Take On Mars

Take On Mars

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Primus 9 Jan, 2024 @ 12:37am
Am I overlooking something?
So, I start this scenario (pretty much a standard survival one) with 2 standard supply drops with small everything. To secure my water supply, I need a water cooler, which requires plastic. For plastic, I need to build a large refinery, which is 3 meters wide, so I need to build a modular printer at least 3x4x3. So, the materials supplied in the drop is sufficient to build only 2 thirds of that printer, which means I have to find a lot of siliconoxide, aluminum and iron. I set up my drill on a bunch of rocks, and with my two PV panels producing a total of ~800 Wh at noon time, and the drill burning 1.6 kWh, it takes approximately 10 minutes to fill up a barrel of 130 mars rock, which produces enough silox for only 3 glass panels, of which I need about 16, which means around 1 hour sitting and waiting for the drill. And I also need many more edge panels. So, that's another 30 mins or so. That's just to get the large refinery. After I manage to build one, I'll need to harvest atmosphere and process it to get carbon. So, it's taking about 2-3 hours just to be able to get plastic so that I can build a fountain, and after that I need to build a pressurized shelter, which is another couple of hours, so that I can refill my water pouches.

Is that about right? Or is there a quicker way to secure a water supply which I'm overlooking?
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Showing 1-5 of 5 comments
pepe143 9 Jan, 2024 @ 10:21am 
Hi,

1. You don't need a big refinery to refine plastic (Split Mars Soil I - 1x Water), just a small one. At the beginning plastic is not needed.

2. Building a small (temporary) base is a necessity. The base is built first and life support is built into it.

3. Water Station doesn't work on the surface ( pressure and temperature limitation given in the script) - 3D printing won't help, waste of resources. Water station only works inside the base. There is no need to attend to it at the beginning, only after the construction of a functional base with life support.

4. Mining, building a base... other things up over time.

Briefly. It all depends on the scenario, how long your base supplies will last, and what style of base building you choose.

Advice: If you want to enjoy the game don't use the mods from the Workshop at the beginning.
Last edited by pepe143; 9 Jan, 2024 @ 10:26am
Primus 9 Jan, 2024 @ 10:25am 
Hi, thank you for your response. However, the water station, which I need to refill water pouches, does require plastic to build it. And for plastic, I need a large refinery. There is no other way to use water barrels. Or is there?
pepe143 9 Jan, 2024 @ 10:31am 
If you do not have a built base so you water station will not help. Water bags are then not needed. You can drink water directly at the base from the water station. Without a base, the water barrel cannot be used.
Primus 9 Jan, 2024 @ 10:33am 
I cannot build a water station without plastic, so that's why a large refinery is necessary. The main reason for building a pressurized room is so that I can install a water station. And without plastic, I cannot build a water station.
pepe143 9 Jan, 2024 @ 11:08am 
In the beginning you have a small 3D printer and small machines + limited resources in barrels. Use these to build a large 3D printer. On nothing else. In the meantime, you're mining resources, refining. You then use the large 3D printer to build a base, accessories to it as a life support source, to make machines, power sources, etc. You don't need plastic for these things. The rest is up to you, what you prioritize and what you print first. If you're playing a classic scenario then your water supply needs to last you a few sols to build a functional base.
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