Dear Martians!
Today we are releasing another update - the ❄️ Winter Update ⛄!
🚂 You can now play the Winter Update on the public_testing branch on Steam. ➡️
💾 Before you start the game, we recommend making a backup of your save files as a precaution. 🔄 While nothing should go wrong, it's always better to be safe and ensure your progress is protected 👍
If no major issues are reported we will switch it to the default branch in a few days.
Winter Update Highlights ⭐
It's a pretty big update with a long list of changes and improvements. Among many changes and bugfixes we have also added some of the "Quality of Life" features many of you have asked about. 🎉
📈 Infinite Technologies
A new feature which allows you to spend XP points even if your Tech Tree is maxed-out!
🗺️ Rover Map
It's now possible to open the tablet's radar (map) while sitting in the chair driving!
🦾 Improved Grabber Tech
Thanks to new technology you can now pick-up more than one rock with a grabber!
🛠️ Hangar opener
The long-awaited outside hangar lever is now added!
📌 Even more target points!
While the Anniversary Update added more colors, you wanted even more, so now you can add multiple target points with the same colors! (but they're fresh, so sometimes you'll have to color a point again)
🌬️ Control the speed of Airlocks
Another highly requested feature.
some want them slow, some want them fast...
there's now a checkbox for that! 😉
☃️ Winter Decorations!
...and much more!➡️
Changelog v0.185.4 -> v0.199.1 [ Winter Update ]
New Features:
- Balanced & reworked oxygen consumption & production - we have found some leaking oxygen in our calculations so we've made a complete re-work of it. Oxygen in the landing capsule is no longer infinite - prepare other sources of oxygen and make sure, that your production can meet your needs. If you have a big base, prepare that it may need more oxygen now.
- Increased anti-meteorite system rocket capacity
- Added fulfillment level info on the horizontal tank
- Added fulfillment level info on the Mars Truck
- Corrected launch pad methane & oxygen requirements
- All repair kits can now fix tools and helmet
- Minigame speed points won’t be created inside of the buildings
- Made some icons on the radar more visible on Olympus
- Added auto-detecting of QWERTZ keyboard
- Polished model of the workbench to better fit the workshop
- Added checkbox in the game options for faster or slower airlock opening
- New Technology: possible to pick up more than one rock with a grabber
- New Technologies: Added infinite technology feature
- It is now possible to unload trailer while in TPP view
- Player can now fix helmet on the workbench
- Added a signal when the device goes out of range of Remote Controller
- Possibility to explode outposts with dynamite
- The loot dropping from exploded outpost or outpost destroyed by meteorite is now being stacked inside of the box enabling the possibility to pick it up all at once
- Player can now start the Freeplay game without losing items collected during the Campaign
- Created new effect from rover's arm for rock targeting
- Hangar rework and improvements
- It is now possible to open the hangar door from the outside
- Changed texture and added ramp to reach hangar's outside lever
- Added notification informing about collecting all required items for the launchpad
- Changed order of the tutorial videos
- It is now allowed to give longer names to your saves
- Added Christmas-themed decorations!
- It is now possible to fill the oxygen bottle partially even if the source have not enough resource to refill it to the max capacity
- Black spacesuit can now be worn with or without the ROG logo
- Added possibility to stack items while sorting the inventory
- Added possibility to open the tablet's radar (map) while driving
- Improved shortcuts to the ESC menu in tablet
- Added fulfillment level info on the vertical tank
- Improved F4 report menu and added a field for e-mail address for better communication with players
- Added option on the map to check O2 level in starting capsule
- Added sorting button to more inventories
- It is now required to close the capsule's door before going to sleep
- It is now possible to have more than one target point in the same color
- Implemented overall optimization improvements in the game
Critical Bugfixes:
- Fixed another case of autosave blocking the game
- Fixed another case of infinite saving
- Fixed saves not loading after a few hours of gameplay
- Fixed eating, healing and replacing suit battery using gamepad
- Fixed few cases of game crashing
- Fixed player not being able to interact with greenhouse panel
- Fixed handling items or opening things making player die
- Fixed player stuck in rover
- Fixed various issues with loading the game
- Fixed pressing F4 when opening fuse hatch freezes player
- Fixed missing soldering and hot air tool on workbench
- Fixed issue with game crashing after detaching cables
- Fixed another case of infinite sleep
- Fixed issues with saving the game
- Fixed invisible rover issue
- Fixed crashing when heading one particular direction with rover
- Fixed breathing outside without helmet and not dying
- Fixed electricity points being stuck
- Fixed crashing when picking up the rocks
- Fixed various crash causes occurring after the halloween patch
- Fixed various causes of issues with loading saves
- Fixed game crashing after escape sequence and loading the freeplay
- Fixed blocked player while opening the inventory screen
- Fixed various issues of player not being able to save the game
- Fixed player not being able to load the save
- Fixed save issues occurring after the meteor shower
- Fixed game crashing on quicksave
- Fixed issues with stuck cursor
- Fixed random crashes
- Fixed crashes occurring near fallen meteorites
- Fixed player falling through the map
- Fixed save load hanging up after clicking on Start
- Fixed player being unable to use ESC or TAB after mining
Bugfixes - High priority:
- Rebalanced meteorite event to make it more player-friendly
- Fixed issue with stacking vegetables in player's inventory
- Fixed missing loot in the ITS
- Fixed false "not enough oxygen" message, making the player unable to go to sleep
- Fixed missing "press Q to switch variant" message in some languages
- Fixed items falling below workshop floor
- Fixed blocked interactions after attempt of picking up CO2 bottle
- Fixed too much consumption of O2 in rover
- Fixed reappearing scrapped outposts
- Fixed grinder targeting issues
- Fixed issues with placing storage cabinet in lobby
- Fixed lightning storm causing drop of FPS
- Fixed inventory box duplicating planting tool
- Fixed holes in textures
- Fixed invisible outpost close to the Olympus
- Fixed unbreakable silicon rocks
- Fixed receiving electricity points where player shouldn't be rewarded with them
- Fixed player not being able to interact with fridge
- Fixed some missing translations in game options
- Fixed incorrect interaction with cabinet in outpost
- Fixed issue with oxygen disappearing from the base
- Fixed issues with repairing the board on the workbench
- Fixed broken antenna timer
- Fixed infinite silicon ores dropping from the rock
- Fixed not radiating uranium rocks in Olympus
- Fixed issues with replacing battery extension after the meteorite hit
- Fixed speed point minigames not rewarding player
- Fixed blocked building panels
- Fixed dome having a light even when it's not connected to any source of power
- Fixed issue with CTRL+F9 behaving as if player pressed F9 alone
- Fixed player positioning next to the chair in survival capsule
- Fixed disappearing starting equipment
- Fixed floating rover near Alpha Base
- Fixed player being able to take the helmet off inside of opened landing capsule
- Fixed cloning circuit boards on the workbench
- Fixed a gap between colliders on some buildings, causing player able to throw items in there
- Fixed various bugs with assembling the rocket kit (eg. disappearing fins)
- Fixed missing information about picking up the pendrive to the inventory box
- Fixed issues with getting on the ATV
- Fixed - if the game was saved while being in the crane camera, the camera is broken after load
- Fixed items being duplicated in containers
- Fixed player stuck after exiting inventory
- Fixed disappearing interactive boards from supply drops
- Fixed issue with disappearing rocks after having them load into a truck by hand
- Fixed player being able to unlock all blueprints from the same tablet
- Fixed issue with building recipe not being updated after acquiring the missing part
- Fixed issue with frozen hand after picking up vegetables
- Fixed issue with unlocking technology on the research table with the gamepad
- Fixed H key not always working properly
- Fixed incorrect loading of book decoration variant after loading save
- Polished building recipe list
- Fixed reappearing Olympus walls if being blown up before
- Fixed player not being able to access the fuse box
- Fixed player being blocked if hit by a meteor
- Fixed player stuck after using night vision
- Fixed rover extensions hanging in the air
- Fixed game freezing when standing between two airlocks with no helmet and "low oxygen" warning
- Fixed issue with O2 in base resetting to 0 when adding new buildings
- Fixed player not being able to use ECU or battery display
- Fixed negative O2 use on pump display
- Fixed player being allowed to roam around outside of the base without a helmet
- Fixed inverted O2 and pressure in the starting capsule
- Fixed player locking inside of the ITS
- Fixed rover sinking under the terrain after player left the base
- Fixed unplugged hoses from the pump station still working
- Fixed charging truck by onboard solar panel taking too long time
- Fixed Freeplay parameters transferring from one save to another
Bugfixes - Normal priority:
- Fixed FOV resetting after sleeping
- Fixed missing texture after replacing poster
- Fixed not enough space in rover's welder UI for longer numbers
- Fixed issues with rotating ghost when approaching it
- Fixed motocross brakes to work more accurately corresponding to physics
- Fixed false info from botany tree indicating that there are points to be used
- Fixed too bright light flash when entering the airlock
- Fixed flickering socket textures in battery rack
- Fixed printing screws in buildings sets too expensive
- Fixed various issues with blinking textures
- Fixed blinking dirt texture on airlock
- Fixed issue with cut off tornado vortex
- Fixed missing aurora on the sky during solar storm
- Fixed building a greenhouse causing bugged blueprints tab in tablet
- Fixed invisible tornado from inside of the medium or large dome
- Fixed air bubbles appearing after the meteor storm
- [DE] Changed stamina and tiredness translation
- Fixed disappearing destroyed battery packs after pressing LMB
- Fixed player not being able to scan and destroy rocks
- Lowered volume of sounds of explosions and launching the rocket
- Fixed ready to load rock not showing as ready to load
- Fixed no visible board in small crusher's panel
- Added a female body model to the black suit
- Fixed floating hair in the female character profile
- Fixed flickering texture on destroyed base
- Fixed player being unable to drop wall signs picked up from the supply drop
- Fixed ATV not falling down after destroying hangar
- Fixed sticky circuit boards
- Fixed FSR in TPP causing duplicated scale image
- Fixed missile from rocket kit being stuck in player's body
- Polished Jetpack model to look better on the heavy suit
- Fixed dirty levers on the big crusher
- Fixed misplaced lever in survival capsule
- Fixed rover arm cursor falling under the rocks
- Lowered the positioning of hangar door ramp
- [PL] Changed description of the Spectral Detector I
- Fixed cables and vents not giving back any resources
- Added possibility to grind the Kilopower standing in the Alpha Base location
- Fixed ghost of rocket kit floating in the air after running through the airlock
- Fixed issue with loading or starting the game without being alt-tabbed
- Fixed tornado animation graphics disappearing after taking out the spectral detector
- Fixed decoration variant not being remembered after placing the decoration
- Corrected textures of some objects in abandoned bases
- Fixed issues with water spot value fluctuations
- Fixed flickering flashlight light on particular graphics settings
- Changed launchpad oxygen store value
Bugfixes - Low:
- Fixed old type solar panels floating
- Fixed glitchy windows of normal connector
- Fixed issue with CO2 scrubber making sounds even if there's no power
- Fixed issue with horizontal tank rendering distance
- Fixed missing textures during meteor shower
- [ESP] Fixed too large seed translation text
- Fixed ITS sinking into the ground after opening the door
- Fixed unhealthy look of the lettuce
- [FR] Fixed translation for the science bench name in the tech tree
- Fixed unpleasant flashing of highlighting of some decorations
Known bugs
There are still a few known issues left which we hope to iron-out soon, they are not super critical but we wanted to let you know what to avoid just in case 😉➡️
- Circuit board box items may disappear if you put the box in the printer's inventory
- Circuit boards after fixing manually on the workbench can’t be used
- Wrong layer order of Player and tablet UI while driving inside the MarsTruck
- Missing speed up points while building workshop
- Manually assembled rockets can be duplicated
- Rocket kit is being printed incredibly fast
- Blue outline of the multimeter is visible from a high distance
- Inside the survival capsule printer items on the printing list are labeled as "book"
- Pumpkin icon isn't always visible on UI when hovering over it
- Different player hair color in tablet view
Updated Roadmap
Many of you have been asking about updating the Roadmap since it was a little bit outdated. We finally found some time to write it down and update it, so here it is ➡️
📈 https://roadmap.occupymarsgame.com/#/occupymars 🚀
Yes! the next Major Update will be the long-awaited multiplayer online co-op mode! We are already testing it internally and preparing for the first beta play-test. We hope to start the playtests during the first quarter of next year. 🚀
Up to 4 astronauts will be able to land on Mars in the landing capsule together. We can already tell you from early tests that it's a lot of fun! Some of the technologies known from the single-player modes will be disabled in the co-op mode at first, but we will be slowly enabling them with each subsequent update.
Review Highlights
We would like to thank each and every one of you who played and reviewed the game recently and voted for us in the Steam Awards! Here are some of the highlights which made us smile 😊 Thank you! 💐
Space Bundles
Since the Winter Sale has started we'd like to remind you about amazing deals we have for new players with the space bundles we have available, among which there are some new ones:
- Occupy Mars x Eden Crafters - New bundle!
- Occupy Mars x Astrometica - New bundle!
- Occupy Mars: Universe Bundle (with Rover Mechanic Simulator) - Lowest price!
- see also - all the available bundles
https://store.steampowered.com/bundle/48562/Occupy_Crafters/
https://store.steampowered.com/bundle/47516/Astrometica__Occupy_Mars/
https://store.steampowered.com/bundle/28017/Occupy_Mars_Universe_Bundle/
Thank you for your support and don't forget to join our Discord or post in the Steam community forums!
Have a great Winter Holiday 🚀
Yours Truly,
Pyramid Games Team
