Surviving Mars brings players to the surface of the red planet and gives them the ability to create the ideal next living space for humanity. There are numerous types of buildings players can create and a wide variety of materials they have to gather in order to make their colony function. But, an underappreciated layer of difficulty in Surviving Mars is the general deterioration outside buildings go through. This makes knowing how to repair buildings and machines incredibly important in Surviving Mars.
Each crafted building has its own maintenance bar in Surviving Mars that players need to keep in mind. As the game describes, "Martian dust and disasters contribute to deterioration of outside buildings." Regular maintenance is an important piece of keeping a colony on Mars functioning properly and it all relies on drones. Having the proper amount of drones around a player's base and keeping them in the most useful areas are the key to maintaining buildings effectively.
Drones are the backbone of any successful colony in Surviving Mars. These robots help create all manner of buildings, stockpile resources, as well as repair those structures in need. Typically players just need to have drones active in the area for them to automatically repair those structures that require maintenance. As long as functioning drones are in the area and the resource required to repair a building is nearby then this process should be relatively hands-off.
This removes the need for players to micromanage their drones. That being said, it is still important to check back in on each building regularly before any disaster befalls them. Malfunctions and disasters can make or break a colony.
In order to check the maintenance requirement of a building, players just need to click on that respective building. This brings up the building menu on which is a symbol of a gear with a wrench inside of it. This area of the menu describes the deterioration process as well as the current level of deterioration of that building.
Importantly, this is also where players find out what resource is required to complete the needed repairs. If a player finds that something requires immediate assistance, they can take a few pathways in Surviving Mars.
In a building's menu, at the top, there are several options players can choose from. This is where players can go if they are looking to expedite the repair process and ensure their colonists survive in Surviving Mars. The most important of these options is the three triangles stacked on one another. This is where players can alter this building's priority level. The higher the level of priority, the faster the drones will get to the building.
It is important to note that the hub location for the drones has to have an operational area that includes the deteriorated building. On top of this, it is also crucial that the required supplies are in that area as well. Having one without the other will result in no repairs being done.
With multiple bases and fragile colonists in Surviving Mars, it can be difficult to balance where drones are most needed, but the pause button can give players more time to solve these issues. Also important for players to keep in mind is that the drones themselves need to be recharged and require their own maintenance in order to function properly.
Surviving Mars is available for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.