Data, model and fiction

What is real here and what was invented for the game

Robosoma uses real data about Mars, but it does not pretend to be an exact copy of the planet or an engineering simulator. The three layers are separated plainly below.

3,389.5 kmthe mean radius of Mars
≈3.71 m/s²surface gravity
24 h 39 minlength of a solar day
LayerWhat belongs to itHow to read it
Real dataRadius, the global MOLA relief, the optional HRSC/MOLA pack, gravity, day length and atmospheric composition.The numbers and maps come from scientific sources.
Game modelMovement on slopes, site suitability, mining, logistics, ballistic flight and fuel consumption.Based on physical meaning, but simplified and tuned for play.
ProceduralSmall roughness, individual rocks, the exact position and reserves of deposits.These details are not a map of a real ore body.
FictionThe Robosoma, the events of 2026-2041, the machine standard, the colonies and the wars.An invented history of the future, not a forecast.

Terrain and scale

The base version uses the global MOLA elevation map. An optional science pack adds combined HRSC/MOLA data and is installed separately.

1:1 scale means the planet radius, the distances and the elevation differences are not squeezed into an ordinary game arena. It does not mean that every rock reproduces a specific place on Mars: the resolution of the source maps is limited, so small details are generated procedurally.

The terrain takes part in the game: Robosomas walk around slopes that are too steep, buildings need a level site, the camera follows the surface, and the ship lands with the local elevation in mind.

Olympus Mons on the Robosoma map
Olympus Mons on the global elevation map.
The whole planet Mars in Robosoma
From a view of the whole sphere you can approach the surface without changing level.

Atmosphere and sound

Mean pressure at the surface of Mars is about 0.6% of the pressure on Earth, and it changes with altitude and season. Atmospheric density, meanwhile, is around 1-2% of Earth's: pressure and density are not the same thing.

Sound exists on Mars. Because the carbon-dioxide atmosphere is thin, it is quieter, travels more slowly and loses high frequencies faster. A Martian machine would therefore not be silent, but hearing it from a distance is harder than on Earth.

Source: NASA — Sounds of Mars.

Ship flight

During an ordinary trip the Strizh does not follow a pre-recorded trajectory. The model accounts for mass, thrust, fuel consumption, Martian gravity and simplified atmospheric drag. A loaded ship accelerates more slowly, and a touchdown that is too fast or sideways ends in a crash.

What is simplified: there is no full aerodynamics, no wind, no hull heating, no material fatigue and no per-part strength. The introductory flight is sped up so the landing does not take real time. This is a game physics model, not a certified simulator.

Fuel from local resources

The ship needs methane and oxygen. The atmosphere alone is not enough: hydrogen requires water.

CO₂captured from the atmosphere
Waterice or soil
Electrolysis and SabatierH₂, O₂ and CH₄
Coolingliquid methane and oxygen

This is based on real ISRU directions — the use of local resources. Building sizes, production rates and trip volumes are tuned for play and are not the design of a real plant.

More: NASA — producing methane and oxygen on Mars.

The Robosoma and its power source

The four-legged design is inspired by existing research robots, but the Robosoma itself is an invented machine of the future. Its speed, autonomy and ability to build other machines are engineering assumptions of the game world.

Modern NASA radioisotope systems use plutonium-238. Americium-241 is being studied in European programmes, but it is not yet a production power source for Martian robots. The parameters of the Robosoma power cell therefore belong to the fiction, not to a finished technology.

Robosoma is not connected with the makers of Spot, ANYmal or any other current platform.

Sources: NASA — Radioisotope Power Systems; UK National Nuclear Laboratory — Am‑241.

What is not modelled yet

Weather and environment

Dust storms, wind, radiation damage and a detailed thermal regime are not implemented yet.

Materials

There is no full structural strength, no wear of every mechanism and no chemical impurities of a particular deposit.

Exact geology

The global relief is real, but the specific placement of resources is generated by the game.