Doom - How big is Mars Base

[volbound1700]

Kind of a fun theoretical discussion.  How big is Mars base?  You really only see parts of it like Alpha, Delta, a floor of Mars City, the Underground, Dig-site 3, Central Processing, and the Communication area.  

 

I imagine there is a residential\living area of the plant.  Is there a Beta Labs?  Just curious.  

[BonciuADV]

There was also supposed to be a chapel and living quarters, but they were cut because they were making the intro too long. Don't forget about the Mars Outpost from Doom RPG, that should theoretically be part of the same base as the invasion started at the same time. As for extra areas, the rest of site 2 is sealed off and the Eternal rendition of mars features some rooms besides the Alpha and Delta labs and the Comms tower. There could very well be other parts of the base that are only accessible by teleporter. I made a map some time ago by stitching all of the levels that are in the editor on my guide.

Edited September 12, 2022 by BonciuADV

[Tetzlaff]

19 hours ago, volbound1700 said:

Kind of a fun theoretical discussion.  How big is Mars base?  You really only see parts of it like Alpha, Delta, a floor of Mars City, the Underground, Dig-site 3, Central Processing, and the Communication area.  

 

I imagine there is a residential\living area of the plant.  Is there a Beta Labs?  Just curious.  

 

There are more areas that belong to Mars City in the expansions: Mars City (Location).

 

Doom 3: Phobos features some convincingly realised residential areas of Mars City.

Edited September 12, 2022 by Tetzlaff

[TheSlipgateStudios]

As big as New York City, that's my theory about it.

[CapersOnSalad]

Always seemed rather small to me. Like, yeah it's huge. But when you compare it to somewhere like Black Mesa, it becomes small. I think that's a strength with DOOM 3, because it never felt like this arbitrarily designed place that could go on forever. It felt more real than other FPS settings. I think that helped make the merging of Mars and Hell more effective. 

[volbound1700]

On 9/19/2022 at 9:23 PM, CapersOnSalad said:

Always seemed rather small to me. Like, yeah it's huge. But when you compare it to somewhere like Black Mesa, it becomes small. I think that's a strength with DOOM 3, because it never felt like this arbitrarily designed place that could go on forever. It felt more real than other FPS settings. I think that helped make the merging of Mars and Hell more effective. 

 

Yeah but I always saw it like you were only visiting specific parts of the Base and not the full Base.  You only go to 1 floor of Mars City, The Communication Tower, and Alpha/Delta labs (plus secret parts).

 

Is there a Beta Lab?  Housing area?  Barracks?  etc.  It seems like there are large areas you don't visit in the game.  

[CapersOnSalad]

9 minutes ago, volbound1700 said:

 

Yeah but I always saw it like you were only visiting specific parts of the Base and not the full Base.  You only go to 1 floor of Mars City, The Communication Tower, and Alpha/Delta labs (plus secret parts).

 

Is there a Beta Lab?  Housing area?  Barracks?  etc.  It seems like there are large areas you don't visit in the game.  

I wish we got to see more areas like that. I think Barracks in particular or really any housing or staging area could've had large enemy counts that would've brought some needed variety to the game's encounters.

[Tetzlaff]

On 9/23/2022 at 5:57 PM, volbound1700 said:

 

Is there a Beta Lab?  Housing area?  Barracks?  etc.  It seems like there are large areas you don't visit in the game.  

Yes of course there is supposed to be more areas. And regarding Beta Labs, weren’t they even mentioned in some PDA texts?

 

On 9/23/2022 at 6:08 PM, CapersOnSalad said:

I wish we got to see more areas like that. 

Play Team Future‘s Phobos and your wish will be fulfilled.

[Xerenogan]

I think of it being rather on the small side.
If you have ever been on something like a submarine for any length of time, it feels pretty big. The claustrophobia ebbs away. Because it's so small, it takes longer to move about on small ladders and stairs, which makes it feel even bigger just like in mars base.
But then when you finally pull back into port or even better, drydock, and you're standing there looking at it. You realize you can probably fit a couple of these in a highschool football pitch.
Don't get me wrong, it's probably got some size to it, but if you took an extended hike any distance from it, it'd probably be smaller than some warehouses.

[Gzegzolka]

In short answer - yes, that's all parts You see in UAC Mars base and there might be another level of alpha or delta lab, another dig site, or few more floors of Mars City but that is all. I believe that Mars base was designed first as remote installation with minimal staff to occupy and later Marine forces were transported there to overlook military related projects, and bit later when UAC start tests with teleportation in Delta labs they need more technicians and engineers to fix machinery and keep power working. 

 

In long answer - You might see just a small portion of Mars base, there might be other labs like those ones from Lost Mission, or labs related to chemical/medical research, labs related to plants and oxygen productions, Marine barracks, monorail service and repair station, other landing pads, etc, use Your imagination and create whatever You want.

[Lonespacemarine]

In the chaos and fear of death I didn't quite get to measure the length and breadth. But I would say it is big as nyc