My first experience with Surviving Mars was that the experience felt a little peripheral, like there wasn't anything driving your activities because there wasn't an end game to really work towards. It was like, okay I have a colony on Mars and they are happy: what now? I decided to give the game a rest until Space Race launched to see if that changed my mind at all or if maybe it's just the type of game Surviving Mars is.
Now that I've gotten a chance to play around with it I'd have to say I like what it adds. I think it's a bit light on content (some missing alternate models, for example) if I'm being honest, but that's my only major criticism. Otherwise I'm a big fan of everything it adds. The drop pods are an amazing addition. I like to play with long travel times, and it can be a while between my rockets (especially at the beginning!). It's pretty vital to decide what I want to send and make the most out of each launch, but it can also be useful to drop supplies off where they are needed. That also benefits selling or trading resources since sending them in from Earth is useful, but only if you have cash in the tank, and putting out a trade offer for something you want can be a great way to exchange things. I'm surprised by how much I like this feature and how much it changes how I play: both making me care about systems I didn't before, and trying out things I wouldn't normally.
I also like that the other companies serve as a sort of soft timer for milestones and survey science. Sometimes you just know you won't be able to get something done, but it is nice to have that little competitive side to push me towards those goals. It doesn't feel like a massive failure to not be first, but it does give a little boost to getting that sweet reward knowing you could have missed it.
I also liked the addition of the smaller buildings and I really hope to see them for more types, such as the gym. I would have liked to see new skins for all the buildings, but it is awesome to see so many have been added. Overall it's a nice, meaty and must-have addition to the game. Thank you for putting it together!
Now that I've gotten a chance to play around with it I'd have to say I like what it adds. I think it's a bit light on content (some missing alternate models, for example) if I'm being honest, but that's my only major criticism. Otherwise I'm a big fan of everything it adds. The drop pods are an amazing addition. I like to play with long travel times, and it can be a while between my rockets (especially at the beginning!). It's pretty vital to decide what I want to send and make the most out of each launch, but it can also be useful to drop supplies off where they are needed. That also benefits selling or trading resources since sending them in from Earth is useful, but only if you have cash in the tank, and putting out a trade offer for something you want can be a great way to exchange things. I'm surprised by how much I like this feature and how much it changes how I play: both making me care about systems I didn't before, and trying out things I wouldn't normally.
I also like that the other companies serve as a sort of soft timer for milestones and survey science. Sometimes you just know you won't be able to get something done, but it is nice to have that little competitive side to push me towards those goals. It doesn't feel like a massive failure to not be first, but it does give a little boost to getting that sweet reward knowing you could have missed it.
I also liked the addition of the smaller buildings and I really hope to see them for more types, such as the gym. I would have liked to see new skins for all the buildings, but it is awesome to see so many have been added. Overall it's a nice, meaty and must-have addition to the game. Thank you for putting it together!
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