Two ideas to save the Terraformer!

Phoenix223

1. Define Dampening Zones - Certain areas or biomes could be defined that would disable the Terraformer's functions outside of Creative. If the Terraformer's cursor lands in one of these areas while digging, it would cancel and the AI would alert the player. This way, certain biomes critical to Subnautica's storyline (Inactive Lava Zone?) would prohibit its use.

2. Limit to Creative - Make the Terraformer uncraftable outside of Creative mode. The only way to get it is at the start of or crafting it in a Creative game.

Either one of these could nerf the Terraformer. While I agree this tool is a bit OP for survival, we still love using it if only to express our creative side. And sometimes, when I deploy my Seamoth from my moon pool, it bangs into the seafloor; I use the Terraformer to clear out some extra space.

Please consider these options before removing the Terraformer.

destroyah87

Well, I believe I recall seeing something about their being two main reasons for removing the Terraformer.

1) because of the balance and theme aspects of the device, which you address in your comment.

2) The technical aspects of having a save game that can have any single point of terrain modified or removed by the terraformer.

I believe it's more #2 that's the big reason to remove it, especially for consoles. Found the original picture laying out the reasons, both thematic/gameplay and technical.



Honestly, I personally can take or leave the terraformer. I've used it only once, which was to get more clearance for my moonpool. And even that situation is very easy to avoid by building a seabase over a drop or moving the moonpool higher up. Far as that goes, I do not like the look of the terraformer added material myself so I never really entertained thoughts of using it.

So I'm not the right person to make any comments about keeping the device, because I read that list of reasons above and think: "Makes sense to me. Get rid of it."

Zetlin

I personally don't care for the terraformer. While I enjoy digging and manipulating land for aesthetic appeal, there are a bunch of ways to exploit/break the game with it. The placement lag can be used to glitch through the ground/propel yourself up. It sticks into bases. It's clumsy to use, with it's enormous AOE, without making terrain look spotty and ugly. Speaking of ugly, it only does one type of material, which means if you remove something by accident it's gone for good.

Being able to make your own islands is overpowered. When the ground plants get a bit more balancing, it can't be made too easy to just make a platform with countless fruit trees growing on it and no hazards.

Even digging is overpowered. You can absolutely destroy the landscape to make shortcuts or even just a solar farm.

My personal favorite exploit is launching the life pod halfway across the map with placement lag, which I will miss.