Surviving Mars: Space Race expansion blasts off next week
Offblast!
After launching small DLC without the game exploding on the pad, Surviving Mars developers Haemimont Games are just about ready for their colony-management sim's first expansion. Space Race is its name and, publishers Paradox confirmed today, launching on November 15th is its aim. The expansion will introduce rival colonies competing with you for the contracts, support, and parent-like approval of sponsors (including two new sponsors, Brazil and Japan), leading to new challenges, new vehicles, new buildings, new skulduggery, and new events including... problems with a Flat Mars Society? Oh sure, let them build a spaceship to go up and prove Mars is flat, that will work out fine.
You can see that merry bunch of cynics in this new video, which gives an overview of the expansion:
The rival colonies appear to be abstract opponents appearing only in menus and as metrics you're judged against, rather than places you can visit yourself, but I don't suppose their noncorporeality is much comfort when they beat you to goals and precious resources. Paradox explain:
"Compete for milestones and anomalies with several other AI colonies backed by rival sponsors attempting to set roots on Mars and vie to become this planet's superpower. You can trade with, respond to distress calls for, issue distress calls to, and even steal important colonists from these competitor colonies as you establish your territory on Mars."
Get off my planet, you dang kids.
Space Race will launch on November 15th, the day you Earthlets know as 'next Thursday'. It'll cost £10 on Steam, or there's also a season pass. It'll be accompanied by two other DLC packs, one adding new radio stations and the other new buildings (which are cheaper if you get all three together).