Code: Terraform

Code: Terraform is an automation and programming game in which the player is sent to a frozen alien world with a silent ship and offline sensors. Progress is made entirely by writing code rather than through visual or drag-and-drop programming. The scripting language is modelled on Python, and the game includes a built-in editor, console and documentation. Mining, power management, solar tracking and drone dispatch are all handled by scripts the player writes, and multiple scripts can run concurrently while the player plans further work.

The game involves bringing a base online one system at a time, calibrating sensors, activating solar power and interpreting raw instrument data. Earth sends engineering contracts consisting of data processing tasks such as parsing signals and filtering datasets, with larger payouts for harder challenges. Credits can be spent on machines, modular rovers and Pioneers with swappable nav, sonar and drill modules. Ore is smelted into ingots and fabricated into parts including pipe segments, machine frames, circuit panels and battery packs, which are shipped to Earth for credits, recipe unlocks and tech upgrades. Infrastructure includes power subnets and fluid networks for water, oil and geothermal steam, laid out tile by tile in a blueprint editor and executed by a Pioneer with a Constructor module. Machines progress through Mark I, II and III tiers, with the highest tier requiring fluid input and leading towards a fully terraformed planet. Drones are assembled from chassis, thrusters and modular pods, supported by charging stations, refuelling pads and recovery bays, and route scripts can be shared across a fleet through library scripts.

The programming environment offers syntax highlighting, autocomplete, signature help, rename refactoring, inline documentation, breakpoints, log points, conditional breakpoints and three step modes for debugging. The story is delivered without cutscenes or cinematics, arriving through briefings, sensor data, encrypted transmissions and contract anomalies, and hints that the planet is responding to the player’s activity. There are documentation and hints but no tutorials. A free demo is available on Steam, the game has a Very Positive rating from over 100 user reviews, and one DLC item has been released.