As promised, we just released another small update addressing the known issue mentioned in the last build, 2 days ago.
The issue was that atmospheric zone composition synchronization over multiplayer was extremely network intensive. We have now introduced a buffer to send this data less often and only when needed. This means the issue has been resolved and optimized.
Note that we will still be further optimizing net-code within the next month or so, hence, expect further improvements to net-code stability and performance.
Enjoy!
Change log:
26th October 2016
- Fixed issue where atmospheric zone composition was extremely network intensive, now data is buffered
Life Support and Atmospheric Composition
Hello everyone!
We just released an update featuring the long-awaited Life Support Module. This critical piece of machinery is now required by all bases to keep atmospheric pressure and a safe environment within bases.
Under the hood there has been another massive, massive change, which is the reason for the long delay between builds - atmospheric zone composition. Long story short, it means every single atmospheric zone (in vehicles, bases and so on) now holds information as to which gases are within it, and how many units of each gas.
What does this mean?
Do you all recall the Oxygen you were mining that had no use? Well, now it is crucial to the game! Your base will not be livable without a Life Support Module and without an adequate supply of Oxygen. So, the larger the base, the more air needed to fill it.
Only Oxygen? Isn't 100% Oxygen lethal?
Depends on the partial pressure. At 0.3 atmospheres, 100% Oxygen is not lethal - space suits use this in reality.
Can I set the Life Support Module to use something other than just oxygen?
Yes, the module has several modes with varying pressure levels. One of them is 0.3atm of pure oxygen, while another is 1atm of essentially Earth-like air with Nitrogen forming 79% of it.
But... what about my old MP saves? Will all of my bases be empty now?
No, we especially wrote backwards-compatibility to support old saves. All of your bases and vehicles will be filled with a default of 0.3atm of Oxygen for free.
So you guys have only been working on air for 2 months?
Nope, there is a plethora of fixes, improvements, and new features in this build, but the air composition tracking is by far the largest change due to the heavy changes required at the game's core. All of these are of course documented in the change log.
The first mission of the manned section to the Space Program mode was broken! Is it fixed??
Yes, not only that, but it has been updated and vastly improved. We highly recommend playing it again!
What is the game's status?
With the atmospheric composition tracking done, no new major features will be added. So from here it is completing the few minor features remaining, bug-fixing, and polishing. We are on a good track to be finished soon!
Cool! What about the Creative 3D Printer on the Manned Descent Vehicle in MP? When will we see the Modular 3D Printer?
Now! The Creative 3D Printer has been removed from the MDV's ramp, so is no longer available by default. Instead, a Supply Drop lands within 500m or so of the MDV's landing location. This Supply Drop contains all you need to get started - resource mining equipment, Basic 3D Printer and so on.
Of note, however, is that there is one known issue in this build, and that is a higher-than-normal upload rate from the server to clients. This we are addressing tomorrow and a hot-fix update will be released immediately after that. This does not affect single player.
EDIT: This has now been fixed as well. In a build near you!
We hope you enjoy this update and look forward to your feedback!!
Martin Melicharek
Project Lead
Change Log:
24th October 2016
- Added custom sky preset support for new addons
- Fixed jittery mixing of gases between atmospheric zones and the atmosphere
20th October 2016
- Added pressurization info to Cargo Transport airlock GUIs
19th October 2016
- Added new Modular Door
- Improved model of Modular Airlock Door
- Implemented GUI functionality for Modular Door
- Implemented GUI functionality for Modular Airlock Door
18th October 2016
- Updated Airlock controls of Cargo truck
13th October 2016
- Implemented a supply drop in multiplayer Cooperation mode containing resource-using 3D Printer and mining machines
- Removed Creative 3D Printer from the Manned Descent Vehicle
- Reduced mass of Cable Spool (50m) from 85kg to 60kg
12th October 2016
- Implemented adding/subtracting resources to/from stored reserves to the Manned Landing Module
- Implemented adding/subtracting resources to/from stored reserves to the Manned Mobile Laboratory
11th October 2016
- Implemented adding/subtracting resources to/from stored reserves to the Poptent
- Implemented adding/subtracting resources to/from stored reserves to the Manned Cargo Transport
10th October 2016
- Implemented new atmospheric zone system for Small Landing Module
6th October 2016
- Implemented Life Support Module adding/subtracting resources to/from stored reserves
5th October 2016
- Restore atmospheric zone composition after a group calculates new zones
4th October 2016
- Added Life Support Module model for modular bases
27th September 2016
- Implemented Life Support Module
16th September 2016
- Synchronized dynamic atmospheric zones in vehicles over MP
15th September 2016
- Implemented saving/loading of atmospheric zone composition to saves
- Minor optimization to scenario load function
13th September 2016
- Implemented network synchronization of atmospheric zones
- Implemented network synchronization of building block leak points
12th September 2016
- Fixed occasional crash with Outpost Airlock Door, where disassembling it deleted its 3D GUI handler
9th September 2016
- Implemented network synchronization of building block groups
7th September 2016
- Fixed power cables occasionally getting stuck in floor and objects
- Fixed ragdoll bodies occasionally getting stuck in floor and objects
30th August 2016
- Added next/previous reaction buttons to the Materials Refinery, fixing the bug where the input could be used for multiple reactions but could not be selected
- Added option to enable/disable realistic rover speeds (off by default)
- Fixed 3D GUI issue in mouse cursor mode (RMB) where clicking on some buttons resulted in double-click
29th August 2016
- Added air composition tracking to atmospheric zones
26th August 2016
- Added definable atmospheric composition into location (.loc) files, used for atmospheric zones
- Moved character turning from on physics step to on frame, making it smoother overall
- Implemented 'Reload from configs' button into in-game Editor for updating characters and vehicles in older scenarios from current configs
- Updated Mars Encyclopedia with current atmospheric composition values
- Fixed 'jittery' movement of the MAV inside the MDV shell while landing
- Fixed 'jittery' movement of statically bound parts on vehicles at high speeds
25th August 2016
- Added fuel inlet labels for MML and CargoTruck
24th August 2016
- Added Life Support Module model for outpost bases
23rd August 2016
- Added dynamic layered music handler that can be used in missions to play a music track divided into multiple layers
22nd August 2016
- Improved object highlight effect, now just a solid color which is less disturbing
- Improved glass on Outpost building blocks, now less yellow
- Added snapping of power cables even when holding part before the cable's end
Radiation, shielding and broken helmets...
Hello everyone!
Today we released a major new update featuring some improvements, fixes and additions.
To name a few of the shiny new things:
* Radiation shielding (based on material and thickness)
* Radiation sickness (slowed movement, vomiting - visual can be switched off)
* Adaptive physics setting (automatically adjusts based on your FPS)
* Slope slippage (can no longer walk up ridiculous slopes)
* Helmet and suit damage (with escaping air, can be patched using Suit Patch)
* Printable Suits, Suit Patches and Emergency Oxygen bottles
* Injured movement (slowed movement)
* Communications ranges (affects map etc)
* Background communications chatter
* ISS model update (interior now much closer to reality)
And some fixes:
* Manned Mobile Lab screens malfunctioning
* Manned Ascent Vehicle auto-docking speed bug
* Radiation spike bug at sunset in multiplayer
* Respawn and join issues in multiplayer
* Mars Yard rover testing bug where multiple vehicles remained
* Disappearing models and particles in complex scenes
* Some crashes and NULL pointer issues
So, what major features remain?
* Life Support Module (used to pressurize/depressurize bases)
* Gases and their quantities (tracking in atmospheric zones)
Once those major remaining features are done, we will move towards finishing up the minor remaining features (such as pressurizing vehicles) and, most importantly, move on to bug-fixing and polishing.
We hope you all enjoy the new content and a big THANK YOU goes out to all those who have believed in us thus far! We certainly hope to deliver a polished simulator that you will all enjoy.
Martin Melicharek,
Project Lead
Radiation sickness: Radiation Detector: Suit and Helmet damage + patching: ISS interior update:
Still alive and kicking!
Hello everyone!
Straight off the bat I'd like to sincerely apologize for the lack of announcements and news about Take On Mars on Steam.
I've noticed many have started to suspect the game to be dead. This could not be further from the truth. In reality we have been extremely busy this half year, adding in resource usage, the new modular 3D Printer and a plethora of additional features such as vehicle to vehicle docking (in space), the new Manned Landing Vehicle (with Ascent stage), ladder functionality and many, many more features and additions too long to fit in here.
Amongst the most recent additions to the game is the International Space Station (ISS), with full interior, docking, and physics. Yes, you can accidentally (or intentionally) smash it to pieces.
So, I am sure many of you would ask, why? Why all these features? Why can't you just finish the darn game?! Firstly, these features have been planned for a very long time. They are an integral part of the vision that is to be TKOM 1.0, and are important for the Manned section to the Space Program mode.
That leaves us with one final question - Release. Our intention is to polish, bug-fix and release Take On Mars 1.0 within the next few months, certainly before the year's end. To add weight to that statement I would mention that we are almost feature-complete. The last remaining features are almost ticked off and we can then move to a feature-lock state where only bug-fixes and polish remain.
With the launch just around the corner, we will strive to improve our communication with you all on the news pages, posting announcements more often.
Thank you all for your support, understanding and we look forward to your feedback!
Martin Melicharek,
Project Lead
Take On Mars attains Power Update
Hello everyone!
To reinforce the Early Access astronauts on Mars, we just released the Power Update for Take On Mars. The highlight of the new Power Up update is the addition of power simulation (electricity) to the game. That means you can produce solar arrays to generate power, and build a functional electric grid to power up machinery and buildings.
Machinery, such as the drilling rig, and buildings can be connected to the electric grid via a newly added cable spool, which holds up to 50m worth of cables. These cables can be connected to special wall panels that contain power sockets and/or the power connection points on equipment. The cables are also physically simulated, meaning you can print a spool of 5 cables, and then unwind them from the spool, and physically drag them across the floor, connecting the ends.
Besides that, there have been many, many fixes and improvements. We sincerely hope you all enjoy the new content, and look forward to your feedback!
Kind and sincere regards,
Martin Melicharek
Project Lead
The new power simulation feature is further demonstrated in a brand new Take On Mars teaser trailer:
https://youtu.be/OKIRLslM2Po
Change log:
1st October 2015
- Implemented multiplayer synchronization of building block groups
- Fixed multiplayer save game issue where it saved less data than it should have
DEV BRANCH UPDATE 1st October 2015
1st October 2015
- Implemented power simulation, machines now subtract power from power sources and all have displays indicating power/load
- Implemented machines not functioning without power (except for 3D Printer for now)
29th September 2015
- Added a cable spool, holds up to 50m worth of cable
- Implemented winding of cables onto the cable spool if there is room
28th September 2015
- Fixed issue where seats/beds could no longer be highlighted
- Fixed issue where 3D GUIs could not be clicked with mouse cursor enabled
- Fixed an occasional issue that occurred when respawning in multiplayer, related to character IDs
- Fixed issue where if clients opened inventory it would enable cursor on server
DEV BRANCH UPDATE 25th September 2015
25th September 2015
- Added wall panel (old style base) with power sockets for both in and out
- Improved planet appearance in Mars Orbit, Earth Orbit, and Deimos locations
- Supply modules now spawnable on ground without heatshield part
23rd September 2015
- Added Communications Array, functionality still WIP
- Implemented multiplayer support for power cable plugging/unplugging
22nd September 2015
- Fixed issue where when mantling and holding tool out, it froze the animation
- Fixed issue with over-the-shoulder 3rd person camera where it did not highlight objects correctly
- Fixed minor issue where is your cursor was on a 3D GUI and you had the main menu shown it still interacted with the gui
- Implemented hose nozzle movement animation for the Topsoil Extractor
- Added input power connection points to the Topsoil Extractor
- Added input power connection points to the Materials Refinery
21st September 2015
- Added compass to player's helmet for better navigation
- Added input power connection points to the Atmospheric Processor
20th September 2015
- Improved wind simulation, now using more realistic calculation, taking exposed object surface area into account
- Added placeable Solar Array with output power connection points
- Added input power connection points to the Drilling Rig
18th September 2015
- Added power cables as ragdolls that can snap end to end
- Optimized base GameEntity class, removed many unnecessary variables, overall improving memory usage and save file size
17th September 2015
- Barrels can now be placed purely based on distance and without construction tool
- Pop-tent can now be placed without construction tool
10th September 2015
- Added WIP water impact and underwater effects
- Added triggers triggering only when the mission is started
- Improved light shadows, no longer jagged
- Improved mantling, now relative to head height
- Tweaked conditions for going into ragdoll
9th September 2015
- Added a pause button to the in-game editor, which allows pausing of the in progress mission
- Fixed issue with object highlighting where objects that were just out of range could still be highlighted, but not grabbed
- Fixed issue where building block custom grid snap size did not save in singleplayer
- Fixed several issues with hosting on LAN
The very first BETA build is live
We’re happy to announce that after almost 2 years of Alpha development, our team has successfully pushed the first BETA marked build of Take On Mars to Steam. While this suggests that we’re closing in for the final release of the game later this year, there is still a lot to be done and polished: including additional features we’re considering for further development.
In that aspect, we see the first BETA release as an important milestone that sets the basic boundaries for the game – meaning that from the gameplay perspective, no radical changes (such as the additional multiplayer mode or the manned missions were in the past) should happen in future.
From a player perspective, the main task of this BETA release is mainly to provide a set of stabilizing fixes: for example the texture crash bug that was causing a lot of pain recently, as well as several other crashes, should now be resolved.
Looking ahead, we will keep adding content until we reach a feature complete BETA, and we will also be looking at some refinements to the content that already is in the game. The first iteration of these refining efforts can already be seen in this build, where we’ve reworked most of the user interface, including the one in our in-game editor.
Announced earlier, we will of course keep working on the redesign of building blocks (there are still several tasks that need to be done) and with some additional help from our fellow game designers at Bohemia Interactive, we will also think about possible tweaks regarding the overall experience players have with Take On Mars.
With the first BETA release, we’re also changing the price of Take On Mars a little bit – from now on, new players will be able to buy our Early Access BETA starting at 21,99$/19,99€/15,99£, while of course nothing changes for those of you who already own the game.
News from E3 2015 and progress towards BETA release
Take On Mars was originally announced two years ago at E3 2013. What was then a Mars rover simulator has grown into a significantly larger game - especially with the addition of a manned section, multiplayer and new locations such as the Moon or the Low Earth Orbit. Since Bohemia Interactive is sponsoring the first PC Gaming Show at E3 this year, we thought we could use the opportunity to present Take On Mars there - and we did. With a brand new trailer and a 33% OFF sale!
Prepping for E3 combined with a bunch of other major things on our to-do lists ultimately resulted in moving the BETA release a little bit further. As we also want the BETA release to be as stable as possoble, we want to avoid pushing updates too often, because this could make the odds of randomly messing things up quite high.
With that said, we've had a period where we seemingly kept things quiet, but the reality behind the scenes was quite the opposite of that. Let's take a look at some of the things our team's been working on lately.
Major building redesign
Changing the design of buildings and building blocks is something that not everyone would consider necessary, but it's going to be an important part of the BETA release. The word "redesign" in this context means not only changing the models and textures, but basically reworking the entire system of what players can build with available parts.
Bases built with the new building blocks will feel less like "bubbles" and more like real buildings. Making the blocks larger and available in many different shapes and variants should also sweeten the building process and lead to more unique, believable structures. Also, interior and exterior blocks are now separate. This allows for the construction of greenhouses (only exterior panels with windows), or full buildings with several floors and rooms.
Since proper interiors would feel empty without more equipment, we are now also working on additional furniture pieces, such as sofas, beds or new chairs that have their intended functionality.
Ragdoll and character animations
Don't jump around a lot in Take On Mars, or you'll experience some nasty falls! If you are subscribed to the Test Branch on Steam, you've probably already noticed the new contextual climbing animation. Another addition to the character movement in the BETA will be ragdolls. If you, for some reason, miss your jump, fall unconscious, die, or have no oxygen, your friends will be able to drag you into an airlock, or you'll be able to recover your things from your body later - all that with new animations.
Killing bugs and crashes
We've been recently fighting some nasty crashes related to texture size, which we will need to reduce a bit, because it was filling the available video memory in a sub-optimal way. Also, atmospheric zones are incorrectly generated on occasion (sometimes a zone is not generated where it should be), so this is one fix we need to take care of, as well as bunch of other things: for example, we've spent quite some time working on the Steam Workshop implementation, which we are quite proud of. It is fully functional now and makes the process of joining multiplayer sessions with mods much easier.
Localization
Before the BETA release, we also need to address another important part of Take On Mars development: localization. We are now coordinating the translation of Take On Mars into 10 different languages. Combined, the original English texts contain more than 38 000 words, while the biggest portion of the text is dedicated to the Take On Mars Wiki (which is basically a big educational handbook with everything you need to know about Mars or space exploration).
One thing we would really, really like to emphasize is that majority of translations is taken care of by either enthusiastic professional translators or with the help of Take On Mars community members. We would like to thank everyone participating in the translation process for their hard work (hint: they will be soon able to read their names in Credits!). After we finish the largest chunk of translations during BETA, we are confident that players from around the world will appreciate the effort put into it. Please bear in mind though that translations in BETA will be a work in progress, constantly developing and improving until full release, as will be the case for the whole game of course.
BETA release date and one sneaky surprise
We have the the BETA release scheduled on July 3rd, 2015, and we will do our best to deliver in time. After all, we really want to, because if all goes well, we should be able to treat you with a very exciting addition to the game sometime after BETA. But let's just keep it a surprise feature for now on.
Updated Release Plans!
Hello everyone!
I would like to start off by thanking you all for your support thus far, it has been tremendously rewarding, and Take On Mars would not be what it is today without you!
Thanks to this and our desire to make this game as great as possible, we have decided to revise the release plans.
This means our previously released 'Roadmap to Release' is no longer applicable.
The planned Beta release has been pushed to the 16th June, 2015, and the final release date will be determined after that point, because we want to avoid promising a release date and not delivering on time, preferring to properly finish what we have planned rather than unnecessarily cut features that bring a lot to the game.
I am also happy to announce that our team has slightly expanded in order to help bring the project to completion while keeping to a high level of quality.
I believe this is very positive news and the team is elated, so it is our sincere hope that you, our dedicated fans, are as well!
In short, this means:
* Beta release on the 16th of June, 2015
* Final release date TBD after Beta
* Planned features will be completed, nothing will be cut from the plans
* The team is focused on polishing and improving existing features
We really hope everyone is as happy about this news as us, and we look forward to receiving further feedback from you all!
Kind regards,
Martin Melicharek
(Project Lead)
Joysticks, Engine Fixes, and Supplies in the New Update
Mars astronauts, report in!
Yesterday we have released a minor update for the Main branch. The highlights of this update are:
Joystick/input device support
Major Engine fixes
Improved Supply drops, which now provide random stuff, specifically food, water, resource, printer, suits etc.
New Time scale option for the multiplayer
Stay tuned as we are preparing a major update for the end of this month.
Also if you are interested in visually appealing teasers about what is to come, be sure to check out and subscribe to Take On Mars Trello account , where Martin "Dram" Melicharek, our project lead, posts interesting visual updates.
Earth, out!
Full changelog:
Added various Supply Drop types, such as food and water, suits, mining machines, and 3D Printer
Added day time scale server option to multiplayer
Added fuel handling and inventories to the Manned Mobile Laboratory (still WIP)
Added new track 'Melancholic Serenity' by Dram
Added spawning of contents for Supply Modules, can be defined via individual configs which even support inventory items in vehicles, boxes etc
Added supply drops to Competitive mode, just contains 3D Printer for now
Added aircraft specific controls to keybindings for VTOL
Fixed major texture handling issues, which should solve freezing
Added input device support! Joysticks, gamepads, wheels, pedals may now have controls bound to them, and can have deadzones set for each axis
Added Supply Modules for delivering supplies
Roadmap to Release 2015
Hello everyone,
Today we released a roadmap detailing our plans for Take On Mars from January 2015 through to release of version 1.0 in June 2015. It details the most important highlights, such as the completion of the survival elements, the addition of the Manned section to the Space Program mode, and most importantly, release dates.
Many, myself included, are looking forward to the addition of the Manned section to the Space Program mode, and we sincerely hope not to disappoint. This will be story driven, focusing on survival in a catastrophic failure scenario. I am sure this culmination to the Space Program mode will whet the appetite for playing with friends online in the Cooperative or planned Competitive modes. I hope to meet many of you on the surface of our red neighbour.
I'd like to clarify a few things about the plan, specifically about the move to Beta. While still within Early Access, the game at this point will move into a feature-lock state, where no additional features are added and rather existing features and gameplay mechanics are tweaked to perfection. There may be exceptions, but the idea is to make the game run as smoothly as possible giving everyone the best possible experience.
Additionally of note, tutorials will be added in May, which will help new players get into the game intuitively via short in-game videos that will be played in correlation with what the player is doing. For example, driving a vehicle for the first time will bring up the tutorial for controlling vehicles, and so on.
I hope we deliver to expectations, and would reiterate my gratitude for all your support since initial Early Access release back in August 2013.
