How serious is this game going to be?

[Herbert West]

I just saw the new trailer (Life on Mars, or something), and it seems to me that the game is going for a more joke-y, Tropico-esque atmosphere. How representative is that trailer, and will there be an option to have a more "realistic"/hardcore/this is not a laughing matter type game mode?

 

[Chaon]

I don't think this game is supposed to be an ultra-realistic, hardcore game.

It would be good to have a game mode like that though.

 

[Skirlasvoud]

Mods are a wonderful thing.

There wouldn't be any point for the developers to make anything like it, but who knows what the community can come up with?

 

[EntilZha]

I kinda agree with OP. I want the game to be "serious", not necessarily "hard", but I would like it if I can mod out most of the "jokey" and "cute" stuff.

 

[Weird Wizard Dave]

It is definitely more on the lighthearted science light side of things. Though not to the same extent as Tropico I'd say.

 

[ᛒᛖᚱᛋᛖᚱᚲ]

Mods are a wonderful thing.

There wouldn't be any point for the developers to make anything like it, but who knows what the community can come up with?

Mods aren't the solution to please generally dissatisfied consumers. That seems to be the school of thought in the PDox Dev studio and it is highly errant and likely to backfire.

I agree this game should have a degree of seriousness and darkness absent from Tropico.

 

[Herbert West]

Scott Manley's playthrough makes it seem a lot more hard science and realism than what the trailer told me.

Good

 

[Blizzard_Haemimont]

I just saw the new trailer (Life on Mars, or something), and it seems to me that the game is going for a more joke-y, Tropico-esque atmosphere. How representative is that trailer, and will there be an option to have a more "realistic"/hardcore/this is not a laughing matter type game mode?

It is not a parody game and we were definitely not going for the Tropico's "anything goes as long as it's fun" spirit. When writing the texts "The Martian" was our primary reference for the tone and level of the humor. In a word - geeky jokes that don't break the suspension of disbelief.

 

[EntilZha]

It is not a parody game and we were definitely not going for the Tropico's "anything goes as long as its fun" spirit. When writing the texts "The Martian" was our primary reference for the tone and level of the humor. In a word - geeky jokes that don't break the suspension of disbelief.

That sounds great, thanks!

 

[Coffee Fox]

It is not a parody game and we were definitely not going for the Tropico's "anything goes as long as it's fun" spirit. When writing the texts "The Martian" was our primary reference for the tone and level of the humor. In a word - geeky jokes that don't break the suspension of disbelief.

Tropico wasn't really my cup of tea, so it's a relief to hear that this game won't just be Tropico in space.

Although, seems there are a number of people who seem to be under the impression that simply because your the guy's behind Tropico, that this game will be another Tropico.

I really don't understand how people can come to that sort of conclusion.

 

[Exemplar Voss]

I just saw the new trailer (Life on Mars, or something), and it seems to me that the game is going for a more joke-y, Tropico-esque atmosphere. How representative is that trailer, and will there be an option to have a more "realistic"/hardcore/this is not a laughing matter type game mode?

It has alien mysteries on Mars. Not serious at all seems the default.

 

[prof_doom]

Graphics are a bit more colorful than reality, but to their credit, real life would look very dull.
Science is a bit exaggerated in places, but rooted in reality.
Endgame is less realistic (mysteries), but I'm okay with that. (Who can complain about a Doctor Who inspired project?)

 

[CHOAM]

It's definitely more of a themed city-builder/management game than a super serious take on colonizing another planet, and while there's some stuff that doesn't make all that much sense (the windmills for one thing, the atmosphere's pretty thin stuff on Mars - and I could still build functioning ones on top of Olympus Mons, which sticks out of the atmosphere entirely) it is still a fairly straight-faced game. The one end-game "crisis" or whatever they're calling them was a pretty nice call-back to some classic sci-fi too, so expect a whole bunch of references in that vein.

 

[Mattzo12]

At least wind turbines are feasible, even if they'd only work during dust storms at best. Apparently you need a wind speed of 30 meters per second on Mars to generate electricity, whereas on Earth it's 10 mps.

https://www.nasa.gov/centers/ames/news/releases/2001/01_72AR.html

 

[CHOAM]

At least wind turbines are feasible, even if they'd only work during dust storms at best. Apparently you need a wind speed of 30 meters per second on Mars to generate electricity, whereas on Earth it's 10 mps.

https://www.nasa.gov/centers/ames/news/releases/2001/01_72AR.html

I mean, I'll concede the gameplay taking second place to logic in this instance is fine, they'd be waay too specialised a building if they only worked during dust storm events, but it still illustrates what I'm talking about fairly well. Anyone that's expecting this to be a cross between the Anno games and Take On Mars is going to inevitably be disappointed.

 

[ᛒᛖᚱᛋᛖᚱᚲ]

I mean, I'll concede the gameplay taking second place to logic in this instance is fine, they'd be waay too specialised a building if they only worked during dust storm events, but it still illustrates what I'm talking about fairly well. Anyone that's expecting this to be a cross between the Anno games and Take On Mars is going to inevitably be disappointed.

How do you know? Have you played it?

 

[CHOAM]

How do you know? Have you played it?

Yup, and several of the Anno games, but not Surviving Mars, only seen videos of that.

 

[ᛒᛖᚱᛋᛖᚱᚲ]

Yup, and several of the Anno games, but not Surviving Mars, only seen videos of that.

So no, you haven't played it and do not know exactly what it's going to be like. Youtube reviews and Let's Plays are no substitute for being in the cockpit.

 

[CHOAM]

Um, I mean to say "Take on Mars" there, total brain-fart. SM I have played.

 

[Posca]

Scott Manley's playthrough makes it seem a lot more hard science and realism than what the trailer told me.

Good

Also, Scott Manley's playthrough tells me Scott is MUCH better at playing Kerbal than he is at colony simulations.