone claimed + Thermalist and Scientist Awards funded


Add the game to your wishlist to be notified of the release:

https://store.steampowered.com/app/800270/Terraforming_Mars/

Dear Terraformers,

Thank you very much for participating in the second and final beta test! It will end tomorrow morning (10 am CET).

In the next weeks we're going to use your feedback to fix outstanding issues and add quality of life features, such as progression trackers for Milestones and Awards.

Add the game to your wishlist to be notified when it's released!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/800270/Terraforming_Mars/

Dear Terraformers,

Thanks a lot for sharing your feedback! Today's patch adds a new language and solves several issues identified in the previous build.

• New language: Swedish, the mother language of the creators of the board game, the Fryxelius family
  
• Bugfix: the settings stay as defined when closing and re-launching the game.

• Bugfix: the end game plants-to-greeneries conversion now grants all placement bonuses.
  
• Bugfix: it's no longer possible to stack the resource production of starting Corps.
  
• Bugfix: completing the Tutorials no longer shows a placeholder card instead of Mars in the main menu's background.
  
• Bugfix: the progression blocker in Tutorial 5 is cleared.
  
• Bugfix: Optimal Aerobraking, Decomposers, Ecological Zone and possibly other similar project cards that add resources to themselves when you play certain tags now correctly count the resources that were added to them when resuming a game where they were played.
  
• Bugfix: resource values will now be displayed correctly to all players.
  
• Bugfix: resources are no longer tracked negatively when resuming an online game.

We hope you enjoy this new build. As usual, please share your feedback on the Steam forum.

See you on Mars!

Dear Terraformers,

After a busy summer working ceaselessly on your space shuttles, we'd like to invite you again to visit Mars! Today starts our second beta test, which will allow you to test all game modes: solo challenge, local games and online games. There are 1.500 beta keys available. Tell your friends!

We've made multiple changes to Terraforming Mars since the first beta test. We're very interested in your feedback on the following topics:
- The five new tutorial missions (available from the Options)
- The new game settings: remove all confirmations, end turn automatically after 2 actions, disable planet moves, select AI playing speed
- The new window listing the Played Cards
- Your feedback on any other element, feature or game mode!

1) Log in or create a free account on asmodee.net
2) Visit the Beta Test page and join Terraforming Mars - PC Beta Test (September) to receive your beta key: https://account.asmodee.net/betatests
3) Redeem your beta key on Steam by clicking on + ADD A GAME in the bottom left corner of the Steam client.

The following bugs are being investigated and will be addressed during or after the beta test.
- The end game plant conversion doesn't grant all benefits.
- Several corps may display incorrect resources values for other players.
- Keyboard shortcut: the 'Enter' key triggers multiple effects at once when more than one option is available to the shortcut.

Please share your feedback on the Steam forum.

See you on Mars!