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Surviving Mars is a challenging but rewarding game. If you've mastered the art of building a colony and want to add an extra challenge, the Green Planet DLC expansion introduces terraforming mechanics. As your colony grows, you'll be able to make Mars inhabitable and eventually ♛let your colonists wander freely outside the Domes.
Terraforming takes a very long time, so planning ahead is important. In this guide, we'll explore how to utilize the different terraforming parameters and examine how you can bring fields, forests, and lakes to the surface of Mars.
Terraforming Parameters
If your game has terraforming rules enabled (you can turn them on or off before starting a new campaign) you'll see the four terraforming parameters at the top of your screen, underneath your resource totals. Each is rated with a percentage from zero to one hundred, with zero being Mars' pre-colonization conditions and one hundred being Earthlike. To fully transform Mars into a world habitable by humans, you'll need to get all four parameters to one hundred percent.
Parameter |
Description |
Increased By |
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Atmosphere |
Represents the thickness and composition of Mars' atmosphere. |
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Temperature |
Represents the average global temper🌊ature on Mars. |
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Water |
Represents the amount of liquid water on Mars' surface. |
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Vegetation |
Represents the amount of sustainable plant life on Mars' surface. |
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Terraforming Effects
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Terraforming Buildings
With terraforming rules active, your colony will have access to the Terraforming Tech Tree which contains several unique buildings. They're usually quite expensive to build and maintain, so be sure you're ready before you build one.
Building |
Required Technology |
Build Cost |
Maintenance |
Consumption |
Effect |
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GHG Factory |
Greenhouse Mars |
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Forestation Plant |
Martian Vegetation |
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Lake (Various Sizes) |
Lake Crafting |
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Carbonate Processor |
Carbonate Processor |
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Open Farm |
Domeless Farming |
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Core Heat Convector |
Core Heat Convector |
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Magnetic Field Generator |
Magnetic Field Generator |
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The GHG Factory, Carbonate Processor, Core Heat Convector, and Magnetic Field Generator can all be Amplified after researching Terraforming Amplification. Like the upgrade of the same name for factories, this allows y🅰ou to enhance an existing building for a one-time Polymer cost, increasing both its output a𒁃nd its power consumption.
Terraforming Strategy
Completely terrafo𓄧rming Mars can take hundreds of Sols and requires a massive investment of nearly every resource in the game. Just like the colony itself, your terraforming priorities will change and adapt as the game goes on. Here are some tip𝐆s to help you along.
Choosing A Sponsor And Commander
Unsurprisingly, the Terraforming Initiative is the mission sponsor that has the easiest time turning Mars green. Not only are they decently well-funded and equipped for frequent trips to and from Earth, but all Terraforming technologies require half as much research for them. Better y♐et, the Terrafor🐲ming Initiative starts with Forestation Plants unlocked and ignores the Power requirement for those buildings.
If you're really planning to focus on terraforming at the start of a run, consider choosing the Geo Engineer as your commander. They start off with some prefab terraforming buildings, allowing you to get started as soon as your power grid is up and running. The Hydro Engineer is also a strong choice, as the guaranteed water deposit at your landing zone can he♏lp with both survival andꦉ terraforming.
Start Small, But Start Early
In the early stages of the game, you need to focus on getting your colony to the point of self-sufficiency. Most of your resources will be put toward that goal, but with a little extra groundwork you can make the later stages of terraforming much smoother. Around the time that you're ready to bring in your first colonists, build at least one GHG Factory to get the ball rolling on the Temperature parameter. A single Refinery p🅰roduces 12 Fuel per Sol, so you should be able to run the GHG Factory alongside Polymer Factories and rocket refueling with little issue.
Whenever you bring a cargo shipment from Earth, try to make room for at least one batch of Seeds. This will allow you to build up a stockpile ahead of building your Forestation Plants. These buildings go through Seeds surprisingly fast, so until you can dedicate some Farms to seed crops you'll need to import from Earth to keep the process moving.
Designate A "Green Zone"
Terraforming doesn't require a lot of human labor, so you can build further from the Domes than you otherwise might. Pick a wide stretch of land that you can easily hook up to the grid and concentrate your Lakes there. This will enrich🐟 the soil, making it easier to seed Vegetation and run Open Farms in that area. As a bonus, if you have Tourism enabled𓂃 you can get extra funding by letting visitors tour this "Green Zone" in an RC Safari vehicle.
Survival Comes First
If you are running a deficit in electricity, water, or resources, don't be afraid to temporarily disable your terraforming buildings. This will slow the overall process but a few Sols here and there won't make too much difference. Without a functioning colony, terraforming becomes both impossible and pointless. See to your peoples' needs first - Mars has been red for 4.5 billion years or so, it can wait a little longer.