Info about Surviving Mars: Official game description: Buy the original - get the discount to Surviving Mars: Relaunched ================================================================= Special Editions ================ About the Game ============== Colonize Mars and discover her secrets, with minimal casualties. ---------------------------------------------------------------- Welcome Home! The time has come to stake your claim on the Red Planet and build the first functioning human colonies on Mars! All you need are supplies, oxygen, decades of training, experience with sandstorms, and a can-do attitude to discover the purpose of those weird black cubes that appeared out of nowhere. With a bit of sprucing up, this place is going to be awesome! _Surviving Mars_ is a sci-fi city builder all about colonizing Mars and surviving the process. Choose a space agency for resources and financial support before determining a location for your colony. Build domes and infrastructure, research new possibilities and utilize drones to unlock more elaborate ways to shape and expand your settlement. Cultivate your own food, mine minerals or just relax by the bar after a hard day’s work. Most important of all, though, is keeping your colonists alive. Not an easy task on a strange new planet. There will be challenges to overcome. Execute your strategy and improve your colony’s chances of survival while unlocking the mysteries of this alien world. Are you ready? Mars is waiting for you. **Main Features:** Building on a planet not fit for human life challenges you to build a smart, functional colony. Bad planning isn’t about traffic jams, it’s about survival of your colonists. You really don’t want rolling blackouts in a city constructed in a place without oxygen. Each colonist is a unique individual with problems and strengths that influence the needs and behavior of the other colonists. Things can get really interesting if your chief scientists develops alcoholism after one too many long nights in the lab. Retro-futuristic super structures housing colonists, factories and commercial buildings with their own “neighborhood personality.” Create colonies that value science over everything else, while tired workers drink their pay away at a local bar, or attempt a utopia among the stars. Inspired by the classic sci-fi of Asimov and Clarke, Surviving Mars holds many secrets. During each playthrough players may encounter one of Mars’ individually crafted mysteries. Uncovering these secrets might bring your colony great fortune, or terrible ruin. What is that sphere that manifested itself outside colony HUB B, and is it friendly? Combine static and random research through experimentation, which allows for a different experience for each journey through the game. Attain new scientific breakthroughs by exploring the uncharted terrain of Mars's surface. A sleek, modern take on the bright futurism of the 1960s. A time of exploration and adventure. Craft your own fantastic buildings, parks or even a mystery to share through Surviving Mars’s extensive and convenient modding tools. Share your finest creations with the community to build the perfect society. Release date: Mar 15, 2018 Categories: City Builder, Resource Management, Survival, Research and Discovery, Mod Support, Base Building, Strategy, Simulation Feature scans: - MTX: score 90; verdict: Predatory Monetization; summary: The analysis of user reviews for 'Surviving Mars' reveals significant dissatisfaction with the game's relaunch and monetization practices. Key issues include the forced repurchase of the game for bug fixes, charging for updates that should be free, perceived corporate greed, aggressive DLC monetization, and abandonment of the original game. These practices are seen as predatory and unethical, leading to a highly negative user experience. - Proton/Linux: score 90; verdict: Broken / Unsupported; summary: The game previously supported native Linux, but this support was removed after Paradox took over. This removal of native Linux support is a significant issue for Linux users, as it forces them to rely on compatibility layers like Proton, which may not provide the same level of performance or stability. - Steam Deck: score 55; verdict: Tinkering Required; summary: The analysis of user feedback reveals several key themes impacting the Steam Deck experience. Users have mixed feelings about controller and touchscreen usability, with some finding it challenging to use the controller for precise movements while others appreciate the touchscreen features. There is a strong desire for the game to be officially verified for the Steam Deck, as many users report that it runs well on the device. Battery life and management are significant concerns, with some users experiencing faster battery degradation due to frequent charging. The removal of Linux support by Paradox has led to frustration among Linux users. Additionally, there are reports of game instability, including frequent crashes and bugs, which negatively impact the user experience. - Hardware Profile: No data Feature extractions: - Community Price: - Community fair range: $20.00 - $30.00 - Reasoning: The evidence suggests that the community considers the fair base-game price range to be around $20 to $30. Many users mention that the game is worth buying at a steep discount, often citing $30 as a reasonable price point. Additionally, there is a sentiment that the base game should include more content, implying that the current price might be too high without discounts. The frequent mention of sales and discounts as a deciding factor for purchase supports this price range. - Playtime Metrics: - Game completion: 30.0h - Story completion: N/A - Session length: N/A - Endgame: 100.0h - Reasoning: The evidence provides direct statements about the total playtime hours spent on Surviving Mars. The first quote mentions over 300 hours, the second quote mentions 364 hours, the third quote mentions 'many hours' on Xbox, and the fourth quote mentions over 1000 hours. These quotes indicate significant investment in gameplay hours, supporting the extracted values for game completion and endgame playtime. The high number of hours suggests that players spend a lot of time on both completing the game and engaging in endgame content. - Time-to-fun: - Summary: The game has a slow and tedious early phase with a steep learning curve, but it becomes more enjoyable in the late game as players master the mechanics and strategies. - Stance: Fun then drops - Anchor: Late game - Time to anchor: 2h 0m - Friction: Steep learning curve; Slow pacing; Tedious early game; Lack of in-depth tutorials - Unlock drivers: Learning game mechanics; Mastering strategies; Reaching late game - Conditions: Patience to learn; Willingness to invest time; Interest in complex strategies - Player Archetypes: - Strategic Veteran (sale) - Motivation: Mastery and strategic depth - Playstyle: Long-term strategic planning and experimentation - Experience: veteran - Purchase stance: sale - Labels: veteran; strategic player - Reference games: Cities: Skylines; Age of Wonders - Value-Conscious Critic (deep sale) - Motivation: Fair pricing and value for money - Playstyle: Casual building and management - Experience: mixed - Purchase stance: deep sale - Labels: budget-conscious; critical player - Reference games: Cities: Skylines; Surviving Mars 2 - Disillusioned Fan (no buy) - Motivation: Fair treatment and respect for long-time players - Playstyle: Previously engaged but now disillusioned - Experience: veteran - Purchase stance: no buy - Labels: disillusioned fan; critical player - Reference games: Cities: Skylines; Victoria Below are summaries of things people say about the game per category. Each point is assigned a weight that represents how often it is mentioned across all reviews. What players like: - Enjoyable and fun gameplay (weight 0.48): Many players found the game to be enjoyable and fun, with engaging and excellent gameplay. The game runs smoothly and provides an entertaining experience. - Standout city-building game (weight 0.23): The game is considered a standout entry in the city-building genre, with beautiful strategy elements and solid city-building mechanics. - Satisfying colony building (weight 0.19): The game is praised for its colony-building aspects, with players finding it fun and satisfying. It is considered one of the better colony builder and resource management games. - Interesting and understandable mechanics (weight 0.15): Players appreciate the game's mechanics, finding them interesting and understandable, although some may find them complicated. - Unique Mars setting (weight 0.14): The game's unique setting on Mars, with its striking and desolate landscape, appeals to many players. The ability to terraform Mars adds to the game's appeal. - Excellent management game (weight 0.11): The game is considered one of the best management and construction games in the space theme, offering many possibilities and fun management gameplay. - Addictive and challenging gameplay (weight 0.11): Players find the gameplay addictive and challenging, with a high fun and addiction factor. - Beautiful graphics and sound (weight 0.09): Players appreciate the game's pleasant sound and beautiful graphics, enhancing the overall gaming experience. - Realistic decision-making (weight 0.09): The game offers realistic decision-making with consequences, providing a realistic perspective on colony management. - High replayability (weight 0.09): The game has decent replayability with different difficulty and challenge settings, leading to different results in each playthrough. - Engaging and captivating (weight 0.09): Players find it easy to get engrossed in the game, with many feeling completely captivated and engaged for long periods. - Worth the money (weight 0.09): Many players feel that the game is worth every cent, even at full price, making it a valuable purchase. - Engaging colonization mechanics (weight 0.09): The game features challenging and engaging colonization mechanics, making the colony management exciting. - Easy to learn (weight 0.08): The game is easy to learn with an intuitive and easy-to-use UI, making it accessible for new players. - Enjoyable resource management (weight 0.08): Players find the building and resource management aspects of the game enjoyable, adding to the overall fun. - Great challenges and expansions (weight 0.08): The game offers great challenges and expansions, providing players with additional content and survival challenges. Common complaints: - DLC Criticisms (weight 0.41): There are numerous complaints about the number, quality, and pricing of DLCs. Players find them expensive, poorly executed, and not worth the investment. - Removal of Original Game (weight 0.35): The original game and its DLCs have been removed from the store, forcing players to repurchase the game for future access and updates. - Game Bugs and Crashes (weight 0.33): The game is reported to be buggy and prone to crashes, with many players experiencing game-breaking bugs that have not been fixed. - Forced Repurchase for Updates (weight 0.3): Players are dissatisfied that they need to buy the relaunched version of the game to get bug fixes and new content, which they believe should be provided for free. - Minimal Improvements in Relaunch (weight 0.29): The relaunched version of the game is seen as a reskin with minimal improvements, requiring players to pay again for the same game with minor changes. - Game Abandonment Issues (weight 0.27): Players feel that the developers have abandoned the original version of the game, leaving it with numerous bugs and no further updates or support. - Charging for Bug Fixes (weight 0.24): Players are unhappy about being charged for bug fixes, which they feel should be provided for free as part of ongoing support. - Steep Learning Curve (weight 0.11): The game is noted to be difficult for beginners, requiring time to master and understand the basics. - Poor UI Design (weight 0.08): The user interface is criticized for being cluttered and poorly designed, detracting from the overall experience. - Resource Management Difficulties (weight 0.07): Players find it challenging to manage colony resources, often leading to resource crises and colony death. Gameplay feedback: - Colony and settlement management (weight 0.41): The game focuses heavily on colony and settlement management, including base building, city planning, and resource management. - Challenging gameplay and scenarios (weight 0.24): Players face various challenges and events, including randomized scenarios and decision-making trials that test their strategic skills. - Mars colonization theme (weight 0.23): The game is set on Mars, focusing on building settlements and colonies, with operations and events specific to the Martian environment. - Terraforming and environmental progression (weight 0.21): The game includes terraforming mechanics, allowing players to modify landscapes and environments, particularly in the context of Martian colonization. - Resource logistics (weight 0.19): Resource extraction, transportation, generation, and distribution are key aspects of the gameplay, requiring strategic planning and management. - Research and technology (weight 0.13): Players engage in scientific research and technology development, with an element of randomness in research outcomes. - Strategic and problem-solving gameplay (weight 0.11): The game emphasizes strategic gameplay and problem-solving, requiring players to think critically and plan ahead. - Drone and oxygen management (weight 0.1): Players must manage drones and their activity ranges, as well as oxygen and water supplies, which are vital for colony survival. - Disaster and unexpected events (weight 0.1): Players must deal with disaster events like meteor storms and pandemics, which can fundamentally change the game's circumstances. - Life-support and human needs (weight 0.09): Managing human needs and life-support systems is crucial, adding layers of complexity and realism to the gameplay. - DLC content and issues (weight 0.08): The game offers additional content through DLCs, which can introduce new features and mechanics, but may also come with their own set of issues. - Difficulty and challenge settings (weight 0.06): The game offers various difficulty settings and sliders, allowing players to adjust the challenge level to their preference. - Exploration and vehicles (weight 0.06): Exploration is a key component, with players using exploration vehicles to discover new areas and resources. - Mod support and community (weight 0.06): The game supports modding, fostering a community of players who create and share their own content and modifications. - AI behavior and interactions (weight 0.06): AI behavior and interactions play a significant role in the game, affecting various aspects of gameplay and colony management. - Dome facilities and situations (weight 0.06): Managing dome facilities and situations is crucial for maintaining a functional and thriving colony. - Story and event progression (weight 0.06): Story events and progression are integral to the game, driving the narrative and providing context for the player's actions. - Game mechanics and design (weight 0.06): The game features a well-designed gameplay loop and mechanics, ensuring a engaging and strategic experience. - Underground and asteroid colonization (weight 0.05): The Below and Beyond DLC introduces underground and asteroid-based colonization mechanics, expanding the gameplay possibilities. Performance notes: - Game-breaking bugs and crashes (weight 0.2): Several users have encountered game-breaking bugs, frequent crashes, and freezing issues. Some specific issues include the game locking up, becoming unresponsive, and crashing more than ten times a day. - MacOS-specific issues (weight 0.09): There are specific issues related to MacOS, including the need for optimization for MacOS Silicon series chips and graphics problems on Mac. Some users also report that the game runs better on Linux compared to MacOS. - Visual and graphical issues (weight 0.06): Some users have noted visual bugs and graphical problems, although visual and performance are considered strong points by others. - Cursor and freezing issues (weight 0.05): Specific issues include the mouse cursor getting stuck in a corner and the game freezing completely. - Cloud save issues (weight 0.04): There are reports of issues with cloud saved games, indicating potential problems with saving and loading game progress. - Game stability with mods (weight 0.03): The game is reported to be stable when using mods, suggesting good compatibility and performance with modifications. - Game can be unplugged (weight 0.03): Users have noted that the game can be unplugged for several hours without issues, indicating good power management. Recommendations: - Recommended DLCs enhance gameplay (weight 0.22): Several DLCs are frequently recommended by players, such as Space Race, Green Planet, and Colony Design Set. These DLCs are noted to significantly enhance the gameplay experience. - Mixed feelings on specific DLCs (weight 0.16): While many DLCs are recommended, some like Project Laika are not well-received by players. - Recommended for specific genres (weight 0.16): The game is highly recommended for fans of base building, survival games, and the space genre. It is also suggested for those who enjoy economy management and complex logistical challenges. - Positive recommendations (weight 0.13): Several players strongly recommend the game, highlighting its fun base-building aspects and the depth of management it offers. - Free updates and legal availability (weight 0.11): Players appreciate that bug fixes and fundamental upgrades for the relaunched version are provided for free. They also value keeping the old version and its comments available on the store. - Wait for sales to purchase (weight 0.11): Many players suggest waiting for a Steam sale to buy the game, especially if you can get it for 50% off or more. This strategy is recommended to get the best value for money. - Hope for future improvements (weight 0.03): Players express hope that the relaunched version will further develop and nurture the game's IP. - Basic game with expansion potential (weight 0.03): Some players suggest that having a basic game with the potential for expansion would be beneficial. Other player notes: - DLC mentioned (weight 0.02): A reviewer mentioned the DLC. No further details were provided. - Game was pirated (weight 0.02): A reviewer admitted to pirating the game. This feedback may not be relevant to legitimate players. Emotions: - Frustration (weight 0.2): Players are frustrated by frequent game crashes, bugs, and the need to repurchase the game for updates and bug fixes. The game's mechanics, such as AI behavior, resource management, and UI design, are also cited as sources of frustration due to their complexity and lack of user-friendliness. - Disappointment (weight 0.18): Disappointment stems from the publisher's business practices, including the removal of the original version and the need to repurchase the game for minor improvements. Players also express disappointment with the lack of substantial updates and the perceived abandonment of the game. - Enjoyment (weight 0.16): Players enjoy the game's unique charm, graphics, and gameplay mechanics. The colony-building aspects, resource management, and the variety of challenges contribute to a fun and engaging experience. - Anger (weight 0.15): Anger is primarily directed at the publisher's business practices, including the need to repurchase the game for bug fixes and the removal of DLC access. Players feel that the company is prioritizing profits over customer satisfaction. - Satisfaction (weight 0.1): Players find satisfaction in the game's complexity, problem-solving aspects, and the ability to build and manage a colony on Mars. The game's replayability and the sense of accomplishment from overcoming challenges contribute to this satisfaction. - Joy (weight 0.05): Joy comes from the overall positive experience with the game, including its engaging gameplay, beautiful atmosphere, and the fun of building and managing colonies. Players also enjoy the challenge and the sense of accomplishment. - Excitement (weight 0.04): Excitement is generated by the game's realistic decision-making, mod support, and the announcement of new versions or updates. The game's audiovisual qualities and the thrill of unpredictable survival and adaptation also contribute to this excitement. - Love (weight 0.02): Players love the game's depth, complexity, and the challenge it offers. The exploration and building options, as well as the sci-fi theme, are particularly appreciated. - Nostalgia (weight 0.01): Nostalgia is evoked by the memories of playing the game over long periods, such as during COVID, and the game's similarities to other beloved series like Anno and Settlers. - Frustrated (weight 0.01): Frustration arises from gameplay mechanics, lack of DLC content and support, and difficulty with resource management and building wonders. - Admiration (weight 0.01): Admiration is directed towards the game's visual aesthetics, such as the dome lights at night, and the management and construction elements of the gameplay. - Disgust (weight 0.01): Disgust is aimed at the publisher's practices, which are seen as greedy and disrespectful towards the players. - Boredom (weight 0.01): Boredom sets in due to the game's monotonous nature and the quick onset of repetitive gameplay. - Hope (weight 0.01): Hope is expressed for potential fixes and revamps in future versions or updates of the game. - Appreciation (weight 0.01): Appreciation is felt for the game's depth, variety, and the overall positive experience it provides. - Relief (weight 0.01): Relief is experienced when issues are resolved, such as through mods fixing graphics problems or avoiding in-game disasters. - Angry (weight 0.01): Anger is felt towards the game's abandonment and the practice of relaunching it with minimal improvements. - Engrossed (weight 0): Players become engrossed in the gameplay, finding it immersive and engaging. - Pride (weight 0): Pride comes from achieving significant milestones within the game, such as transforming challenging environments into thriving colonies.}