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I fully admit that the title seems a bit over enthusiastic, but I am absolutely blown away by the concept behind the Colonize Mars blockchain based game. Colonize Mars combines the advantages of NFTs, passive crypto income, space exploration, and is modeled using real aerospace technology to give players a game that is simultaneously fun and entreating but also serves an educational role and is designed to promote future space exploration.
Real Technology
I know that by this point, there are hundreds of NFT / Blockchain based games (that all seem to focus on space) claiming to be the next big thing, but one thing that really stands out about Colonize Mars is that it is modeled on real technology. All the in game assets (Rovers, Scouting Drones, Cargo Rockets, etc) are represented as NFTs, but the characteristics of those NFTs are modeled based on real technology that is designed to accurately represent what colonizing Mars would look like.
In fact, the team even states that the driving purpose of the game is to catalyze the will of humanity to go forward in space exploration. In contrast to some games that are complete fiction, I like to think of this game as more of a simulation. Yes, it is a game, but it is designed to be a game that is also educational, and I think it stands out from many of its peers in that respect. Maybe its just me, but I always like games that have a basis in reality as it makes them seem more believable and I can put myself in the action.
NFTs
As this is a blockchain based game, all assets are represented as NFTs which gives the usual perks of true ownership, real control, transferability, and so forth. However, Colonize Mars also allows players to burn lower level cards into higher level cards to gain more influence over the colony. If you are able to get an "Ownership" level card, your NFT card is actually depicted on the colony map with your WAX address. Let's be honest, people like fame and recognition, and I think this will be a major selling point that will bring people to the game for the bragging rights of seeing their address as an actual part of the game.
The Ownership cards play a big role in the game, but anyone can get started playing simply by purchasing a basic level card and staking it to an ownership card.
Gameplay
Just as the real colonization of Mars would take a long time to progress, the game progresses in stages. The initial stages involve simply sending up supplies to Mars (NFT drops) while later stages will allow players to go on explorations and extract resources from the Martian service. Once simple extraction of resources becomes common, players will need to repair the land and perform maintenance on vehicles. As the planetary colonization becomes more formal, players will be able to purchase land on Mars.
Note: Colonize Mars will have its next NFT sale on July 7th at 4 PM UTC. If you're interested in taking part in the sale, be sure to follow their official Twitter to stay up to date so you don't miss out. There will be a variety of new NFTs released that were NOT a part of the Mission 1 sale.
Colonize Mars VS Alien Worlds
As someone who has played Alien Worlds from the beginning, I do like it a lot, but I also realize that crypto moves fast and games borrow and learn from each other to keep innovating. I want to be clear that I am NOT trashing AW but rather pointing out that I think Mars has some huge potential for a few reasons. AW is good, but Colonize Mars has the potential to be MUCH more.
1) The graphics are light years apart. Take a look at the NFTs from AW cards and then look at the Mars cards. In my opinion, there is no comparison. I know it wont show up in this PNG image, but the Mars cards are actually animated as well.
2) AW is prohibitively expensive. Mining with basic tools gets basically no TLM yields and even with tools that cost several thousands of dollars, its difficult to make more than a few cents per day.
3) Mars offers NFT staking whereas AW requires frequent logging in to mine. Of course, this is subject to change with the Planet BINANCE missions.
4) The Mars game delivers a much richer experience. Despite being live for several months, AW is still very much "click to mine" with very little gaming functionality. Even months after the Binance announcement, we are still waiting for Planet Binance Missions, and what about Thunderdome??
5) Colonize Mars is educational and is focused on driving humanity towards space exploration with its insistence on an accurate representation of the available technology. Maybe its the nerd in me, but I love the idea that an NFT game could re-energize humanity's will to become a multiplanetary, space exploring species.
Summary
Overall, I am excited by the concept of Colonize Mars. The artwork is nice, the team seems to have a solid vision, and there is a lot of community support. The ability to have an ownership card that is actually represented in the game for everyone to see is a neat perk as is the ability to stake NFTs in game is something that I haven't really seen before, and it will be interesting to see whether the project also seeks an R-Planet staking partnership. The game has a lot of unique features, and I wish the team and players the best.
As always, thanks for reading. Nothing is financial advice.
References
https://twitter.com/colonizemarsnft?lang=en
https://wax.atomichub.io/market
https://discord.com/channels/837040929394262076/848695129756794910
