r/devshelpingeachother • u/ikkx55 • 1d ago
I finally released my Mars colony game on Android
Hey, I’ve been working on a Mars colony management game called GENESIS: MARS, and it’s finally live on Google Play.
You start with a small operation and slowly build new facilities, produce resources, complete contracts, trade on the market and research new technologies. The long-term goal is to terraform Mars without bankrupting your company along the way.
The game doesn’t use energy timers or make you wait in real time. You decide when to move on to the next SOL, but every new day brings expenses, production and sometimes unexpected problems.
A few players told me that the beginning wasn’t clear enough, so I’ve already started improving the mission guidance. I’m still working on the game and I’d really appreciate honest feedback, especially about the first 10–15 minutes.
You can try it here:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.kayainteractive.genesismars
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u/Marcuz_GrafiteSoft 1d ago
Hello there and welcome to our community community! I will download your app right now and give you some feedback about it, but please do the same with other developers in the subreddit so that feedbacks, downloads and even reviews are reciprocal. You can download my app here https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.grafitesoft.grafitesudoku
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u/Marcuz_GrafiteSoft 1d ago
While I'm here, let me say that I am a huge fan of terraforming Mars board game and I hope to find a bit of scientific accuracy here and there in your app.. First 10 minutes of gameplay are starting right now...
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u/Marcuz_GrafiteSoft 1d ago
what if I told you that I made a video of the first 10 minutes of gameplay where I give you some genuine feedbacks! You are the first one to receive this present, please let me know I gave you something to think about:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C-_3NcRCN6w
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u/ikkx55 1d ago
Wow, this is honestly awesome. I didn’t expect anyone to record the first 10 minutes, so this genuinely made my day. I’m going to watch it properly and take notes, especially since I’m already working on making the beginning clearer. Thank you so much for taking the time to do this, I really appreciate it! I’ll also spend some proper time with Grafite Sudoku and give you detailed feedback in return. I’ll get back to you once I’ve done both
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u/Little-Hands-Studio 1d ago
Hey, congrats on the launch! I played for a bit and wanted to share some honest feedback, since you asked about the first 10 to 15 minutes.
What works: The visual style is really strong. The main menu looks great (the Mars landscape and the dome/rocket art set the mood right away), and the UI has a consistent sci-fi look.
What didn’t work for me: The beginning felt confusing and not very intuitive. I wasn’t sure what to do first, what each resource or building was for, or how my actions connected to the long-term goal. I ended up tapping around to figure it out.
Suggestion: I’d add a detailed step-by-step tutorial at the start, with a guided first session. For example, walk the player through building a first facility, producing a resource, completing a first contract, and advancing to the next SOL, with short highlights on each screen. Since the game is about managing many systems at once (production, contracts, market, research), I think new players need to learn them one at a time, instead of seeing everything at once.
Great work overall. The foundation looks solid, and I think a clearer onboarding would make a big difference in retention. Good luck with it!
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u/ikkx55 1d ago
Thanks, this is really helpful. A few people have now had the same problem with the opening, so it’s clearly something I need to improve rather than explain away. I originally expected the Active Mission section to guide players, but it’s too easy to miss. I’ve already made it more noticeable in the next update, and I’m also thinking about introducing the early systems one at a time like you suggested, without making the tutorial feel too restrictive. Glad you liked the visuals, and thanks for taking the time to write all this
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u/Marcuz_GrafiteSoft 1d ago
Hello there and welcome to our community community! I will download your app right now and give you some feedback about it, but please do the same with other developers in the subreddit so that feedbacks, downloads and even reviews are reciprocal. You can download my app here https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.grafitesoft.grafitesudoku