Surviving Mars for Xbox and PC ultimate beginner's guide: Tips, tricks, and more

Surviving Mars is an amazing survival simulation game from Haemimont Games, known for the Tropico serial. As its name suggests, Surviving Mars is all about surviving, on Mars. You and a few billion dollars are all that stands between your handful of colonists and domination of the red planet.

Surviving Mars at its core is a management game, where your main aim is the efficient utilise of resources bachelor to you. You'll take to manage all types of materials, deposits, colonist's needs, oxygen, food, water, maintenance, research, and various other systems that volition need near-constant attention (depending on the difficulty you lot cull).

While this guide won't go over everything you need to know (since discovery in Surviving Mars is one-half of the fun), these tips and pointers volition assist you establish a colony on Mars and avoid wiping out your dauntless colonists.

Initial Planet Scan
Landing your rocket
Commencement building steps
Preparing your first dome
Prepare to colonize
Materials
Colonizing Mars
Moving on and expanding

Early days

The all-time affair to do to start Surviving Mars is to select the "Easy Start" menu choice on the main screen. This will skip the process of choosing sponsors and specializations, and instead give you some of the easier terrain and perks to deal with. When you've learned the basics, you tin can become dorsum and select "New Game," and choose more avant-garde perks, more than difficult/interesting terrain, and add other modifiers to brand for a more challenging survival feel.

The game offers hints on controls and features at the height, and you can familiarize yourself further in the game's main menu. Do this earlier going farther, and remember to look upward the controls at any time if you go confused about how to select things.

Initial planet scan

When you start load up the game, you'll be greeted with a large procedurally generated map covered in a filigree. There'southward no real fourth dimension limit when it comes to scanning here, although without edifice sensors on the ground, it will take a ridiculous corporeality of time to manually scan the whole planet. Your best bet is to only use the instant-scan Orbital Probes the game gives you lot to do a quick sweep.

Ideally, you'll desire to land somewhere with concrete and water to become y'all going. In that location are surface deposits of metals that can be obtained by your rover and drone helpers, and subsequently on you'll be able to dig below the surface – more than on that later on. Of form, if yous're not happy with the terrain or beginning, you can merely go out and striking Easy Commencement again until you're happy.

Once yous find a decent landing spot, you can select the grid you desire to land on, then select a target for the rocket to land. The initial cargo drop volition give you a handful of rovers and drones (if you're playing on Easy Start, otherwise you choose your ain starting gear). Colonists volition come once you lot've set up a viable base camp with your robot pals.

Landing the rocket

The blue radius around the rocket denotes the indicate range of the rocket'southward control AI. The drones will be tethered to the rocket, and will merely perform actions inside that bluish range. Ideally, you lot'll want to get as many resources every bit possible inside the range of that rocket, about notably concrete and metals to begin with. Surface metals are these shiny metal rocks you tin can run across above, the red icon is an hush-hush mine that requires an extractor and colonists to tap into.

First steps

On Easy Start mode, you'll get a bunch of robots to aid you lot get going. Your drones are completely autonomous, and will movement materials around to build designated projects, repair existing buildings, and other vehicles. Robots require power, and your first point of phone call should exist setting up an electricity filigree. Initially, the robots will exist able to recharge via the rocket, which on Easy Commencement mode self-refuels cheers to the rocket scientist perk. Once it is done refuelling it can be sent back off into space so you lot can call on information technology subsequently for farther resource, which is why you shouldn't rely on it for longer than necessary.

Drones need their own Drone Hub to issue commands, and a suitable electrical grid to keep it powered. Additionally, you'll need to set up up some depots to offload the materials from the rocket so y'all can send it abroad. You'll also want to begin setting up research to aid establish futuristic tech to help with the colonization endeavour. That might seem similar a lot to take in at first, so here's an piece of cake step-by-stride run through.

Ready depots in the storages list from the build menu. This will automatically cause your drones to offload the rocket, and likewise extract whatever other nearby metals automatically into a cardinal place.
Build an early electrical filigree, equanimous of either solar panels, Stirling generators, wind turbines, or a combination. You lot can use ability accumulators to store surplus power in batteries. Read the tooltips of the different power generators to investigate their weaknesses and benefits.
Build a Drone Hub, positioning its radius over as many nearby resources equally possible so that your drones can reach all of your future buildings to perform maintenance and move goods effectually. Note that your larger rovers do not crave a Drone Hub to operate, only do need to exist manually connected to the grid to recharge at times, so continue an eye on their batteries.
Go to the Research carte du jour (left trigger on Xbox, "O" on PC) and begin queuing up enquiry options. Research volition help you discover new technology to empower your colony, eventually leading to complete cocky sufficiency. It might likewise be worth outsourcing some enquiry by spending money to speed upwards the process early on, since you won't have your own scientists for a little while. There's some more notes on inquiry further forth in this guide.

Preparing for your first dome

Adjacent, you'll want to start preparing for your first habitat dome, setting up material extractors, oxygen generators, and water sources. Concrete is the essential building block for all of your major constructions, yous'll need tons of it. Oxygen and water are also essential, for obvious reasons. Hither are some steps for getting ready.

Before nosotros begin, though, do plan ahead. You'll demand a large space for the dome (you can select it in the build carte to encounter), and it's ideal to build your dome away from extractors and rocket landing sites. It volition take maintenance impairment from nearby extractors, which produce thick clouds of mining dust.

Fix a Concrete Extractor on a physical eolith from the "Production" list in the build carte. Position the extractor so that the deposit number is as high as possible in the tooltip on the meridian left, and then build it, ensuring it's far away from other buildings as possible (due to the dust it will create). It will need to be continued to your electrical grid, within range of your Drone Hub, a concrete depot, and a waste matter rock depot (or three).
Gear up up a water source. If similar me, you've landed in a place without an underground water source, you'll need to employ a Moisture Vaporator, connected to pipes and electrical cables. Otherwise you tin use a Water Extractor, which will also need to be within range of your Drone Hub, power, and a waste stone depot. Multiple vaporators need to be spaced out from each other (denoted by a blue radius), because otherwise they won't have enough moisture to, well, vaporate.
Set upwards an oxygen source. You lot tin can use the same pipes as your water source (although more than advanced players like to carve up grids, and even create pipe redundancies in instance of piping failures).
It'southward worth setting upwards h2o and air storage tanks in case of falling star strikes or other disasters. Information technology's platonic to space these out, too, then they don't all get hit past the same disaster for example.
Build your dome! The dome requires a ton of polymers, physical, and metal to build, and your drones will begin moving the resources around every bit necessary.

Preparing for colonization

At this point you'll want to take stock of everything you've done so far equally you prepare to invite your commencement colonists. Here are some tips on what you should monitor before calling in your beginning passenger rocket.

Research priorities

Check your inquiry state of affairs. Y'all should always have something researching, because yous're effectively racing against the clock to the signal of cocky-sufficiency. If you don't research more than powerful tech fast enough, you could drain your local resources dry out and end up at a expressionless stop.

Nigh copse offer powerful and needed options, but I find the robotics and physics copse to be the most important, as they can aid y'all find resources more hands, and crucially, admission them without colonists and domes, via automation. The research tree is randomized for each play-through, so there's no ideal path frontward. You can meet how much research you need per sol (per twenty-four hour period) to research an item. The lower level stuff is relatively fast, and on Easy Play mode, can be burned through pretty quick via outsourcing.

Select your RC Explorer rover to scan yellow circles on the map. These grant large research bonuses, occasionally bringing powerful breakthrough tech, and early admission to belatedly-stage research. Merely don't forget to keep its batteries charged!

Check that y'all have plenty life back up

The dome and its interior buildings volition use up additional power and resources, so brand sure that you lot take a surplus of electricity going in. The last matter yous need is an underpowered dome, with freezing, starving colonists.

You can check the current status of your colony via the Colony Overview menu (left trigger on Xbox, bottom left of the HUD on PC). This shows your current state of affairs for materials, grid resources, research speed, and funding.

Utilise your RC Transport to rummage the area for metallic

The RC Transport to scrape metal deposits that are further abroad from your Drone Hub, since it doesn't demand the connection.

Select the RC Transport, so select "Create Ship Route."
Find a surface metal deposit. They look like black shiny rock clusters scattered around. Sometimes they tin be rare, sometimes they appear in abundance.
Select the metal eolith, then movement the camera back and select your metallic depot.
The RC Send volition ride back and along collecting the metal, and placing it in your depot. Note: If y'all put a cable near your depot, it'll also recharge its batteries automatically on every render trip.

Materials

Since yous should now have enough concrete and metals to build basic structures, yous might need to begin resupplying your manufactured materials like polymers, electronics, and machine parts.

For reference, the bulk of your advanced materials will be used to create and repair buildings.

Concrete is mostly used in less complex buildings.
Metals are often used to repair essential buildings similar solar panels, vaporators, and oxygen generators.
Polymers are used to build some advanced structures, like ability accumulator batteries, and also repair and maintain them.
Electronics are used to repair rovers and other advanced buildings, similar the Drone Hub. Electronics are manufactured in special factories using rare metals, and I've found them to exist the hardest to acquire in virtually of my colonies. Try to limit the reliance on electronics as much as possible.
Machine Parts are used to repair mechanical structures, like air current turbines and extractors. They're easier to obtain than electronics, equally they can be manufactured from regular metal, but early on information technology can be a hurting to acquire them. Restrict your reliance on wind turbines to lower the demand for them early on on.

In the early days of your colony, you'll do this quite a scrap, using your colonization funds from your sponsor. You lot can get more funds by exporting rare metals using a rare metal extractor (once you lot accept an established colony) or by researching special tech like Mars Patents, usually found nether the social tree.

Select the "Resupply" carte du jour option from the menu.
Select "Cargo Rocket."
Here, you tin can spend coin to become resources you lot tin't easily obtain until the later stages of play, like Machine Parts, Electronics, and Polymers. I relieve almost all of my cash for these materials early on, but you tin also buy pre-made Prefab Buildings besides, such equally Moisture Vaporators, if y'all haven't yet researched how to build them yourself.

Yous're now pretty much ready to set up your dome and call in your starting time colonists.

Colonizing Mars

The next step in the road is to really colonize Mars. You should start by setting up some buildings within your shiny new dome to accommodate colonists. You can find all of these options under the build bill of fare. Just brand sure you land the rocket near the dome, but non too close as to harm the dome. Your colonists tin can just walk so far.

Set upwardly some accommodation. Living quarters are the lowest-tier housing solution. Afterward on, new ones will open up that offer more space and improved comfort.
Gear up some places of work. Ideally yous desire farms to go nutrient, and research buildings to speed upwardly your technological advocacy. It's also worth edifice an infirmary to treat colonist's illnesses and stress. Y'all might also want to add a diner or a grocer so that colonists tin get prepared nutrient. Raw food from the farms will impact their condolement level.
If your dome is near an underground metal deposit, you could besides build a metallic extractor, only information technology needs to exist within walking distance of your dome.
Once you've set up your bones buildings, call in a passenger rocket from the carte du jour.

Choosing colonists

The next step is crucial for making an efficient colony. Selecting the ideal candidates tin can make or break your early colony, particularly on harder difficulties. Colonists are broken downward past age, traits, flaws, and specialization. You can filter these on the passenger candidate screen, and then select passengers manually earlier launching your rocket. Here are a few tips for choosing good colonists.

Regarding age, if you lot pick senior citizens, their work life will exist limited until yous research gene therapy later. It'southward ideal to select youths or adults.
At that place are 7 job roles, botanists more effectively tend to farms, scientists more effectively generate research, medics are more effective in the infirmary, geologists are more effective in your metal extractors, and engineers are more effective in factories that build more than advanced materials. You should also annotation security personnel, who can protect a colony from rogue colonists (although I've never experienced a state of affairs where they were needed), and "No specialization" colonists, who are skillful for basic roles, such as service buildings and shops. Each main job role comes with certain interests which must be serviced using sure building types. Y'all can select each of the job roles for more information.
Select your buildings to see what types of roles fit best, and aim to fill up work place slots as effectively equally possible. While a scientist tin can work on a farm, they'll take penalties for doing so. Then try to match passengers to available work slots, until you tin after train your own colonists using a Martian university.
Pay attention to traits and flaws. Sometimes selecting workers with negative flaws, such every bit "lazy" is impossible to avert if y'all demand a specific role due to the limited amount of applicants at whatever given time. Later on on you lot'll exist able to build a Sanitorium to treat flaws.

Colonists volition automatically seek ideal chore roles that are available, paying attention to the priority level yous've set to your buildings. Early on I tend to prioritize scientists to maximize research speed, which will help you lot massively afterward on.

Moving on and expanding

We've covered the basics of setting up a colony. Here are some final tips for moving forward, expanding, and sustaining your colony in the long term.

You tin craft tunnels to expand your base to areas below cliffs if you've ended upwardly on summit of an elevated expanse.
Yous can use the RC rover to take drones to remote locations to ready secondary bases.
You tin can employ a Shuttle hub to create automated aerial drones who will ship materials between depots as needed. The "Universal depot" is useful for setting up remote bases that might non demand a full complement of materials, only still demand a identify for a shuttle drone to state. Shuttles tin also ferry colonists from overpopulated domes to underpopulated ones.
Y'all should get-go looking into manufacturing advanced materials, such as Fuel refineries for rockets, Polymer factories, Machine part factories, and Electronics factories. Some of these go unlocked with research, simply can be purchased pre-made via cargo rocket.
Pay attention to your colonist'south needs. Some of them will want specific types of facilities in order to maintain sanity and happiness, you can monitor this in the Colony overview screen via the menu. A happy dome will begin breeding too, granting boosted workers, and the ways to expand.
Explore your surroundings and buildings. Some buildings can be upgraded and configured, such as farms, and just panning around the map y'all might find additional surface metals for gathering.
Later, you will be able to deep scan for extremely rich metal deposits, and subsequently still, arts and crafts a gigantic extractor that will provide limitless resources.
This guide just covers the basics, there are tons more than research options to find, mysteries to unravel, and other features that volition reveal themselves as you lot play!

That'due south a wrap!

Hopefully these pointers will get you started on your mission to colonize Mars. If you have any farther questions, drop them in the comments beneath!

Surviving Mars is available now for Xbox One, PS4, and PC for $39.99.

More: Total Surviving Mars review

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