Mars Tactics News

Hi everyone, today's topic is destruction which is a big part of Mars Tactics.

Almost everything on the battlefield is destructible, even the terrain itself. For example, if your troops are pushing into an area with no cover, they can throw a high-explosive charge to create a foxhole to dive into.

Explosives are abundant on Mars as they are used extensively in mining operations.

And when defending an objective, your troops can create trenches to fortify their position. Of course, AI troops are aware of landscape changes and if given the chance will use your trench against you.

Rebel workers in a trench keeping watch for corporate forces. Big trenches like this are not trivial to make -- this one was created by a strafing airstrike run.

[h2]Use the Environment[/h2]

Besides grenade and bombs, environmental objects can also trigger small and large explosions. The game will communicate which objects can explode, so keep that in mind when taking cover.

Chemical tanks can be damaged by direct fire or remote hacking. The blasts are powerful enough to leave craters.

For some special objects, explosions will rip them apart creating debris that can be used as cover. Falling debris may push units and even hurt them, although never fatally.

Construction crane blows up into smaller pieces, each of which become cover. Please note this feature is still in the experimental stage.

[h2]Permanent Damage[/h2]

Destruction is permanent across the world. When you revisit battlefields, you will see familiar craters and trenches (although they will be eroded over time by sandstorms). Likewise, damaging buildings will reduce their productivity in the strategy layer, until repaired. Infrastructure is precious on Mars, so you should weight the cost/benefit of using destruction.

Preserving detailed destruction data across the whole world map creates gigantic save files. Optimizing this has been a very big challenge.

[h2]Not Minecraft[/h2]

All of that said, I just want to be clear that explosions and destruction are not themselves the end goal of gameplay. They are just one aspect of infantry combat. To that end, you cannot dig tunnels or create caves. And destruction only goes a few layers deep (every map has an indestructible rock bed). And some objects and ground types cannot be destroyed.

Underground facilities like these are heavily fortified and cannot be destroyed. (On Mars everyone lives under the surface to escape radiation.)

So the goal is not to re-create Minecraft, as cool as that would be. The focus of Mars Tactics is firmly on turn-based infantry combat. But I hope destruction is a useful and fun part of the tactics sandbox that allows you to be creative.

Timelapse of a hilltop fortification slowly getting decimated.

Well, that's it for this time. Let me know your thoughts in the comments. This game takes place just 20 years from now during the very early stages of the corpo-colonization of Mars, so there's no terraforming or much human settlement. That means you should expect to fight through lots and lots of sand maps. But I hope the destruction system will help make each battle more memorable and fun.

Follow and Wishlist here for these dev logs to appear in your Steam News section (they do not appear on the store page). You can also follow me on Discord, Reddit, Twitter or Bluesky. Lastly, if you just want an email alert when I make a post on Steam you can sign up here. THANK YOU FOR YOU SUPPORT!!

-Yuji

Hi everyone, today's dev log is about grenades, which work quite differently in this game compared to others in the genre. Let's dive in so you're not surprised the first time you play.

In many turn-based tactics games, grenades are a tool against randomness. If you miss your shot, the trusty grenade can save you. But in Mars Tactics, grenades require more effort to use. In return, they provide you with more tactical options.

At the core of the design is a mechanic that makes units automatically scramble away when a grenade is thrown at them.

Targets run from a grenade.

But dodging an explosion is not a free move. It costs an action point. So one way to counter is to suppress your targets first, which reduces their AP.

Targets are suppressed first, then eliminated by a grenade.

Chucking a grenade can also force targets out of cover and into potential firing lanes.

Units take into account where a grenade is thrown from. This gives you some control over where they will run away to.

Keep in mind this mechanic applies equally to AI and player units. If a grenade is thrown at your units, they too will run away automatically. I understand you might be concerned because this takes control away from you. But I've spent a lot of time making sure units run away intelligently, taking into account the terrain layout, where a grenade is thrown from, where it lands and the position of enemies. And after a lot playtesting since last year, I think it’s working very well.

Plus, you’ll have other tools to defend against grenades, including special equipment and unit Traits. Here's an example of a soldier with a Trait that throws grenades back if the unit has enough AP.

Soldier with a special Trait throws a grenade back.

Lastly, I just want to remind you that despite your best efforts, your units will die. And that's expected. By design, death is a big part of this game. I want Mars to feel like a meat grinder, not a battle of superheroes. To that end, I'm balancing the game so that the loss of a single soldier will not derail your campaign.

Well, that’s it for this dev log. Look forward to your thoughts in the comments. There's actually a lot more to talk about grenades (different types, physics, throwing accuracy, etc), so I will probably write a part 2 later.

If you don't want to miss future dev logs (they do not appear on the store page), be sure to Follow (and Wishlist!) the game here and these dev logs will appear in your Steam News section. Or you can follow me on Discord, Twitter or Reddit where I always post a link to these. Lastly, you can subscribe to the newsletter if you want an email alert when I make a post.

-Yuji

PS: A very special thanks to DCello for sharing the idea for this mechanic.

Finally, a game set on the red planet that lets me fight for those who really matter: the shareholders. Mars Tactics is an upcoming tactics game that lets you choose between conquering the planet as oppressed Red Faction-esque workers or as a bunch of soulless corporate mercs. While both the Labor and Capital factions have their own playstyles, what makes the game feel unique is its campaign map...
Read more.

Hey everyone, it's been over half a year since the Next Fest demo so I wanted to give you a quick update on what I've been working on.

First, I'm happy to say the game is now in alpha. This means I'm done designing new mechanics and am focusing more on improving everything + adding content. It also means I can post more things here on Steam. If you remember, I began dev logs 2 years ago but it was so early in development that what I wrote about quickly went out of date. However, now I'm ready to share more so expect a new dev log in June.

So what have I been working on during winter and spring? The strategy layer has been 90% of the focus. It took much longer than expected because it's super important. Feedback on the tactical layer has been fantastic, but that means nothing without a good strategy layer. That's why I took extra time to working out the mechanics -- economy, logistics, labor policies, procedural events, squad management -- until they felt right. I'll start sharing more details soon but be sure to watch the PC Gaming Show on June 9th for a preview.

Meanwhile, here are some other dev highlights from the last few months.

• Melee weapons and kicking
  
• Morale and surrender mechanics (for both player and AI)
  
• Robots and drones
  
• Artillery/mortar mechanics (still not sure if we need both tbh)
  
• New weapons -- mining drill, shock baton, shotgun, sniper, grenade launcher, RPG
  
• Improving AI, esp teamwork logic when attacking/defending specific objectives
  
• Redesigning UX (building on the painful but important lessons from Next Fest)
  

Well, that's it for now. Thanks for supporting the game and being patient as I take my time cooking things up. Hope you will tune in on June 9th!

-Yuji

(PS: These post do not appear on the store page unfortunately, but you can click Follow here and they will appear in your Steam News section. Or you can follow me on Discord, Twitter or Reddit where I always post a link to these. Lastly, you can subscribe to the newsletter if you want an email alert when I make a post.)

Howdy space commanders, we have some exciting news.
Mars Tactics is taking part in Digital Tabletop Fest 4: Roll of the Dice, hosted by Auroch Digital.



Digital Tabletop Fest 4: Roll of the Dice is a collaborative celebration of tabletop-inspired games and the dedicated developers behind them. From March 7th to March 11th, there will be demos, previews of upcoming titles, and panels with developers.

Mars Tactics fits right in with its focus on a challenging, turn-based approach combined with strategic gameplay. On Mars, you command deeply customizable soldiers across destructible battlefields.


Every commander across the mysterious red planet must manage their supply lines wisely and make strategic decisions to determine the war's outcome.

Wishlist Mars Tactics today and join the fight in 2024!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1727760/