Subarctica Musings
Based_Goat
Join Date: 2017-02-12 Member: 227842Members
Join Date: 2017-02-12 Member: 227842Members
FAUNA
Centifin (think monkfish + bobbit worm): A relative of Sand Shark, this elongated ambush predator baits prey into its broad maw with a shapeshifting, bioluminescent lure capable of imitating various small fish and plants. Its heavily armored body and appendages adapted for burrowing limit its chasing ability, though its pouncing speed is quite formidable. A player can draw Centifin out of hiding by tugging on its lure with a Propulsion Cannon. It likes to change its position after being exposed.
Sea Witch Leviathan: this beautiful ghostly alpha predator of the deep shares its hypnotic ability with Mesmers but on a larger scale. It hunts smaller prey by luring them out of their protective shells and hiding holes, but it can also incapacitate other leviathan class organisms. This hunting strategy also works on players in vehicles. Fortunately, this leviathan is not particularly used to struggling prey.
Blood Wraith: larger, pale, deep sea variant of Stalkers from cold seep biomes. They are strong enough to drag a stationary Seamoth or Prawn into their nest. Their lean milky bodies, long pale appendages, and propensity to hover vertically among the Bloodvines (like razorfish) make them somewhat hard to spot. They react to light, large metal objects, and proximity.
Brine Wanderer: towering, skeletal relatives of Sea Treaders wade the brine sea on their long appendages and feast on carcasses of misfortunate organisms that died from toxicity with their strong proboscis. Their stomping can also produce resources on the briny bottom.
Void Maw: showing some resemblance to Lava Lizards, they are bigger, with oversized, loose yaws. These creatures are attracted to light and can consume prey that is larger than themselves including a Seamoth. They spit it out when provoked. A similar fate can happen to players themselves.
Minefish: it is a giant Crashfish cousin with elaborate light organs floating inside the dusk of open waters. When agitated, it discharges spines like harpoons. A giant female often has one or more parasitic males hanging from its bloated body which tend to discharge their spines at shorter range. Its eggs can be found at the vents deep below where these fish mature and accumulate volatile chemicals. Predators avoid the Minefish while small herbivores gather around them. Main food source of these fish are Floater-related zooplankton which explains how these fish fill their helium bladders. Minefish doesn't like petting, loud noises, or big moving things like a Cyclops. The creature has Sulfur Follicles that can be harvested like Cave Sulfur.
Prawncock (puncher alternative without environmental impact): a crabsquid-like benthic predator with strong raptorial claws, fanned colorful antennae, and lean body coated in finned membrane. It swiftly stuns smaller predators with a powerful punch. Larger creatures and others of its kind are warned on approach with the second pair of unfurled antennae and loud punches of its raptorial claws. It can be chased out of its hole with lots of effort.
Ice Crawler: a more colorful version of Cave Crawler that carries its big eye on a stalk in order to maneuver around the thickly populated bottom. They like high places including your bases.
Feeder: bulbous benthic relatives of Bleeders feeding on sediment. Edible, can be bred.
Stridefish: a Hoverfish variant whose long appendages have adapted into limbs used for feeding and striding across sediment.
Hermit Fish: it looks and acts like a motionless stone overgrown by corals. Rare, solitary, and very hard to spot but offers the best food yield. Most letsplayers will never notice their presence. Interestingly enough, this species is related to Gasopod and has adapted its algae gland to secrete shell proteins instead of harboring toxic algae.
Grabsnake (big facehuggers with teeth): Crabsnakes with many long grabbing arms making calcified tunnels in methane ice. It can pull you inside its tunnel that is filled with brine. These organisms tend to their methane garden by dragging in more organic material. Some of its associated bacteria do not use methane but produce it even in captivity.
Warpers: made more dangerous so they are now encountered exclusively near alien habitats. It can summon a pack of genetically engineered Biters called Seekers. These are bigger, faster, more organized hunters than their wild counterparts with teeth that can damage a smaller vehicle; however, these fish revert to a more natural behavior if warper leaves the area and prefer going after fish bait. They were primarily designed to quickly devour dead infected organisms.
HYDROTHERMAL VENTS ONLY
-Duchess: a broad, armored Reginald that developed a symbiosis with chemosynthetic bacteria thriving in sulfur-rich hydrothermal waters it filters through its plated gills.
-Vent Larva: similar to Lava Larvae with a thick, spiky iron shell.
-Vent Crawler: stocky, heavily armored crustacean that gathers around hydrothermal vents in large numbers. It cultivates chemosynthetic bacteria on its hairy legs. It also likes high places.
-Floater Polyp Colony: thriving on the ocean floor under giant mature Floaters are their polyps and larvae. The latter are transparent coats made out of symbiotic microorganisms harboring a tiny planula of a dominant organism and can be picked up like standard eggs. However, these need to be inserted into containment or exterior growbeds like a plant. Upon maturity, a single polyp colony can produce up to three Floaters at once, all ready to be put into your inventory. This polyp does not produce seeds when cut.
SEA PRINCESS (swim aside Cuddlefish)
A pet Warper-like thingy you can create within an alien facility after you've painstakingly collected various biological samples and rare materials. Of course, it's way cuter than other Warpers and totally waifu material worth getting mauled by all kinds of sea organisms. There are a limited number of concurrent warp points it can create across the map. You can upgrade it with modules like your vehicles; you summon and manage your Princess via a PDA page.
-Warp Point Capacity [2 ion crystals, 1 warper part; modified with 2 ion crystals, 1 ?shark]: increases the number of remembered warp points from 1 to 2. Can be modified again to maintain up to 3.
-Fetch Protocol [?, 1 gold, 1 quartz; modified with 1 blood wraith]: can be linked to one external locker. When upgraded it can fetch smaller vehicles.
-Gatekeeper [1 ion crystal, 2diamonds, 1 warper part]: can open alien facilities.
-Sparkle [?, 1 wiring kit]: creates electric discharges to chase away dangerous fauna.
-Enchantress [1 sea witch scale, 1 advanced wiring kit]: can hypnotize other creatures.
FLORA
Tide Pod: is a buoyant, vividly colored part of specialized floating kelp found on the surface around the icebergs. It has similar nutritional and water values as Marblemelons.
Acid Jellyshroom/Deep Acid Jellyshroom: found near volcanic activity, they accumulate acid in their translucent flesh which they can release from the central orifice when agitated. Every so often the Jellyshroom expunges the excess acid in the form of gelatinous Acid Globs. Smaller specimens get the globs stuck in their orifices like a pimple, which solves the harvesting process that can usually damage the surroundings.
Monolith Coral: massive corals with giant, bioluminescent, stinging polyps that tend to grow in deeper waters. Monolith Coral Sample = Table Coral Sample
Wisp Tree: is a relative of Membrain Trees that produces edible gloving sacks with similar nutritional and water values to Eyeye. The sacks are pulsating and are quite possibly larvae cysts of tree's symbiotic fauna. Taste like shrimp. Can be cooked or cured. Put another cyst on the barbie!
Wandering Sack: unlike stationary Gel Sacks, these amoeboid organisms tend to be a bit more active. They slowly graze the organic material on the bottom leaving behind trails of mucous. They glow when agitated and have the same properties as Gel Sacks. You'll need a pen to keep mature sacks on your growbeds.
Flutterweed: taller than a Regress Shell, it can retreat into its hard calcified shell like a tube worm. The plant usually has around 3 tubes you can cut for Flutterweed Tube Samples which contain calcium carbonate that is needed to make bleach. The plant's seeds can be harvested with the use of a Stasis Rifle. It is one of the dominant plant species in biomes with soft substrate. Wriggleweed is a smaller Flutterweed growing on methane mounds in colonies of twisting tubes.
Enchanting Tusk: carnivorous Writhing Weed encased in a tusk-like shell that lures smaller organisms onto its sticky blades with hypnotizing bioluminescence. It is relatively harmless to larger creatures. Like with Flutterweed, its seeds can only be harvested with a Stasis Rifle.
Helm of Darkness: this rarest Membrain is even more bedazzling with its writhing bioluminescent fauna and colorful bacterial colonies inside a sturdy laced membrane. It grows on ??? Leviathans. Princess component.
TECHNOLOGY
-Air Bladder [1 silicone rubber, 1 floater]: speed of ascent greatly increased. But does it matter in an arctic environment?
-Vortex Torpedo changed into Stasis Torpedo.
-Gas Torpedo changed into Acid Torpedo [1 titanium, 1 acid thingie?].
A BASKET OF DEPLOYABLES
-Sammy Reaper-chan Body Pillow [1 fiber mesh, 1silicone rubber, 1 computer chip]: You look like you could use a hug ... and a lecture about undersea protection.
-Pen Module [1 uranium crystal, 1 titanium, 1 lead]: creates a forcefield between adjacent modules that functions like a makeshift Alien Containment for smaller specimens. The field collapses at certain length between the modules. It cannot inhibit passage of large animals.
MODIFICATIONS
-Head Light [1 silicone rubber]: modification of Flashlight that goes on your head.
-Expanded Waterproof Locker [2 floaters, 2 titanium, 2 lead]: can be expanded into 5x6 and once more into 6x8 locker.
- Repulsion Cannon: now gains the ability to switch between propulsion and repulsion mode.
-Prawn Suit Repulsion Cannon [4 magnetite, 1 advanced wiring kit, 1 plasteel ingot]: More powerful version of the Repulsion Cannon that can fend off even leviathan class predators.
BASES AND MODULES
-Floating Foundation [4 floaters, 2 titanium, 2 lead]: Can be built on the surface or inside the water column. Habitats can be built on foundations upside down.
-Small Foundation [1 titanium, 1 lead]: useful for placing lights or other small things.
-Small Floating Foundation [1 floater, 1 titanium, 1 lead]: nuff said.
-Power Transmitter: can switch between receiving from transmitter/base structures.
-Ice Breach [1 Battery, 2 titanium, 2 quartz]: a hatch that can breach thin ice sheet.
-Scanner Room turned into Scanner Station that can be put on a wall inside a habitat or a Cyclops. Drones can dock and recharge on its external surface.
-Repair Drone [1 computer chip, 1 battery, 1 glass, 2 titanium, 1 repair tool]: controlled from the Scanner Station, it can repair structures and vehicles from the outside. Its HUD automatically displays damaged areas.
-Containment Support [1 glass, 1 advanced wiring kit, 1 titanium]: attached to Alien Containment, it can change the environment to fit a specific biome, limit the number of individuals belonging to same species, and assist in hatching process. Be advised, most creatures cannot survive inside a brine pool biome, others cannot survive without it.
-Exterior Growbed: Corals need you to plant their poisonous polyps which have to be extracted via Propulsion Cannon. Extracted polyps retract their tentacles and no longer sting.
-Interior Aquatic Growbed: require 2 glass and support aquatic flora.
-Camera [1 titanium, 1 glass, 1 computer chip]: you can attach them to your base and control them with your Scanner Station that has them inside its range.
-Mirror [1 glass, 1 silver]: it enables you to modify your face with beard and scars and ... I just assumed our gender. Never mind.
Centifin (think monkfish + bobbit worm): A relative of Sand Shark, this elongated ambush predator baits prey into its broad maw with a shapeshifting, bioluminescent lure capable of imitating various small fish and plants. Its heavily armored body and appendages adapted for burrowing limit its chasing ability, though its pouncing speed is quite formidable. A player can draw Centifin out of hiding by tugging on its lure with a Propulsion Cannon. It likes to change its position after being exposed.
Sea Witch Leviathan: this beautiful ghostly alpha predator of the deep shares its hypnotic ability with Mesmers but on a larger scale. It hunts smaller prey by luring them out of their protective shells and hiding holes, but it can also incapacitate other leviathan class organisms. This hunting strategy also works on players in vehicles. Fortunately, this leviathan is not particularly used to struggling prey.
Blood Wraith: larger, pale, deep sea variant of Stalkers from cold seep biomes. They are strong enough to drag a stationary Seamoth or Prawn into their nest. Their lean milky bodies, long pale appendages, and propensity to hover vertically among the Bloodvines (like razorfish) make them somewhat hard to spot. They react to light, large metal objects, and proximity.
Brine Wanderer: towering, skeletal relatives of Sea Treaders wade the brine sea on their long appendages and feast on carcasses of misfortunate organisms that died from toxicity with their strong proboscis. Their stomping can also produce resources on the briny bottom.
Void Maw: showing some resemblance to Lava Lizards, they are bigger, with oversized, loose yaws. These creatures are attracted to light and can consume prey that is larger than themselves including a Seamoth. They spit it out when provoked. A similar fate can happen to players themselves.
Minefish: it is a giant Crashfish cousin with elaborate light organs floating inside the dusk of open waters. When agitated, it discharges spines like harpoons. A giant female often has one or more parasitic males hanging from its bloated body which tend to discharge their spines at shorter range. Its eggs can be found at the vents deep below where these fish mature and accumulate volatile chemicals. Predators avoid the Minefish while small herbivores gather around them. Main food source of these fish are Floater-related zooplankton which explains how these fish fill their helium bladders. Minefish doesn't like petting, loud noises, or big moving things like a Cyclops. The creature has Sulfur Follicles that can be harvested like Cave Sulfur.
Prawncock (puncher alternative without environmental impact): a crabsquid-like benthic predator with strong raptorial claws, fanned colorful antennae, and lean body coated in finned membrane. It swiftly stuns smaller predators with a powerful punch. Larger creatures and others of its kind are warned on approach with the second pair of unfurled antennae and loud punches of its raptorial claws. It can be chased out of its hole with lots of effort.
Ice Crawler: a more colorful version of Cave Crawler that carries its big eye on a stalk in order to maneuver around the thickly populated bottom. They like high places including your bases.
Feeder: bulbous benthic relatives of Bleeders feeding on sediment. Edible, can be bred.
Stridefish: a Hoverfish variant whose long appendages have adapted into limbs used for feeding and striding across sediment.
Hermit Fish: it looks and acts like a motionless stone overgrown by corals. Rare, solitary, and very hard to spot but offers the best food yield. Most letsplayers will never notice their presence. Interestingly enough, this species is related to Gasopod and has adapted its algae gland to secrete shell proteins instead of harboring toxic algae.
Grabsnake (big facehuggers with teeth): Crabsnakes with many long grabbing arms making calcified tunnels in methane ice. It can pull you inside its tunnel that is filled with brine. These organisms tend to their methane garden by dragging in more organic material. Some of its associated bacteria do not use methane but produce it even in captivity.
Warpers: made more dangerous so they are now encountered exclusively near alien habitats. It can summon a pack of genetically engineered Biters called Seekers. These are bigger, faster, more organized hunters than their wild counterparts with teeth that can damage a smaller vehicle; however, these fish revert to a more natural behavior if warper leaves the area and prefer going after fish bait. They were primarily designed to quickly devour dead infected organisms.
HYDROTHERMAL VENTS ONLY
-Duchess: a broad, armored Reginald that developed a symbiosis with chemosynthetic bacteria thriving in sulfur-rich hydrothermal waters it filters through its plated gills.
-Vent Larva: similar to Lava Larvae with a thick, spiky iron shell.
-Vent Crawler: stocky, heavily armored crustacean that gathers around hydrothermal vents in large numbers. It cultivates chemosynthetic bacteria on its hairy legs. It also likes high places.
-Floater Polyp Colony: thriving on the ocean floor under giant mature Floaters are their polyps and larvae. The latter are transparent coats made out of symbiotic microorganisms harboring a tiny planula of a dominant organism and can be picked up like standard eggs. However, these need to be inserted into containment or exterior growbeds like a plant. Upon maturity, a single polyp colony can produce up to three Floaters at once, all ready to be put into your inventory. This polyp does not produce seeds when cut.
SEA PRINCESS (swim aside Cuddlefish)
A pet Warper-like thingy you can create within an alien facility after you've painstakingly collected various biological samples and rare materials. Of course, it's way cuter than other Warpers and totally waifu material worth getting mauled by all kinds of sea organisms. There are a limited number of concurrent warp points it can create across the map. You can upgrade it with modules like your vehicles; you summon and manage your Princess via a PDA page.
-Warp Point Capacity [2 ion crystals, 1 warper part; modified with 2 ion crystals, 1 ?shark]: increases the number of remembered warp points from 1 to 2. Can be modified again to maintain up to 3.
-Fetch Protocol [?, 1 gold, 1 quartz; modified with 1 blood wraith]: can be linked to one external locker. When upgraded it can fetch smaller vehicles.
-Gatekeeper [1 ion crystal, 2diamonds, 1 warper part]: can open alien facilities.
-Sparkle [?, 1 wiring kit]: creates electric discharges to chase away dangerous fauna.
-Enchantress [1 sea witch scale, 1 advanced wiring kit]: can hypnotize other creatures.
FLORA
Tide Pod: is a buoyant, vividly colored part of specialized floating kelp found on the surface around the icebergs. It has similar nutritional and water values as Marblemelons.
Acid Jellyshroom/Deep Acid Jellyshroom: found near volcanic activity, they accumulate acid in their translucent flesh which they can release from the central orifice when agitated. Every so often the Jellyshroom expunges the excess acid in the form of gelatinous Acid Globs. Smaller specimens get the globs stuck in their orifices like a pimple, which solves the harvesting process that can usually damage the surroundings.
Monolith Coral: massive corals with giant, bioluminescent, stinging polyps that tend to grow in deeper waters. Monolith Coral Sample = Table Coral Sample
Wisp Tree: is a relative of Membrain Trees that produces edible gloving sacks with similar nutritional and water values to Eyeye. The sacks are pulsating and are quite possibly larvae cysts of tree's symbiotic fauna. Taste like shrimp. Can be cooked or cured. Put another cyst on the barbie!
Wandering Sack: unlike stationary Gel Sacks, these amoeboid organisms tend to be a bit more active. They slowly graze the organic material on the bottom leaving behind trails of mucous. They glow when agitated and have the same properties as Gel Sacks. You'll need a pen to keep mature sacks on your growbeds.
Flutterweed: taller than a Regress Shell, it can retreat into its hard calcified shell like a tube worm. The plant usually has around 3 tubes you can cut for Flutterweed Tube Samples which contain calcium carbonate that is needed to make bleach. The plant's seeds can be harvested with the use of a Stasis Rifle. It is one of the dominant plant species in biomes with soft substrate. Wriggleweed is a smaller Flutterweed growing on methane mounds in colonies of twisting tubes.
Enchanting Tusk: carnivorous Writhing Weed encased in a tusk-like shell that lures smaller organisms onto its sticky blades with hypnotizing bioluminescence. It is relatively harmless to larger creatures. Like with Flutterweed, its seeds can only be harvested with a Stasis Rifle.
Helm of Darkness: this rarest Membrain is even more bedazzling with its writhing bioluminescent fauna and colorful bacterial colonies inside a sturdy laced membrane. It grows on ??? Leviathans. Princess component.
TECHNOLOGY
-Air Bladder [1 silicone rubber, 1 floater]: speed of ascent greatly increased. But does it matter in an arctic environment?
-Vortex Torpedo changed into Stasis Torpedo.
-Gas Torpedo changed into Acid Torpedo [1 titanium, 1 acid thingie?].
A BASKET OF DEPLOYABLES
-Sammy Reaper-chan Body Pillow [1 fiber mesh, 1silicone rubber, 1 computer chip]: You look like you could use a hug ... and a lecture about undersea protection.
-Pen Module [1 uranium crystal, 1 titanium, 1 lead]: creates a forcefield between adjacent modules that functions like a makeshift Alien Containment for smaller specimens. The field collapses at certain length between the modules. It cannot inhibit passage of large animals.
MODIFICATIONS
-Head Light [1 silicone rubber]: modification of Flashlight that goes on your head.
-Expanded Waterproof Locker [2 floaters, 2 titanium, 2 lead]: can be expanded into 5x6 and once more into 6x8 locker.
- Repulsion Cannon: now gains the ability to switch between propulsion and repulsion mode.
-Prawn Suit Repulsion Cannon [4 magnetite, 1 advanced wiring kit, 1 plasteel ingot]: More powerful version of the Repulsion Cannon that can fend off even leviathan class predators.
BASES AND MODULES
-Floating Foundation [4 floaters, 2 titanium, 2 lead]: Can be built on the surface or inside the water column. Habitats can be built on foundations upside down.
-Small Foundation [1 titanium, 1 lead]: useful for placing lights or other small things.
-Small Floating Foundation [1 floater, 1 titanium, 1 lead]: nuff said.
-Power Transmitter: can switch between receiving from transmitter/base structures.
-Ice Breach [1 Battery, 2 titanium, 2 quartz]: a hatch that can breach thin ice sheet.
-Scanner Room turned into Scanner Station that can be put on a wall inside a habitat or a Cyclops. Drones can dock and recharge on its external surface.
-Repair Drone [1 computer chip, 1 battery, 1 glass, 2 titanium, 1 repair tool]: controlled from the Scanner Station, it can repair structures and vehicles from the outside. Its HUD automatically displays damaged areas.
-Containment Support [1 glass, 1 advanced wiring kit, 1 titanium]: attached to Alien Containment, it can change the environment to fit a specific biome, limit the number of individuals belonging to same species, and assist in hatching process. Be advised, most creatures cannot survive inside a brine pool biome, others cannot survive without it.
-Exterior Growbed: Corals need you to plant their poisonous polyps which have to be extracted via Propulsion Cannon. Extracted polyps retract their tentacles and no longer sting.
-Interior Aquatic Growbed: require 2 glass and support aquatic flora.
-Camera [1 titanium, 1 glass, 1 computer chip]: you can attach them to your base and control them with your Scanner Station that has them inside its range.
-Mirror [1 glass, 1 silver]: it enables you to modify your face with beard and scars and ... I just assumed our gender. Never mind.
Comments
I really hope the expansion introduces some camouflaged ambush predators (like I'm not paranoid enough already). Apart from its obvious entertainment value, this strategy is seen pretty much everywhere in nature. The Sand sharks were good, but something a little more gigantic is clearly called for. Perhaps finding that basket-ball sized eye opening in the sand would be a fair giveaway to the player.
Yeah leviathan nests, why not? I would be a great stealth challenge to loot a giant nest for a cool vehicle or other valuable tech. And who knows what you could do with that VW car-sized egg? A nice big omelette obviously.
I really liked that the Crab-squids were attracted to light - it took me a while to realise what was making them so cranky. Too bad they spawned in well lit places. Predators like these in a pitch dark biomes would make for some cool fly-by-night sonar navigation challenges.
That's grotesque mental image. And I really like the biology too.
Reminds me of the fearsome Mantis Shrimp, which I guess the Rockpuncher was inspired by. Having dangerously defensive creatures blocking access to areas seems like an interesting challenge in a non-violent game. A player could decide whether to use force, stealth or cunning to pass by. Me, I'd start by trying to lure it out with a drone or some such.
Yeah, I too thought ice crawlers might have a special kind of creepiness. I like the idea of coming home to find your base infested with these, and chewing off the solar panels.
I will be great addition if the if new game includes interaction between creatures and your buildings. Right now you can build right in the face a leviathan and it thinks nothing of it.
I'm guessing here that this gunk is a potential power source? It would be nice if the Devs tighten up on the power source mechanic and make so you need a light source to grow plants for the bioreactor. Under the ice sheet this gunk may be the fuel of the future.
Disgusting. I feel the Dev's really missed the opportunity to make me feel truly disgusted. After all they developed Sea Treader manure that had so much potential for agriculture. Hopefully they'll give farming a shake up.
Despite my repeated attempts to build a base on a Reefback, I'm not so sure about a building on a hovering platform. But I do very much hope they'll allow us to build down from a ceiling. In the main game I would have loved to have built a base dangling from an overhanging cliff or attached to a cavern ceiling. If the Arctic Expansion includes a substantial ice-shelf it would be great to build this way, especially if above biomes where there's a lot of hostile ground fauna.
Do you mean a hatchway that penetrates a thin ice shelf to access your base that hangs underneath?
Again it will be great if the new game allows fauna to interact with bases. This kind of thing and perimeter defences etc will be cool to play around with.
I too hope that the bio-research mechanic gets extensively implemented. Looking at the early habitat concept art it seems they once had this in mind. This would really draw players into the whole biological lore of the planet. There seems to be a real demand for this, if the numerous taxonomical charts produced by fans is any indication.
Anyway, nice well considered thoughts dude.
And the drone that can repair your base would be good