Resource Management?
subnauticambrian
U.S. Join Date: 2016-01-19 Member: 211679Members
U.S. Join Date: 2016-01-19 Member: 211679Members
So I was playing Subnautica a while back, and I came across the problem of limited resources (I know, I know, everyone else does too). However, it got me thinking. It was getting harder and harder for me to find basic materials like titanium and quartz, even into my late game. I think that the way Subnautica is built is a little contradictory. On the one hand, there are very "Minecraftian" elements, the free roaming and free building. However, the game is set in a predetermined map with an almost linear progression into deeper biomes. My problem is that the resources that are basic essentials don't seem to be present in deeper biomes, effectively slowing down your progress as you get further into the game. This is just a little complaint, and I think it could be very easily solved by just having basic resources available in every biome. Sort of like how you can always find coal in any biome in Minecraft. If Subnautica is going to have a free roaming, free building mindset, then it needs the same mindset with resource management (basically please make it so that early game materials can be found in deep biomes).
MTFBWY
MTFBWY
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EDIT: One example I can cite for sure is the 'Big Pipe' coral tunnel in the Safe Shallows. This is the one that is big enough to drive the Seamoth through with plenty of room to spare, and one end is near the drop off into the Kelp Forest. The interior walls have a dozen or so nodes, and the exterior has about as many crusted on the top and the lip/entrances. I have stripped that pipe bare more than twice in the same game session.
As well, playing around with the scanner room occasionally has me sent off to places where nothing is. I don't think the scanner room is wrong, but that it "sees" something I cannot. Either something isn't spawning there while it should or perhaps it's wrongly spawning under the ground. (I could test if the terraformer might give more clarity, but the difficulty is that the scanner room currently resets its detection every reload and takes time setting up the resource list. I'd have to be playing for fairly long to have the possibility of comparing scenarios.)
What has been added so far is fish respawning after death, but I am not convinced that's a flawless system yet. My Safe Shallows definitely get a tad empty after a while. Renewable resources are a serious consideration of the devs, though, with the sea treaders recently added providing an unending source of copper and lithium.
I'm on the Xbox version, but I can confirm that I regularly harvest the same areas for basic materials. I often pop just outside my base to collect quartz for example, and given how much glass I've used in my base, it would have been cleared out long ago if it didn't respawn.
I don't think that basic materials should be available in all biomes though, that's not how the world works, but I suppose having them respawning in the earlier areas could represent an abundance of them without making the map too cluttered from the start.
I definitely do not have that happen. At some point within 15 play-hours, the Safe Shallows and my regular routes are cleared out. This is a particular annoyance in regards to quartz, because I have to work hard to earn my windows and chips and I think that's not quite balanced. I'm on PC so I'm curious if this is a version matter.
Which one do you play, @scubamatt?
Ah, it'll be interesting to see if this changes when the update hits the Xbox then, as I've got over 24 hours on my current save and haven't noticed any drop at all.
I play on PC, in Survival mode. I definitely see the wildlife trickle away to nothing in the Safe Shallows near my base, but quartz (etc) have definitely been respawning over time. I'm at 18 hrs and change now, on this save game. Perhaps its a radius from player constructed habitats that affects it? My base is at -135, -15, -395 next to (and within) the Thermal Vent SW of the Aurora. This puts me in the small southeastern 'peninsula' of the Safe Shallows, and leaves the rest of it open for me to roam and harvest. I have *not* seen the nodes inside the thermal vent respawn, but I literally have a base inside of the thermal vent and above/next door to it.
I have built a base on the triple point of Grassy plateaus, Kelp forest, and Safe shallows in the southeastern end of Safe shallows, but there is still a shortage of quartz after I clean out northwestern areas of the biome. An interesting conundrum, to say the least.
I play on PC, by the way.
While I agree with a little effort for a little luxury, glass is a core building material alongside titanium. Even if I'd make no windows at all, I'd still need the quartz for hatches (2), alien containments (8 + 2 for hatch), vehicles, and computer chips (1). And then there's the intent for scanner rooms to be used as singular minibases, which, if you would minimize on the costs by not losing any drones (3) and dragging the upgrades (2+2) around will still cost 5 pieces of quartz per build (room + hatch).
As well, two corner stones of the gameplay are exploration and non-hostility. This makes windows a basic need, because it's one of the few ways to observe without confrontation.
I currently have three bases. From a quick calculation, I think my main base has had a cost of ~200 pieces of glass. The other two should be around the same. They are smaller and less equipped, but more luxurious. Especially my Grand Reef one is made to admire the scenery. Quartz has been a struggle from the start, while I still have plenty of titanium. I do not think this is balanced and would rather be coaxed to the outer biomes for new resources than in a desperate search for a core one.
I think I have 20-30 in my main base. A hatch, two story containment, about ten lockers, misc items that require a glass (like air tanks).
2 story containment (both with hatches), one extra hatch, and 4 lockers.