Start Your First Park the Right Way
A successful park starts with one secure, functional human exhibit—not a huge collection of expensive buildings. The opening tutorial teaches systems that remain important throughout every scenario: enclosures, utilities, staffing, guest satisfaction, and research.
Begin by following the objective panel, but plan a little beyond each immediate task. Put your first enclosure near the entrance so arriving Martian guests can easily see it. Ancient Rome is commonly used for the opening habitat, but the important part is creating a valid footprint with enough room for humans, equipment, and staff access.
When placing an enclosure, select Enclosures, choose the habitat, then use its footprint tool to drag a rectangle on clear terrain. The preview must turn blue before you release the mouse button. A red preview means the area is too small or obstructed.
| Opening task | What to build or do | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Create an enclosure | Make a clear, sufficiently large habitat footprint | Gives humans a secure place to live |
| Add a gate | Place it directly in the enclosure wall | Lets staff deliver supplies and handle humans |
| Install windows | Put viewing windows along guest-facing walls | Allows guests to watch the exhibit |
| Launch an expedition | Select the habitat before choosing an expedition | Brings in humans for the enclosure |
| Open the park | Do this after basic guest access is ready | Starts attendance and donations |
Avoid building the enclosure across paths, rocks, existing structures, or the highlighted tutorial boundary. In the first tutorial, the enclosure needs to fill the required highlighted space and be at least 10 by 10. If the game appears not to progress, also check whether the simulation is paused.
Keep Humans Contained, Fed, and Interesting
Humans are the attraction, but they are also the park’s largest operational risk. They have needs, can become unhappy, and may eventually cause serious problems if their habitat is neglected.
After an expedition returns, place the captured humans inside the matching enclosure. Check their needs promptly. Hunger is usually among the first problems, so install a food dispenser inside the habitat. Dispensers have limited supplies, which makes a nearby storehouse and a porter essential rather than optional.
Build an observation post inside the enclosure once it becomes available. A scientist assigned there can run experiments. Experiments do more than entertain guests: they generate research and improve knowledge for that habitat, opening stronger expedition options over time.
| Human-care need | Practical response | What happens if ignored |
|---|---|---|
| Hunger | Add food dispensers and stock them through a storehouse | Human happiness falls |
| Supplies | Hire porters to move goods from storage | Dispensers can remain empty |
| Observation | Build an observation post and hire a scientist | Fewer experiment and research opportunities |
| Security | Maintain guards near active exhibits | Escapes become harder to contain |
| Space and access | Leave room for equipment and staff routes | Habitats become inefficient to manage |
Use experiments regularly, especially when a scenario asks for more daily research or a higher park rating. Repeated experiments count toward research activity, while simply unlocking a research item is a one-time improvement.
A stable enclosure should have these basics before you expand:
- A properly enclosed habitat with a gate
- Viewing windows facing guest paths
- Food and any required habitat equipment
- A storehouse and porter support chain
- An observation post with scientific staff
- Security coverage for escape risks
Do not treat humans as passive decorations. Their moods influence whether a park feels controlled or constantly on the verge of disaster.
Build Guest Services and Utilities Efficiently
Guests need more than a glimpse of a human enclosure. Paths, toilets, attractions, and pleasant surroundings determine whether they stay, enjoy the park, and leave donations.
Connect the entrance to every important building with clear pathing. Place amenities where guests naturally congregate, especially near enclosures and rides. Toilets require water, so establish utility coverage before building a long row of guest facilities.
Generators can damage the beauty of nearby areas. Instead of scattering water and power generators beside exhibits, group them at the edge of the map and run pipes and cables outward. Adjacent utility buildings can share coverage efficiently, while the unsightly infrastructure stays away from guest-facing areas.
| Park system | Best placement | Management advice |
|---|---|---|
| Paths | Between entrance, exhibits, amenities, and rides | Avoid forcing guests through long detours |
| Toilets | Near high-traffic guest areas | Ensure water reaches them |
| Water generators | Remote utility corner | Extend pipes rather than placing generators near exhibits |
| Power generators | Remote utility corner | Use cables to connect distant buildings |
| Donation boxes | Beside windows and busy attractions | Add more as viewing areas expand |
| Storehouses | Close to service routes, not necessarily guest routes | Keep porters’ travel time short |
Use overlays frequently. The beauty overlay reveals where utility buildings or unattractive construction are hurting the park. The profit overlay helps identify which rides, exhibits, and buildings are actually earning money.
Early on, donation boxes are an important income source. Place them where guests watch humans through windows. Later, rides increase both profit and the number of guests your park can support, making them a strong expansion tool once research and resources allow it.
Research, Money, Staff, and Emergencies
The fastest way to lose control is expanding before the park can afford its staff and security. Watch finances, research with a purpose, and build a response plan for escapes before one happens.
Some scenarios begin with a loan. Loan interest drains money continuously, so repay it in increments whenever your cash flow permits. Do not empty your reserves completely, though: an emergency, a new utility requirement, or a staff shortage can be more damaging than a short period of interest.
Research should follow your current bottleneck. Unlock facilities when your park needs operational capacity, rides when you need attendance and income, and stronger acquisition options when your habitats have enough knowledge to support better expeditions.
| Priority | When to focus on it | Benefit |
|---|---|---|
| Loan repayment | After essential buildings and staff are covered | Reduces ongoing interest costs |
| Enclosure experiments | When research or knowledge is low | Raises daily research and habitat knowledge |
| Rides | When guest capacity and profit are limiting growth | Adds income and attracts more guests |
| Staff training | In the later game | Improves park operations |
| Marketing | Once the park can handle greater attendance | Supports late-game growth |
| Security hiring | Before humans become consistently unhappy | Protects guests and staff during escapes |
Security guards now have useful downtime work collecting cash from donation boxes, but their critical role is still containment. Keep several guards available as the number of humans grows. If an escape overwhelms your staff, an emergency SWAT response can end the crisis, although it may cost money and human specimens.
The workshop provides another economic path. Humans that are no longer useful can be converted into specimens, and specimens can fabricate certain rides. That can be cheaper than purchasing rides outright, though expeditions still have their own costs. Decide whether an individual human is more valuable as an exhibit subject, an experiment target, or a resource for expansion.
Late-game success comes from balancing these loops: happy guests create revenue, revenue funds staff and utilities, stable habitats enable experiments, and research unlocks better ways to grow.
FAQ
What is the fastest way to begin a Mars Attracts walkthrough?
Build one valid enclosure near the entrance, add a gate and viewing windows, launch a matching expedition, then give the humans food support. Add paths, toilets, water, a storehouse, and a porter before opening the park.
Why is my enclosure placement preview red?
The footprint is invalid. It may be too small, overlap a path, building, or rock, or fail a tutorial requirement. Drag the habitat over open terrain until the preview becomes blue, then release it.
Why will the tutorial not let me place the habitat?
Make sure you selected the habitat’s Footprint tool rather than only selecting the habitat category. In the opening tutorial, create an enclosure at least 10 by 10 and fill the highlighted area. Also verify that the game is not paused.
How do I improve park rating?
Maintain guest needs, earn daily research through experiments, add appealing attractions, and keep operations stable. Park rating is easier to raise when the park is profitable, well-serviced, and actively conducting research.
How do I stop human escapes?
Keep humans fed and otherwise satisfied, maintain secure enclosures, and hire enough security guards before problems escalate. During a major escape, guards can restrain threats; an emergency SWAT option may help if the situation is no longer manageable.