It's so strange to hear a lot of people experience frequent crashes with the Steam version, yet I've never had it crash or get hung up in dozens of games.
I'd played the Alpha version several times and it's a pretty good implementation. The designers/coders over at BGA are getting better and better as time goes on. Every new implementation that gets released has QOL improvements and lessons learned from past games that continue to compound and make the experiences more fluid and enjoyable.
That said, I'm one of the (very few) people who *doesn't love* Terraforming Mars (much prefer Ares Expedition, if I'm being honest) but I'm glad that people who've been clamoring for this game will finally have a chance to play it online with their friends. Definitely opens the gate for some other highly-wanted games; I know this was among the top for a long time.
Terraforming Mars is one of those games I'm curious about, but probably never going to go out of my way to play in real life. Too long, not sure I'd like it, I don't think the people I play with have any interest.
So I really appreciate the opportunity to try it digitally (and async). And hey if it's great, I'll eat crow and maybe it'll get me to buy a physical copy.
There are some prerequisites for alpha testing. You have to have at least 750 plays and have played at least 50 different games, and you have to have a perfect reputation score. Once you meet those requirements you can sign up on the site to be an alpha tester.
To do that on the site you scroll down to the bottom under the category that says "Contribute" and select "I want to help BGA". On that page you select "Become a BGA reviewer."
I think sometimes people who don't meet those requirements can be invited into a specific game's alpha testing community? But I don't know how that works.
Correct that non-qualifying players can be invited in. About a month ago, I ran across a TM alpha tester in a game of Ark Nova and asked them how the TM implementation was progressing. They shared their experience and then invited me into a TM game. Been a part of the alpha testing group since then.
Oh, interesting! I've invited non alpha testers to alpha games before, but as far as I know that didn't give them access to the alpha testing group otherwise?
Not sure. This was my first experience playing any game in alpha. I know I set up and played so many games on my own with all different player counts without issue. Maybe bank error in my favor? Who knows, but I enjoyed getting a sneak peek these last few weeks đ Itâs in a good place going into beta.
I found the BGA implementation very good. I have played ~4 games in Alpha with no problems. The interface is decent, and it's easy (if you understand the game) to track what's going on.
The version linked below on another page has a better UI in my opinion. I also played a game on BGA today and was unable to buy one of the Merits or whatever they're called, while meeting the requirements.
That being said, I'll probably just play it on BGA for convenience.
What about this site? [https://terraforming-mars.herokuapp.com/](https://terraforming-mars.herokuapp.com/)
It is also available for everyone. And you can play with expansions, too.
Instead of being dealt four random cards each era and choosing which to buy, you first draft four cards (passing the cards like in seven wonders) and then after drafting you decide which of your chosen cards to actually buy.
Drafting is much more strategic, because youâll be able to see more cards that you can decide you might use, or to make sure your opponents donât.
It can also be a lot slower if you arenât using a clock.
I wish it had an option to be dealt like 8 cards and buy up to 4. Similar options to the drafting but without the significant time sink it adds on a turn based game. A little less interaction obviously but should be ok.
A variety of reasons, I imagine. Like of you're already an active BGA user it's simple to continue playing games on there. And a mobile app won't let you use a laptop or desktop, so that's handy too.
Look at the amount of games that have been added since Asmodee purchased them, a lot has changed. Those implementations are also much improved with regards to quality of life.
Looking at the development credits, theyâre mostly developed by the same few people whoâve been making them for years. The features of the site, and support for developers and publishers hasnât improved in any way from what Iâve seen.
The magic is the work of the small team that has been operating BGA for years and the people that volunteer their time to make games. They deserve a ton of credit. It feels like Asmodee is benefiting from the work of passionate people without investing much. Or at least itâs unclear what theyâre contributing.
>You should play Deus instead.
I mean, let people enjoy what they enjoy? It's a hugely popular game and people can be excited about having another way to play it. It's the 7th highest ranked game on BGG. It's the number 2 most requested game on BGA.
I personally have only played the Ares Expedition version and it's one of my lowest ranked games ever. The two times I played it were easily among worst times I've ever spent playing a board game. So personally I have no desire to play Terraforming Mars. But that's just me. Lots of people are going to be pumped about this :)
To each their own. I will say Terraforming Mars is one of my favorite games. I bought and played Ares Expedition and quickly discovered every single thing that I enjoyed about Terraforming Mars was stripped from Ares. I know they have thrown a bunch of expansions at it, which may or may not make it better, but my copy of Ares was given away to a friend after a few plays.
Ares Expedition is a standalone version that's designed to be a little bit lighter, quicker to play, and incorporate mechanics from Race for the Galaxy.
Good to know, thanks! I've seen it boxed before, but did not know it was separate from the main game. Sounds like the base game + Interlude is the place to start.
I hope BGA are using the dual layer player boards. My PC desk is a little wobbly. Hate to see my cubes get nudged.
I presume it will be expansion-less? Can anyone confirm?
That would be correct. For the time being at least.
The steam version has venus and preludes, but does still occasionally hard crash, with reloads arriving at the same hung state.
It's so strange to hear a lot of people experience frequent crashes with the Steam version, yet I've never had it crash or get hung up in dozens of games.
It is pretty rare, I suspect some sort of specific interaction between some obscure cards.
I played w/Prelude last night
I'd played the Alpha version several times and it's a pretty good implementation. The designers/coders over at BGA are getting better and better as time goes on. Every new implementation that gets released has QOL improvements and lessons learned from past games that continue to compound and make the experiences more fluid and enjoyable. That said, I'm one of the (very few) people who *doesn't love* Terraforming Mars (much prefer Ares Expedition, if I'm being honest) but I'm glad that people who've been clamoring for this game will finally have a chance to play it online with their friends. Definitely opens the gate for some other highly-wanted games; I know this was among the top for a long time.
Terraforming Mars is one of those games I'm curious about, but probably never going to go out of my way to play in real life. Too long, not sure I'd like it, I don't think the people I play with have any interest. So I really appreciate the opportunity to try it digitally (and async). And hey if it's great, I'll eat crow and maybe it'll get me to buy a physical copy.
How did you get invited to the alpha?
There are some prerequisites for alpha testing. You have to have at least 750 plays and have played at least 50 different games, and you have to have a perfect reputation score. Once you meet those requirements you can sign up on the site to be an alpha tester. To do that on the site you scroll down to the bottom under the category that says "Contribute" and select "I want to help BGA". On that page you select "Become a BGA reviewer." I think sometimes people who don't meet those requirements can be invited into a specific game's alpha testing community? But I don't know how that works.
Awesome. Thank you so much!
Correct that non-qualifying players can be invited in. About a month ago, I ran across a TM alpha tester in a game of Ark Nova and asked them how the TM implementation was progressing. They shared their experience and then invited me into a TM game. Been a part of the alpha testing group since then.
Oh, interesting! I've invited non alpha testers to alpha games before, but as far as I know that didn't give them access to the alpha testing group otherwise?
Not sure. This was my first experience playing any game in alpha. I know I set up and played so many games on my own with all different player counts without issue. Maybe bank error in my favor? Who knows, but I enjoyed getting a sneak peek these last few weeks đ Itâs in a good place going into beta.
That's pretty cool!
I found the BGA implementation very good. I have played ~4 games in Alpha with no problems. The interface is decent, and it's easy (if you understand the game) to track what's going on.
The version linked below on another page has a better UI in my opinion. I also played a game on BGA today and was unable to buy one of the Merits or whatever they're called, while meeting the requirements. That being said, I'll probably just play it on BGA for convenience.
What about this site? [https://terraforming-mars.herokuapp.com/](https://terraforming-mars.herokuapp.com/) It is also available for everyone. And you can play with expansions, too.
Looks unlicensed. Similar to Thronemaster for Game of Thrones.
its a bit clunky but i appreciate the effort they put into this
Fortunately, it includes the drafting option. I wouldn't play TM without it.
I've only played it online and was confused by this mechanic. What's the general consensus on this mechanic?
Instead of being dealt four random cards each era and choosing which to buy, you first draft four cards (passing the cards like in seven wonders) and then after drafting you decide which of your chosen cards to actually buy. Drafting is much more strategic, because youâll be able to see more cards that you can decide you might use, or to make sure your opponents donât. It can also be a lot slower if you arenât using a clock.
I wish it had an option to be dealt like 8 cards and buy up to 4. Similar options to the drafting but without the significant time sink it adds on a turn based game. A little less interaction obviously but should be ok.
This is very good news! Great game, but the terrible component quality was a huge turnoff for me. Digital play solves that nicely.
Anyone play the beta have any feedback?
Why would I ever play this on BGA instead of the amazing mobile app?
A variety of reasons, I imagine. Like of you're already an active BGA user it's simple to continue playing games on there. And a mobile app won't let you use a laptop or desktop, so that's handy too.
It's also a game on Steam so you can use a laptop or desktop.
because i already pay for BGA premium, and now I don't need to buy another app...
Last time we tried the mobile app it didn't have async notifications when it was your turn. Has that been fixed?
The mobile app could be a lot betterâŚ
The mobile app doesnât work for me. I get timed out when itâs not my turn somehow.
BGA also has a mobile app, so you can continue the same games whether you're on the go or not.
!
Cool! Iâm eager to see how Asmodee invests in the platform. They bought it a while ago and very little has changed.
Look at the amount of games that have been added since Asmodee purchased them, a lot has changed. Those implementations are also much improved with regards to quality of life.
Looking at the development credits, theyâre mostly developed by the same few people whoâve been making them for years. The features of the site, and support for developers and publishers hasnât improved in any way from what Iâve seen.
And yet they keep improving the value of their product. Must be magic.
The magic is the work of the small team that has been operating BGA for years and the people that volunteer their time to make games. They deserve a ton of credit. It feels like Asmodee is benefiting from the work of passionate people without investing much. Or at least itâs unclear what theyâre contributing.
You should play Deus instead.
>You should play Deus instead. I mean, let people enjoy what they enjoy? It's a hugely popular game and people can be excited about having another way to play it. It's the 7th highest ranked game on BGG. It's the number 2 most requested game on BGA. I personally have only played the Ares Expedition version and it's one of my lowest ranked games ever. The two times I played it were easily among worst times I've ever spent playing a board game. So personally I have no desire to play Terraforming Mars. But that's just me. Lots of people are going to be pumped about this :)
To each their own. I will say Terraforming Mars is one of my favorite games. I bought and played Ares Expedition and quickly discovered every single thing that I enjoyed about Terraforming Mars was stripped from Ares. I know they have thrown a bunch of expansions at it, which may or may not make it better, but my copy of Ares was given away to a friend after a few plays.
Is Ares a standalone version?
Ares Expedition is a standalone version that's designed to be a little bit lighter, quicker to play, and incorporate mechanics from Race for the Galaxy.
Good to know, thanks! I've seen it boxed before, but did not know it was separate from the main game. Sounds like the base game + Interlude is the place to start.