How nice of Paradox. Now we can just buy this bundle and be trickled and dimed on the 287 DLCs that will come after.

So true, Paradox has been abusive for years with their prices and their infinite DLCs. Good for them if fans agree to pay 150 EUR for a complete version (after years of DLCs), but they won't get a penny from me as long as they work this way.

That's really not the case with Surviving Mars. It's made by Haemimont Games, not Paradox, who are the publishers. It doesn't have much DLC, most of it is purely cosmetic, and the base game is perfectly fine without any DLC. I did get Green Mars but haven't played a game using it yet. My real concern is that Haemimont Games is no longer involved, and the current developers (Abstraction) seem to have made a mess of things. They are pretty active so maybe they'll turn it around, but in the meantime I went back to the last version from Haemimont.

It seems like they removed the "First Colony Edition" and replaced it with this that is similar but different set of DLC :/. I'm also avoiding Paradox until they stop being so unreasonable with the DLC.

It is a decent game and had a couple of good ideas that I hadn't seen anywhere else at the time: 1) picture mode with a bunch of different settings you could tweak (a bunch of games have copied this now) and 2) in game radio (that I haven't seen elsewhere). Ok, the in game radio had annoying announcers and some obnoxious songs (being Paradox they didn't want to just pay musicians directly but it sounds like they ran a contest and then sold their favorites as DLC) but the idea of having different stations with different moods, some in-game themes, and playing songs in different orders was a good one and I hope more games do the same.

I didn't know it wasn't Haemimont any more, what was the last Haemimont version?

Here is an avif version of a screenshot I've been using as my game system desktop background for a few weeks. (or I guess not, maybe GOG doesn't like avif? I'll try to attach it somehow).

Version 249143 according to the credits screen; the "Evans" update. If you're talking about the Marsvision song contest DLC, it's not an actual contest, it's a takeoff/parody of the Eurovision song contest and there's no indication the artists weren't paid.

Thanks for the info. I still have that one on a backup and I'll be sure not to delete it (I see the Linux Evans is still available for download at least).

Yeah, that's how they get you. First they get you hooked with a nice deal or bundle and then they suck the money out of you with more DLCs. No thanks, I have already some of these kind of games and don't need more...

I find it really atrocious that Season Pass/First Colony Edition doesn't, in fact, get you all DLC like it should. And now this, a lesser bundle presented as something new...
Paradox games really need to come only in two editions, base game and all DLC included complete package. While I do agree that most of its DLC are completely worthless cosmetics, the base game is really underwhelming to return to without Green Planet, Space Race is nice, and there's really no reason not to get the free Mysteries Resupply for added flavor.

I've only ever heard bad things about Below and Beyond, though, even if I do like the concept, so I didn't buy it.

Which version is that? I'm asking so i know which version i should aim for for future playtroughs. I also really dislike it when developers change. I'd like to play up to the version that was made by the original developer.

Typically a season pass is for DLC released over a certain period of time, not all DLC ever, hence "season pass". I think the season pass does include the DLC released up to that point. However it's now getting confusing with the different bundles; they should really just have a season 1 pass, and then a season 2 pass for the DLC released since then. I see Steam doesn't even have the season pass anymore, but they do have a complete edition, which appears to include everything. Why not on GOG, dunno. Look like the first colony edition is gone in both stores. Nah, spent a lot of hours with no DLC at all aside from the mysteries resupply pack.

Already answered above.

Then why when I buy season pass there's several DLCs not part of my pass?

Season passes promise you future DLC, and this one didn't include even concurrently released dome set. Arbitrarily excluding some DLC when season pass is already a cat in the bag, so to speak, is a dirty move. If you don't know what you get and aren't even guaranteed to get all DLC... Getting everything is the only selling point of a SP, limited, unknown content, non-refundable DLC bundles by another name are pointless otherwise, IMO. There should be a complete package, everything else is pretty much redundant. I'm not arguing that the base game isn't self-sufficient, but without some of those DLC it is considerably inferior, enough so that I wouldn't play vanilla and it's wrong to summarily dismiss them all as purely cosmetic.

There are many games that have multiple season passes. They'll say things like "Season pass 1 includes all DLC that will be released in 2020", then they have another season pass for 2021, etc.

Actually, I'm not sure I can think of a game offhand with a single season pass that does actually include everything. The concept seems flawed and kind of scammy unless it's specifically limited to a period of time. I see that the Surviving Mars season pass is only sold on GOG now (probably being phased out like the first colony edition), and doesn't mention future DLC. There's a reason I specifically said most of the DLC is cosmetic. Not all. Obviously Green Mars and Space Race are not, but that's pretty much it. Well, and now Below and Beyond. I'm sure the game is better with Green Mars (haven't played it yet), but it's fine without it, which is kind of the whole point of DLC in the first place. That is, content developed post-release that enhances a game but is not required.