Mars First Logistics has turned into a Martian railway builder, with some very pretty, 100% authentic clouds

rockpapershotgun.com:

Efforts to render Mars commuter-friendly proceed apace as Mars First Logistics embraces the magic of trains. The latest update for the physics-based open world build-a-car game introduces a mountable theodolite, which lets you stitch together monorail networks you can then ride about on.

If monorails strike you as frivolous, don't worry. It's more of a Shelbyville idea. And in any case, the theodolite also lets you construct networks of pipes, power lines and rail-less tarmac roads - the ready-salted crisp of the road family. It’s a chonky expansion that, in the words of lead developer Ian MacLarty, has only “scratched the surface of where this new system could go”. I am predicting an eventual pivot into either themepark management or factory simulator.

Here’s a trailer for the new update.

The new building functionality – unlocked by obtaining the Scout blueprint, which replaces the Buggy blueprint - comes with new building missions, but you don’t have to do missions in order to build stuff. You will, of course, still have to traverse the terrain in your rover while erecting infrastructure, so vehicle construction remains the soul of the game.

“A new contract type has been added that tasks you with connecting different stations using various structures,” MacLarty explains in a Steam post. “For example you might be asked to build a water pipe between a reservoir and a habitat. You are, however, free to build structures wherever you like.

“Transmitters are now also structures that you need to build yourself instead of discovering,” he continues. “They have a small cost and need to have line-of-site to each other, which brings a new dynamic to exploring the landscape.”

Speaking of landscapes, these are now garlanded with clouds, which apparently is a reflection of there actually being clouds on Mars, and not just a calming aesthetic flourish, nosirree. MacLarty and the team at Shape Shop have also carried out some smaller improvements and fixes, as below.