Bohemia Interactive is expanding their Take On Mars simulator by releasing the Expedition One content update, which lets us actually put man on Mars to try and survive its harsh environment.
It's no picnic as we'll need to very carefully manage our resources as we try to establish a working colony to support life. This "should be the endgame" for Take On Mars, says Bohemia.
Establishing a human colony on Mars is the stuff of dreams for mankind, especially as we haven't even got that new theme park on the Moon finished yet. Bloody unions.
"Participants will be tasked with performing a multitude of scientific experiments, constructing habitats spanning from shelters to entire installations, and searching for viable sources of oxygen, water, and raw materials. Due to the limited amount of supplies the space shuttle can carry, one of the most significant challenges for the marsonauts will simply be surviving the harsh Martian environment. As such, participants will have to actively manage their oxygen levels, food stocks, grow plants, and operate drilling rigs in the search for new resources. Unpressurized and pressurized manned vehicles will be at their disposal to increase their mobility across the vast alien terrain."
Expedition One will split Take On Mars into two chapters for its campaign with the first remaining as the control of an exploration vehicle: the Mars Rover and Stationary Landers. Chapter 2 is therefore dedicated to the actual human enterprise of colonising the Red Planet. The first can be skipped, but resources will be thin on the ground.
Expedition One highlights:
▪ Take the next giant leap for mankind and leave the first human footprints on the surface of Mars
▪ Drive unpressurized and pressurized manned vehicles to explore the new 8x8 km Cydonia terrain
▪ Build your own habitat spanning from shelters to entire installations via a unique construction system
▪ Live off the land by managing and extracting resources to build your base and keep you alive
▪ Establish the foundations of a human colony on the surface of another planet
Take On Mars: Expedition One releases on PC in Q2 2014 for €13.99 / $17.99 / £11.99.