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Dev Diary 4 - Surviving Cold Waves By Stirling

Hey guys,

Last time Boian Spasov of Haemimont (Blizzard_Haemimont), Eternal Designer, Second of his Name and Protector of Game Mechanics, promised you guys a Dev Diary that will be… mysterious. And while that Dev Diary indeed is being crafted as we speak - we’d like to wet your appetite with one in-between. And this one is about Cold Waves, their consequences and how you can protect yourself. The game is called Surviving Mars, after all, not Takin’ A Sunday Stroll On Mars.

So class, please have a seat and let’s get started. This information may well save your life one day.


What can we expect when hit by a Cold Wave?

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While we don’t want to completely ‘spoil the surprise’ by talking in-depth about all of the disasters that could decimate your beautiful colony, you may safely assume that the environment on Mars is a harsh mistress. Sure, them rocks and that red sand may be looking pretty peaceful, beautiful even. But don’t be fooled. All of a sudden your Sensor Towers may be reporting an incoming Cold Wave that freezes everything in its path, turning the Red Planet white from extreme frost.


And what then?

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Water storages will freeze, power consumption will skyrocket, and before you know it, your logistics will break down one building after the other. Worst of all - if a building stops working during a Cold Wave it will freeze solid, meaning that it can be repaired only when heated or after the cold wave is over. No water? Say goodbye to your crops. No power? Watch your Colonists freeze while your entire resource network shuts down, preventing the production of fuel, the extraction of metal and living on Mars altogether. Let it go far enough, and your Oxygen-producing Moxies might shut down. No water, no air and no power. You’re finished. Or well, your Colonists are at least.

The point is - a Disaster may be the catalyst that triggers a chain of events that end with critical failures jeopardizing your entire colony. And we don’t want that, do we?


So how do I protect myself?

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I wanted to begin this paragraph with the words ‘fear not’. However, that would be lying to you. You should be very afraid and prepare accordingly.

Regarding the Cold Wave, your issues will probably centre around two connected things: power shortage due to your generators not keeping up with the increased demand, and draining of batteries if not enough energy is stored. Running out of power is of course potentially deadly.

You can counter this by placing Subsurface Heaters close to your most important buildings and the hungriest clusters of power consumers. That will heat up the area around the machine, letting your primary power supply continue working at normal capacity. Be wary though - the Subsurface Heater needs a lot of water to function, and as we know, water is not a resource readily available on Mars. There is one other hitch in this plan - the Subsurface Heater has to be researched first and is not readily available at the start of the game, so you will have to survive at least the first few Cold Waves without it.

Without the handy heater option or extreme overproduction of power, prioritizing critical buildings is your best course of action. Be ready to shut down facilities that are non-vital to conserve for example power or water. Just beware - as mentioned before, any building that stops working for a while during a Cold Wave will freeze, thus becoming unavailable until the end of the disaster. Choose wisely depending on what you have stored and be careful to keep your most critical resources flowing.

You see where this is going. In order to be Surviving Mars, you’ll need to have contingency plans in place, build a sturdy infrastructure and be clever about your resources. And above all - always anticipate the worst.


Would you like to know more?

The next Dev Diary will again be written by Boian Spasov himself. It will hit pretty soon so keep an eye out. You could also sign-up at survivingmars.com if you haven’t already. If you do that you’ll receive exclusive news updates and of course a number of other goodies in-game. Be sure to check it out!

All the best,

Stirling (Sebastian Forsström - Product Marketing Manager for Surviving Mars, or as Candyalien said, last stream...the guy who is in charge of the money!)
 
Any chance of telling us the other disasters?

Or at least a number of disasters planned for the base game?

Please....

I'll beg......

C'mon.......
 
Why this idiots dont survive in the underground? I wouldnt try to survive on the surface on a planet without an global magnetic field. Better stay under a thick layer of marssoil to avoid the radiation of the sun and space.
 
I’m finding this one hard to buy, given the thinness of the atmosphere on Mars...
 
In cities skylines, its almost impossible to lose the game, especially once you get past 1000 people
Is SuM (i made you an acronym) possible/ common to lose?
I assume that all your colonists dying is not the end as you can always get more, but can you colony be completely destroyed or will volunteers stop arriving if you have a habit of killing them all?
 
In cities skylines, its almost impossible to lose the game, especially once you get past 1000 people
Is SuM (i made you an acronym) possible/ common to lose?
I assume that all your colonists dying is not the end as you can always get more, but can you colony be completely destroyed or will volunteers stop arriving if you have a habit of killing them all?

Thanks for the acronym! :)

Surviving Mars is more hardcore. There is no game over, but there are consequences to you losing your colonists. Such as number of people willing to come to your colony from Earth dwindling :)
 
While ice made of good ol' H2O on Mars isn't, say, common - there sure is ice (or 'dry ice' as they call it).

Check it out.

That doesn't actually address my point. I'm talking about the fact that thin atmosphere of Mars is not particularly good at convecting heat away. Particularly when the average temperature is already extremely low, and one would imagine that anyone building above ground structures on Mars would at least insulate them.
 
Why this idiots dont survive in the underground? I wouldnt try to survive on the surface on a planet without an global magnetic field. Better stay under a thick layer of marssoil to avoid the radiation of the sun and space.

While one might well agree that topside buildings are nice for the extra sunlight and space and stuff (and easier to erect when you are just starting out), sleeping quarters and the like would be the first things moving underground unless the schedule for atmosphere and magnetic field construction et al. is projected to be fast enough that it ain't a worry.
 
Why this idiots dont survive in the underground? I wouldnt try to survive on the surface on a planet without an global magnetic field. Better stay under a thick layer of marssoil to avoid the radiation of the sun and space.
Let me be the first to say that I will be front and center to by this game when it releases! All of us who are looking forward to playing know that it is just a game. However the designers have incorporated realistic mechanical, structural and technological systems to support the martian colony which just wets our appetite for a more realistic game . I agree with you Whittmann. Many of us who comment on things that seam to stretch incredulity are just making observations that the fantasy elements often don't jive with the realistic ones. The soap bubble domes are perhaps the most unsupportable element of the entire game ... how would you ever build one much less repair it when it "springs a leak". Geodesic construction would be perhaps a quasi realistic building alternative but the developers have chosen their game aesthetic as a Sci-Fi 1950s throwback which is kind of fun. We just have to suspend belief in regards to the less believable elements. You have to agree that its going to be a "blast" to play...lol. Perhaps someone will make a mod with geodesic dome construction or even some kind of underground structures.
 
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