A Subterranean alternative to the Arctic Biome: The Frozen Caves.
Enderguy059
Australia Join Date: 2015-10-15 Member: 208486Members
Australia Join Date: 2015-10-15 Member: 208486Members
I have seen multiple threads regarding your scrapped arctic biome. While I love the concept, I understand the need for basic scientific accuracy, and I'm happy for it to be released after 1.0.
However, since it is geographically impossible for tropical waters to suddenly transition into Sub-Zero temperatures in a few metres (Without some major Precursor-Based Handwaving) I've got a solution that is geographically and scientifically possible:
The Frozen Caves.
These cave would break off from the transition area between the Lost River and The blood kelp, with separate entrances in both those biomes and one in the ILZ. The dominating feature would be crystalline ice lining the walls of the biome. How are you able to swim in it? The water around the center of cave tunnels is of a higher salt content than the water near the cave walls.
A Reinforced (or Thermal) Suit should be a requirement for exploration, lest the player wants to take damage from the extreme cold.
Animals that suggest adaptation to colder temperature would be present. There should be very little plantlife, if only around biome entrances. An Idea for the ILZ would be to make it look like the Ice has been melting, but stopped doing so when it reaches the Biome boundary (run an ice cube under cold water to understand what I mean)
Is this a good Idea? What should be in here in order to encourage exploration of this biome? Should I have posted this over at I&S?
However, since it is geographically impossible for tropical waters to suddenly transition into Sub-Zero temperatures in a few metres (Without some major Precursor-Based Handwaving) I've got a solution that is geographically and scientifically possible:
The Frozen Caves.
These cave would break off from the transition area between the Lost River and The blood kelp, with separate entrances in both those biomes and one in the ILZ. The dominating feature would be crystalline ice lining the walls of the biome. How are you able to swim in it? The water around the center of cave tunnels is of a higher salt content than the water near the cave walls.
A Reinforced (or Thermal) Suit should be a requirement for exploration, lest the player wants to take damage from the extreme cold.
Animals that suggest adaptation to colder temperature would be present. There should be very little plantlife, if only around biome entrances. An Idea for the ILZ would be to make it look like the Ice has been melting, but stopped doing so when it reaches the Biome boundary (run an ice cube under cold water to understand what I mean)
Is this a good Idea? What should be in here in order to encourage exploration of this biome? Should I have posted this over at I&S?
Comments
Hmm, I really don't know. I would like at least some explanation lore-wise as to why this biome exists.
This may sound very...different to the standard subnautica, but I do have a kinda solution.
A World Map.
Now before you all go firing your guns away, let me just say. I am not saying this is a good idea, or that I like it, tbh I frankly don't know. Its just something that would be good to talk about.
Having a traversable world map would allow for future updates/dlc/modded maps. The way it works is though some latter tech (cyclops/atlas or advanced science room etc) the player can unlock and travel to new maps. I have linked a mock up paint picture
The player selects the icon for the area and then maybe a travel animation plays. Cyclops passing through open sea accompanied by a loading screen and an arrival animation.
I like it as a "post-story" sort of thing.
I mean... ice can exist because it's ice. Why is there an Arctic Climate? Because it may be colder in one area than in another.
As for how to get there, that goes into post-story tech ideas. After completing the story, for example, you can use a combination of Precursor Tech and Warper Dissection to discover a blueprint for a portal device. This device can access various parts of the planet. This can bring into discussion custom modded maps, different climates that can act as greater challenges and more to discover.
Yeah, exactly what I was getting at. I still don't know how I feel about it though. Not sure if it fits the subnautica atm, or will. I guess we will have to see
How do you mean?
But if this were to happen... damn, I'd want some cool looking fish. Little fish with massive eyes, and maybe this would be a good time to add crustaceans (if it were DLC), like shrimp. This could be as beautiful as the Lost River if given time, and I'd love to see it, I'd just like to see an actual arctic biome a little more.
Are we looking at this all wrong? We think of the arctic on earth, but there are possibilities beyond that. Ice is merely the solid form of water so there's plenty of possible explanations for an 'ice' type biome that utilizes the solid form of something else entirely that looks similar to ice, but can exist under the temperate conditions on the planet. Might take a bit of mental gymnastics though...
Drawing lines is fine, but when it happens on arbitrary grounds it's put up your dukes o'clock.
Maybe not many people have made it to the Lost River yet (it's killer at the moment what with the game's state and the stuff you need to have built to get there) or maybe they aren't paying attention to non-harmful temperatures (fair enough), but, yeah, the Lost River. With the exception of the junction and some other vent-heavy areas, the Lost River is cold. It's about 4 degrees Celsius and regularly drops lower. It is that low at the blue brine waterfalls. And then you follow them down to the Inactive Lava Zone, which is only some 200-300 meters deeper and suddenly that 4 degrees jumps to 40 degrees.
This is a difference of 36 degrees. Now, provided that SN's sea water has the same salt contents as ours, the water would freeze at about -2 or -3 degrees . If the sea water is much salter, than the minimum freezing temperature is -20 degrees. That is a maximum of 24 degrees difference with the average Lost River water. And 24 degrees difference is quite a bit less than 36 degrees difference.
Either it is time to protest against UWE making the Lost River cold or it is time to accept that an Arctic biome is justified by the rules of the currently implemented game world.
EDIT because I found my own post confusing: I am talking about the situation that right now the coldest area of the game is directly next to the warmest. If we'd have the Lost River as source of cold water and connect to an area without vents, then it would fit within the current game world that such an area would have ice formations.
Oh I just don't know if its the correct method for implementing what we want. You have to think of it as a design choice. It might work very well or not. I'm not sure.