We'll be hosting a Q&A session on our Discord server today: June 18th, 2020, at 6.30 PM CEST. Feel free to ask us anything about Occupy Mars. We're ready for your questions! ːsteamhappyː





Be sure to ask your questions on Occupy Mars: The game - general discussion channel.

See you there!
Occupy Mars Team

https://store.steampowered.com/app/758690/Occupy_Mars_The_Game/

We would like to invite you to our developers' stream of Occupy Mars Demo today: June 18, 2020, at 5 PM CEST / 8 AM PDT. ːsteamhappyː

Be sure to join on one of the channels below:

• Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/758690/
  
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/ThePyramidLab/
  
• Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/pyramid_games

During our live stream, you can ask us anything, chat with developers and have fun! 🚀




Feel free to join an amazing community on our Discord server and visit our social media. Don't forget to play the demo! We're waiting for your feedback. :)

Occupy Mars Team

The Steam game festival starts today: June 16th, and will last up to June 22nd!
Our demo mission continues so if you haven’t tried out Occupy Mars Demo yet, you can still do this! Play the demo and have fun!





Occupy Mars Demo is a small introduction to the world of Occupy Mars. As a member of one of the first successful Mars colonies, you have been sent to Remote Research Station located inside the Gale Crater. You have to complete your tasks and do everything you can to survive!



You can download the demo from Occupy Mars steam store page during the Steam Games Festival, it will be available until June 22nd. If you encounter any issues, please contact us on our Discord server.




During the Steam Game Festival, you can expect more streams, a chat with developers and more! More information will follow in a few days so stay tuned!

In the next few weeks we will launch the Prologue (which will be a longer version of the demo).
The Prologue will give you more playtime, more features and a way to verify if we are going in the right direction with implementing your suggestions. Remember to add the Prologue to your Wishlists.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1310520/Occupy_Mars_Prologue/




Occupy Mars Team

https://store.steampowered.com/app/758690/Occupy_Mars_The_Game/

We've just pushed out an update to the demo! ːsteamhappyː


The most important thing in the new version is the upgraded Feedback Reporter tool.
By Pressing F4 you can type in your feedback / bugreport or suggestion.

Every information you send is collected in our Workshop Tool here: https://workshop.occupymarsgame.com/

--->


Use the text description to tell us as much as possible about the issue. Select one of the checkboxes below to let us better filter the reports. By selecting "Bug" a log file will be sent automatically to us so we will be able to quickly check the problem :)

We've also launched a public bugtracker where we are putting the most common bugs from the workshop. In this trello board you can see what we are working on at given moment.

The full 0.40.0 changelog (features added during last 2 days) below:

• improved feedback reporting system
  
• added mouse sensitivity slider in settings
  
• improved the volume balance of some sounds
  
• added additional quality setting for slower PCs
  
• added possibility to type values manually on more panels
  
• added additional tutorial panels and fixed typos in some panels
  
• the mission introduction text is now shorter and easier to read
  
• fixed problem with some external joysticks/hotas which caused unwanted player movement
  
• fixed problem when sometimes dust storm appeared earlier than it should
  
• fixed problem with walking into Heavy Rover while keeping cable in hand
  
• fixed problem with dying from unpowered crusher rollers
  
• fixed the one rock that didn't want to be put in the trailer :)
  
• fixed graphical interference on hud during storm when inside the base
  
• fixed problem with crash on RTX GPUs after sitting inside Rover on fantastic settings
  
• rolling cables which were connected to a destroyed building
  
• improvements to some shaders and materials
  
• fixed invisible tools on quick change
  
• improved TPP orbiting camera
  
• fixed crouching icon on HUD

The next steps on our way to Early Access are:

• Steam Games Festival - where you can expect more streams, a chat with developers and more
  
• in the next few weeks we will launch the Prologue (which will be a longer version of the demo)
  
• the Prologue will give you more playtime, more features and a way to verify if we are going in the right direction with implementing your suggestions
  
• Remember to add the Prologue to your Wishlists. After the Prologue we will only focus on the final polishing of the main game (please remember that the demo shows maybe 2% of the full game)

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1310520/Occupy_Mars_Prologue/

Let's make an amazing Mars game together!





Best Regards,
Occupy Mars Team


https://store.steampowered.com/app/758690/Occupy_Mars_The_Game/

We have good news for you! A free demo version of Occupy Mars is going live today: June 9th at 6 p.m CEST, and it will be available for everyone until June 22nd, which is the end of the Steam Game Festival.

Although the Steam Game Festival was rescheduled for June 16-22, we don’t want you to wait any longer for our demo. We can’t wait to show you what we’ve been working on lately and gather your invaluable feedback.

Luckily, Steam Range allowed us to release a free demo version of Occupy Mars today: June 9th so the weather is Go for launch! 😊

Our Demo Mission has an instantaneous launch window set for today at 9am Pacific Time and our Starman is ready for Mars :) 👨‍🚀🚀




One more thing: First person to reach the "Mission Complete" screen (remember to take a screenshot) in our super difficult Occupy Mars Demo will get Occupy Mars full version key for free (when available on launch day). Your screenshots should be posted on our Discord server, so be sure to join if you haven't already. Let the hunger games begin! ːsteamhappyː




You can download the demo from Occupy Mars: The Game store page. If you have any problems with accessing the demo or encounter some bugs, please contact us on our Discord server.

After the event we will gather all the feedback from you, and an improved, more advanced version will be published as a small Free to Play Game Occupy Mars: Prologue. Make sure to Add it to your Wishlists!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1310520/Occupy_Mars_Prologue/


We’ll be streaming live today so join us for our first devs’ Livestream of Occupy Mars on one of the channels below:

• Steam: https://steamcommunity.com/app/758690/broadcasts/
  
• Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/pyramid_games
  
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCO0Vhwsp1oIARnwssEVT2Pg

Watch our Livestream, chat with devs, and have fun!







Best Regards,
Occupy Mars Team


https://store.steampowered.com/app/758690/Occupy_Mars_The_Game/

Most people don't realize that game development and rocket science have a lot in common, the level of code complexity in a video game is often similar to the complexity of a spacecraft. That's probably why both professions are so interesting and inspiring. 👨‍🚀 🚀

Yesterday we were watching (together with our office starman) the amazing launch of Crew Dragon with 2 astronauts inside going to space for the first time ever. The NASA #LaunchAmerica stream is still live so you can continue watching the in-orbit operations and ISS docking.

Our office Starman was so focused on the stream that he forgot to post this dev blog yesterday ːsteammockingː





I know you can't wait for the release of Occupy Mars, so do we! And now we can reveal our plan:

A free demo version of Occupy Mars will be available for everyone during the Steam Games Festival (June 9th - 14th). Click here to read more and set a reminder for the event.

During the event you can expect live streams, you will be able to play the demo and chat with developers. After the event we will gather all the feedback from you, and an improved, more advanced version will be published as a small Free to Play Game Occupy Mars: Prologue. Make sure to Add it to your Wishlists!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1310520/Occupy_Mars_Prologue





The Prologue takes place in a remote location, before the events of Occupy Mars: The Game. It's a different story - an introduction to the world of Occupy Mars in which you have to use your brain in order to survive. Read more about the story, check out the new screenshots and more information about the Prologue here.


We are very curious about your thoughts and feedback from the Demo & Prologue! After the release of Demo & Prologue we will release a more detailed Early Access Roadmap. The full launch of Occupy Mars: The Game shouldn't be too long after the Prologue.

Playing the Prologue is a great introduction in which you can learn everything you need before diving into the story of the main game where you will finally play all the mechanics, explore the open world and experience the main story of the game!




The release of Early Access will be the beginning of the road for us! Our goal is to work closely with you - the players during the development of this game, your opinions will be taken into account when deciding on priorities of next updates and features.

Stay safe, stay strong and help us make Occupy Mars the best Mars game possible!

--------------------------

As we are getting closer to releasing Occupy Mars Demo, meanwhile another team of our developers is working on Dinosaur Fossil Hunter which is now Live on Kickstarter!

🦖 ➡️ https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/playway/dinosaur-fossil-hunter

https://store.steampowered.com/app/864700/Dinosaur_Fossil_Hunter/

--------------------------

Don't forget to follow Rover Mechanic Simulator if you haven't already, as our another team is working on the Curiosity Update which will add the big rover and many additional hours of gameplay.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/864680/Rover_Mechanic_Simulator/

While waiting for the beta - here's another interesting DevLog for you. ːsteamhappyː

Last time we told you about generating power on Mars, and today we would like to bring up another important topic, which is providing access to water. Since you want to succeed in colonizing Mars, you have to know the basics of establishing a self-sustaining colony.



Water is essential for life and your whole Colony simply needs access to it. As a colonist, one of your main tasks will be to establish a water supply system. But how to get water on Mars? First, you have to build wells to extract water from Martian soil. The “wells” in our game are not typical pumps, instead they are futuristic extractors which can heat the soil below and extract the water from the molecules in the ground.



The wells can be built near water rich spots, which can be found by using a spectral detector. Extracted water will be stored in the water tanks. Wells also have their own tanks, so you can distribute the water directly from a well to a building.



To maximize the efficiency of water extraction you can always use a pump station to have complete control over your water distribution. For example, you can control the amount of water supplied to each of the buildings with the use of a special panel. But first, you have to connect the pump station to your base and other buildings.



Stay tuned for upcoming updates. If you have any questions or just want to know more about the game, feel free to join our Discord server!

Best Regards,
Occupy Mars Team

https://store.steampowered.com/app/758690/Occupy_Mars_The_Game/

--------------------------

P.S. also remember to follow Rover Mechanic Simulator if you haven't already, as our second team is working on the Curiosity Update which will add the big rover and many additional hours of gameplay.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/864680/Rover_Mechanic_Simulator/

We have some exciting news to share with you! Read about our plans below.

First and foremost we would like to thank you for continued support and amazing feedback we receive from you, especially on our Discord server. For those who weren’t following the development too closely - we want to assure you that Occupy Mars: The Game is in active development, and every day we are getting closer to the release.

As stated in the previous devlog 3 weeks ago, due to Coronavirus situation, we had to adjust to a new reality and switch to remote work. We will continue to work in this distributed mode for the foreseeable future until the global situation resolves. The virus mixed up our plans and development schedule but we believe the health of our team is more important.

Since the computers in our office are now not used we decided to join the fight and installed Folding@Home on many office machines to help find the cure for the Virus while we work from the safety of our homes. We’ve also created a Pyramid Games Folding Team so you can follow our progress here.



We are slowly ramping up the development again and we will use this additional time to make the game even better. We are currently focussing on improving the game’s performance, improving the UI and tutorial missions, adding translations and fixing bugs.

We know you can’t wait for Occupy Mars and we want to give it to you as fast as possible, especially due to the fact that most of you are stuck at home. That’s why we’ve decided to prepare a Free Demo / Beta version of Occupy Mars allowing you to test game mechanics and help us catch bugs before the reveal of our big game. Your feedback will help us polish the game and also test our recently finished dedicated Workshop Bugerporting System (WBS).

Let’s put out some fires in the beta version together ːsteamhappyː



The Free Demo / Beta version of Occupy Mars will be available as soon as we get approval from our Publisher and Steamworks. The beta will release first to our most active Discord members and then slowly to more and more people. We don’t want to announce exact days anymore as there are too many variables at play in these difficult times.

Stay safe, stay strong and help us make Occupy Mars the best Mars game possible!

--------------------------

P.S. also remember to follow Rover Mechanic Simulator if you haven't already, as our second team is working on the Curiosity Update which will add the big rover and many additional hours of gameplay.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/864680/Rover_Mechanic_Simulator/

Today we are back with the new interesting content from the game for you!

Self-sustaining Martian Colony requires constant source of energy. Once you’ve built your first base you have to provide energy access to power your buildings and other facilities.



Electricity is needed to power the equipment and heating system inside the buildings. Of course you also need electricity to have a light inside your buildings. Take greenhouse, for example. In order to grow plants you have to provide light, which is the key element of photosynthesis.

What is more, sustaining life requires you to constantly pump out carbon dioxide that easily accumulates in hermetically closed quarters. Electrical power is everything when it comes to survival on Mars.



Electricity can be generated from solar panels. For energy storage you have to build batteries. During the Martian nights, batteries provide electrical power and keep the whole Colony supplied with electricity. The batteries recharge during the day so the whole process can repeat until you come up with a different method of producing electricity. Solar panels and batteries can be upgraded.



For energy management you have to build transformers that have to be connected to the batteries and the buildings by cables. Once everything is connected properly, all of your buildings in the colony are supplied with electricity. When your colony eventually grows bigger, you’ll need more effective power supplies, but this is the topic for another devlog.



If you have any questions or just want to know more about the game, feel free to join our Discord server!

Best Regards,
Occupy Mars Team

https://store.steampowered.com/app/758690/Occupy_Mars_The_Game/

P.S. Due to Coronavirus entering our country and city, Polish government is closing all schools, universities, cinemas etc. Many companies shut down as well. We will be working less hours and mostly remotely for the next few weeks. This will have an impact on the final release date of Occupy Mars, but we believe the health of our team is more important. We will also use this additional time to think-through the gameplay and make it even better. Keep following our game and see you in the next update!

P.S.2. If you can’t wait to visit Mars, there’s an update to our smaller game: Rover Mechanic Simulator coming tomorrow with additional features and support for multiple languages!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/864680/Rover_Mechanic_Simulator/

Discover the secrets of Mars Rovers with Rover Mechanic Simulator! Early Access starts today!

If you had been excited about the Pathfinder Mission, watched the Spirit rover take the first Martian selfie, or if you are waiting for a safe start of the Mars2020 mission or other rovers this year, we have something for you.

You can now buy Rover Mechanic Simulator Early Access -15% off! The discount will be valid for the next week!

Also: we are streaming live on Steam, Twitch and YouTube!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/864680/Rover_Mechanic_Simulator