Potential features to be added.

[Some101 10]

Hi, I bought TOM yesterday, and I'm hooked ever since. I've got a few ideas to add to the game, and I'd like feedback on them (possible yes/no, already planned/dismissed)

1. Error fixing.

I get random errors on my wheels whenever I'm rovering around, and sometimes it just gets annoying. Therefore, perhaps add a mini-game that allows you to fix errors, and only errors, in wheels, arms and the like. I understand that you can't actually fix anything on a rover, but I get those errors randomly, and once started off with a rover (which had landed perfectly) that could barely move due to all six wheels malfunctioning (that's a fully equipped medium rover down the drain).

Perhaps make the mini-game a power rerouting game where you have to find matching circuits or matching pieces of code.

2. Control of the lander/rover during decent.

Sometimes it just doesn't land where you want it to. I've had to reload missions a couple of times now due to Landers not landing in the correct location, making it impossible to complete parts of the mission and once even making it impossible to continue the game (a lander that had to photograph an area landed in the wrong area to photograph all nodes, and because of that I did not have enough money to send another.

)3. A minimap.

It wouldn't be very useful for much things, but it would just be cool.

4. (Potentially) Human Crews.

Eventually, you'll get bored with just driving around. If you add human crews, you could perhaps make the game a bit different, where you also have to keep an eye on the supplies of oxygen and food for the crew.

5. Passive Multiplayer.

It would be incredible fun to just see other players driving around, and who can forget the massive shenanigans that happened in Moonbase Alpha? (aeiou)

6. Weather effects.

Sandstorms are assholes on mars, and it would be fun to have those come by once in a while, making you panic and run (drive) for cover if you're running on solar power.

In any case, looking forward to the updates!

[Malhard 10]

Place samples collected inside the rover (Curiosity) is pretty cool.

This video shows some interesting things that could be implemented, including on the landing.

[grovest4life 10]

One other feature I would like to see if possible added to the game is an option to keep the game running in the background when in windowed mode maybe like a checkbox in the options for it so I can do other things while my rover batteries recharge such as surf the internet. Thanks

[Malhard 10]

Something like this would be very interesting:

http://www.planetary.org/blogs/emily-lakdawalla/2013/08030836-curiosity-mutual.html

Be able to capture image of the moons.

---------- Post added at 04:14 ---------- Previous post was at 04:11 ----------

Parachute.

[sumo11 10]

I think they mentioned there will already be sandstorms but they will come later in development.

[AudioRejectz 1]

Would love to have to build some form of shuttle to get the rovers collected samples from the surface to a shuttle in orbit

[Reject 10]

Would love to have to build some form of shuttle to get the rovers collected samples from the surface to a shuttle in orbit

.

As it is now, the rover or lander studies the sample on mars, no need to bring it back to earth to do the same thing over again. stuff like this all depends on what the devs want to do with the game, suggestions of base building etc have been mentioned by others. but who know.

[Thales 45]

1. Error fixing.

Interesting idea but I'm afraid that the form of a mini-game won't be the best for a realistic simulator. Anyway this feature is on our list and we'll discuss if we'll find some good way how to implement it.

2. Control of the lander/rover during decent.

We're working on manual landing option but it's still work in progress.

3. A minimap.

Not exactly a minimap as you know it from other games (for example RTS) but will be added. ;-)

4. (Potentially) Human Crews.

5. Passive Multiplayer.

We'd love to make some more advanced missions with human crew, more planet exploration etc. but currently that's too big goal. First we have to finish and polish everything in the rover simulator and then we'll see. ;-) At the moment there is no plan to implement multiplayer - again, this goal is currently too big.

6. Weather effects.

Work in progress.

[h - 169]

One other feature I would like to see if possible added to the game is an option to keep the game running in the background when in windowed mode maybe like a checkbox in the options for it so I can do other things while my rover batteries recharge such as surf the internet. Thanks

+10000000000

Although should be like it is Arma so it doesn't have to be in windowed mode only, should run even if alt-tabbing out.

Also there should be a possibility to cancel missions you have assigned to a rover with the 'assign nearest' button.

Accidentally assigned ones to a rover that is over a km away from the objectives so that would take forever to reach them, and obviously can't assign that mission to the rover that is much closer because the mission is not available as it is assigned to the other rover.. :rolleyes:

[Thales 45]

One other feature I would like to see if possible added to the game is an option to keep the game running in the background when in windowed mode maybe like a checkbox in the options for it so I can do other things while my rover batteries recharge such as surf the internet. Thanks

Good news for you! Just restart your Steam and when you click on "Play" button next time you can choose if you want to start the game in normal mode or "never-freeze" mode. Enjoy the surfing! ;-)

[Torrenaga 10]

How about some form of training facility on Earth. In real life the rover drivers would have training before they would be allowed to drive on Mars

Another suggestion. When you have a disaster and don't have enough money to do anything else, instead of having to re-start the game from scratch, why not have the government intervene with the offer of up-front sponsorship of a mission for which you would have to do an objective for nothing, but other objectives in the same mission would be paid for on completion as normal. This way you would be able to build up your money again, and get back on the normal track.

Edited August 5, 2013 by Torrenaga

[Thales 45]

At the moment you can test all vehicles in Mars yard. You can access it through the Lab. Speaking of the second point we're already working on a system how to get some money in case of landing or other disaster.

[h - 169]

Good news for you! Just restart your Steam and when you click on "Play" button next time you can choose if you want to start the game in normal mode or "never-freeze" mode. Enjoy the surfing! ;-)

Unfortunately this doesn't seem to work. The sounds/music play but time doesn't actually advance at all.

Not sure if the batteries get recharged though, which would be kinda weird..

EDIT:

Unless of course this doesn't work with alt-tabbing, in which case ignore :p

Edited August 5, 2013 by h -

[Reject 10]

Unfortunately this doesn't seem to work. The sounds/music play but time doesn't actually advance at all.

Not sure if the batteries get recharged though, which would be kinda weird..

EDIT:

Unless of course this doesn't work with alt-tabbing, in which case ignore :p

Alt-Enter, puts it into windowed mode, resizing it is a bit tricky but it will keep running without the it being the active window. Although it won't take joystick or keyboard commands.

EDIT: I'm not sure if it keeps running when alt tabbed, didn't really test it....

[h - 169]

Interesting idea but I'm afraid that the form of a mini-game won't be the best for a realistic simulator. Anyway this feature is on our list and we'll discuss if we'll find some good way how to implement it.

Had thought about this last night as I was driving a 300 meters to a nearest mission task with a rover that broke one of it's corner wheels completely (major failure, or whatever it is).

It would periodically stuck completely making the rover just spin in a circle and it took a bit of 'rocking' back and forth to get it going again. Of course I had to kinda 'drift' with it because the broken wheel made it turn to the right constantly.

What if in case of wheels having a major failure you could actually blow off the broken wheel. That'd sound to me something NASA might do.

It obviosuly should have possible penalty like damaging some instrument or a nearby wheel. In turn it could be nice if you actually would get a monetary bonus performing missions with a broken vehicle so it would always be case of weighting the risk.. :p

[Falc 10]

A few more options with the wheels should certainly be on the table.

See, as far as I can tell, a wheel could either have a faulty drive or have something in it that makes it get stuck.

If a wheel has a faulty drive, there should be an option to just disconnect the drive and allow the wheel to 'free-wheel'. This would reduce propulsion but should allow the rover to drive straight.

An obstruction in the wheel should be possible to try and remove. Like maybe finding a spot where the wheel in question can be spun up in mid-air to dislodge sand? Of course, this could risk even more damage. Detaching the drive on such a wheel would of course not help at all. Removing the wheel completely... I don't think that would be a viable option. You'd end up with the leg it's attached to creating possibly even more drag than the frozen wheel.

[h - 169]

Yup, blowing the wheel completely off is not that good an idea.

The swivel design ia a bit fragile in that sense, although if it would lock the swivel in place it would not drag, would just destroy most of the vehicle's manuvering capabilities. But I'm getting carried away with this now.. :p

[Some101 10]

Thanks for the update Thales!

And it's good to see that you guys are focussing on getting the features in game now polished to a shine before moving on.

The guys over at Squad are failing to do that, hard.

[grovest4life 10]

Good news for you! Just restart your Steam and when you click on "Play" button next time you can choose if you want to start the game in normal mode or "never-freeze" mode. Enjoy the surfing! ;-)

Awesomely quick thanks I'm lovin this game and its potential.

[anttonoo 10]

I don't want don't want to say this game should be exactly like Kerbal Space Program, but the thing with KSP is that you have such freedom in constructing your ship and the feeling that you get when you manage to land on the moon with it or get it into orbit is so rewarding. I think it would be better if you could design the rovers from parts instead of researching a complete rover or buying a complete rover and then just equip different tools on it. Things such as battery power, fusion or solar powered, precise rocket descent, cheap parachute descent, rubber ball descent for rougher landings, etc would be a great way to add some depth and sense of accomplishment. Adding an economical system ontop of these will force the player to make decisions just like in real life to customize their rover.

[vladggg 10]

Hello, I just bought the game and i am impressed about it. In my point of view there is room for improvement.

1. Make the game work every time i start a mission - Sometimes the vehicles spawn in random places inside objects :) .

2. Make a tutorial on how to operate all the vehicles in the game - I have no idea how to control the landing vehicle.

3. requirements for the next missions - This is very confusing. I have no idea on what tech tree item should i click to make a mission available in scenario mode and i am investing money in something that i do not need at that moment.

4. Better UX in the menu - right now it seems to be a bit dull.

5. Multilayer and/or co-op - this would be AWESOME

More updates as i will pay the game :D

Hi, I bought TOM yesterday, and I'm hooked ever since. I've got a few ideas to add to the game, and I'd like feedback on them (possible yes/no, already planned/dismissed)

1. Error fixing.

I get random errors on my wheels whenever I'm rovering around, and sometimes it just gets annoying. Therefore, perhaps add a mini-game that allows you to fix errors, and only errors, in wheels, arms and the like. I understand that you can't actually fix anything on a rover, but I get those errors randomly, and once started off with a rover (which had landed perfectly) that could barely move due to all six wheels malfunctioning (that's a fully equipped medium rover down the drain).

Perhaps make the mini-game a power rerouting game where you have to find matching circuits or matching pieces of code.

2. Control of the lander/rover during decent.

Sometimes it just doesn't land where you want it to. I've had to reload missions a couple of times now due to Landers not landing in the correct location, making it impossible to complete parts of the mission and once even making it impossible to continue the game (a lander that had to photograph an area landed in the wrong area to photograph all nodes, and because of that I did not have enough money to send another.

)3. A minimap.

It wouldn't be very useful for much things, but it would just be cool.

4. (Potentially) Human Crews.

Eventually, you'll get bored with just driving around. If you add human crews, you could perhaps make the game a bit different, where you also have to keep an eye on the supplies of oxygen and food for the crew.

5. Passive Multiplayer.

It would be incredible fun to just see other players driving around, and who can forget the massive shenanigans that happened in Moonbase Alpha? (aeiou)

6. Weather effects.

Sandstorms are assholes on mars, and it would be fun to have those come by once in a while, making you panic and run (drive) for cover if you're running on solar power.

In any case, looking forward to the updates!

[alexsaves 10]

So.. I land somewhere, and I have all this fuel left.. shouldn't it be possible to restart the engines at that point?

[dram 14]

Hi alex, actually it is possible - hold spacebar to open the radial menu and select Flight Mode. You can then fly it manually. If you want it to fly to another mission, assign a new mission to the vehicle, select the vehicle, hold spacebar and select Fly to Waypoint. It then goes there by itself :)

[grnman 10]

Please make it so that the air cushion piramid lander thing can't balance on edge for all eternity without the cushions ever deflating.

[dram 14]

Please make it so that the air cushion piramid lander thing can't balance on edge for all eternity without the cushions ever deflating.

Hmm, that should have been fixed already. Are you using the main branch or the development build?