Red Planet Tycoon
← All posts Release Notes

Balancing updates and UI improvements

This patch focuses on core game balance—increasing base storage caps, smoothing out the mid-game progression, and redesigning the Stock UI for better usability.

Red Planet Tycoon colony management overview on Mars
A quick pass on balance and UI usability as I iterate towards soft launch.

In this update, I'm focusing on balance and progression pacing. Based on feedback and data from the latest builds, the transition into the mid-game was hitting some awkward bottlenecks. This patch smooths out those bumps and delivers a cleaner Stock UI layout.

Big Balancing Updates

To give players more breathing room before unlocking advanced storage facilities, and to make early expansion feel more rewarding, the following changes have been made:

  • Increased Base Storage Capacities: Base storage capacities have been increased across all tiers to prevent early-game bottlenecks:
    • Tier 1: 1000 → 1250
    • Tier 2: 750 → 1000
    • Tier 3: 500 → 750
    • Tier 4: 250 → 500
  • Cheaper Outpost Expansions: Outpost construction costs now scale significantly slower. Specifically, the Iron Ingot multiplier has been reduced from 1.2 to 1.08, making it much more affordable to build multiple outposts and expand your colony.
  • Smoother Mid-Game Leveling: Simplified progression around levels 10 and 11. Previously, players had to deliver high-capacity advanced materials (like Silicon) before they unlocked Tier 2 Warehouses at level 12, resulting in storage cap frustration. Requirements have been adjusted to focus on more manageable raw materials:
    • Level 10 (Glassworks): Deliver requirement changed from 360 Clean Water to 560 Ice.
    • Level 11 (Silicon Line): Deliver requirement changed from 260 Silicon to 660 Scrap.

UI Improvements

The Stock UI has received a visual and functional redesign, particularly for mobile and smaller screens:

  • Stock Grid Layout: The list-based stock layout has been replaced with a responsive, clean grid of stock cards. This provides a clear, high-density view of your resources and makes tapping and managing stock on mobile feel much more native and precise.
  • Enhanced Visual Cues: Icons and spacing have been tuned (with stock icons increased to a crisp 48x48px) to make inventory statuses readable at a glance.

Bug Fixes and Small Polish

Alongside the balance pass, this update addresses minor bugs and wraps up some translation/localization prep in the codebase, ensuring a more stable experience as I prepare for the upcoming public beta playtests.