Thank you for your feedback. From reading your comments, it's great to learn what you want to explore, interact with, learn, and find. While many of these elements were always planned, we listened to your comments, learned what you want, and integrated as many of your suggestions as we can... and those we didn't are planned for future builds.
What is new?
Since our last build, we've been chipping away at your requests... adding our new features (like mars vs earth experiments, educational pop-ups, tons of easter eggs, full exploration of building interiors. We've also been adding improvements throughout this educational experience, from options to skip the intro flight and voice-over tour, to adding latest mars news (can you find the coral, the martian doorway, or hovering ingenuity?). From testing at numerous space-related events and conventions, we are learning what works, what keeps you engaged, and what you'd like to learn.
This update brings all the fundamental performance improvements we needed to add, additional world interactions, a massive update to the map (better quality, optimization, and 3x the size).
Features
Interiors
The interiors of all buildings can now be toured and viewed, with educational interactables and easter eggs galore
Mapping Device
Used for tracking missions, changing music and other options
Larger Map
The tourable map is over 300% larger, optimized, with more LODs, and improved quality (plus a few easter eggs)
Main Menu UI
You now have options to skip the flight and the tour.
Other various hidden events and info around the map.
Bug Fixes
- Frame Rate improvements
- LOD groups optimized
- Lighting improved
- Boarder added around map bounds
- Space Gravity added
- Model Optimization
- Player controller interaction fixes
- Filled holes in environment
- Start Fly in path improved
- Shader optimization mainly on tour
- Achievements are now properly detected
What's Next?
We need you to explore, learn, and keep providing feedback.
This experience is intended to be an interactive educational tour of the MDRS more than a game, however, it's nice to add features and science in a way that gamifies learning.
We are working on
We hope you enjoy these updates, keep sharing ideas, and we'll see you on Mars!
Spoiler Alert
Check out your backpack for some extra abilities, easter eggs, and achievements!
Try throwing a gas can, notice anything special about the red v blue?
Can you find the soccer ball - how does it bounce?
How many easter eggs can you find?
Can you beat your friends to conquer all the achievements?
Changed files in this update