Mars Horizon: Expanded Horizons - our biggest ever free update coming to PC and console

Expanded Horizons is our biggest update ever and it's landing soon! 🚀

Expanded Horizons is our new free update for Mars Horizon. It's our biggest one ever and includes new vehicles and payloads, improvements to gameplay, a new mission, reusable vehicles, Sandbox Mode, Iron Core Mode, and our new logo for use with your own agency.

Also keep an eye out for Mars Horizon appearing on the Epic Game Store on the 22nd June as well - with Expanded Horizons included too!

Read on to find out exactly what’s included in our latest update 👩‍🚀

Expanded Horizons is coming to PC, PlayStation, Xbox, and Switch on 22nd June 2021!

---

New Mission and Payloads: Mars Perseverance 

We’ve added a new mission which includes the Perseverance Rover and the Ingenuity Helicopter, y’know, that mission that NASA recently sent to Mars? You can now play that mission yourself in Mars Horizon!

New Spacepedia entries exist for this new mission, you’ll be able to find out all about the Rover and helicopter as well as viewing their models at your leisure. Alongside this there are new narrative events for the mission where important decisions will have to be made. And finally, There are new unique cinematics for these payloads meaning you’ll get to see the little helicopter making its way across its new home!

---

Reusable Vehicles

We’ve also added a reusable Wyvern Upper. This is an awesome addition to the game because we’ve been able to demonstrate some of the new reusable vehicle tech which is moving into the mainstream in real life space exploration. If you do well enough to unlock the Wyvern Upper, you’ll be able to re-use it which will save you both time and money! Keep an eye out for the brand new cinematic for this too, we’re really proud of it.

---

New game modes - Sandbox and Iron Core

Sandbox Mode - The ultimate customisable Mars Horizon experience 👩‍🚀

HIGHLY requested by the community, we’re now offering a Sandbox Mode for Mars Horizon players! You’ll be able to access Sandbox Mode from ‘Customise Experience’ in the main menu, meaning you really can experience Mars Horizon however you want.

What Sandbox Mode opens up for you:

• Unlocks ALL upgrades

• Launches NEVER fail

• Unlimited mission gameplay battery

• FREE building moving

• Removing obstructions is FREE

• Starting funds 

• Starting support tier

• A save icon to identify these sandbox saves at a glance

Iron Core Mode - The toughest way to play Mars Horizon 💪

We’ve added a new special game mode where you can’t cheat by save-scumming. Iron Core mode will save after EVERY SINGLE TURN whether you want it to or not. Like with Sandbox Mode, a save icon will identify these Iron Core saves to help differentiate it. This is the toughest way to play Mars Horizon to date, there’s no going back!

---

New Custom Agency logo option - Our lovely Aurochs! 🐮

Recently we redesigned our studio logo, we absolutely love our new Aurochs logo. Check out our blog post to read about how and why we redesigned. We are so proud of our logo we want you to be able to take it to Mars with you so check it out in the custom agencies screen. Please send us your screenshots if you use it.

---

Improvements to gameplay

As well as all those lovely new additions we’ve made a lot of improvements to gameplay, take a look at the following list to find out what’s new and what’s changed!

• The menu header highlights now loop, as per community requests, so now you can cycle through headers more easily

• In-progress missions are better highlighted in the UI - we’ve added a pulse, a clipboard, and a research icon which are displayed when appropriate, so it’s always clear what missions are underway in your list 

• Made the ‘Complete Task’ button in mission gameplay more obvious when it appears - now it’s highlighted and pulses slightly - it will be ghosted when it’s not applicable so it will be much more clear when you can finish a mission early

• Catch Up Mechanic - when you fail a mission the previously used parts will become cheaper and also build faster. A game changer! It makes catching up after a failed launch feel more manageable and it can lead to some great last minute changes in your fortune

• The agency icon size for the solar system screen is now on a slider for accessibility 

• Bonus reward communication now improved, there is now an animated font and more ceremony in the results screen when these are achieved - this makes getting a Mission Bonus more rewarding!

• We’ve made your rivals’ failures more obvious - they are now going to pop up red, pulse, and they’ll have a unique icon next to them in the Solar System screen in the News Ticker. Now you can get a feeling of smug satisfaction when you notice a rival experiencing a setback!

• Improved the drift icon - in response to community feedback, we’ve made it more clear to know if it will swing to the left or right by the addition of indicator arrows

• China’s space shuttle now has an arm-based deployment cinematic, so now you can watch Chinese payloads being plucked from the cargo bay and positioned in space

• And last - but by no means least - there’s a new agency logo! It’s our new company logo, the Auroch Aurochs! We love it.

---

Vehicle packs coming to console

Mars Horizon: Expanded Horizons is coming to PC and consoles and so will also bring our previous vehicle updates to consoles as well.

This includes the Distant Observations Vehicle Pack from April which had:

• Vega Rocket

• Akari Satellite

• Himawari Satellite

And also the Early Observations Vehicle Pack from March, which had:

• SPOT Satellite mission

• Rockets Nippon 1 and Nippon 2

---

Check out the update early!

The dream team are back - Eira and Allie will give you an early look at Expanded Horizons showing you sandbox mode over on the Mars Horizon Steam page. They will be joined by Stefan, one of the devs on the Mars Horizon team. He will be advising and mocking them in equal measure as well as sharing his experiences making the game.

Expanded Horizons Sneak Peek Livestream

• Date: Friday 11th June

• Time: 3.00pm UK Time

---

Mars Horizon Free Nintendo Switch Demo!

If you’re yet to pick up Mars Horizon on Switch and want to give it a test launch - you’ll be able to very soon. Alongside the update there will soon be a free Mars Horizon demo available for everyone on Nintendo Switch! 

Switch Up gave Mars Horizon on Switch a score of 84%. Check out their in-depth review here. This is the best way to run your space agency on the go - keep an eye on the store page, it will be up soon.

---

Phew, we told you it was our biggest update ever!

We can’t wait to see what you come up with in your Sandbox and Iron Core saves, and to see people exploring the universe with our Aurochs logo. Please make sure you share with us the chaos or the precision over on our Twitter or in our Discord! And if you have any questions, be sure to check out our Mars Horizon FAQ, which covers Expanded Horizons too. As ever, if we don’t answer your questions there, feel free to contact us on social media or Discord for an answer!

The Colonists FAQ - and other helpful advice

We’ve written up a guide to some of the most common questions we get asked about The Colonists. A lot more goes into making an efficient settlement of happy bots than you might think.

Haven’t answered your question below? Let us know in our Discord or on our socials.

---

How to set set transport rules via boat:

1. Select the boat using A on Xbox & Switch or X on PS4

2. Using the analogue stick, select which harbour you would like to set a rule for from the menu

3. Press A (or X on PS4) to highlight your chosen harbour, and bring forward the option to Add Transport Rules

4. Press X on Xbox, Y on Switch or SQUARE on PS4 to open Transport rules for your selected Harbour

5. Toggle between Allow/Deny using X, Y or SQUARE 

6. Navigate to the resource you would like to Allow/Deny using the analogue stick

7. Press A (or X on PS4) once to Allow/Deny, or twice to Allow/Deny except for storage. The presses will deselect the resource

8. Once you have set all the required rules, hold B or CIRCLE to return to gameplay

---

How to set import and export rules via Harbours:

1. Select the desired Harbour using A or X

2. Use right or left shoulder buttons to tab to go to Import rules or Export rules

3. Toggle between Allow/Deny using X, Y or SQUARE 

4. Navigate to the resource you would like to allow/deny using the analogue stick

5. Press A once to Allow/Deny, or twice to Allow/Deny except for storage. The presses will deselect the resource

6. Once you have set all the required rules, hold B (or CIRCLE) to return to gameplay

---

How to set transport rules via road post:

1. Select the desired road post using A or X 

2. Use right or left shoulder button to tab to Transport Rules

3. Toggle between Allow/Deny using X, Y or SQUARE 

4. Navigate to the resource you would like to Allow/Deny using the analogue stick

5. Press A once to Allow/Deny, or twice to Allow/Deny except for storage. The presses will deselect the resource

6. Once you have set all the required rules, hold B (or CIRCLE) to return to gameplay

---

How to set import and export rules via buildings:

1. Select the building you would like to set rules for using A or X

2. Use right or left shoulder buttons to tab to Resources

3. Use right and left trigger to tab between Import/Export buildings

4. Use the analogue stick to navigate to the type of building you would like to set a rule for

5. Press A or X to open the drop down menu 

6. Use the analogue stick to select which building you want to set the rule for from this list

7. Press A or X to select the building (the blue highlight shows it has been selected)

---

How to check the location of en route resources:

1. Select the building that you are expecting resources to be delivered to

2. Use right shoulder button to tab to the resource statistics tab

3. Use the analogue stick to select which resource you would like to find the location of

4. Press A or X to be shown the exact location of that resource, along with the route it is taking.

5. Press B or CIRCLE to leave this menu, and the selected resource will have a tag on it, so that you can keep track of it

---

How to begin an expedition and place a harbour on the other side of the water:

1. Select a Harbour using A or X

2. Use the right shoulder button to navigate to the Expedition tab

3. Press A or X to Collect Resources in order to begin an Expedition

4. Hold B to come out of this menu 

5. Navigate the camera to your idle boat

6. Select it using A or X

7. Select the harbour which says Expedition Ready from the menu

8. Your boat will travel to the selected Harbour and load the resources for its expedition

9. Select the boat again using A or X, and use A or X to enter Sailing Mode

10. Use the Cursor and A or X to move the boat

11. When you arrive at a new island, press B to return to the previous menu

12. Use X, Y or SQUARE to enter Build Harbour mode

13. Position and place your harbour with A or X

14. Your boat will now drop off the resources required to build the harbour and set up a transport route between the original and new harbours

---

Tips for Trains:

1. Select Train station from the Build Menu

2. Place the building using A or X

3. Find a second location for the next train station

4. Select Train station from Build Menu and place the building using A or X

5. Select the track with A or X to enter Track Placement mode

6. Use the analogue stick to change the direction or shape of your track. Left & right shoulder button will raise & lower the height of the track and A or X will place a piece of track down.

7. Once your two stations are connected by tracks, your trains will work. Select the train station with A or X and press A or X again to create a train

8. Like with boats & harbours, your train will carry resources from the original station to the new one which is under construction

---

How to find gold in PANNING FOR GOLD:

Hidden deep in the Archipelago - you will need to use a train to access the gold on this map!

---

Efficiency tips:

• Build a building that requires energy

• Build enough residences to power the building, next to it

• Connect the buildings together with a path

• Deny energy from passing through the road post which connects to the path

• This will ensure that the energy from local residences can only be delivered to the local building

To add to colony efficiency, you may wish to add a storage yard nearby containing food & water for the residence. To ensure this food is only being used for the buildings near by, you should connect this storage yard to the buildings with a path, and then use the Deny Except Storage function, on food and water on the nearest road post.

---

If we still haven’t answered your questions, let us know in our Discord or on our socials.

Chainsaw Warrior - The End of an Era

Written by Tomas Rawlings, Auroch Digital CEO.

All good things must come to an end, and so this blog post notes that Auroch Digital’s publishing rights for Chainsaw Warrior will be expiring on 31st May 2021. This means that from that date onwards you’ll not be able to buy a copy of either Chainsaw Warrior or Chainsaw Warrior: Lords of the Night on any platform. Though if you own it already, you’ll still be able to play it in your Steam library or, if it is on your mobile drive now, on there. For those who want any support on the game, we’ll keep the game pages up here and here on our site with information on them to help out.

Chainsaw Warrior is a game that does, and will, forever hold a special place in my heart. The original was published by Games Workshop in 1987 and as a young gamer I loved it then. It is a solo board game where the player has to race against the clock to save New York from destruction at the hands of a strange entity called ‘Darkness’. While solo games (or versions of games) are quite common now in board games, back in 1987 this was a rare thing! It was also really, really hard - which is a good thing if it costs weeks of pocket money to buy; you got your money’s worth without doubt!

I loved the game and its aesthetic so much that many years later when I got the amazing opportunity to work with Games Workshop on a digital title, I asked if we could bring Chainsaw Warrior to digital screens and GW kindly said yes! So it was in September 2013, 26 years after the original release, that we brought it to mobile to some rave reviews. 148apps described it as "a brutally awesome good time" while Gamercast wrote it was an accurate adaptation of the original, saying it has "everything you want in a digitised version of the Games Workshop classic". As part of this, I was honoured to get to interview the games original creator, Stephen Hand. A month later in October of 2013 we released it on Steam too. This was our first Steam release and opened the doors to that key gaming platform to us.

Just under two years later, in 2015, we released a sequel game, Chainsaw Warrior: Lords of the Night, which saw the eponymous Chainsaw Warrior headed to the jungles of South America. Chainsaw Warrior: Lords of the Night sees the player fighting against hordes of Aztec Zombies, and the clock, to save reality itself from Darkness. We have more rave reviews for the sequel, including “Overall, Chainsaw Warrior: Lords of Night is a really nice surprise. It’s straightforward fun and it really works.” (8/10 – Retro 101) and “Chainsaw Warrior: Lords of the Night has a hugely addictive gameplay and that’s where its key strength lies.” (8.5/10 – Game Debate). 

I’m hugely proud of both games and it was a real privilege to be allowed to work with a bit of gaming history which has both a personal and professional connection to me. Chainsaw Warrior opened a path to working with Games Workshop for Auroch Digital and fulfilled a life-long wish to work on Games Workshop titles.

While this chapter of gaming has ended, we’re happy to say our relationship with Games Workshop has not; you can grab the other 80s classic, Dark Future here. There will be more to say too in the future…

How do I design a logo?

Auroch Digital has a brand new logo! We’re excited to unveil it but also wanted to take the opportunity to talk you through the process of designing it. We hope that revealing the thought process will help other indie studios, streamers, and small businesses to create or redesign their logo. It’s increasingly important to understand how a logo can help you reach the right audiences and spread the message that fits you.

These are the various colour combinations, stackings, and versions of our old Auroch digital logo

Where do you start?

There are lots of reasons to design or redesign your logo and knowing your reason is very important. Perhaps what represents your brand has changed recently? Maybe you’ve decided to shift audiences or genres? Or you’re using a legacy logo that no longer fits your company - that was us.

Logos are so important when it comes to representation of branding. The colours, the font, the imagery, all represent your brand and each aspect says something about you. But they also need to work together harmoniously. There were a few steps to get the balance right with our rebranding and we’re very happy with the final look

---

Why Auroch Digital is called Auroch Digital

We were named by our CEO Tomas Rawlings. The original idea that Tomas had was to create a contrast that would draw the player in with a mix of the known and unknown. That’s where the two components of our name come in.

“At the time I was reading a lot about prehistory and the amazing cave art, featuring Aurochs,” Tomas says. “I liked the idea that the humble cow, we all know well as a domesticated animal, has ancestors that were wild and unknown by many of us today. So by combining that with the word digital I also created another contrast - ancient and modern. Then I dropped the s from Aurochs, as it became our own version of the word, so Auroch Digital.”

---

Twitch Emotes designed by Sarah

Twitch badges designed by Sarah

Choose a designer

Firstly, you’ll need to choose a designer. Yes, a designer. You might think you can redesign your logo by yourself, but trust us, a designer will do a much better job. If you haven’t been trained or been working as a designer for years then you won’t have the necessary understanding and skills to give your logo the chance to be at its best.

You’ll want to find a designer that works in a style that suits your brand. Don’t go to an artist who doesn’t work in the style you like. A simple and obvious point but it’s probably the most important. If you try to get a designer to do a style they’re not practised in then you probably won’t like what they give you. This mistake becomes costly if you need to hire that designer for longer, or find another one. It’s not just a financial consideration either - you could get a bad reputation among certain designers.

We decided to work with Sarah (@eirawave) who we’ve worked with previously, they are a graphic designer, as well as an illustrator. For a logo designer, typography and iconography skills are the most important thing to consider, but Sarah's illustration work also gave a good indication that they would be able to produce the kind of style we wanted. We knew their work well, we liked their artstyle, and especially respected the way they worked with other clients. We also felt they understood us as a studio and would create a logo that represents us.

---

What do you want your logo to say about you?

Your logo inevitably gets across the personality of your brand. It’s often going to be the first contact people have with you so you want to make the right impression. The importance of this cannot be overstated. Figuring this out and communicating it to the designer is your biggest contribution beyond feedback on each iteration of the logo.

When designing a logo and thinking about your brand consistency is key

So what do you tell your designer? For us, we ensured that we told Sarah that Auroch Digital is all about making fun and accessible games that connect the real world with the digital. The key words are “fun” and “accessible,” the latter of which we can interpret as “friendly”. Sarah’s art style falls in line with these ideas and is a big part of why we chose them. We knew that they would fulfil this part without much input.

Getting into the specifics, we wanted to avoid classic video game iconography. That’s because, as a company, we make games across different genres and also do varied work both inside and outside of the games sector. We needed a logo that didn’t box us in to a particular game genre, or even video games as a whole.

We also told Sarah that Aurochs, the prehistoric cow, is crucial to our identity as it represents an idea - as Tomas talked about. That’s why we wanted to have an Aurochs face as the main icon of our logo. It also makes it easy for people to connect the name of the company to the logo.

One realisation we had when thinking about the branding is that we more often than not call ourselves “Auroch” over “Auroch Digital''. This is why we decided to have the word “Digital” a lot less prominent in the branding going forward.

For the colours, we decided to stick with the Auroch orange we’ve been using for years. This helps to maintain consistency and it means that people will still be able to recognise us after the redesign as they associate that colour with our brand already.

Some of our recent titles: Mars Horizon, The Colonists Console Edition, Dark Future: Blood Red States, and Megaquarium Console Edition

---

Where will the logo be used?

Your logo needs to be versatile. Will it work on a website? Social media? Magazines? Videos? You need to plan for all of these possibilities during the design process which means getting different sizes of the logo.

When talking about logos in terms of versatility you need to think both in terms of colour and “stacking”. For example, we are planning to use the new logo on socials (square/circle version), game credits (a horizontal version), video game credits, partner websites (a stacked version), and our own newsletter and website to name a few.

Make sure you have a version of your logo that works in monochrome as well as colour. You never know where you might end up needing to use it. A designer can also help you think of all these places your logo might turn up - another advantage of hiring someone who thinks about logos and branding full-time.

---

Figure out the best way to work with your designer

These were the Auroch Digital marketing teams attemps at designing our logo. any budget you can invest in a professionally designed logo will be worth it

Every designer works differently. They all need to work with you but some prefer to have constant feedback from you whereas others will want a lot more space (the majority will want some distance, probably).

Make sure to have a good chat with your designer to not only get across everything you want from them, but also to work out their preferred way to work. Find out what kinds of deadlines work for them, how best to contact them, and if there’s anything else you can do to help them - even if it’s to leave them alone as they work.

The designer will know how you can get the best from them. None of this means that you shouldn’t give any suggestions along the way. In fact, we even sent Sarah some terribly drawn and photoshopped ideas that we were thinking could work (pictured). Turns out, they were nowhere near what we actually wanted, and Sarah designed our logo so much better.

Ultimately, trust your designer and they will create something awesome for you.

we went through a lot of ideas and iterations with our designer. sarah provided us loasd of options and we refined it based on feedback each time. you can see how the ideas evolved and developed but were always true to our original branding goals

---

Roll out your new logo and make sure it is consistent!

No squashed cows for us thanks - This is from the logo useage guidelines our designer Sarah made for us

Once you’ve got your logo you’ll want to make a plan to reveal it to the world and to roll it out in all the necessary places. It’s not best to stagger it - get your logo consistent across all your branding at the same time. And let people know that you’ve had a redesign so they don’t see your new logo and think it’s someone else.

For us Sarah put together a logo usage document which we will use internally and we can send to external partners. This is an incredibly important part of the logo process as it tells people in a concise and easy to understand way, how the logo should be used - what colours, layouts, and some dos and don’ts. You want your logo to be used consistently wherever it shows up.

---

The Final Result

With all that said, we can now reveal our amazing new logo with our awesome Aurochs taking centre stage.

We are really happy with the work Sarah did on this for us. We feel it really shows what we are about, it is memorable, and it will look brilliant in all the different places we need it to represent us. Look out for our new logo in our games and across our pages!

The Colonists is out now!

It’s time to help the bots build their new home🚀
The Colonists is available on consoles right now!⭐

Join CarryBot and the other bots to create the perfect settlement. The Colonists is a relaxing city building game inspired by classics like Anno and The Settlers.

🤖Each bot has a job to fulfil, from harvesting crops 🌽 and fishing at the lake 🎣, to transporting resources 🚛 and discovering distant lands🧭. Help them work together to achieve automated harmony.

Developed by Codebyfire, Mode 7, & Auroch Digital & Published by Auroch Digital. The Colonists was originally released on Steam!

Buy The Colonists on Switch, Xbox and PlayStation below:

---

The Colonists on the PlayStation Blog

Get an intro to our bots over on the PlayStation blog. Meet the adorable stars of the game and learn how they build together. Find out more about dancing CarryBot, hard-working FarmBot, adorable Treebot and Lumberbot, the extra wide Smithbot and smeltbot, and the ever fashionable CaptainBot.

• Build an automated city for cute robots in The Colonists - PlayStation Blog

Tips for your settlement on Xbox Wire!

Check out these handy tips to get started building your first settlement for the cute robots in The Colonists. Find out about resources you need to gather, how to create energy, and the importance of roads to the CarryBots.

• 7 Tips for Building Your Dream Settlement in The Colonists

---

Content Creator coverage of The Colonists

We gave streamers and YouTubers early access to have some fun with The Colonists on console. Here are some of our favourites:

• SincerelyJeri on Twitch

  • Jeri gets through the tutorial of The Colonists, and has an absolute blast getting through the campaigns.

• JazCupcake on Twitch

  • Take a look at Jaz’s first time playing The Colonists - the first of a series by the looks of things as she’s planning on playing it a lot more and is known for her trophy hunting!

• BleepBloopinNerdHerd on Twitch

  • Stagger really enjoyed his first play of The Colonists while raising money for St Jude!

• And check out James McKnight’s first look at The Colonists on Nintendo Switch embedded here!

---

Reviews for The Colonists on Console

Here’s what people have been saying about The Colonists - we will add more reviews and scores as we receive them:

• Nintendo Link gave The Colonists a score of 90%

  • "I had a blast with The Colonists. It’s fun and addictive gameplay that is incredibly relaxing and easy to pick up and play."

• Finger Guns gave The Colonists a score of 8/10

  • "I’ve only had the game for a week but at the time of writing and I’ve already managed to rack up more than 30 hours of play time. Give this game the chance and you’ll find yourself losing evenings to it without even noticing."

• SwitchUp gave The Colonists a score of 80%

  • "Deep and Enjoyable, Challenging, and Relaxing Gameplay”

• Xbox Infinity gave The Colonists a score of 8.2 out of 10

  • “Once you know what you’re doing there’s a simple pick up and play feeling as you can easily build a basic colony in a matter of minutes, but fine-tuning, expanding and getting the most from your robot friends will keep you occupied for hours and hours.”

• The Game Crater gave The Colonists a score of 9.5/10

  • The Colonists is brilliant, beautiful, complex yet easy to understand, and best of all, fun. It doesn’t waste your time, and it doesn’t frustrate or annoy you. It is pure, unadulterated fun. The Colonists is a phenomenally fantastic experience and one of the best games I’ve played all year.

Free update vehicle pack for Mars Horizon on PC, plus future updates

The next free update for Mars Horizon has landed! 🚀

The next of our free Mars Horizon updates is now available on on PC (Steam and GOG!) This time we’re bringing the Vega Rocket, Akari Satellite, and the Himawari Satellite to our game! Read on to learn more about these and why we are excited to bring them to Mars Horizon.

Once again we’d like to reassure console players that all content updates will be coming to PlayStation, Xbox, and Switch as well. We will give you updates about this when we can.

Future Mars Horizon updates! 👩‍🚀

We have more exciting things planned for the future that we will announce across our social, in our Discord, and to our Mars Horizon mailing list once we have more information to share. So make sure to follow us or sign up to be the first to hear about these. For now, we hope you enjoy taking on the space race with these all new vehicles.

Distant Observations Vehicle Pack

Platforms: Steam (Win and MacOS) & GOG (Win)

1. Vega Rocket

2. Akari Satellite

3. Himawari Satellite

What are we adding and why?

This update is called 'Distant Observations' and features two observation payloads the Himawari and the Akari, plus ESA’s Vega rocket.

Small, versatile, and efficient — the Vega launch system is Europe’s way of launching light satellites to multiple orbits in a single launch. It's a cool addition to the game and looks spectacular standing on the launch pad ready for action.

The Himawari and Akari are both Japanese payloads but with very different purposes. Himawari series satellites provide data observations to support weather forecasting, where as the Akari was an infrared astronomy telescope designed to survey the entire sky and help further our understanding of the universe around us. It's neat to have one advanced observations payload pointing to earth, the other out into space!

---

This European rocket first launched in 2012. Vega is ideal for transporting payloads of 1,500 kg (3,300 lb) such as multiple small satellites, science missions, and Earth observation missions to a reference 700 km (430 mi) altitude polar orbit. Vega is a single body rocket with  three stages based on solid fuel and a reignitable upper stage which uses liquid fuel and extends mission capability.

Vega is the smallest launch vehicle of the European rocket family. Seven European countries participated in its development: Belgium, France, Italy, Netherlands, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland.

Vega is a programme managed by ESA, the European Space Agency. AVIO manufactures the Vega rocket, Arianespace provides the launch service from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana.

---

The Akari was originally intended to have a 550 day lifespan, it was launched in February 2006 into Earth sun-synchronous orbit, and was officially terminated in November 2011. During its operational period it achieved all of its goals and more, including detecting the first supernova remnant in the Small Magellanic Cloud, observing star formation in Cygnus and Vulpecula, and detection of mass-loss from relatively young red-giant stars in the globular cluster NGC 104.

---

The Himawari satellites are mostly used by Asia, Australia and New Zealand in their weather forecasting but all are operated by the Japan Meteorological Agency. As well as Earth bound meteorological events, later Himawari satellites have been able to acquire data from space weather using equipment for detecting high energy protons and electrons.

Since the first Himawari was launched in 1977 there have been three generations including GMS, MTSAT and Himawari 8 & 9 which are still in operation use today.

The Colonists console release date announcement - time for bots!

The Colonists are coming to console May 4th!

We’re SO excited to let you all know that The Colonists will be releasing on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation, and Xbox on May 4th 2021!

---

The Colonists is a relaxing settlement building game inspired by classics like Anno and The Settlers.

Help these cute robots build their dream settlement. Each bot has a job to fulfil, from harvesting crops and fishing at the lake, to transporting resources and discovering distant lands. Help them work together to achieve automated harmony.

Developed by Codebyfire, Mode 7, & Auroch Digital & Published by Auroch Digital.

---

Watch the full trailer here!

The Colonists console trailer is finally here! We can’t wait to show you what you can expect when you pick up The Colonists on the console of your choice.

You can expect some shiny new things like:

• New Controls: Re-designed controls from the ground up to feel natural and fun on consoles

• Controller Optimized UI: Re-imagined user interface to be more accessible for players of all types

• New Robot hats: Some little cute touches here and there including some snazzy new robot hats!

---

What’s been going on behind the scenes?

The Colonists for console has been in development for a while now, so we thought it would be nice to catch up with the team and ask them how things have been going:

What has development been like?

Auroch’s “Port Gang” really enjoyed working on this project. Development was full of ups and downs, as it always is, but every day was fun. It was quite a challenge to bring a menu-heavy UI based game to consoles from PC, especially when the PC version was so dependent on mouse control. We had to make a lot of smart choices to not lose any of the depth of control while maintaining accessibility. The game being so cute helped a lot in this being such an enjoyable project. We all got quite attached to the various ‘bots, especially teabot!

Any fun stories or wild moments during development?

We used to play a game where we'd rename ONE of the sheep in a tester's save 'Wasteman' then the tester had to go find Wasteman. We also had this bug where the trees would catch fire and burn away to nothing but the apples would stay hanging in the air unscorched, that was funny. All fixed now of course! Lastly, we wanted to put Toby 'Teabot' Draper in the credits (one of our awesome QA testers) but he spelled it wrong so it says Toby 'Teapot' Draper and we're leaving it to teach him an important life lesson.

---

Learn more about some of the bots!

Over on Facebook and Twitter we have been sharing some insightful, short, videos about some of the bots! We don’t pick favourites, but we chose only a few to highlight. Check out our posts about some of the different bots here:

• CarryBot

  • They try their most to deliver resources around the colony

• TreeBot

  • They plant trees and help the forest grow

• CaptainBot

  • They find new resources and bringing them back

• SmithBot & SmeltBot

  • These absolute units easily melt and crush ores

• FishingBot (coming soon)

  • Their patient work helps to power the colony

• FarmBot (coming soon)

  • They grow all the crops the colony needs

• MineBot (coming soon)

  • They gather iron, coal, salt, stone, and more

• BakeryBot (coming soon)

  • The bread and baked goods they make supercharge the colony

New game announcement: Homebrewing simulator game Brewmaster from Auroch Digital

Learn to brew, refine your craft, and become a Brewmaster!

Brew your perfect beer in Auroch Digital’s relaxing home brewing sim. Use a realistic chemistry simulation to brew hoppy IPAs to creamy stouts. Customise your brewing space, create recipes and label your beer, unlock new equipment and enter competitions.

Developed by Auroch Digital & Published by Sold Out and coming to PC.

Please Note: Videos and images on this page are from an early concept visualisation and are not reflective of the final quality. Follow the game to stay updated as development of Brewmaster progresses.

---

Watch the Brewmaster trailer here!

---

Sign up to our mailing list to stay up to date with Brewmaster!

Thank you for your interest in Brewmaster!🍺 Sign up below to stay up to date with how the game is developing, be the first to hear about alphas, betas, and other developments, and to support us as a studio.

* indicates required

Email Address *

---

What can you do in Brewmaster?

• Set up your dream home brewery - Create the ideal space for brewing, unlock new equipment, and decorate your brewery

• Create recipes - Brew up a variety of types of beer, including wheats, blondes, stouts, IPAs, and more

• Brew your dream beer - Mash malts, boil hops, and pitch yeast to start fermentation

• Refine your craft - Create an eye-catching label and memorable name and earn renown at beer festivals

• Realistic and authentic - A detailed brewing simulation which has real chemistry behind the scenes, with a deep understand of the real-life fermentation process.

---

What people have to say about Brewmaster

“We’re building Brewmaster on the science behind the real-life process of homebrewing to deliver an authentic, satisfying experience to players,” said Peter Willington, Creative Producer at Auroch Digital. “From newcomers to professional brewers and homebrewing hobbyists, we’re excited to give players the tools to craft their virtual dream brew, and have fun with the creative side of brewing without the in-depth knowledge required in the real world.”

“Hobby simulators have become a staple of gaming in recent years, and we’re excited to introduce a new concept to the genre with a first-of-its-kind deep simulation of homebrewing,” added Katie Clark, Senior Product Manager at Sold Out.

---

Where can I find out more about Brewmaster?

• Check out the game page on our site here for more information

• Wishlist and follow Brewmaster on Steam

• Follow our socials over on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram

• Join our Discord to chat with us as we get closer to the release date

• Sign up to our mailing list to get direct updates straight to your inbox!

The Colonists is a settlement building game with cute robots and it’s coming to consoles!

The Colonists is coming to PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch in 2021!

We’ve been working hard porting The Colonists to consoles and we can’t wait for you to play it. The PC version has been a big hit and on Steam it holds a Very Positive rating from 600+ reviews.

This relaxing settlement building game is inspired by classics like Anno and The Settlers. The Colonists combines charming robots and automated production, satisfying and adorable! Construct road, boat, and train transport systems, harvest resources, and set up production lines, discover new lands and battle for survival. Increase the complexity and reap huge rewards as you chase productivity zen.

🎉Sign up to The Colonists mailing list to be entered into our giveaway - win a copy of the game!🎉

We are running a giveaway for The Colonists on console! 10 lucky people signed up to this mailing list will win a copy of the game on release. You’ll also be the first to hear about the release date and stay up to date with all things The Colonists. Make sure to sign up to be in with a chance to win!

Are you interested in streaming or making content with The Colonists? Join our influencer list

* indicates required

Email Address *

---

What is The Colonists?

The Colonists is a relaxing settlement building game inspired by classics like Anno and The Settlers.

Help these cute robots build their dream settlement.🤖 Each bot has a job to fulfil, from harvesting crops 🌽 and fishing at the lake 🎣, to transporting resources 🚛 and discovering distant lands🧭. Help them work together to achieve automated harmony.

Developed by Codebyfire, Mode 7, & Auroch Digital & Published by Auroch Digital.

Coming to PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch in 2021!

---

What do you do in The Colonists?

It’s your job to help organise the cute little robots to do their jobs around the colony. They all have their own separate roles to perform, and they all help one another out.

They harvest resources like wood, iron, stone, fish and more, they refine these resources into handy items like bread, bricks, and planks of wood. Then they build homes, farms, and factories, and then research to advance their technologies - from steam trains to rockets. The little bots can then expand their colonies to create space for even more cogs to keep the colony turning.

---

How do you play The Colonists?

There are three different ways to play The Colonists:

• Campaign: 14 missions split into separate peaceful and military branches

• Sandbox Mode: Customise various game settings to play the game how you like

• Challenge Trophies: Special speed-run challenges which test the most expert colony builders

---

What’s new in The Colonists console version?

We’ve worked hard to make The Colonists console version just as great as it is on PC, here's what's new:

• There’s new controls: There are new, re-designed controls to help gameplay feel natural and fun on consoles

• There’s controller optimized UI: With a re-imagined user interface, there to be more accessible for all players

• Of course - new robot hats: There are some new little cute touches here and there including some adorable new robot hats

Free update Early Observations vehicle pack for Mars Horizon on PC, plus future updates

It’s our first free update for Mars Horizon, but it won’t be our last 🚀

Thank you to everyone who has played Mars Horizon, streamed it, chatted to us in our Discord, and reviewed our game. Your support means everything to us!

Our first free Mars Horizon update has now landed on PC (Steam and GOG!) We’re bringing the SPOT Satellite mission and Rockets Nippon 1 and Nippon 2 to our game! Read on to learn more about these and why we are excited to bring them to Mars Horizon.

Don’t worry console players, all content updates will be coming to PlayStation, Xbox, and Switch as well. We will give you updates about this when we can.

Future Mars Horizon updates! 👩‍🚀

We have more exciting things planned for the future that we will announce across our social, in our Discord, and to our Mars Horizon mailing list once we have more information to share. So make sure to follow us or sign up to be the first to hear about these. For now, we hope you enjoy taking on the space race with these all new vehicles.

Early Observations vehicle pack

Platforms: Steam (Win and MacOS) & GOG (Win)

1. SPOT Satellite mission

2. Rockets Nippon 1 and Nippon 2

What are we adding and why?

We're adding the SPOT, which is an earth observation satellite used by the European Space Agency (ESA). The purpose of the SPOT series of satellites is to improve the knowledge and management of Earth by exploring the planet's resources, detecting and forecasting phenomena involving climatology and oceanography, and monitoring human activities and natural phenomena. Since the launch of SPOT 1 in 1986, the series of satellites have been providing high-resolution, wide area optical imagery for the European Space Agency (ESA) which it shares with its partners around the world. It's a great payload to use in Mars Horizon for earth observation missions, and also gives an ESA playthrough a little more flavour!

We decided to add the Nippon 1 and Nippon 2 because they were so fundamental in what would become the Japanese Space Agency's earlier successes. These liquid propellant rockets assisted Japan in launching satellites from the 1970's all the way up to the present day, and are perfect for undertaking low payload weight request missions in Mars Horizon in a Japan playthrough.

---

The "SPOT" series of observation satellites are named after its French acronym "Satellite pour l'Observation de la Terre". Since 1986 they have been supplying scientists with high-resolution, wide-area imagery of our planet's surface.

All satellites in the SPOT series provide imagery in multi-colour and multispectral bands with a swath of 60 kilometers. This on-board machinery of the SPOT allows the gathering of data useful for applications such as creating maps, studying vegetation and land use coverage and also for monitoring the impact of natural disasters.

Conceived by the French National Centre for Space Studies (CNES) - SPOT satellites have been launched five times between 1986 and 2015. The most recent, SPOT 7, was launched in June 2014 and after forming a constellation with SPOT-7, it is hoped to provide high resolution, wide swath daya up until 2024.

---

The Nippon 1, otherwise known as the N-1, was a derivative of the American Thor-Delta rocket produced for JAXA under license. It consisted of a Long Tank Thor first stage, an LE-3 engine designed by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries for a second stage, and three Castor supplementary rockets.

Between 1975 and 1982, JAXA successfully launched six out of Nippon 1 rockets, the one accident caused by recontact between the payload and the third stage.

---

The Nippon 2, also known as the N-II or N-2, was produced under license in Japan based on the American Delta rocket. It replaced the Nippon 1 in Japanese use in 1981.

It consisted of a Thor-ELT first stage, a Delta-F second stage and on the majority of flights either a Star-37E or Burner-2 upper stage. The N-2 also had nine Castor supplementary rockets around the base of the booster.

Between 1981 and 1987 JAXA launched eight Nippon 2 rockets – each one a fully successful launch.