Welcome to the future page, a constantly updated list of great ideas that may someday be implemented in Mars Explorer!
Before you even consider submitting your own feature request, please ensure that it meets the following criteria:
- It is not currently heretofore enumerated, or already incorporated in Mars Explorer
- It is creative, constructive, and consistent with the quintessence of Mars Explorer
- It is practical - meaning that it will benefit the game commensurately to the work required to implement it
For example:
- Suggestions for new worlds or vehicles are almost certainly a violation of criteria # 1 (or occasionally #3). Note: If you design and submit your own new vehicle or world, that is a whole different matter - and it is highly welcome!
- Martians on hoverboards, nuclear bombs, or integrated "taunts" are a violation of criteria # 2
- Use common sense. Anything is possible, but ideas that provide the greatest tangible gameplay "Return on Investment" have the greatest chance of becoming a reality as per criteria # 3
Known Bugs:
- Server list glitches
Should now be completley resolved. If you still experience blank server lists for more than ten seconds - or other similar phemenons, please let Aubrey know.
- Webplayer loading issues
Occasionally, webplayer games will stop loading while worlds are streaming prior to entering a server. Refreshing the game page will fix the problem, as will downloading a native Mars Explorer application for your OS.
- Pseudo-rams
Occasionally, players will gain quarry status without firing at - or being anywhere near - the quarry. This issue seems to affect certain players more than others, and is particularly pronounced in servers in which ORBs are activated. Aubrey is looking into it.
- "Not Responding" (NR) Players
1.9.77 introduced numerous mechanisms to improve the reliability of Mars Explorer's networking system, but instances of NR players are still occasionally reported. Next time you experience this behaviour, please provide all the information you can about it - such as number of players in your server, and the ping time of the effected players (if you are the server host) or your ping time if you are just connected to a game server. Ping times are shown in the "Players" panel (near Game Settings).
- Tank instantiation CG offset
Tanks are prone to "building" with a far too high CG when they are added to a world, which makes them extremely difficult to drive when it happens. This should definitley be resolved in the next release. Update: this only happens when other vehicles are near the materilization site while the tank is building - a fix is in the works...
- Buggy takeoff / landing nosedives
This issue should be completley resolved at standard physics settings, but Aubrey is working to ensure that the buggy is easy to control no matter how a server's physics are defined.
- Google Chrome incompatibilities
- Certain servers never allow players to connect properly at the first attempt
- Vehicle launch on server entry
Misc Features:
- 3D Lava - complete with waves, wakes, splashes, etc
- Sound Effects - suggested by many, and spurned by many more. Yes, it will be cool to hear the Doppler effect of lasers whizzing past you in 3D, but can it replace the sheer joy of producing your own motor noises while you race down the face of a cliff at several hundred mph?
- Server instantiated objects (such as balls) - MacDane
- A friends list integrated into the in-game authentication system, which will allow you to see which friends of yours are online and what servers they are playing at
- Player customizable vehicle paint jobs - suggested by lots of folks :)
- Multiple vehicle "change" / materialization sites - Miniman
- Instrument to help you find the quarry / nearest waypoint, as seen in Mars Explorer iPhone
- Animated sniper zoom - MacDane
- Temporary disablement of vehicle wings and motor input for several seconds following laser collisions or non-quarry laser hit - MacDane
Worlds:
- Many more worlds - such as skateboard park style hills, multiple islands with the "Sea Monster" acting as a ferry between them, mazes, space stations, underground tunnel networks, spherical worlds, etc etc
- User created worlds. (Many are already in the works, and some are just about ready to be implemented!)
- Intelligent world loading, allowing Mars Explorer to load only the world you want to play. (This will be necessary before too many more worlds are added)
Game Modes:
Players starting a server will be able to select a game world, game mode, and physics mode - each of which will be displayed in the server list for players to see when considering joining any particular game.
Physics modes could be standard, custom, insane, super flight, fast tanks, etc - with custom and insane being the only host-configurable physics modes. This would help to promote consistency in vehicle handling between servers, which will make Mars Explorer easier to understand for new players.
Game modes would control how scoring is determined, the existence of special objects such as waypoints or team flags, and much more. Game Modes could include:
- Tag:
- Currently how all Mars Explorer games are configured
- Racing:
- Race against everyone else to tag a series of checkpoints - lasers could still be used for distracting other racers :)
- Rally Racing:
- Randomly distributed checkpoints, which players could reach in any order. Would be a test of navigational as well as driving skill! Especially interesting when random checkpoints appear in hard to reach locations - should I try to fly halfway up the volcano, or would driving to the top and then down over edge be faster?
- Soccer:
- Bounce a huge ball back and forth across the terrain to knock it into the enemy's goal
- Capture the Flag:
- Steal the opposing team's flag from their base and transport it back to your own
- And more!
- The possibilities are limitless...
Vehicles:
Submarine:
- Already modeled by Olim, this incredible new vehicle has futuristic styling, thrust vectored lavajet propulsion, and a planing hull - allowing it to function as a high performance jet boat as well as a sub
Sea Monster:
- Gigantic, super fast, "wing in ground effect" lava sea transport vehicle, with decks for other craft to rest on as they are ferried between islands.
- A prototype designed by Spiffy and Olim can already be found at rest in the "Freestyle" world, and some day it will be endowed with texturing and locomotion!
Jet:
- Details on this highly debated vehicle are currently nebulous, but it will most likely be an acrobatic recon craft with little or no armament
Cycle:
- Already modeled by Flyclub, this vehicle will combine maximum speed with minimum armament and excellent maneuverability
Robot:
- Possibly bipedal, possibly equipped with 6 or more legs. Standard armament, faster than tank, and capable of traversing any terrain
Swarm:
- Inspired by the concept of modular robotics, this vehicle will be extremely complicated to implement and equally amazing to command. The swarm is comprised of dozens of autonomous "modules", capable of combining into into any shape to roll, walk, swim, or jump where you want to go as efficiently as possible
Armament:
- Although certainly not a high priority; tractor beams, particle charges, targeting energy spheres, etc, would add new strategic elements to Mars Explorer's "tag" model
