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AllyJamy

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May 24, 2016
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  • Europa Universalis IV
  • Europa Universalis IV: Conquest of Paradise
  • Europa Universalis IV: Call to arms event
  • Crusader Kings II
  • Victoria 2
  • Cities: Skylines
  • Hearts of Iron IV: Cadet
  • Cities: Skylines - Mass Transit
  • Surviving Mars
  • Surviving Mars: Digital Deluxe Edition
I thought it'd be cool if we could slowly change the planet. I know terraforming is a long waiting game IRL, but introducing bio engineered algae to Mars, CO2 factories and so on to the game would make a nice addition. Like after the temperature raises to a certain level, ice begins to melt and oceans form and rise.

If this isn't going to be in the final game, is it possible to mod in?
 
Each game comes with the option to select several secondary objectives when starting the colonization.

(At 4:34)

I would NOT be surprised if at least one of these missions leads towards terraforming Mars.


That said, I'm also certain that this does not involve a slow process and more of an instant use of alien tech.


Nothing is beyond the realm of possibility if you involve mods. I think it's VERY possible to mod in, depending on the skill and desire of people to see it happen.
 
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Although there are some minor things tangentially related to terraforming here and there, "proper" terraforming is really out of the scope of the game at this point. We would really like to explore the theme at some point in the future though.

And of course, modding it in will be a possibility, although I imagine that the scope of the mod will have to be epic to do it justice.
 
That said, I'm also certain that this does not involve a slow process and more of an instant use of alien tech.

Interestingly, the most important part of a long-term terraforming plan would need to be increasing the mass of the planet, so there's some nice room for play there with meteoric bombardment as a reasonably timed thing to include in the game with some nice effects. The bombardment could be a major thing in terms of duration in game, and have interesting pros and cons to weigh out against each other (impacts, thickening atmosphere, increased moisture levels, more fuel requirement to re-launch rockets, all sorts). You could then have a strategic trade-off in terms of execution methods, as well.

Sounds like a lot of potential in it to me, anyway.
 
The key thing to terraform mars would be to add an artificial magnetic field in space. Everything I've read says that with a magnetic field blocking the solar wind the atmosphere would slowly rebuild itself over time. I've read about plans to put solar powered satellites into space between mars and the sun that would creat an artificial magnetic field One of the effects of the solar wind is to split water molecules into hydrogen and oxygen. Then the oxygen combines with the iron in the rocks, while the hydrogen escapes into space. Millions of years ago when mars had a magnetic field it had running water on the surface.https://phys.org/news/2017-03-nasa-magnetic-shield-mars-atmosphere.html
 
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Everything I've read says that with a magnetic field blocking the solar wind the atmosphere would slowly rebuild itself over time.

Not nearly to a survivable extent unless you significantly slow the thermal losses too somehow, and even then you'd be talking a very slow process even by geological time for it to refill, while also leaving you with an ever-depleting stock of atmospheric chemicals locked in the ground.

It would make for a nice game feature, though, I'll give you that.
 
Although there are some minor things tangentially related to terraforming here and there, "proper" terraforming is really out of the scope of the game at this point. We would really like to explore the theme at some point in the future though.

And of course, modding it in will be a possibility, although I imagine that the scope of the mod will have to be epic to do it justice.

Hi,

that is why this should be a collective effort of all players, some long term super mega project that any player can be part of (or not if they choose to) and contribute it with advanced resources, drones, genius people, energy, rare metals etc so that it can be complete. Couple of new unique endgame buildings could be introduced so players can contribute if they want to. This could be also better if it's tier by tier so it doesn't just finish in a week or something. This must took generations from the perspective of our citizens, maybe complete a tier a month (irl time). Each tier would give players something little: a bit better soil, more moisture in the air.. etc
 
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Although there are some minor things tangentially related to terraforming here and there, "proper" terraforming is really out of the scope of the game at this point. We would really like to explore the theme at some point in the future though.

I would definitely not object if one of the expansions was focused on terraforming and climate adjustment.
 
What would happen if the magnetic field fails for some reason halfway through the process?

Is the 'new' atmosphere able to take care of itself after some point?
 
The biggest issue with terraforming Mars is not really the atmosphere, it's the magnetic field of the planet. The core of Mar's is frozen, so its a "dead planet" and has a very weak magnetic field. As long as the DLC is realistic enough in terms of terraforming the atmosphere with CO2, and creating a strong enough magnetic field, I would be all for it.

An example would be building factories to release CO2 into the atmosphere then once it reaches a certain %, it would increase faster due to the ice caps melting and releasing more CO2. Next would be the magnetic field. We could simply, construct a bunch of buildings to start drilling into the core of the planet and then somehow heating it up again to turn the core back into molten rock, creating a magnetic field.

This was just a very quick brainstorm from the top of my head. If they are going to follow through with this idea, I would for one hope it's done in at least a "semi-realistic" manner. Also, a large amount, if not a majority of the ice on Mar's, is frozen CO2 also known as "dry ice".
 
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If terraforming Mars was a thing, it would realistically have to be a massive undertaking spanning dozens, if not hundreds, of Sols and a number of technological adjustments to even survive.

For starters, you need to find some method of creating a magnetic field for the planet. This can be done as described above or, if you're feeling truly eccentric or up for a challenge, and therefore a true Paradox fan, potentially digging down into the core and heating up the outer core enough to melt, then somehow giving it a spin, creating a natural magnetic field similar to Earth's. The process would be immense and possibly require shielding the entire colony and everything that'd be within the new magnetic field from what could possibly be a planet-sized EMP (if you believe massive shifts in magnetic fields can be considered an EMP, but even if you don't, remember that if you take a magnet near a monitor everything goes weird... equipment on Mars isn't meant to be used on Earth, so it's possible the sudden existence of a magnetic field on Mars could have serious consequences)

Secondly, you need to increase the density of the atmosphere through some method, most likely through use of something like the subsurface heater in mine form near the poles to rapidly melt large amounts of ice or some other machinery to tap into materials that can be easily converted into gasses, increasing atmospheric pressure enough to prevent water from evaporating. As you do this, you run into a serious power and transportation problem: all wind turbines, shuttle engines, and solar panels are all designed for use in the less-dense Martian atmosphere. Turbine designs would have to be modified over time to prevent them from being torn apart as the atmosphere becomes more dense, eventually being replaced with something similar to windmills on Earth. Solar panels would have to be designed for even greater efficiency as the atmosphere reduces the amount of light they receive. Shuttles, designed to rely on thrust in a relatively thin atmosphere rather than lift, will find themselves having a hard time moving as they suffer through increased drag and potentially require major redesigns. After that, you have to realize that dust storms are still a problem, but they're now powered by a denser atmosphere as well... This is necessary, however, because even when you factor out the high carbon dioxide content and low oxygen content on Mars, the atmosphere is too thin to be truly breathable. As the atmosphere becomes thicker, meteor strikes would become less common, perhaps replaced with shooting stars that boost the morale of colonists as they realize they're truly making Mars into something amazing.

Third, you have to start worrying about water. You can't make Mars green without surface water. This could be solved by either dropping comets into the Martian atmosphere or releasing water from deep underground deposits. The Core Water breakthrough could be used to help with the process, but doing so would mean you'd have to sacrifice large deposits of water, meaning that until it's on the surface in acceptable amounts, you have to accept your colony might not have any for a while... but it also results in the biggest concerns for the entire terraforming project for many colony sites. If you landed in a deep chasm, you could find your colony quickly flooded as that crater, canyon, or whatever becomes a lake or ocean. As the Sols pass, your colony would have to start building lifts from the domes to the expected surface of the future ocean or lake, construct platforms for surface buildings and rocket landings, design underwater drones and other technology, and adapt to an underwater lifestyle. In other areas, you might have parts of the map flood while others remain dry. As you do this, dust devils and dust storms would probably become less common, replaced by rain showers, thunderstorms and, possibly, tornadoes.

Once this is done, you can start worrying about making the atmosphere breathable. Depending on who you ask, this can be done through specialized bacteria, powerful machinery (perhaps a "super MOXIE"), or simply by cultivating larges amounts of open-air flora to slowly replace the carbon dioxide with oxygen. Once the oxygen content reaches a certain point, you can safely say that unsheltered life on Mars is now possible. Unless you happened to be in an area that's now underwater, there would be no reason to build domes anymore except to protect your colonists from the elements, no need for life-support suits. You wouldn't need MOXIEs or Moisture Vaporators. Throughout the process, your colony could witness the first rainfall on mars, watch the red soil turn brown, and eventually green with plant life. Animal life could be engineered in a lab or imported from Earth, creating a thriving ecosystem with a healthy food web...

If this was done, it would probably be the single most epic thing you could do in a game like this, every event and milestone being an achievement in its own right, every stage you finish with your colony intact being a reason to proudly say "I'm making this happen. We're making this happen." The first colonists went to Mars with the optimistic hope of simply surviving, but their descendants would be taming it, conquering it, making it into a new home for humanity so much like the blue and green marble their ancestors fondly looked at in the sky every chance they got.
 
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If terraforming Mars was a thing, it would realistically have to be a massive undertaking spanning dozens, if not hundreds, of Sols and a number of technological adjustments to even survive.

For starters, you need to find some method of creating a magnetic field for the planet. This can be done as described above or, if you're feeling truly eccentric or up for a challenge, and therefore a true Paradox fan, potentially digging down into the core and heating up the outer core enough to melt, then somehow giving it a spin, creating a natural magnetic field similar to Earth's. The process would be immense and possibly require shielding the entire colony and everything that'd be within the new magnetic field from what could possibly be a planet-sized EMP (if you believe massive shifts in magnetic fields can be considered an EMP, but even if you don't, remember that if you take a magnet near a monitor everything goes weird... equipment on Mars isn't meant to be used on Earth, so it's possible the sudden existence of a magnetic field on Mars could have serious consequences)

Secondly, you need to increase the density of the atmosphere through some method, most likely through use of something like the subsurface heater in mine form near the poles to rapidly melt large amounts of ice or some other machinery to tap into materials that can be easily converted into gasses, increasing atmospheric pressure enough to prevent water from evaporating. As you do this, you run into a serious power and transportation problem: all wind turbines, shuttle engines, and solar panels are all designed for use in the less-dense Martian atmosphere. Turbine designs would have to be modified over time to prevent them from being torn apart as the atmosphere becomes more dense, eventually being replaced with something similar to windmills on Earth. Solar panels would have to be designed for even greater efficiency as the atmosphere reduces the amount of light they receive. Shuttles, designed to rely on thrust in a relatively thin atmosphere rather than lift, will find themselves having a hard time moving as they suffer through increased drag and potentially require major redesigns. After that, you have to realize that dust storms are still a problem, but they're now powered by a denser atmosphere as well... This is necessary, however, because even when you factor out the high carbon dioxide content and low oxygen content on Mars, the atmosphere is too thin to be truly breathable. As the atmosphere becomes thicker, meteor strikes would become less common, perhaps replaced with shooting stars that boost the morale of colonists as they realize they're truly making Mars into something amazing.

Third, you have to start worrying about water. You can't make Mars green without surface water. This could be solved by either dropping comets into the Martian atmosphere or releasing water from deep underground deposits. The Core Water breakthrough could be used to help with the process, but doing so would mean you'd have to sacrifice large deposits of water, meaning that until it's on the surface in acceptable amounts, you have to accept your colony might not have any for a while... but it also results in the biggest concerns for the entire terraforming project for many colony sites. If you landed in a deep chasm, you could find your colony quickly flooded as that crater, canyon, or whatever becomes a lake or ocean. As the Sols pass, your colony would have to start building lifts from the domes to the expected surface of the future ocean or lake, construct platforms for surface buildings and rocket landings, design underwater drones and other technology, and adapt to an underwater lifestyle. In other areas, you might have parts of the map flood while others remain dry. As you do this, dust devils and dust storms would probably become less common, replaced by rain showers, thunderstorms and, possibly, tornadoes.

Once this is done, you can start worrying about making the atmosphere breathable. Depending on who you ask, this can be done through specialized bacteria, powerful machinery (perhaps a "super MOXIE"), or simply by cultivating larges amounts of open-air flora to slowly replace the carbon dioxide with oxygen. Once the oxygen content reaches a certain point, you can safely say that unsheltered life on Mars is now possible. Unless you happened to be in an area that's now underwater, there would be no reason to build domes anymore except to protect your colonists from the elements, no need for life-support suits. You wouldn't need MOXIEs or Moisture Vaporators. Throughout the process, your colony could witness the first rainfall on mars, watch the red soil turn brown, and eventually green with plant life. Animal life could be engineered in a lab or imported from Earth, creating a thriving ecosystem with a healthy food web...

If this was done, it would probably be the single most epic thing you could do in a game like this, every event and milestone being an achievement in its own right, every stage you finish with your colony intact being a reason to proudly say "I'm making this happen. We're making this happen."

I thought I went into a lot of detail, good god. Bloody good post though sir. Although I enjoyed reading your post, I doubt we will get something this "detailed" lol. Also, I have to agree with your post 100%. :)
 
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Thank you for the compliment. Trust me, I might have a large number of major issues with parts of the game, but if the devs implemented anything even half as impressive as that, I'd be very happy. As someone who was obsessed with space and actually read up on what it'd take to terraform Mars (charitably stated to take several centuries) I can honestly say that if it was implemented in any way, it'd have to be done in a way that makes the current achievements of the playerbase and the mysteries look small and insignificant in comparison.