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๐Ÿš€Mission Briefing ๐Ÿ‘ฉโ€๐Ÿš€Mars Horizon 2 Developer Update #5



[h2]Hi Aurochnauts! ๐Ÿ‘ฉโ€๐Ÿš€[/h2]

It's time for the July Mission Briefing: Developer Update for Mars Horizon 2: The Search for Life with our latest update on what we've been up to ๐Ÿš€

Make sure you are subscribed to our Mars Horizon Newsletter to get these updates direct to your inbox and join our Discord to talk to other Mars Horizon and Space fans.



[h2] ๐Ÿ‘ฉโ€๐Ÿš€ What have the devs been working on in July? ๐Ÿ‘ฉโ€๐Ÿš€[/h2]

The Mars Horizon team continues it's lightspeed journey on the search for life.

July has seen many improvements to the surface gameplay. Many payload actions have had their associated VFX passes applied, this gives each payload action its own unique flavour.

World space tooltips have been added into the game which is a massive leap forwards information communication. Having these UI elements is crucial for Mars Horizon to keep the player informed on all of the interconnected resources and their various uses during play.

We are committed to providing as authentic a space exploration experience as possible. To this end, the production and design team continue to reach out to various institutions to get expert insight on our game design decision. Finding life in Mars Horizon 2 will echo expert opinions on the nature of life in the solar system.

The team has also been making time to take part in events, keep an eye out for our talk at TactiCon to hear first hand from one of our designers and coders, as well as one of our partners for the game.

- Matt Holmes, Producer for Mars Horizon 2: The Search for Life



[h2]๐Ÿš€ Listen to our talk at TactiCon 2024!ย ๐Ÿš€[/h2]

Tacticon is a celebration of the incredible world of strategy games with discounted games, exclusive demos, and talks and panels with strategy developers! This years event ran from 18th - 22nd July across Steam, including a full list of talks and panels.

As part of the event we did a talk on Space Exploration in Strategy games. Our talk was hosted by our Lead Marketing Manager Will Flanagan and he was joined by guests Claudia Thomas, one of the designers for Mars Horizon 2: The Search for Life as well as Freddie Jones, one of our associate programmers on the game. They were also joined by special guest Dr Sean McMahon, senior academic and researcher in astrobiology at the University of Edinburgh and one of our partners on Mars Horizon 2.

Check out our talk to learn how we've worked with Sean and his team to make space exploration fun but still authentic in our game๐Ÿš€

Watch our talk over on the Official TactiCon Channel



[h2]๐Ÿ‘ฉ๐Ÿปโ€๐Ÿš€ Congratulations to the Ariane 6 team! ๐Ÿ‘ฉ๐Ÿปโ€๐Ÿš€[/h2]

A huge congratulations to our partners for Mars Horizon and Mars Horizon 2: The Search for Life, the European Space Agency (ESA), on their successful launch recently of the Ariane 6 on 9th July!
Get an overview of the Ariane 6 on ESA's website where you can learn all about the rocket's features and planned missions. Also, make sure to check out some incredible shots of the launch over on the official ESA twitter.

We were extra excited to see the Ariane 6 launch since the Ariane 5 is featured in 2 of our games! The heavy launcher bowed out last July after nearly three decades of service but was an important and impressive rocket during its service. Check out this video to see the Ariane 5 appearing in Mars Horizon 1.

You can also see the Ariane 5 appearing in our card game Mars Horizon: Blast Off!, which was a spin off of our game Mars Horizon.



[h2]๐Ÿ“– From the Archives ๐Ÿ“–[/h2]
Back during the development of Mars Horizon 1 we did a stream with the Robotic Exploration Program Manager from the UK Space Agency Paul Smith. You can watch the full stream over on our YouTube channel.

Paul's work focuses on the robotic exploration of Mars and the Moon. He talks to us about the future of Space Travel, colonising other planets, growing plants in space and 2001 Space Odyssey whilst we play Mars Horizon!



[h2]๐Ÿ›ฐ๏ธJoin The Official Mars Horizon 2 Socials๐Ÿ›ฐ๏ธ[/h2]

There's never been a better time to follow our social channels! This will ensure that you don't miss out on the cool content we'll have to share throughout the development journey and some behind the scenes looks at what we get up to. ๐Ÿ‘€





Catch up on our Space Exploration in Strategy games talk from TactiCon ๐Ÿ‘ฉโ€๐Ÿš€

Hi Aurochnauts! ๐Ÿ‘ฉโ€๐Ÿš€

Last week we took part in TactiCon 2024, a Steam festival celebrating strategy games which included demos, sales, as well as panels and talks by devs.

As part of the event we did a talk with one of our partners for Mars Horizon 2: The Search for life, which went behind the scenes on the game and looked at how we are making it authentic from the ground up.

Our talk was led by our Lead Marketing Manager Will Flanagan with guests Claudia Thomas, Game Designer, and Freddie Jones, Associate Programmer, on Mars Horizon 2.

Our Special guest for this talk was Dr Sean McMahon, senior academic and researcher in astrobiology from the University of Edinburgh who has been advising us on real life science as we design the game.

The talk went live last Saturday during the Steam event, but if you misssed it you can catch up over on the official TactiCon YouTube channel!

  • Watch our talk on Space Exploration in Strategy games

A huge thanks again to Sean, and the rest of his group at the UK Centre for Astrobiology for partnering with us to make Mars Horizon 2: The Search for life authentic to the realities of Space exploration!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2281620/Mars_Horizon_2_The_Search_for_Life/

We're taking part in TactiCon 2024!๐ŸŽฒ๐Ÿš€

Hi Aurochnauts! ๐Ÿ‘ฉโ€๐Ÿš€

TactiCon 2024 celebrates the incredible world of strategy games with discounted titles, exclusive demos, plus panels and talks with strategy developers!

As part of this digital convention we've done a talk on Space Exploration in Strategy games with a guest from one of our partners for Mars Horizon 2: The Search for Life.



Our talk is led by our Lead Marketing Manager Will Flanagan with guests Claudia Thomas, Game Designer, and Freddie Jones, Associate Programmer, on Mars Horizon 2.

Our Special guest is Dr Sean McMahon, senior academic and researcher in astrobiology from the University of Edinburgh.

During the development of Mars Horizon 2, we've been working closely with Sean and his team who have been advising us on a number of subjects as we look to incorporate realistic aspects of astrobiology into the game to maintain its authenticity. This talk will cover the challenges and solutions we've come up with during development.

You can find the panel on the main TactiCon page:
Make sure to check out the rest of TactiCon 2024 on steam for amazing deals and loads of great talks and panels
https://store.steampowered.com/app/2281620/Mars_Horizon_2_The_Search_for_Life/

๐Ÿš€Mission Briefing ๐Ÿ‘ฉโ€๐Ÿš€Mars Horizon 2 Developer Update #4



[h2]Hi Aurochnauts! ๐Ÿ‘ฉโ€๐Ÿš€[/h2]

Welcome to June's Mission Briefing: Developer Update for Mars Horizon 2: The Search for Life with your latest update on the game ๐Ÿš€

Make sure you are subscribed to our Mars Horizon Newsletter to get these updates direct to your inbox and join our Discord to talk to other Mars Horizon and Space fans.



[h2]๐Ÿ‘จ๐Ÿปโ€๐Ÿ”ฌ What have the devs been working on in June? ๐Ÿ‘จ๐Ÿปโ€๐Ÿ”ฌ[/h2]

June has seen a stratospheric rise in our surface view gameplay.

We've been doing more work on our Flybys, Orbiters, and Landers. They are progressing well with regards to gameplay and how they fit into the wider game and systems.

Itโ€™s now possible to gather โ€˜Astrobiologyโ€™ whilst playing on the surface, this is the game-winning resource that allows for players to discover all the necessary ingredients for discovering life. This shortened loop has meant our design team are able to look into balancing the surface view gameplay.

The whole team continues to play and refine all of the surface view elements. Our stellar QA team are now on board and helping us find any unwelcome bugs.

- Matt Holmes, Producer for Mars Horizon 2: The Search for Life



[h2]๐Ÿš€ Playing the Original Mars Horizon? Show Us!ย ๐Ÿš€[/h2]

Over on the Auroch Digital Community Discord, some members have been sharing their progress in the original Mars Horizon.

As they look to build their rocket and lead their space agency to Mars, it's been amazing to see the community discovering the game for the first time, almost 4 years since it launched.

If you're playing Mars Horizon, get involved with the community over on our Discord!



[h2]๐Ÿ‘ฉ๐Ÿปโ€๐Ÿš€ What Have Our Partners Been Up To? ๐Ÿ‘ฉ๐Ÿปโ€๐Ÿš€[/h2]

Our partners for Mars Horizon and Mars Horizon 2: The Search for Life, the European Space Agency (ESA), have been sharing a variety of materials recently that we feel the Mars Horizon community would thoroughly enjoy.
๐ŸŽค Astro Chat with John McFall | ESA Explores Podcast - John McFall, a member of the European astronaut reserve from the ESA astronaut class of 2022, discusses the ground-breaking "Fly!" feasibility study in this recent podcast.
๐Ÿงฑ The Space Bricks Have Landed - ESA scientists have been exploring how a future Moon base might be built from materials on the lunar surface. Inspired by LEGO building, they have used dust from a meteorite to 3D-print 'space bricks' to test the idea. Check out the blog for more information.



[h2]๐ŸŒ Recent Mars-related News ๐ŸŒ[/h2]

There have been a number of news stories circulating around space travel and even new discoveries! Here are links to some stories we think the Mars Horizon community will enjoy:

  • ๐Ÿ›ฐ๏ธ Dazzling mystery on Mars leaves scientists baffled - Metro UK
  • ๐ŸŒŠ Is there liquid water on Mars today? Marsquake data could tell us - Space
  • ๐Ÿ‘ฝ Unexplored holes on Mars could be home to alien life - Indy 100
  • ๐ŸงŠ Scientists make 'impossible' discovery on Mars - Frost near the equator - Forbes
  • ๐Ÿš€ Europe's new Ariane 6 rocket on track for 1st launch on July 9 - Space




[h2]๐Ÿ“– From the Archives ๐Ÿ“–[/h2]
Take a look back at a great Mars Horizon stream from our archives. In this stream, we were joined by Libby Jackson who was Human Exploration Programme Manager when we streamed with her, but is now Head of Space Exploration at the UK Space Agency!

One of Britainโ€™s foremost human spaceflight experts, Libby has worked as a Columbus flight director on missions to the International Space Station. She managed the hugely successful UK Space Agency program that supported Tim Peakeโ€™s mission. She tells us what its really like in mission control and how she got into working in the space industry!



[h2]๐Ÿ›ฐ๏ธJoin The Official Mars Horizon 2 Socials๐Ÿ›ฐ๏ธ[/h2]

There's never been a better time to follow our social channels! This will ensure that you don't miss out on the cool content we'll have to share throughout the development journey and some behind the scenes looks at what we get up to. ๐Ÿ‘€



๐Ÿš€Mission Briefing ๐Ÿ‘ฉโ€๐Ÿš€Mars Horizon 2 Developer Update #3



[h2]Hi Aurochnauts! ๐Ÿ‘ฉโ€๐Ÿš€[/h2]

[h3]Welcome to May's Mission Briefing: Developer Update for Mars Horizon 2: The Search for Life with your latest update on the game ๐Ÿš€[/h3]
Make sure you are subscribed to our Mars Horizon Newsletter to get these updates direct to your inbox and join our Discord to talk to other Mars Horizon and Space fans.



[h2]๐Ÿ‘ฉโ€๐Ÿ”ฌWhat have the devs been working on this month? ๐Ÿ‘ฉโ€๐Ÿ”ฌ[/h2]

With May coming to a close, the whole Mars Horizon team is excited with our progress thus far.

Our design team are hard at work crafting our narrative events. These randomly occurring events will expose interesting factoids about our solar system whilst simultaneous providing the players with interesting problem-solving opportunities that can help or hinder progress on the search for life.

Internal playtesting sessions are helping the entire team refine our surface exploration gameplay. Our focus is on player communication and information signalling. Doing this in a concise, legible, and accessible manner is paramount for us.

The directives system is heading into itโ€™s first round of integration. In Mars Horizon 2, the player will be presented with a variety of directives as they embark on their search for life. These directives are like side quests, offering unique gameplay opportunities with a variety of benefits.

- Matt Holmes, Producer for Mars Horizon 2: The Search for Life



[h2]๐Ÿซ Dev Team Trip to University of Edinburgh ๐Ÿซ[/h2]
Earlier this month, members of the Mars Horizon 2: The Search for Life development team visited the University of Edinburgh's Astrobiology Centre to meetย Dr Sean McMahon and his students. ๐Ÿงช

Dr McMahon and his students have been advising the Mars Horizon 2 development team on a number of subjects as we look to incorporate realistic aspects ofย astrobiology into the game.

We had a terrific time meeting the team and gainingย insight into the variety of studies and experiments they're currently working on. We'll haveย more to show you on that trip very soon.ย 

Thanks again to the team at the University of Edinburgh for their hospitality! ๐Ÿ™Œ๐Ÿปย 



[h2]๐ŸŒ Mars Horizon Has Come Home! ๐ŸŒ[/h2]
On the 1st of May, it was announced that the publishing rights to the original Mars Horizon now belong to our fellow Sumo Group studio, Secret Mode. ๐Ÿš€

Secret Mode are the publishers of Mars Horizon 2: The Search for Life and it's now great to have both games under the same umbrella.ย The game was originally published by The Irregular Corporation and we can't thank them enough for their work on the game. ๐Ÿ’›



[h2]๐Ÿ›ฐ๏ธJoin The Official Mars Horizon 2 Socials๐Ÿ›ฐ๏ธ[/h2]
With the new direction of Mars Horizon 2 and the screenshots we shared this month, there's never been a better time to follow our social channels! This will ensure that you don't miss out on the cool content we'll have to share throughout the development journey and some behind the scenes looks at what we get up to. ๐Ÿ‘€