Development Updates

Hugh · December 2014

It sucks when you buy an Early Access game and then hear nothing from the developer. When's the next update? What's included? What are you working on? At Unknown World we are trying to make sure you can get answers whenever you want.

This guide explains how to get information about what the Subnautica development team is working on right now, how updates are delivered, how often they come, and what's changing in the game from day to day:

http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=355026171

Some key links copied here for convenience:

Chat live with the devs
Update Mailing List
Production Trello Board
Checkin and Changes List

Mechrior · March 2015

Hi, I am just wondering why the checkin and changes list has not been updated in almost a week please?

The_Big_Bad_W8lf · March 2015

Mechrior wrote: »

Hi, I am just wondering why the checkin and changes list has not been updated in almost a week please?

Its been updating quite often from what I see, but remember they have allot to do

Mechrior · March 2015

The_Big_Bad_W8lf wrote: »

Mechrior wrote: »

Hi, I am just wondering why the checkin and changes list has not been updated in almost a week please?

Its been updating quite often from what I see, but remember they have allot to do

it does seem to be updating again, there was a gap of around 4 or 5 days where there were no updates but there were still patches.

The_Big_Bad_W8lf · March 2015

Mechrior wrote: »

The_Big_Bad_W8lf wrote: »

Mechrior wrote: »

Hi, I am just wondering why the checkin and changes list has not been updated in almost a week please?

Its been updating quite often from what I see, but remember they have allot to do

it does seem to be updating again, there was a gap of around 4 or 5 days where there were no updates but there were still patches.

Ah I see

, Hmmm...

neamerjell · March 2015

I care more about what was done than when it will be done.

I was fine with Kerbal Space Program's developers never setting deadlines for patches and stating "it will be done when it is done". Their reasoning behind this is that they never have to worry about rushing to meet a deadline and then having to release a half a dozen patches to fix it to the point where it should have been to begin with.

This way, there is always quality work being done, not rush jobs just to meet deadlines, and every patch is a surprise when it comes out.

Mechrior · March 2015

neamerjell wrote: »

I care more about what was done than when it will be done.

I was fine with Kerbal Space Program's developers never setting deadlines for patches and stating "it will be done when it is done". Their reasoning behind this is that they never have to worry about rushing to meet a deadline and then having to release a half a dozen patches to fix it to the point where it should have been to begin with.

This way, there is always quality work being done, not rush jobs just to meet deadlines, and every patch is a surprise when it comes out.

I think you misunderstand my meaning, I am not pushing for updates or timelines, I was concerned that several patches happenned on steam but I had no idea what they changed as the checkin didnt update.

And UI know ALL about KSP, I was one of the original 10 people who helped to put content together for the official streaming groups called KSPTV. I had to drop out early into the shows beginnings but I still play quite a bit, even stream it sometimes!

Racer1 · March 2015

There is a dev comment somewhere indicating that the auto-checkin system was acting up...

Mechrior · March 2015

Racer1 wrote: »

There is a dev comment somewhere indicating that the auto-checkin system was acting up...

AH! ok, then that would explain it. gotte love it when you are hyped for updates to a game, that you bug the devs when they dont tell you what went into it XD

AviatorNicBoy28 · March 2015

OH MY GOD I THINK I FOUND AN EASTER EGG OR SOMETHING, IT'S CALLED "THE SIGNAL" I found it in a
Chest-like container called the "Supply crate" It keeps spawning things like terraformers and seaglides. I Found the thing while getting REALLY close to the ship (I turned off radiation) and FOUND IT. NOT To mention, The island looks like it had a building on it, but was weathered away by water. It is really cool

ab579601 · April 2015

Can the add like houses and small Islands like there and here. And the sound effect of this game is awsome when u here the big animals scream. Can they add in very big monster like from the trailer in the end so it be more exading plz.

Arbhall · April 2015

ab579601 wrote: »

Can the add like houses and small Islands like there and here. And the sound effect of this game is awsome when u here the big animals scream. Can they add in very big monster like from the trailer in the end so it be more exading plz.

exploration is exciting.

ab579601 · April 2015

I soundet if they gonne add in a wepon armory or like bed to sleep on. Maybe new subs or like an big island there u can use some cars or somthing.

willejern · April 2015

Is there gona be co op or multiplayer and when is it gona be added if u might know

AliB · April 2015

This really is about bug Reports even if it doesn't sound like it at first:
What really would be a good thing was an option to get back to menu or loading soon. Kinda annoying to always have to go to Desktop and restart the game when there is a really bad Bug (experimental

). With a loading option it would be more comfortable to try to recreate the Bug so you can give a better Bug Report.

Kr0nos · May 2015

willejern wrote: »

Is there gona be co op or multiplayer and when is it gona be added if u might know

I think the devs said that right now their focus is to make the game a solid single player experience, but that multiplayer was definitely on the radar for the future

ComicalSkate · May 2015

Hey Dev Team, I was wondering if in future implementations into the game you plan on adding weather systems and ocean movement, as in waves. As it is you are always in your sunny, un-wavy world as playing the game. I think you already have plans for this but i was just wondering.

sharvy · June 2015

The checkin list doesn't let me scroll to the side to see the whole thing on my 5c. How can I see all they have checked in?

Darwin-Evolution · June 2015

Hi Dev Team !

Here's just a list of feedback ideas for the next update (Those in bold should be given maximum priority) :

create the possibility to build bases on the backs of reefbacks
create swimming beacons
create beacons that can attach on solid surfaces
make creatures of a same species differ in size because they all just seem like clones
create land-living animals, or animals that live both on land and in the sea
create flying animals just like in the trailer
create the possibility to actually see the map of the Subautica world in the game, so that you know where you're going
name the planet you're on
name each different biome on the map
whenever you enter a new biome, make it obvious that you're doing so, like say so or play a different music for each different biome
create actual deep-sea animals
create the existence of certain diseases and antidotes (do not make these diseases aggressive, though)
create the possibility to have more than just one saved game in the menu
create a sort of jet ski
make the weather vary, because it's just so boring that the sea stays steady as a rock and the sun keeps coming up and down with no clouds
add a clock so as to keep track of time passing by
create a sort of encyclopaedia of all tha marine life which is consultable, BUT if the player wants to see an entry on a marine life form, he/she MUST have encountered it first

I might add more ideas to this comment, so please consult it regularly.

Darwin-Evolution · June 2015

Second bunch of ideas :

to me, there seems to be too many living animals; I think it would be amazing if somewhere, the skeleton of a really massive ancient animal could be found and used to find various raw materials found nowhere else
make the weather vary, because it's just so boring that the sea stays steady as a rock and the sun keeps coming up and down with no clouds at all
add a clock so as to keep track of time passing by
create a sort of encyclopaedia of all tha marine life which is consultable in the game, BUT if the player wants to see an entry on a marine life form, he/she MUST have encountered it first
make the terraformer work at any depth (for jacksepticeye : https://youtube.com/watch?v=RgsedxQzRds )
the swim charge fins should also be able to charge the sea glide (again, for jacksepticeye : https://youtube.com/watch?v=JeSMoB8B9yo )

Darwin-Evolution · June 2015

Third bunch of ideas :

I think it'd be cool if the player could create with the builder a sort of a shark cage which just stays in mid-water and in which the player can enter to escape and observe a hostile life form. The cage isn't transportable, and can therefore be left at a biome where a dangerous animal is found (stalkers are found in some creepvine forests, sand sharks are found in the grassy plateaus, bone sharks are found in some mushroom forests...). For air to be accessible in the cage, the player can simply install some tubes from the surface.
I can't remember who asked this, but someone wanted these wierd things to be in the game : I don't know where they originally come from or what their name is, but they do seem cool, and wierd enough to look alien. I rather feel that they could be some sort of scavenger swarming around the sunken skeleton of a really ancient and massive animal (see my second bunch of ideas)
Many people didn't like my idea that the map of the Subnautica world should be seen by the player, stating that this will make travelling too easy. Well, I've had an idea : this is the same principle of my idea of a consultable encyclopaedia (see my second bunch of ideas), meaning that if the player wants to know the directions to some area, he/she must've already been there (the undiscovered areas on the map are blurred out)

kreepdaboom · June 2015

I had an idea for special sliding doors for the seamoth. It would open when the player is both: in a seamoth, AND at least 3 meters from the door. This is useful if u add multiplayer, but also just to keep ur vehicle safe from anything that will bump into it.

Luxurious · June 2015

kreepdaboom wrote: »

This is useful if u add multiplayer, but also just to keep ur vehicle safe from anything that will bump into it.

Speaking of multiplayer, is the 4-person co op referenced by a dev back in January still a possibility? I've been rooting around online to find info on it, and all I see are people pining for it, but I can't find any recent follow up on the subject from the devs. Does that mean it's off the table, or does the idea still have legs under it? Thank you in advance for any response.

Edit: I just found this sticky on the steam page, my bad:
http://steamcommunity.com/app/264710/discussions/0/598198356185027645/#c598198356185622756

phoenixofdoom · June 2015

i think a coop with 4 person is good to the game

Darwin-Evolution · June 2015

Fourth bunch of ideas :

Naming the cyclops is really cool; why not do the same with the life pod and the seamoth ?
The map needs a sort of polar biome with ice caves, creatures and resources only found near ice
Whenever the seamoth, cyclops, escape pod or a base is almost out of power, white light all around could be replaced by dark red light to add more drama (for Awesomecrunch : https://youtube.com/watch?v=B1epB_KLO5U)
Depending on which biome a creature can be found, different creatures should see only certain colours of light (so for instance, creatures living in the kelp biome are very sensitive to green light, creatures living on the grassy plateaus have a sense of sight similar to ours, creatures living deep can't see red light...)
Following the last idea, the flashlight and headlight on the seaglide could be upgraded using the workbench so that they produce a certain colour, depending on where the player is planning to go
I've heard that the developers are working on a sort of plantation that can be grown on reefbacks. That is an EXCELLENT idea, but remember that reefbacks move, so it'd be difficult to find the plantation again. The only way to easily find an area is to place a beacon close by, but beacons don't move; they just float in mid-water. So here's my idea : beacons can be upgraded using the workbench so that they actually stick to the belly of a reefback or other large animal. That way the player would never loose his/her plantations.

solar71 · July 2015

We need a new cooler use for those sticky floaty balls that are always attached to rocks.
Take two sticky floaty balls and one beacon. Put them in the fabricator to create a sticky beacon.

Razakiel · July 2015

solar71 wrote: »

We need a new cooler use for those sticky floaty balls that are always attached to rocks.
Take two sticky floaty balls and one beacon. Put them in the fabricator to create a sticky beacon.

I assume so you can have a beacon that would move with whatever you stuck it to, such as a Reefback or, if one were to survive, a Reaper.

Soul_Rider · July 2015

Darwin-Evolution wrote: »

[*] I can't remember who asked this, but someone wanted these wierd things to be in the game : I don't know where they originally come from or what their name is, but they do seem cool, and wierd enough to look alien. I rather feel that they could be some sort of scavenger swarming around the sunken skeleton of a really ancient and massive animal (see my second bunch of ideas)

I take it you have never heard of Unknown Worlds previous game Natural Selection 2? That is the alien hive, where alien creatures spawn from at the beginning of the game. If does look quite good floating in water though. With some adjustments might make a good shrimp-like creature..

subnautica4life · July 2015

Soul_Rider wrote: »

Darwin-Evolution wrote: »

[*] I can't remember who asked this, but someone wanted these wierd things to be in the game : I don't know where they originally come from or what their name is, but they do seem cool, and wierd enough to look alien. I rather feel that they could be some sort of scavenger swarming around the sunken skeleton of a really ancient and massive animal (see my second bunch of ideas)

I take it you have never heard of Unknown Worlds previous game Natural Selection 2? That is the alien hive, where alien creatures spawn from at the beginning of the game. If does look quite good floating in water though. With some adjustments might make a good shrimp-like creature..

they come from ns2 so i doubt the devs will add them in the game its suppose to be something they made for fun so yeah sorry to dissapoint

subnautica4life · July 2015

Razakiel wrote: »

solar71 wrote: »

We need a new cooler use for those sticky floaty balls that are always attached to rocks.
Take two sticky floaty balls and one beacon. Put them in the fabricator to create a sticky beacon.

I assume so you can have a beacon that would move with whatever you stuck it to, such as a Reefback or, if one were to survive, a Reaper.

So a tracker if you put them on animals.

TechMasterAllen · July 2015

Or a beacon that doesn't drift away. Can you use beacons inside?

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