Some ideas to keep the game fresh (without multiplayer/map expansion rant)
Banquo
Join Date: 2016-11-17 Member: 224022Members
Join Date: 2016-11-17 Member: 224022Members
Hello everybody
I just wanted to suggest a few ideas that might prolong the game experience and still fit in with the dev's (apparent) vision of the game. As an regular player of survival games, there are a couple of things I have noticed that seem to keep a game exciting and alive long after one has completed all upgrades and explored all areas.
- Environmental events
- Random events
With an environment such as an ocean, the possibilities are really endless. They can vary in severity and frequency based on player actions, player location, or just be randomized events. A few examples:
- Jellyfish blooms (random, or perhaps caused by players dumping waste from base into the ocean).
- Pollution from player made items (reactor explosion, vehicle crash) resulting in poor visibility, mass die offs etc. Reactor failure could cause a chain of events like damage to base or other pollution causing machines.
- Massive thermal vent eruptions causing a temp increase that lasts a period of time.
- Roving schools of carnivorous fish.
- Surface storms/lightning strikes
- GIANT WHIRLPOOLS in the abyssal zone. Venture over the cliffs for mining and you could be dragged way down should one form near you (Yikes! That's creepy!).
- Larger creatures that naturally die and fall to the bottom of the sea floor. Other smaller creatures can be found feeding on them. (just for immersion)
- Large creatures that are attracted to the light/heat/power of your base. Sonar or some kind of scanning system could alert you to an approaching threat and you would have a short amount of time to shut down power/hide.
- Player gets the bends from surfacing too quickly.
- Need for extra O2 generators in base when building deep to maintain pressure balance. (this may be a good time to bring up that there should be incentives to building deeper, along with greater challenges that come with building at great depths).
- Rust/leaks when power is left off for too long in base.
- Cthulhu emerging from the depths to eat/put the hurt on you (Okay that's a joke. Sort of)
I just wanted to suggest a few ideas that might prolong the game experience and still fit in with the dev's (apparent) vision of the game. As an regular player of survival games, there are a couple of things I have noticed that seem to keep a game exciting and alive long after one has completed all upgrades and explored all areas.
- Environmental events
- Random events
With an environment such as an ocean, the possibilities are really endless. They can vary in severity and frequency based on player actions, player location, or just be randomized events. A few examples:
- Jellyfish blooms (random, or perhaps caused by players dumping waste from base into the ocean).
- Pollution from player made items (reactor explosion, vehicle crash) resulting in poor visibility, mass die offs etc. Reactor failure could cause a chain of events like damage to base or other pollution causing machines.
- Massive thermal vent eruptions causing a temp increase that lasts a period of time.
- Roving schools of carnivorous fish.
- Surface storms/lightning strikes
- GIANT WHIRLPOOLS in the abyssal zone. Venture over the cliffs for mining and you could be dragged way down should one form near you (Yikes! That's creepy!).
- Larger creatures that naturally die and fall to the bottom of the sea floor. Other smaller creatures can be found feeding on them. (just for immersion)
- Large creatures that are attracted to the light/heat/power of your base. Sonar or some kind of scanning system could alert you to an approaching threat and you would have a short amount of time to shut down power/hide.
- Player gets the bends from surfacing too quickly.
- Need for extra O2 generators in base when building deep to maintain pressure balance. (this may be a good time to bring up that there should be incentives to building deeper, along with greater challenges that come with building at great depths).
- Rust/leaks when power is left off for too long in base.
- Cthulhu emerging from the depths to eat/put the hurt on you (Okay that's a joke. Sort of)
Comments
Even the simplest of these would help add a bit more replayability, for those who have played for ages. My absolute favourite is the idea of environmental effects. The idea of having to madly dash to your base to shelter from a storm, then be forced to repair the leaks in the middle of the storm is so appealing to me. Imagine having to sacrifice part of your base to retreat behind a bulkhead. That would be so cool.
The chief plight of Subnautica veterans is the replayability. How significantly we'd benefit from procedually-generated maps. But that is not gonna happen, so the least we could have is a dynamic environment. Everything you listed contributes to the enlivening of the oceanic map.
The only think I see rejected here is the O2 and pressure maintenance. I myself would love an extreme mode where you actually have to keep constant vigil on your O2 storage.
Let me add a nugget: remove the depth meter from hud and give the player a vest with all the real equipment they would need for diving. Then when we want to see our remaining oxygen or current depth let us press a hotkey to physically grab our depth meter and take a look.
As for the whole oxygen management part... There was a Nitrogen Narcosis element for a while but it's been disabled. I'd love if they revisited that though, and have it mode dependant:
Freedom - No effects
Survival - All mechanics present, but relatively mild
Hardcore - All mechanics present and at full effect
Oh wow, I'd love for it to come back remastered. I guess you're right about the depth meter. Lore-wise it would be more appropriate to have a hud for it. Still I'd prefer a physical meter as every small real-life addition and activity we may do in a game adds to the immersion in my opinion. Say, I usually have a tough time appreciating an RPG or open world game where you can't even take in the experience of just being, through little actions like slowly walking instead of running, or sitting. Just those trivial features are enough to break a game's immersion for me.