Introduction.
This game is expressed by the town planning simulator, in which we have to create a colony on Mars. It already sounds interesting, that is what I usually look for among games. From the first second of the game we can see numerous options for settings for a full game. We are given the opportunity to choose from which organization we fly, the choice is still quite large and the complexity of the game depends on it. And of course we don’t have to think which organization will be the most difficult. Also, from each organization there is a sum for development and science points (about this a bit later), the game really hooked me with its processing and open world, I really like open world games where you can travel all over the planet. I am also sure that you will also like this game, because it is not demanding enough for its competitors, in which there are a lot of objects and they load the system.
Gameplay.
Since this is an economic and construction strategy, what would be more interesting to play in it, the developers added logical conventions here that create puzzles and difficult situations. Here the game is based on zones of influence and a multi-pass miscalculation of its own actions. Zones of influence - the buildings of the management and maintenance of the working units, drones and settlers here are determined by the zone of influence. Ie if something happens behind the zone of influence of the building, the units will not be engaged in it. Therefore, it is important to properly place these buildings, so that they cover possible problem areas.
Here you need to calculate any changes for dozens of steps forward, because the resources are limited and if you spend extra resources or forget about some important trifles, you can lose the whole colony in about 10 minutes, making a mistake two hours ago. And the system of zones of influence and the extremely slow supply of supplies from the Earth do not correct this mistake. Surviving mars is rather a fantastic story based on some existing technology. Like the same strategies about space ships. Only here with an emphasis on realism. A great feature of this game is the choice of the landing site on Mars (the map in the game is made from a real copy of Mars). The card has a cool size for such a game. And it is divided into sectors of a 10 by 10 square. Studying of sectors takes place with the help of probes (they are given depending on the complexity).
Passage of the game and the plot.
As soon as we arrive at the selected territory, problems arise. We are looking for resources nearby and produce materials on site: without metal and concrete, you cannot build vital facilities. Iron deposits on the surface collect drones (or a separate, non-automatic unit) and drones must maintain an autonomous concrete extractor and move materials for construction. At the initial stage, the main snag is that robots function only within the range of hubs, rockets, or a special self-propeller, that is, areas where some kind of activity occurs should be covered by a radio signal. It is impossible to leave far from the base, and there is no sense: the area around it has not been studied yet. To find deposits of resources, you must wait until the selected sector is scanned.
People need heat, oxygen and water, so they still need to prepare for their arrival. Electricity is obtained from solar panels or wind turbines. Water is evaporated from the air or extracted from the ground if there are sources nearby. We produce oxygen from carbon dioxide through an experimental device. All these resources must not only be mined, but also safely transported, so that work on the laying of pipes and electrical cables follows. The main buildings, where they should be laid, are geodesic domes, under which the first colonists will settle. Finally you can run the settlers. They, by the way, are also selected by several criteria: age, gender, specialization, psychological characteristics. Every colonizer, person: he or she can be hardworking or calm (all these are advantages) and at the same time unintelligent, lazy or gambling (shortcomings). Advantages give bonuses, and due to deficiencies, certain parameters are reduced: a ward disappointed in Mars can fly back to Earth on the nearest rocket, become a criminal or even commit suicide. Therefore, at the whim of the settlers, it is important to pay attention: to build a bar for an alcoholic, and a hospital for a hypochondriac, you still cannot find ideal colonists without any flaws.
Separately, there are features - the character traits of future inhabitants of Mars. Each colonist has three. Some of the features develop after arrival. Is the settler living well? So it will work with enthusiasm. Or is he, on the contrary, tired at work, sleeping on a hard bed, and not a tree near the house? Well, alcoholism will soon work.
So that the survival of the colony does not become a routine, the player has set specific goals, and they do not change in any passage. The main criterion is the deadline for completing the task: how soon the first people flew in, how long did it take for the first child to be born, when 100, 500, 1000 people settled in (or gave birth to) - and so on. Alas, in the later stages of the development of the colony of these achivka there are few - but it is better to have at least some goal than to entertain yourself.
Conclusion.
Surviving Mars does not break the usual mechanics of city-planning simulators and other economic managers: instead of revelations and delights, it puts on balance and diversity and succeeds in both cases. The aesthetes will probably pass by, but beginners in the genre will certainly appreciate the not over complicated and at the same time fascinating game. I recommend to all fans of complex strategies that can understand the difficult mechanics of games. Also here is a great soundtrack. Very cool visual part (I personally like the landscape of Mars). An interesting system of characters of settlers with advantages and disadvantages, needs, which is also interesting to manage. The game is excellent, I recommend. I will rate this wonderful and exciting game 8 out of 10. I just liked it.
