Surviving Mars: Relaunched News

[p][/p][p]Hi all,[/p][p]It’s me, Lyubo! (Lyubomir Iliev, Lead Designer for Surviving Mars: Relaunched), and I’m excited to kick off this new series of Haemimont Diaries. In these diaries, we’ll dive into what we’ve done since launch and share our plans of what to come.

This will be a recurring series, and our goal is to be more transparent about what we’re working on, share our thinking along the way, and a way to involve the community by gathering your feedback and insights to better understand what you would like to see coming to the Red Planet.[/p][p]So, let’s get into it! [/p][p][/p][h2]What we have done since launch.[/h2][p]Since the release of Surviving Mars: Relaunched, we have been actively listening to your feedback, and we have recently released Version 1.0.6. Based on your main feedback, we have been working on improving the stability and the overall gameplay experience, and here are some of the improvements we made:[/p]

• [p]The problems with Asteroids and Asteroid lander that were present on release[/p]
• [p]Reworked the UI for transferring resources to and from Asteroids[/p]
• [p]Improved Elevators to better connect the surface and the underground - colonists will properly pick domes to live underground, the electrical and life support grids are truly connected, resources are shared as if through a storage[/p]
• [p]Problems with trains not carrying resources as expected[/p]
• [p]Problems with track connectivity (we are still hunting the remaining issues there)[/p]
• [p]Issues with how colonists decide where to live and work causing Unemployment and Homelessness[/p]
• [p]Added some extra laws to give you more option in the late-game[/p]
• [p]Improved the stability of the game (crashes and freezes)[/p]

[p]You can see the full list of changes here and here.[/p][p][/p][p]As always, if you encounter a problem with the game, you can always write us a bug report by using the Bug Reporting Tool by pressing (Ctrl+F1) - This helps us greatly, as it allows us to see the exact situation and makes it much easier and faster for us to investigate and fix the issue.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][h2]Expected timeline and our plan moving forward[/h2][p]It is time to start looking ahead (while still fixing pesky bugs), so we are going to start sharing our plans for the immediate and not-so-immediate future.  [/p][p][/p][p]This is the first of a series of regular Haemimont Diaries where we will update you on what we are planning to do and some progress updates as well.[/p][p] [/p][p]Right now, we are working on one more update before we shift our attention to Feeding the Future DLC which will be accompanied by a Free Update that will be available to base game owners.[/p][p] [/p][p]Plans are always liable to change, but for now, here are some of the changes we will be working on in the coming months (we also have plans for the longer term, but we will share them later).[/p][p][/p][p]Without further ado, here's what we are planning to do.[/p][p][/p][h2]What we are planning to do[/h2][p][/p][h3]Update 1.0.7 will include:[/h3][p]We are currently looking at some of the features and changes planned for the free update, and we want to hear what your thoughts are! [/p][p][/p][h3]Rockets[/h3][p]Having both normal rockets and Asteroid Landers limits the usability of asteroids and creates an undue burden on you as players. We will allow ordinary rockets to travel to asteroids and gradually retire the Asteroid Landers.[/p][p]
[/p][p]Another major change planned is to allow the automated mode for rockets to be used in more situations, including when travelling to Earth. This means you will be able to automate your imports (for example for Food).[/p][p] [/p][p]In the long run, we want to tweak the trade with other colonies and make it easier to use and more intuitive.[/p][p][/p][h3]Asteroids[/h3][p]Asteroids have more potential and we want to further explore it. For that to happen we need more space, so expect the usable space on Asteroids to increase. We will do this by both changing the asteroid maps and by making less but bigger deposits (thus having less space blocked by them).[/p][p] [/p][p]Another planned change is that Asteroids will no longer expire (as if the "Capture Asteroid" Breakthrough has been researched). We feel this will make the asteroids less stressful and ultimately - better. This means we will need to retire the Asteroid Catcher building but we think that we can make something else that is cool with that building down the line.[/p][p]
[/p][p]Our ultimate goal is to have Domes that are buildable on Asteroids (probably not all Domes though). The Domes on Asteroids will probably function differently but I will share more about that when we have the details ironed out.
[/p][h3]Free Update accompanying Feeding the Future release will include:[/h3][p][/p][h2]Domes and Services[/h2][p]In the original Surviving Mars, Domes were not connectible and a lot of the design decisions following colonist and Dome logic are based on the idea of Domes as closed communities with minimal intermingling. With passages and trains, this is no longer valid and the game needs to change to reflect that.[/p][p][/p][p] [/p][p]We want to change how services work so that they are more transparent as a system and function in a more predictable and logical way (I am looking at you Founder colonists looking for Gambling on your first day on Mars). This is a big change and it will have many other systems as well.[/p][p] [/p][p]To make Dome connectivity easier, we will also overhaul passages (a feature that has been requested since the introduction of passages). The plan is to have passages connected to the Dome wall and not take up space inside itself.[/p][p] [/p][p]We will reveal more about the upcoming free changes in the future journals.[/p][p][/p][h3]Feeding the Future - Our First New DLC[/h3][p]It's not a secret that the next DLC will be focused around food. We plan to make changes to Food production and services (including for those that do not own the DLC) that focus more on the different strategies you can use to feed your colonists. We will not get into more detail yet - expect more information closer to the release of the DLC.

We only scraped the surface of what to come, and we will share more in upcoming Haemimont Diaries.  [/p][p]
[/p][h2]Final words[/h2][p]As you see, the plan for the coming months is very ambitious and we are doing our best not just to fix but to improve the game. We would love your input on these changes. What do you want out of the game? What is your vision for the future of Surviving Mars: Relaunched?[/p][p]
[/p][p]Keep your colonists safe and your colonies growing until you hear from us again![/p][p] [/p][p]The Haemimont Team[/p][p]
[/p]

[p][/p][p]Hey everyone, [/p][p][/p][p]We’re back with Patch 1.0.6, bringing a round of fixes, refinements, and system improvements. This update reworks the Underground Elevator, further integrates the Surface and Underground grids, and smooths out a number of issues affecting Mysteries, Politics, Trains, and Asteroids. [/p][h2]
Underground Elevator rework[/h2][p]In 1.0.6 we’ve changed how the Underground Elevator functions. The resource transfer UI for the Underground Elevator has been removed. The Elevator now works like a Universal storage that’s available both on the surface and in the underground. And just like a Universal storage you can allow or forbid it from taking specific resources. [/p][p]Drones will then be able to use the stored resources both for the surface and the underground maps as needed.
[/p][p]We’ve also added new commands that tell the elevator where you want a resource to be used - on the Surface or in the Underground. [/p][p]For example, I can set the Elevator to only take out Waste Rock on the surface and then the drones will feed all that Waste Rock to be used on the surface of Mars. 
[/p][p]Transport Rovers can overrule this with their Load/Unload resource or Transport Route commands. 
[/p][p]Colonists will be able to move from the surface to the underground and vice versa to find Domes where they can live and work. If you want to limit certain colonist specializations not to go underground, you can use the Dome filters. 
[/p][p]Another change in 1.0.6 is that if connected via the Elevator, the Surface and Underground life support and power grids now act as if they are part of the same grid, rather than two separate grids that try to balance each other. This solves multiple issues where either the grid production is doubled or is not transferred at all.
[/p][p]Elevators in saves from older versions will work but in some cases might encounter issues with their connected pipes and cables. The solution is to demolish the pipes and cables and rebuild them. [/p][p]
[/p][h2]Underground changes[/h2][p]In Patch 1.0.6 we introduced a number of changes that aim to make the Underground more accessible and integrated with the rest of the game. [/p][p][/p][p]There are no longer special domes and players can now build all of the regular domes in the Underground but they will consume 50% more power. This makes the “Underground Dome Construction” tech obsolete so it was removed. 
[/p][p]The Jumbo Cave mystery objectives and rewards were tweaked to reflect these changes.
[/p][p]We’ve split the Mineral Applications tech into 2 new ones - the Advanced Mineral Composites that will increase solar panels power production and Mineral Treatments that will increase health and sanity recovery from Infirmary and Medical post.
[/p][p]The Spelunker Commander profile no longer has the Bonus tech: Underground Domes. Instead he has a new effect where Underground domes have a lower power consumption penalty (25% instead of 50%).
[/p][p]There are also issues that were fixed including: [/p]

• [p]The radius in which buildings and units (colonists, drones, rovers, …) will light up the underground has been increased.[/p]
• [p]The Pipes and Cables in the underground when broken would reveal as much of the surrounding darkness as a building would. They now reveal a much smaller radius. [/p]
• [p]The Elevator could be used to transport rovers and drones between maps even when it is not working (due to malfunction, lack of power, or being stopped) . Think of this as an emergency mode for the Elevator and no - the drones are not using the stairs.[/p]

[p][/p][h2]Mysteries [/h2][p]Mysteries have received a lot of attention in 1.0.6. The previous patch fixed some underlying global issues that could break the sequences while in this one we’ve closed many of the things that could cause specific steps in the sequences to not trigger. 
[/p][p]This solves many of the reported issues with the different mysteries.[/p][p][/p][p]Unfortunately existing games have the old sequence baked into the savegame.  
[/p][h2]Failed to initialize graphics subsystem Error [/h2][p]We know that some players have been hitting this blanket statement error and not finding it helpful. Take note that even newer GPUs can encounter this if the drivers are outdated. Specifically DirectX12 and Shader Model 6.5 are required. If those are not present the game will encounter this error. [/p][p]To make this more evident we’ve changed the Error message to be more descriptive and let the player know what they could do to resolve this. 
[/p][h2]Asteroids [/h2][p]Asteroids got some nice-to-have changes[/p]

• [p]Waste Rock can once again be transported by Asteroid Landers. [/p]
• [p]Seeds are no longer a viable payload item for the Asteroid Lander. Any loaded seeds in existing games will be unloaded by drones. [/p]
• [p]RC Commanders will now be loaded in the lander rockets together with all drones they are controlling. The manual asteroid lander and resupply UI now shows the total drones in colony/mars not controlled by an RC Commander on the row "Drones".[/p]
• [p]Fixed an issue where an RC Explorer could be counted twice by the Explorer AI tech if it was sent to an Asteroid.
  [/p]

[h2]Trains [/h2][p]We’ve tackled some of the more common issues as well as implemented some changes that should make Trains more useful [/p]

• [p]Increased the number of colonists a train can carry to 12 (was 8)[/p]
• [p]Players can now build train stations over existing tracks. [/p]
• [p]Fixed several issues that could cause colonists to get stuck (sometimes indefinitely) while waiting for a train at the Train station. [/p]
• [p]Deleting a track will now prefab trains at stations that are still associated with it. [/p]
• [p]Fixed an issue where in some cases track segments would become undemolishable. [/p]
• [p]Resolved more instances of tracks and stations not connecting properly.
  [/p]

[h2]Visuals and FX[/h2][p]We’ve invested the time to resolve some visual issues.[/p]

• [p]The infamous issue where the lighting would rapidly switch between day and night is now resolved. [/p]
• [p]Fixed the issue of lighting being darker than usual shortly after switching from the Underground to the surface map.[/p]
• [p]Fixed an issue with smoke and other particles remaining on the map after their source is gone. [/p]
• [p]Landing pads are no longer camouflaged during cold waves.[/p]
• [p]Fixed an issue where a Meteor impact prediction marker would be stuck on the map. [/p]
• [p]Fixed an issue where a red flashing light would linger on some drones. 
  [/p]

[h2]Buildings [/h2]

• [p]Shrouded Wind Turbines now correctly receive the boosts to productivity from Frictionless Composite breakthrough, Terraforming and storybits. This will apply to older savegames. [/p]
• [p]Tunnels and Train tunnels are now replaced by a single Universal tunnel building that can work as both. They can transport colonists, trains and connect life support and electrical grids. The old buildings will appear in savegames from previous versions but won’t be buildable from this patch on. [/p]

[p][/p][h2]Colonists [/h2]

• [p]Fixed an issue where in certain cases colonists would not change home domes when forced through Dome filters. [/p]
• [p]Fixed an issue where refabing Naturalists Habitats could break the colonists pathing logic making them unable to find their way to a dome and dying. [/p]
• [p]Fixed an issue where Project Phoenix could generate colonists with incompatible traits (e.g. Martianborn + Founder).[/p]
• [p]Children-only and Senior-only living spaces are no longer counted in the Resource bar nor used for the “Births are forbidden when full” calculation.[/p]
• [p]Fixed cases where an inordinate amount of Tourists were reported as leaving on rockets[/p]
• [p]Fixed an exploit where funding from departing tourists would trigger upon boarding the rocket. It now triggers when the rocket reaches Earth. [/p]
• [p]Clarified the status of Colonists that committed suicide due to an event that can override the Religious trait. 
  [/p]

[h2]Politics [/h2][p]We’ve made a mix of bugfixes, balance and quality of life changes to the politics system. [/p]

• [p]The maximum discount to laws upkeep is now capped at 80% [/p]
• [p]Fixed an issue where Faction would constantly spam trigger a faction radicalization disaster.[/p]
• [p]Fixed an issue where some players would get the Martian Assembly stuck on “1 hour until next session“.[/p]
• [p]Fixed multiple issues of the Politics or the Laws UI stopping their normal function[/p]
• [p]Added a new notification that highlights when a faction has gained or lost its representation in the Assembly. [/p]
• [p]Detainment and Media Centers no longer have default selected factions upon finishing construction. They start without a target assigned and display a warning for the player to assign one. [/p]
• [p]Added a disabled condition so that the Dictatorship cannot be enacted if there are more than 10% Renegades leading to the law to be auto-repealed later. [/p]
• [p]Limited the amount of Renegades that can be created from the Renegade faction disaster.[/p]
• [p]Fixed an issue where the New Sol faction could dislike you not having services even if you don’t have any colonists yet. [/p]
• [p]Voting Probability rollover with likes/dislikes by faction will now show only factions which have at least one seat in the assembly.[/p]
• [p]Fixed an issue where the law's rollover would give the opinion of factions with no seats in the Assembly.[/p]

[h2]UI [/h2]

• [p]Fixed an issue where in certain cases the overview mode would look blacked out. [/p]
• [p]Restored the keybinding shortcuts for buildings. [/p]
• [p]The Autosave and Quicksave no longer deselect building placement.[/p]
• [p]Asteroid lander payload UI now has the Press and Hold command active.[/p]
• [p]Resources in all Asteroid Lander payload UIs can be increased/decreased by holding the mouse key or a button on the controller [/p]
• [p]Added protection for accidental doubleclick to the build menu and pin items (like ordering rockets to land on the ground below the pin). [/p]
• [p]Fixed an issue where the Low Storage warning would display incorrect calculations for remaining time until something runs out. The Notifications and Resource bar rollover no longer have discrepancies.[/p]
• [p]Fixed an issue where some players would get a negative number of colonists (eg. “-5 Earthborn”) in the infopanel rollover. [/p]
• [p]Fixed an issue where some resources were displayed as being negative (e.g. -1 Machine parts) in the resource transfer UIs. [/p]
• [p]Residential buildings now have their Comfort quality listed in the Build menu. [/p]
• [p]Getting funds from Black Market is now displayed in the Funding notification.[/p]
• [p]The Resource Bar no longer shows partial grids that are made up only of Cables/Pipes or have only consumers.[/p]
• [p]Changed the wording of the Trade route choice dialogs to add clarity.[/p]
• [p]Fixed an issue where in certain cases "No sector set for scanning" warning could be missing on the Surface Map but present in the Underground. [/p]
• [p]Fixed an issue where Some Earthsick Colonists are displayed as "Deported" in the Rocket's info panel. [/p]
• [p]Fixed an issue where the Naturalists Habitats would refer to their food consumption as “Comfort food”. Food is essential and is not related to the Comfort level.[/p]
• [p]Added a disabled state for the “Clear Rubble” button for before the player researches the tech that unlocks it.[/p]
• [p]Fixed an issue where it was possible for selector UIs (like the ones for selecting crops in farms) to get stuck and remain on the screen. [/p]
• [p]The Pipe Leak and Cable Fault infopanels now show the repair costs.[/p]
• [p]The “Milestone achieved” notification will now show which Milestone it's referring to. [/p]
• [p]The RC Commander rollover in the Resupply UI now shows how many free drones it comes with the rover. [/p]
• [p]Fixed an issue where some of the hexes used to display ranges for buildings would be missing.  [/p]
• [p]Fixed an issue where effect radius visualization would persist even after unselecting the object it was related to. [/p]
• [p]Fixed an issue where in some cases Colonists weren’t wearing the correct uniforms for their specialization.[/p]
• [p]Fixed an issue with Rare Metals not being displayed in rockets returning from Planetary missions. 
  [/p]

[h2]General Gameplay bugs [/h2]

• [p]Fixed an issue in which the Dumping sites could show there was stored waste rock when in reality the amount was 0. [/p]
• [p]Drones no longer fill Dumping sites by order of their construction. They will now choose the closest one.[/p]
• [p]Reduced the collision boxes of the Low-G Lab and MDS Laser buildings so they don’t cause situations where colonists could get stuck between them and die. [/p]
• [p]Fixed an issue where drones would not conduct maintenance on buildings in specific cases.[/p]
• [p]Fixed an issue where in some cases fully automated Factories would turn themselves off and display the “Not enough workers” warning”.[/p]
• [p]Fixed an issue where a Landing Pad would become unusable and unsalvageable if a rocket was sent to a Planetary anomaly expedition and got destroyed.[/p]
• [p]Fixed an issue where MDS Lasers would not work as expected.[/p]
• [p]Fixed an issue where colonists were starving in Naturalist Habitats that were filled with food. [/p]
• [p]Naturalist Habitats now have On/Off and Priority controls like other buildings.[/p]
• [p]Made the Core Heat Convector impossible to freeze.[/p]
• [p]Fixed an issue where the Biome Engineering tech would not grant increased Comfort from Farms. [/p]
• [p]Extractors can exploit shallow deposits even if they overlap with a deep deposit and the required tech for it is not researched yet. [/p]
• [p]Fixed an issue where some tall Spires could appear cut short. [/p]
• [p]Fixed an issue where the Truly Independent Achievement could be unlocked by completing the Sponsor goals instead of the Post-Independence ones. [/p]
• [p]Landing Supply pods no longer count towards the “You can't take the Sky from Me!” achievement. [/p]
• [p]Fixed an issue where sending an expedition while on the Underground map wouldn’t acknowledge that you have a rocket available on the surface. [/p]
• [p]Fixed a potential exploit where player could use an RC Transporter to overload a rocket with Rare Metals[/p]

[p][/p][h2]Controller [/h2]

• [p]New Option for Controllers is added in the Controls section - “Focus info panel on selection”. (Disabled by default. When enabled, selecting an object will automatically select the first interactable element in the info panel (as if the D-pad right is pressed).) [/p]
• [p]Fixed an issue where in certain situations the mouse cursor could steal the focus from the controller.[/p]
• [p]Add new LT shortcuts for the Politics and Planetary View.[/p]
  • [p]LT + A - open the Politics.[/p]
  • [p]LT + B - open the Planetary View.
    [/p]

[h2]Modding [/h2]

• [p]In the Mission Sponsor mod item we’ve added the ability to add a Sponsor Logo directly without the need of making a Decal mod item.  [/p]
• [p]Introduced the Scenarios mod item that will grant modders the ability to create events. [/p]
• [p]Import mod item can now properly reloads FBX if it’s loaded in the importer and placed in the mod folder[/p]

[p][/p][p]Alongside this major update, a small server side patch will be coming later today to address a few additional fixes and will download automatically once it becomes available.[/p]

[p][/p][p]Hello Commander,[/p][p]We’re back with another update, addressing some of the most common issues and quality-of-life improvements you’ve been reporting. This patch includes fixes for crashes and softlocks, improvements to Asteroids and Landers, adjustments to trains and underground systems, and a number balance changes. We’ve also added a new structure, the Shrouded Wind Turbine.🍃 Check it out and let us know what you think!

[/p][p]Thank you for continuing to share your feedback with us while we work on new content.[/p][p][/p][p]If you see a bug or want to give us direct feedback, press Ctrl+F1 on your PC while in-game to open the bug reporter or go to our Forum.[/p][p][/p][h3]Change Log:[/h3]

• [p]Implemented a new building - Shrouded Wind Turbine - a large turbine that can be rotated. [/p]
• [p]Fixed an issue where the Mystery progress could be lost, blocking further progression. This fix applies only to new games; existing savegames may still be affected.[/p]
• [p]Fixed an issue where colonists could get stuck in the universal depot and die from suffocation.[/p]
• [p]Quality of Life[/p]
  • [p]Players can now move the Martian Assembly. This happens via a button in the building’s infopanel.[/p]
  • [p]Underground entrances are now visible on the map at game start.[/p]
  • [p]Added shortcuts for +5 and Max Quantity in all resource transfer UIs. [/p]
  • [p]Increased the Dumping Sites’ Waste Rock capacity by a factor of 4. In existing savegames this will also increase the amount of Waste Rock already stored by the same factor.[/p]
  • [p]Dumping Sites now display the max stored amount in their description.[/p]
• [p]Crashes and Softlocks[/p]
  • [p]Fixed a softlock on the Research screen.[/p]
  • [p]Fixed several common causes of crashes.[/p]
• [p]Trains[/p]
  • [p]Fixed an issue where train tracks would not transfer power if built in a specific order.[/p]
  • [p]Fixed an issue where in some cases trains would transport some resources endlessly and not load others.[/p]
  • [p]Trains can now be added to Pins.[/p]
• [p]Asteroids [/p]
  • [p]Reduced the number of deposits spawned on Asteroids but greatly increased the quantity of resources in each deposit.[/p]
  • [p]Fixed an issue where the Asteroid Lander would keep its landing site reserved even after canceling the auto mode.[/p]
  • [p]Further tweaks to Asteroid maps generation to provide more landing spots in some cases. This will not affect existing Asteroid maps. [/p]
  • [p]Landers can now "blow away" debris when landing so small objects like rocks will not hinder the landing site.[/p]
• [p]Politics [/p]
  • [p]Fixed an issue where the rightmost laws were not being shown in the Laws UI.[/p]
  • [p]Fixed an issue where in some cases the Factory Automation law was not working.[/p]
  • [p]A new notification has been added when the Governing Assembly law is active (the Assembly proposes and votes on laws automatically unless the player overrides it with another choice). At the start of the session it shows what the Assembly plans to do when the session closes. [/p]
  • [p]A new notification has been added when the Governing Assembly law is active that states what the outcome of the law vote was. [/p]
  • [p]Fixed an issue where Renegades would sneak through undetected with Crackdown law active (Gurus and Project Phoenix).[/p]
  • [p]Fixed an issue where the Economic Interventions law did not increase the least-stored advanced resource's production.[/p]
  • [p]Fixed an issue where the Workers Shifts law could provide a higher than intended bonus.[/p]
  • [p]Fixed an issue with the Tourist Campaign and Applicant Campaign laws so they can provide the exact promised amount of Applicants.[/p]
  • [p]Fixed an issue with how the Seniors: Put Them to Work law interacts with the Forever Young breakthrough. Seniors who die during work no longer cause sanity loss in the colonists. [/p]
  • [p]The Open Domes law is now preparable even if there is no Breathable Atmosphere.[/p]
  • [p]The Open Domes law is no longer repealable. The Domes will only close if the Atmosphere becomes unbreathable.[/p]
  • [p]Fixed an issue where the Open Floor action or Governing Assembly might suggest or enact laws that are not available.[/p]
  • [p]The Founder’s Privilege law now correctly gets repealed when all Founders die or leave.[/p]
  • [p]Fixed an issue where in some cases Faction Disasters would constantly start and stop.[/p]
  • [p]Fixed some issues that could cause an onslaught of Faction Disasters from the same Faction. [/p]
  • [p]Faction Disasters now stop when a Faction is Content or Happy. [/p]
• [p]Fixed an issue where Underground Domes appeared as empty while being populated.[/p]
• [p]Fixed an issue where Colonists could get stuck in Passages, making it impossible to salvage them.[/p]
• [p]Terraforming Special Projects no longer appear when Terraforming is maxed out.[/p]
• [p]Fixed an issue where some Techs would appear to be at >100% research progress.[/p]
• [p]Mars Reservation is no longer re-fabable.[/p]
• [p]The Last War mystery effects no longer stops Asteroid Landers from travelling to/from Asteroids.[/p]
• [p]Balance changes[/p]
  • [p]Politics[/p]
    • [p]Rebalanced the Assembly choice results.[/p]
    • [p]Added Upkeep to some multiple choice laws (Applicant Campaign, Worker Shift Optimizations, Resource Subsidies, Crowded Living, Research Safety Standards).[/p]
    • [p]Reduced the number of required researched Techs for Colony Independence Goal to 80 (was previously 120). This change applies only to new games.[/p]
    • [p]Changed the number of Permits & Efficiency laws that The Dominion of Mars wants enacted, as in the early game it was very easy to go into a political crisis spiral.[/p]
    • [p]Added new Faction likes / dislikes to make Dominion, GNow, Free Love and Martian First more agreeable and Utopia less agreeable. [/p]
    • [p]Interplanetary Codex tasks for Ministries will no longer appear early in the game.[/p]
  • [p]Launching High-speed Comms Satellite and SETI Satellite projects now require less Electronics.[/p]
• [p]UI[/p]
  • [p]Fixed an issue where buildings under construction were very hard to select.[/p]
  • [p]Fixed an issue where a Dust Storm notification wouldn’t despawn.[/p]
  • [p]Fixed an issue where in some cases the arrow keys would navigate the HUD instead of scrolling.[/p]
  • [p]“No sector set for scanning” warning no longer appears after all sectors have been scanned.[/p]
  • [p]Added clarification that the Melting the Polar Caps mission will definitely cause a Dust Storm regardless of the Terraforming progress.[/p]
  • [p]Added clarification that the Import Greenhouse Gases mission will definitely cause a Toxic Rain regardless of the Terraforming progress.[/p]
  • [p]Added missing maintenance cost and remaining time to completion for the Earth Embassy.[/p]
  • [p]Fixed an issue where an Earthsick notification could appear for recently dead Colonists.[/p]
  • [p]Fixed an issue where a tooltip indicated that the Party Animal trait was recovering Health, rather than Comfort as expected.[/p]
  • [p]Fixed an issue where a "Dome at risk" notification would display even if no Dome was at risk.[/p]
  • [p]Clarified text about Cold Waves’ effect on buildings.[/p]
  • [p]Fixed an issue where some Planetary points of interest could become unselectable.[/p]
  • [p]Buildings in the Command Center are no longer displayed with Colonists icons[/p]
• [p]Modding[/p]
  • [p]Added IDs to the XDef controls of UI elements[/p]
  • [p]Dust storm and cold wave are now separate smaller functions[/p]
• [p]Gamepad[/p]
  • [p]The bottom menus buttons’ navigation is now consistent with the info bar (D-pad Left selects the map change buttons).[/p]

[p][/p][p]Hello Commander, [/p][p]
This update is packed with fixes and quality-of-life improvements. We’ve tackled the most common crash, overhauled Asteroid Lander controls, added new political laws to shape your colony, and smoothed out dozens of issues across colonists, trains, underground systems, and more![/p][p][/p][h3]Change Log:[/h3]

• [p]Crash: Fixed crash related to switching maps (This is the most common crash experienced by the players.) [/p]
• [p]Steam and Epic only: Achievements can now be unlocked in playthroughs with active mods.[/p]
• [p]Asteroids: [/p]
  • [p]Implemented Manual Mode and Automated Mode for Asteroid Lander control:[/p]
    • [p]For each Asteroid Lander the player can choose manual or automated mode via a button in the Lander infopanel. The default setting is manual mode. [/p]
    • [p]Manual Mode operates similarly to the Resupply UI - the player can select Colonists, resources, and prefabs to/from an Asteroid to Mars. Players must initiate the landing manually.[/p]
    • [p]In Automated Mode the player can set threshold values per Lander for selected resources. The Lander will export or import them automatically. The Asteroid Lander will reserve a landing spot both on Mars and the Asteroid. The Asteroid Lander will take off and land automatically. [/p]
    • [p]Evacuation: A popup window now informs the player when an Asteroid is several hours from leaving. This popup window has a button to take the player to the Asteroid so they can load their landers and evacuate. Landers orbiting the Asteroid will automatically return to Mars.[/p]
    • [p]Please be aware that Landers in existing savegames may not behave properly in some cases. Try requesting the payload again.[/p]
  • [p]Fix for issue causing drones to continuously move resources between two Landers on the same Asteroid[/p]
  • [p]Balance changes to water production and usage on asteroids [/p]
  • [p]Tweaks to Asteroid maps generation to produce less clutter and provide more landing spots in some cases.[/p]
  • [p]Implemented the Flatten tool on Asteroids to allow players to make the most of the limited space on asteroids.[/p]
  • [p]Marsquakes no longer happen on Asteroids. Savegame fixup removes Marsquake rocks from Asteroids. [/p]
  • [p]Fix for issue where the "Asteroid Arrived" notification would only appear if the asteroid was captured.[/p]
  • [p]Pins with Landers that are ready to launch will now blink (similar to rockets).[/p]
• [p]Politics [/p]
  • [p]Added 7 new laws that provide additional options to customize your colony:[/p]
    • [p]“Energy focus” - a multi-choice law that will give a select type of power producers extra oomph but will reduce the performance of some of the other power producers.[/p]
    • [p]“Terraforming focus” - a multi-choice law that will double the building bonuses for one terraforming parameter.[/p]
    • [p]“Economic Interventions” - a law that will boost the production of the resource you have the least of, but has a high upkeep.[/p]
    • [p]“Administration” - a multi-choice law that will allow you to reduce the upkeep of laws in funding or RP. [/p]
    • [p]“Founder Privilege” - a law that gives extra Comfort to Founders when servicing their needs.[/p]
    • [p]“Underground Amenities” - a law that gives underground Domes extra comfort[/p]
    • [p]“Tourist Campaign” - a one-time law that adds a number of Tourist applicants when enacted.[/p]
  • [p]Added new faction tasks and opportunities.[/p]
  • [p]Added new Game Rule: “Political Freedom” - all laws are unlocked and players can directly Prepare and Vote on them.[/p]
  • [p]Balance changes:[/p]
    • [p]Ministries are now single-shift buildings.[/p]
    • [p]Rebalanced Ministries to give fixed bonuses to Laws. This alleviates some issues with fluctuating housing and workslots, as well as some imbalances in production.[/p]
    • [p]"Drone Hub Efficiency" law now has an upkeep cost.[/p]
    • [p]Faction Opportunities will not be generated if they have already timed out twice.[/p]
    • [p]Changes and fixes to some faction likes and tasks. [/p]
    • [p]Laws changes that will apply to existing savegames: [/p]
      • [p]“Crowded Living” bonus is decreased and is now a fixed amount (3) instead of a percentage. [/p]
      • [p]“Applicant Campaign” will provide a one-time applicant boost. [/p]
      • [p]“Worker Shift Optimization” will have effect only if there is at least 1 worker in the shift.[/p]
    • [p]Laws changes that won't apply to existing savegames but will be present in new games: [/p]
      • [p]“Worker Shift Optimization” will use bonus values based on the number of shifts. [/p]
      • [p]“Safety Standards Deregulation” will double the required maintenance resources for research buildings.  [/p]
      • [p]The “Productivity” option in the “Comfort” law will have a decreased bonus for worker performance. [/p]
      • [p]“Resource Subsidies” will greatly increase rocket travel time. [/p]
    • [p]Some law choices are now locked behind requirements. Affected laws are “Apportionment of Seats”, “Sensor Tower Usage”, and “Renegades”.[/p]
    • [p]Diplomacy laws now require Earth Embassy. [/p]
    • [p]Multiple choice laws are now repealable/revokeable.[/p]
    • [p]Rebalanced "Independence" goal #2 to require enacting 30 laws (was 15). [/p]
    • [p]Rebalanced "Independence" goal #4 to require 100 colonists with a comfort level of 70 (was 150).[/p]
    • [p]Reordered independence techs and increased their required RP. [/p]
  • [p]Added “Law upkeep” row to the Research UI.[/p]
  • [p]Clarified descriptions of the Media Center and the Detainment Center that their effects apply only to the dome they are built in.[/p]
• [p]Underground[/p]
  • [p]In new games the Underground entrances will appear in locations where they can be accessed from all directions. This will not affect existing savegames.[/p]
  • [p]Marsquakes now correctly occur only in the Underground.[/p]
  • [p]Removed Drones and Rovers from the Elevator UI.[/p]
  • [p]Fixed an issue where the Bottomless Pit Lab could be rotated and freely placed in orientations that should not have been possible. Existing constructions and completed Labs will have to be cancelled or destroyed and placed anew. Stuck drones will not be affected by this fix.  [/p]
• [p]Trains [/p]
  • [p]Fixed an issue where stations connected via train tunnels would not transfer power. [/p]
  • [p]Fixed tunnel power grids splitting incorrectly when deleting cables.[/p]
  • [p]Increased the train station areas to service more workplaces/domes/habitats.[/p]
  • [p]Trains will no longer attempt to traverse salvaged tunnels.[/p]
  • [p]Trains can now be assigned to tracks by clicking on an object connected to the station (such as a tunnel).[/p]
  • [p]Fixed an issue where track elements would remain on the map after the track they belonged to has been deleted.[/p]
  • [p]Fixed multiple issues causing stations to not connect to tracks.[/p]
  • [p]Fix for passenger trains not leaving stations. [/p]
• [p]Colonists [/p]
  • [p]Fixes for cases of homeless/unemployed colonists, by updating how colonists evaluate domes for emigration, taking into account dome air/water/electricity supply, free residences, and vacant workplaces, preferring ones with matching specialization. [/p]
  • [p]Fixed some cases of colonists walking back home and dying, instead of using trains.[/p]
  • [p]Fixed an issue where colonists would overpopulate Habitats and die outside. [/p]
  • [p]Fixed an issue where Tourists assigned to Naturalist and Micro-G Habitats would not live in them, exit and suffocate outside.[/p]
• [p]Rockets [/p]
  • [p]Fixed an issue where Rockets would disappear when travelling to Earth.[/p]
  • [p]Fixed an issue with missing Tourist overview in the Rocket infopanel and Notification.[/p]
• [p]Balance [/p]
  • [p]Boosted yield of seed crops. [/p]
  • [p]Fix for RC Dozer to load only Waste Rock. [/p]
  • [p]Tweaks to building placement under pipes and tracks. Life support objects and objects serviced by shuttles can’t be placed under pipes because that leads to clipping and other problems. Players can’t construct tracks over existing buildings. [/p]
• [p]UI [/p]
  • [p]Added option to disable edge scrolling. [/p]
  • [p]Pre-game choices (such as Mission Sponsor, Commander Profile, selected Mystery, etc.) will be remembered between games.[/p]
  • [p]Decreased the "Heavy Drone workload" notifications spam.[/p]
  • [p]Fixed “Deposit running low” notification to appear only once per deposit.[/p]
  • [p]Fixed “Hints Enabled” setting to properly set ‘on’/’off’/’once’ setting. This is now propagated to the Game Options menu as well. [/p]
  • [p]Fixed contradicting Cold Wave countdown timers. [/p]
  • [p]Controller: Selecting a pin with a gamepad won't move the camera to the pinned object.[/p]
• [p]General fixes [/p]
  • [p]Fixed a bug where stockpiles were blocking tunnel construction.[/p]
  • [p]Fixed the issue with Disasters (not starting/not ending/spamming notifications)[/p]
  • [p]Fixed a case in which a Terraforming building may not update its working status.[/p]
  • [p]Fix for issue where open air buildings like Ranches would reach 99% construction progress and not finish. [/p]

[p]

[/p]

[p][/p][p]Hi all,

My name's Lyubo and I'm the lead designer for Surviving Mars: Relaunched. It's been several weeks since release (and three hotfixes) so it is high time to give you more information on what we are working on right now.

We are planning a bigger update (1.0.4) soon™ to address the most pressing issues you may be experiencing (see below for more info). We are committed to fixing the game and making it as good as it can be - we just need time. [/p][h3]
The 1.0.4 Update[/h3][p]The big update will have a lot of changes that required more playtesting and thus could not be added to the hotfixes. There will be bug fixes, balance changes AND new content in the form of 6 new laws. As there are new bugs being reported every day, I cannot promise that we will fix everything but we are aiming at the most common issues that have cropped up.[/p][p][/p][h3]New Asteroid Flow[/h3][p]Asteroid Landers will have 2 distinct modes - Manual and Automatic. In manual mode, the lander will be commanded by a UI that resembles that resupply screen and will give you the opportunity to have the same filters you have for passenger rockets when sending colonists to an asteroid. The Manual mode will give you total control over what to transport both from Mars and from the asteroid.
[/p][p]In automatic mode, you will only be able to transport resources back and forth but the whole process will be fully-automated (from landing to take-off).[/p][p][/p][h3]Politics[/h3][p]We received many complaints about Politics breaking the balance of the game. Some of the issues were caused by bugs and laws having a wider effect than anticipated, but we will also nerf some of the worst offending laws (Crowded Living , Shift Optimization, and Resource Subsidies).
[/p][p]In addition to that, we will change how Ministries work and affect laws as they are adding too much volatility to the economy of Mars. This means that the effect they have on laws will be less impactful but more stable.
[/p][p]Finally, there will be 6 new laws that are aimed to be useful when you are late in the game and give you additional options to customize your colony. Here is a list with their effect (there may be changes until the release of the update):[/p]

• [p]Energy focus - a multi-choice law that will give one type of power produces extra oomph but will reduce the performance of some of the others[/p]
• [p]Terraforming focus - a multi-choice law that will double the building effects for one terraforming parameter[/p]
• [p]Economic Interventions - a law that has high upkeep but will boost the production of the resource you have the least of.[/p]
• [p]Administration - a multi-choice law that will allow you to reduce the upkeep of laws in either funding or RP[/p]
• [p]Founder Privilege - a law that gives extra Comfort to Founders when servicing their needs.[/p]
• [p]Underground Amenities - a law that gives underground Domes extra comfort[/p]

[h3]
Colonists[/h3][p]There are many reported issues with colonists and how they pick (or don't pick) their workplaces and homes. We are investigating many cases and have fixed multiple big problems. Expect more information in the changelog once the update arrives.[/p][p][/p][h3]Bug fixes[/h3][p]The bugs that were caught and fixed were numerous but I will explicitly mention:[/p]

• [p]Disasters (not starting/not ending/spamming notifications)[/p]
• [p]Trains (connectivity issues/improper balancing of resources)[/p]
• [p]Faction opportunities/likes/dislikes (bugs fixed/new added/balance tweaks)[/p]
• [p]Story events (sponsors not being recognized properly)[/p]
• [p]Stability - a major crash and a freeze have been fixed[/p]

[p][/p][p]A more comprehensive list will be available with the final changelog once the update arrives.[/p][h3]
Expect more soon![/h3][p][/p][p]That is all for now. Remember:[/p]

• [p]Update your drivers[/p]
• [p]We are reading through your comments/bug reports/reviews - even though we can’t reply to all of them[/p]
• [p]If you see a bug or want to give us direct feedback, press Ctrl+F1 on your PC while in-game to open the bug reporter.[/p]

[p]
Cheers,
Lyubo
Haemimont Games[/p][p]
[/p][p]
[/p]