Learn the basics of Surviving Mars, including rover and drone control, resource gathering from deposits, and initial construction to establish your first Martian colony.
Walkthrough
- 1Control Units: Use your RC Rover and Drones for various tasks. Rovers can be given direct orders to move or interact with map objects. Drones are semi-autonomous but can be controlled directly.
- 2Manage Maintenance: All buildings require maintenance. Drones service buildings when their maintenance bar is full. Failure to maintain a building will cause it to stop operating. Buildings outside of Domes are more susceptible to deterioration due to Martian dust and disasters.
- 3Explore the Map: Scan sectors to reveal resources and Anomalies. Sensor towers speed up scanning. Orbital Probes offer instant scanning but are costly. Be cautious when building in unexplored sectors.
- 4Gather Resources: Resources are found in surface deposits (Metal, Polymers), underground deposits (Metal, Rare Metals, Water), or as terrain (Concrete). Surface deposits are mined by Drones. Underground and terrain deposits require Extractors.
- 5Construction: Place construction sites within the Service Range of a Drone Hub, RC Rover, or Rocket. Ensure necessary resources are available within the Drone's Service Range.
- 6Extractors: These buildings extract resources from deposits. They also produce Waste Rock, which must be moved to a Waste Rock Dump by Drones to prevent the Extractor from stopping.
Tips
- Adjust game speed using the Spacebar (pause/unpause), '+' key (increase speed), and '-' key (decrease speed).
- Change controls and mappings in the Options menu.
- Recharge Stations clean drones during charging, preventing breakdowns.
- Deposits have grades (very low to very high) that affect production rates.
- Late-game deep scanning can reveal hidden underground deposits requiring specific technologies.
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