Defensive Reefbacks

jak_fr

One of the best moment in SN is when you meet the Reefbacks for the first time. Their size, nightmarish appearance and powerful call immediately induce fear in the player... but it doesn't last long and soon you realize that there's nothing to fear, even Gasopods are more dangerous.

It almost saddens me when I see people on Youtube abuse them in all sorts of ways using subs, Floaters... (they have a funny tendancy to flip apparently). Don't you think the devs should give the Reefbacks a defence mechanism of some sort (maybe sound-based?), and bring back that "thrill" of the first encounter?

Jamezorg

The Reefback is a staple of Subnautica, more so than the Peeper is, really. I feel like they shouldn't be hostile. At all. But I do feel they should be way, WAY tougher. Imagine in an update's patch notes they leave out the fact that if you smash your cyclops into a Reefback it springs 50 leaks and instantly fills with water... And snaps in two... #SaveTheReefback
Also, ever since I first saw the Reefback I said to myself "Man, I want to build on its back", and I still stand by that. Imagine a base on top of a Reefback. You don't control the creature or anything, you just glide with it. Maybe it's as simple as a multipurpose room with four glass corridors leading each to an observatory.It would just be relaxing... So relaxing... It would make this beautiful creature even more of a staple to the game than it is now

jak_fr

@Jamezorg I'm glad to see there are other Reefback fans out here. That's a cool idea, a bit far fetched but cool . Maybe that defence mechanism would only get triggered by big creatures and subs, but it would allow a human to hold on to its back and just, as you said, glide with it...

Jamezorg

jak_fr wrote: »

@Jamezorg I'm glad to see there are other Reefback fans out here. That's a cool idea, a bit far fetched but cool . Maybe that defence mechanism would only get triggered by big creatures and subs, but it would allow a human to hold on to its back and just, as you said, glide with it...

@jak_fr Hey, far fetched is funny! Also, hold into the front of its shell? Like whales in Endless Ocean, because if you've played that I'm gonna be so happy

jak_fr

@Jamezorg No I got the idea from actual people riding actual whales. But I'm going to check this game out, it sounds interesting.

Jamezorg

Yea, I played it as a little kid all the time, and the first film I watched was Finding Nemo, so I've had a pretty water-based life. It's a relaxing game about going around and finding fish. I only found my last one a month or two ago, which was emotional to finally get them all after years. I guess I kind of want Subnautica to be more like that, but I know it won't be, and I'll like it anyway. It's pretty good, I recommend it without a doubt, although it's pretty old.

coldsnap

Reefbacks are way too easy to kill IMO. Rather than a defense mechanism, I'd like to see them dive when provoked, like some whales.

Invisigoth247

Devs said on the Trello page that they are going to give reefbacks a purpose. So maybe we will see some sort of new actions they preform.

koekiegsast

maybe plants wil grow on the reefbacks back and maybe they can help defend it?

Slackerstu

Oo a reefback seeded with tigerplants would hurt

coldsnap

Would be awesome if some type pf coral could be harvested from the reefbacks, perhaps only from the largest ones. Would be even more awesome if the oldest reefbacks had a custom model, with a more gnarly look (more like the original concept art).

I assume adding new creature models at this point isn't really an option, but creature variants based on size, age or gender has long been near the top of my wishlist. :-)