I came across this little gem the other day: Save 40% on Mars First Logistics on Steam
Or short gameplay video (sorry for my terrible driving):
https://fightingignorance.org/ece913c7-cf7a-4f7e-b966-34dfd343195f-mars-first-logistics.mp4
It’s a $12 game (on sale until Oct 9) that just had its full 1.0 release after Early Access. It has Overwhelmingly Positive all-time reviews.
It’s a Martian robotic rover constructor and simulator. The rovers are used for cargo delivery between outposts. You assemble vehicles out of parts, including various sorts of motors, joints, hydraulics, wheels, and thrusters. You can either start from some basic blueprint templates, or build every part from scratch. You then assign control groups to different sets of motorized parts
It’s similar in feel to games like Trailmakers or the defunct Robocraft, but the focus on engineering and physics is what sets this apart. It’s a nerdier take where you have to build not just the movement parts but carefully balance the weight and controls of various limbs and robotic parts so that the cargo can be safely transported.
I never got to play with Lego Mindstorms when they were a thing, so this is the next best thing!
