Surviving The Environment

Environment

The game's environment is intended to closely represent the same environment that exists on the real Mars, from its differing gravity than Earth's to its varied weather patterns and beautiful terrain. Colonists will have to be careful trying to inhabit this wild environment.

• Day and Night cycle - Mars has a day and night cycle with temperatures that vary during the course of the day and by location. Colonists will have to keep a mind on time because the nights on Mars get very cold.

• Gravity - The gravity in Mars is different compared to the Earth's. The real Mars, for example, has a force of gravity roughly one-third of Earth's.

• The current size of each map, i.e. each land plot, is 20x20 km so colonists will have plenty of space to explore, develop and survive on.

• Random events like dust storms, electrostatic discharges, and sudden outbursts of radiation make all outdoor excursions very dangerous. They also take their toll on buildings, vehicles, and electronic equipment which in turn makes maintenance and repair a part of daily life on Mars.

Survival Mechanics

To survive, Colonists need food, oxygen, water, and habitable temperatures on Mars. If they are lacking even one of these elements the Colonists will eventually perish. However, Colonists have advanced suits which are designed with a fail-safe to automatically put them into a Cryogenic sleep right before death, allowing for later rescue and revival by a medic. The examples below are to provide some insight into the production chains that form the basis of survival on Mars.

• Oxygen can be produced by Engineers from Mars’ carbon dioxide atmosphere

• Temperatures on Mars are dangerous and can vary significantly, colonists will have to keep a track of their heat levels to survive the harsh cold nights or the icy depths of craters.

• Water on Mars can be collected in different ways, depending on the region:

  • Ice found at the bottom of craters and covering the poles of Mars can be mined by Miners from the surface.

  • The ice below the surface can be located by orbital satellites with ground-penetrating radar (not very precise) and Geologists prospecting (precise). It can then be drilled by Miners.

  • Ice from hydrated minerals can be mined by Miners and extracted by crushing and baking rocks by Engineers.

  • All water needs to be purified by Engineers with special equipment before it is drinkable.

• Food can be grown by Biologists in special facilities. They can cultivate plants and insects for protein. So be prepared for the cricket burgers with lettuce!

  • Colonists have to involve themselves in every aspect of cultivating their plants through the life stages of their crops: Planting, Watering and Harvesting

• CO2 can be converted into Glucose so you can eat your dessert on Mars!

• Radiation is another factor colonists have to be wary of - some storms and specific locations on Mars will have higher radiation levels. Exploring them will require careful preparation.

  • If you are not careful enough your colonist might contract acute radiation syndrome, more commonly known as radiation sickness.

Medical Factors

Colonists will have access to medicines and treatments to counter the different environmental conditions and threats that may harm them. Colonists can be afflicted by status effects that will each have specific medicine to counter or even prevent them for certain periods of time.

A status effect is a negative or positive effect applied to a colonist, for example:

• Radiation sickness - The player has received a dangerous dose of radiation and will start receiving damage

• Electrified - The player has been struck by lighting and is dazed, providing a huge movement debuff