It's been a week and I've had time to properly think about the game's setup so far.
The intro
I find this done well. It's detailed enough to set up the premise naturally, but not too long to cause impatience for the game proper. The snowman is a nice touch to characterization too. The only thing I'm less on is the design of the tunnel to the game area. After the run back to base, it strikes me as too uneventful. A narrow passage or a sharp turn downwards might help make it feel more part of what came before.
One question though (perhaps someone already tried?), what if you don't pick up one or more of the datapads lying in the base or at the research site? Do they become permanently inaccessible?
The characters
From what I've seen so far, I like our cast of 4-6 individuals. Between Robin and Sam, I like lines such as the womb one and the lied before one to set the tone for loyalty vs self-interest. Between Sam and Maxim, I like the way that Maxim comes across as what Sam could be with a few more years under her belt and how that influences her behavior. (Though like I said before, his initial dialogue needs reworking to match his later.)
That said, the dialogue (which I understand is unfinished) is contradictory at points and in particular Robin's characterization falls apart as result. In the interview data download, Robin is forceful about wanting to join in on Alterra's presence on 4546B and I'd expect that to be brought up when she refuses to be saved in a "with Jeffrey MIA and this incident, who knows when I'll be allowed back"-way, but no such reasoning comes up. Plenty of horror games feature a protagonist doing their thing voluntarily or semi-voluntarily, so I don't understand the complaints about Robin having a choice takes away from the sense of isolation, but I do agree that a sense of urgency is missing with the casual way Robin chooses to stay on murder fish planet. And then later Sam asks about Robin's status and Robin responds all snarky, which doesn't work if she turned down the offer to be picked up and still doesn't want to be picked up.
Long story short, I feel that Robin's dialogue has to take into account more what her motivations are. I don't think her chipper persona has to suffer for it because she gets to do science outside of Alterra's immediate control and the like, but that should come with an awareness how easy it is to lose all that.
As well, I'm confused about Jeffrey's character. From the interview data download and Robin's worklist, I gather they know each other and have worked together at 4546B for some time, yet there's not a hint of worry on Robin's part that the guy's gone missing. Unless Robin hates him and is having an "alas"-moment, this is odd.
And lastly, I presume the predicament that occurs after downloading Al-An would work better if there's some data on what exactly Alterra's MO is when encountering previously unknown sapient life, especially ones that don't have anyone to come for them. To believe the predicament, I need some grasp on what the unwanted outcome would be.
The rocket and the drops
In SN1, we had destroyed lifepods. In SN2, we have drops. Nice! Give or take that I don't want the drops to gate like currently is the case with the habitat builder, I think they're a neat idea and I look forward to more of it.
I don't know if the story will allow for it, but I'd be interested in optional exchanges. Ie, some Vesper crew members have been authorized for whatever requests (picture of this, scan of that, sample of other that, an egg, some local edible, etc.) and if you do that you get a drop with, like, exclusive seeds, a miniature model of the Vesper, something fun to read, an updated library for the jukebox (presuming the jukebox comes with a library), etc.
The bioscanner
I don't like this. I missed the word "disposable" earlier and assumed the... strangeness that was getting my own sample was an EA thing, but looking into it it's not. I don't shed a tear for the transfuser. It was an ambitious idea, but if it didn't work out, it didn't work out. But the bioscanner as is is superfluous and strikes me as just there for the sake of using the transfuser's model (and possibly gating?).
I'm not the first to ask this, but what does the bioscanner do that the scanner doesn't, particularly keeping in mind you kept track of the disease's progression with the scanner in SN1? I can imagine that it's the difference between you making the scan and Vesper getting to make the scan, but at present that's not communicated. A data entry would help.
Plainly, I don't enjoy having to use tools I can't fabricate. Like, I will drop the bioscanner into the Void and complain the game has become unbeatable.
I accept that the reason you lose the bioscanner after use is that it doubles as storage unit for the sample, but that doesn't make the gameplay any more fun. Maybe this is specifically a thing with scanning yourself, but it feels so unsubstantial to get a fancy tool and immediately lose it to using it. Like I dreamt the thing up. What I would prefer is to keep the bioscanner and use it on some stationary device (that can be located in the rocket base) to create a travel-fit stored sample. It's an artificial extra step, sure (and so's having to fix the rocket), but it'd help give the bioscanner presence.
Still, all of the above leaves me wondering if this is truly the best the bioscanner can be; an incidental story-over-gameplay element instead of something that plays a proper role. Could it have a role in Al-An's arc? Otherwise maybe there's ways to fit it into existing gameplay?, like making a bio-scan a requirement before you can hatch eggs in a big aquarium (but with the perk of informing you if a particular animal has eggs to search for to begin with) or maybe it can fused with that remote scanner concept that may or may not be cut. Something like that.
Without trying to give the plot away you need to go to Sanctuary the story will expand I have the Hover Bike and the Sea Truck hint and once you have the blueprints you can craft away the only issues I have so far is one of game lag and my Sea Truck likes to drift off so I parked it under a Moonpool not in use.
In the story, Sam tells Robin that she's going to try to get the Snow Fox, just has to ask her superiors. Eventually, she drops something that is marked with just a question mark, and no description. This isn't the other two items that are labeled as heat gel or something. You take the item to land and drop it on the ground. You will see a tablet and when you pick it up, it's a blueprint that gets added to your PDA.
You build the "docking station" on land, add a power source (solar) and then you can build the SnowFox.
Snowfox control is a little odd, but cool that you can hover around on land.
It glitched out for me after I closed and reloaded (transported itself somewhere that I can't get to), but I think I can just build another.
Holy cow, you weren't kidding. Thanks!
My hoverbike also got stuck after I relogged, but you can clip your head through the ice to mount it. Once riding it, you will have to dismount and pack it up, because you cannot get unstuck from the mushrooms there.
I might recommend packing it up before logging out in case this happens every time.
that's an old bug from the original game, sometimes the fauna would clip through seabases. I'm surprised this bug wasn't quashed in the original game. I've had the bad experience of coming back to find my aquariums empty of my fish's due to biters clipping into my base and eating them.
Has there been any talk of a finish date for this? or even the next update? i'm desperate to have a go but dont want to spoil it for myself with bugs and incomplete story so i'm trying to hold off until its closer to completion. Im signed up to the development newsletter. I've gone back to the original game to get my fix but the new game is looking great and i can wait to get going
Has there been any talk of a finish date for this? or even the next update? i'm desperate to have a go but dont want to spoil it for myself with bugs and incomplete story so i'm trying to hold off until its closer to completion. Im signed up to the development newsletter. I've gone back to the original game to get my fix but the new game is looking great and i can wait to get going
according to favro they plan on an oct release but I wouldn't hold it too them to release on time, the original game wasn't released when they set out with it thus is the unpredictability of game development as a small development team.
I love Subnautica have played it all the way through, with and without mods, many times. However there are a handful of things I can think of that would improve the gameplay in a variety of ways.
Survival Aspect Improvements:
I think some powered machine should be necessary to prevent hostile creatures from attacking your base that way you need to think before constructing your base just anywhere. In the main game, you could build a base right near leviathan spawns and not have to worry; structures only take damage from running subs into them and not having enough support.
Without this machine, any hostile creature should be able to damage the hull of your habitats.
At the same time, it'd be BS to come back to find your base obliterated by some leviathan while you were gone, so I think creatures should only aggro habitats if they see the player enter, or see them inside through windows. Throwing in windows with togglable transparency and some decoy torpedoes that lure away leviathans and other hostile creatures would make this system forgiving enough, in addition to making creatures not aggro buildings unless you're inside (even if you're nearby). ARK Survival Evolved had this issue where it was difficult to lure hostile creatures away from a base; they'd eventually just stop chasing you and go back to attacking your structures, which is very annoying and doesn't make much sense.
In short, having creatures attack your bases would be a very cool addition and it'd add a lot to the survival aspect of the game, but needs to be well though out or it'd be more of an annoyance than a cool new mechanic.
In when exploring Subnautica, a vast majority of the starting area has little to no threats aside from oxygen. From what's out of Below Zero so far, it seems to share this issue.
I'd say the root of this issue is that anything that wasn't a leviathan, such as Sand Sharks and Stalkers, could practically be ignored. The only threat from them was spending an extended period of time near them, but the high availability to health packs early on made even that a non-issue (aka a sand shark or stalker would never ever kill you unless you were trying to die). It'd be nice if creatures like this (i.e. the Brute Shark in Below Zero) were much more threatening, at least until the player is able to get their hands on a vehicle or a reinforced dive suit. This would greatly enhance the survival aspect of the game throughout the game, as opposed to only worrying about oxygen early on, and leviathans in the late game.
Making the Sharks damage you more heavily, as well as grabbing you and pulling you deeper into the water, would make them much more threatening. Also health kits should only be usable when out of the water (in a vehicle, base, or on land).
Temperature should be a bigger threat without the reinforce dive suit (the heat vents should be hundred of degrees, getting too close should be very deadly without proper protection, not just mildly damage you. Also it'd be neat if you needed an a new suit to dive in the arctic waters for more than a certain amount of time without getting back to warmth, similar to how Subnautica limited your early exploration without the Radiation Suit.
Stacking armor modules are OP. The prawn was neigh invincible with 2 of them, and even the seamoth was pretty tanky. When exploring the lava zone with the prawn, I would regularly grapple onto sea dragons just for fun as they were not threatening at all due to how tanky I was. I'd either remove them or make them only usable on larger subs. Maybe making them reduce movespeed would also balance them. Either way, while fun to use, they completely destroy the survival aspect of a lot of areas.
A good handful of items in Subnautica were very questionably useful or just novelty items that were fun but didn't really do anything
Here are a few examples and how I'd fix em:
Submersible lockers would be nice for the time before you can build a base as limited storage in the pod discourages gathering resources early in the game, but their storage space is very small and they take up a lot of inventory space so they're annoying to use early, and it doesn't make much sense to carry them around for late game.
I suggest making the submersible lockers cost a bit more and have 4x as much space. This would make them much nicer to use early on before you can build lockers in a base, and making them take up the same amount of inventory space under the logic that they're collapsible would make them useful even later in specific situations.
The air pump seems a bit too much of a hassle to use. I suggest making it simply consume energy to produce air. Make it take up a large amount of space so carrying one around all the time is very impractical, but putting one deep in the water for repeated use would be simple and easy. Powered by batteries, it would fill with air and stop consuming energy when full (breathing from it takes air out of its inventory). It would essentially be a placeable better version of brain coral or these new air bubble plants in BZ, in exchange for taking up lots of inventory and consuming power.
The propulsion and repulsion cannons I never used outside of novelty. They should be necessary to enter certain areas or something (the Aurora in Subnautica has no areas that can't be entered without it. You can simply jump over anything in the way). I suggest some areas where rocks or chunks of ice block the path or alien bases where you must move heavy objects into specific spots.
Torpedoes seemed and the Perimeter Defense System module seemed pretty useless. Gas torpedoes scaring away leviathans temporarily and Perimeter Defense System making creatures avoid your sub for a few minutes after they're shocked would make these a lot more useful in small subs.
One last Awkward thing that stood out in Subnautica was the lack of a need to get out of the deep sea. Specifically, near the end of the game, there was a portal to get back to the surface, so if you brought a cyclops down to the lava zone to get there, there was no real need to bring it back as you could get the rest done without it.
Hey, I've been enjoying the game a ton over the last 2 weeks or so. Just wanted to know if there was a possible solution to a glitch I've been having frequently. What's been happening is sometimes when my seaglide's battery runs out, I'll try to switch out the battery and it bugs out. I'm unable to actually select a battery and it kinda just gets stuck like that. The only thing I've been able to do about it is log out and load the save up again before it ran out. Just wondering if there's a way to solve this; if not, that's okay. Thanks.
I have experienced it too. The best solution I found so far, is to let run battery to zero and let the game show notification, that battery ran out. Then press "R" to change it. It never bugged for me, when I did it that way.
Regarding stocking of stuff, or base building...is there any clear info, if its worth it? Will I lost everything with next milestone update (they planning one at 27 Feb - see Favro) and will need to start again from scratch? Will my base, built not far from Lifepod, and in 10m depth, preserved? I think there will be just none or little map changes to that area. But of course, as it is early access, anything could happen.
If the game will be reset in such manner, then any serious playing of it dont have sense.
Already spent 12hr in it and dont wanna to lose things, if I can avoid it.
I need to ask about the Sea Truck. I've tried a number of times to spawn the Sea Truck and give it a go, but I always get some really wonky issues which make it unplayable for me:
1) Balance issues. The Sea Truck always seems to want to tip over, either nose-up or nose down. A lot of times it goes completely vertical, so I fall to the back and can't move. And the only way out is to pilot the module which means separation from the rest of the ship.
2) Drift issues. The Sea Truck tends to start drifting away, and then starts accelerating. Once I watched as the distance number went into the hundreds of thousands of meters lol. Eventually the ship icon disappeared entirely.
3) Spontaneous rocketeering issues. Occasionally the Sea Truck launches itself high into the air, like maybe a thousand meters, and falls back down. I don't exactly know what triggers this. The last time it happened was when I was trying to exit the vehicle in relatively shallow water. At the end of my ballistic journey, the Sea Truck had managed to land on dry land near the research station, on its side. Which leads me to my last issue:
4) The Prawn Suit could not right itself once it was on its side. With the Sea Truck now on dry land, I wanted to at least save the prawn suit. The only issue was that it was on its side (as it was docked to the Sea Truck which had landed on the island on its side), and I couldn't find any way to right it. I managed to jet the prawn suit back into the water, but even in the water the prawn suit stayed on its side. Was this always a feature of the prawn suit, or is it a special case of having been docked to the Sea Truck which was lying on its side?
So, my question is: am I just doing things wrong, and there are ways to make the Sea Truck work properly, and right a Prawn Suit that's lying on its side, or are these general game issues? I'm hoping it's the former, so I can start playing with the Sea Truck.
As far as I knkow, Prawn or SeaTruck are not officially in the game by now. So it does not have sense to solve any problems with them.
they plan on having the thing completed and in the game by the 27th according to favro board if things go to plan and don't get delayed, wouldn't hold my breath though sometimes things don't work out like planned and takes more time to iron out.
Having been a huge fan of Subnautica, I have to say that I'm disappointed so far in the way Below Zero more or less copies the original's item progression, survival and exploration aspects, despite that not making too much sense given the story' premise. In Subnautica, it made sense that wrecks and fragments were strewn all over an unmapped area, but in BZ you ought to start off with a lot more information about the locations of the various research sites, maybe a map of the area and a full suite of blueprints. What doesn't make a whole lot of sense is for there to be tool fragments littered all over the place.
Later events like the destruction of the main base and Al-an merging with your PDA could then be used to better explain the tech-reset, EG maybe Al-an accidentally corrupts all advanced blueprints in the PDA requiring you to once again scan these tools, vehicles, etc.
Another idea would be to have resources rather than blueprints be the limiting factor in item progression. Maybe you still have all the knowledge, but once you're cut off from the initial base it becomes hard to find the components necessary to craft advanced items. Given that below zero is set in am arctic rather than a tropical environment it would make sense that biological ingredients would be a lot more scarce and this could make for an interesting inversion of the original, IMO.
A minor peeve of mine is the fact that HUD beacons for airdrops disappear when you get within 100 meters. This makes it unnecessarily difficult to find them for no particular reason, certainly not any in-game logic. Why would Alterra want to make it harder for their employees to find supply drops? Just stop, guys.
Edit: also, unscannable items are complete BS. If you don't want me to have access to certain things, don't put them in areas that I can reach at that point.
But in BZ you ought to start off with a lot more information about the locations of the various research sites, maybe a map of the area and a full suite of blueprints. What doesn't make a whole lot of sense is for there to be tool fragments littered all over the place.
Later events like the destruction of the main base and Al-an merging with your PDA could then be used to better explain the tech-reset, EG maybe Al-an accidentally corrupts all advanced blueprints in the PDA requiring you to once again scan these tools, vehicles, etc.
I don't know about the place being mapped and all, but from the first game we know that blueprint rights are a thing Alterra is stingy with. The second game only follows the same logic:
Name: Robin Goodall Assignment: Xeno-Linguistics Contractor, Vesper Ground Personnel - Zero Sector, 4546B, Ariadne Arm
But in BZ you ought to start off with a lot more information about the locations of the various research sites, maybe a map of the area and a full suite of blueprints. What doesn't make a whole lot of sense is for there to be tool fragments littered all over the place.
Later events like the destruction of the main base and Al-an merging with your PDA could then be used to better explain the tech-reset, EG maybe Al-an accidentally corrupts all advanced blueprints in the PDA requiring you to once again scan these tools, vehicles, etc.
I don't know about the place being mapped and all, but from the first game we know that blueprint rights are a thing Alterra is stingy with. The second game only follows the same logic:
Name: Robin Goodall Assignment: Xeno-Linguistics Contractor, Vesper Ground Personnel - Zero Sector, 4546B, Ariadne Arm
Costs incurred by the fabrication of unlicensed devices will be reclaimed from payroll.
I thought the reason you didn't start with all blueprints in the first game was because of data corruption in the PDA. As for BZ, it makes sense that Robin might not be cleared for all the things Ryley was, but it doesn't make as much sense that she'd just be able to scan restricted equipment and craft it anyway.
since you start with zip I need to explore and find stuff If I have to use console commands to reach my objective in a game that is not finished and full of bugs fine I want to experiment with the new gear and vehicles so in this case for now I'm kicking the door open,
I don't know about the place being mapped and all, but from the first game we know that blueprint rights are a thing Alterra is stingy with. The second game only follows the same logic:
Name: Robin Goodall Assignment: Xeno-Linguistics Contractor, Vesper Ground Personnel - Zero Sector, 4546B, Ariadne Arm
Costs incurred by the fabrication of unlicensed devices will be reclaimed from payroll.
In the first game your PDA got corrupted which is why you have to start collecting blueprints from scratch. Which is why F.E. other lifepods had access to seagliders and creature decoys. I'm not adverse to the idea that certain blueprints would be restricted, after all Robin doesn't need to construct a PRAWN if there are already several on-base and it fits with Alterra's controlling and stingy characterisation, but once her PDA reboots in survival mode some restrictions should be lifted.
For anyone who is interested in the Sea Truck once you have that you have all blue prints for it including the sleeper module, teleporter module I've tride the sleeper out nice the teleporter looks like a spotlight you will need a battery for it.
I thought the reason you didn't start with all blueprints in the first game was because of data corruption in the PDA. As for BZ, it makes sense that Robin might not be cleared for all the things Ryley was, but it doesn't make as much sense that she'd just be able to scan restricted equipment and craft it anyway.
In the first game your PDA got corrupted which is why you have to start collecting blueprints from scratch. Which is why F.E. other lifepods had access to seagliders and creature decoys. I'm not adverse to the idea that certain blueprints would be restricted, after all Robin doesn't need to construct a PRAWN if there are already several on-base and it fits with Alterra's controlling and stingy characterisation, but once her PDA reboots in survival mode some restrictions should be lifted.
My apologies for poor phrasing, but I was not referring to SN's gameplay reasoning (which can go either way), but to lore, like the PDA message for the survival knife and the data entry for the modification station.
I thought the reason you didn't start with all blueprints in the first game was because of data corruption in the PDA. As for BZ, it makes sense that Robin might not be cleared for all the things Ryley was, but it doesn't make as much sense that she'd just be able to scan restricted equipment and craft it anyway.
In the first game your PDA got corrupted which is why you have to start collecting blueprints from scratch. Which is why F.E. other lifepods had access to seagliders and creature decoys. I'm not adverse to the idea that certain blueprints would be restricted, after all Robin doesn't need to construct a PRAWN if there are already several on-base and it fits with Alterra's controlling and stingy characterisation, but once her PDA reboots in survival mode some restrictions should be lifted.
My apologies for poor phrasing, but I was not referring to SN's gameplay reasoning (which can go either way), but to lore, like the PDA message for the survival knife and the data entry for the modification station.
As far as I'm concerned I'm talking about the lore/narrative as well. PDA data corruption is a plot contrivance, the gameplay-purpose behind it is to make the player start from scratch and work toward ever more fantastic items and vehicles in Subnautica.
Since Robin hasn't suffered data corruption, another reason is needed to explain why she has no access to blueprints, or a different limiting mechanic is needed as I suggested earlier. One possible explanation would be for her PDA to not initiate survival mode (yet) after the base is destroyed b/c the operation is still being monitored by Vesper. Or better yet, maybe standard emergency protocol is to evacuate all personnel off-planet and Robin is too stubborn to leave just yet so she has her sister downplay the extent of the disaster. You could explain all this with one or two lines of dialogue between Robin and Sam when the former chooses to stay on the planet.
EG Sam: "Well, the only way the boss is going to let you stay down there is if I don't log this as an emergency, but that'd mean you won't have access to vehicles and other advanced blueprints. Are you sure you don't want to call it quits Robin?"
Robin: "I'll be fine Sam, just send me down a shelter. You can do that at least, right?"
Sam: I can if I report this as a Station malfunction. And there's no need for that tone missy, I'm covering for you here."
Robin: "I know Sam, thanks, love you."
does anyone know how to install upgrades for the sea truck ?
Update: I figured it out you need to go into "Experimental Mode" the upgrades for the Sea Truck are sweet 975 depth for Hull 3 the thruster is great more speed is always good the rest are down to play style,..
Comments
The intro
I find this done well. It's detailed enough to set up the premise naturally, but not too long to cause impatience for the game proper. The snowman is a nice touch to characterization too. The only thing I'm less on is the design of the tunnel to the game area. After the run back to base, it strikes me as too uneventful. A narrow passage or a sharp turn downwards might help make it feel more part of what came before.
One question though (perhaps someone already tried?), what if you don't pick up one or more of the datapads lying in the base or at the research site? Do they become permanently inaccessible?
The characters
From what I've seen so far, I like our cast of 4-6 individuals. Between Robin and Sam, I like lines such as the womb one and the lied before one to set the tone for loyalty vs self-interest. Between Sam and Maxim, I like the way that Maxim comes across as what Sam could be with a few more years under her belt and how that influences her behavior. (Though like I said before, his initial dialogue needs reworking to match his later.)
That said, the dialogue (which I understand is unfinished) is contradictory at points and in particular Robin's characterization falls apart as result. In the interview data download, Robin is forceful about wanting to join in on Alterra's presence on 4546B and I'd expect that to be brought up when she refuses to be saved in a "with Jeffrey MIA and this incident, who knows when I'll be allowed back"-way, but no such reasoning comes up. Plenty of horror games feature a protagonist doing their thing voluntarily or semi-voluntarily, so I don't understand the complaints about Robin having a choice takes away from the sense of isolation, but I do agree that a sense of urgency is missing with the casual way Robin chooses to stay on murder fish planet. And then later Sam asks about Robin's status and Robin responds all snarky, which doesn't work if she turned down the offer to be picked up and still doesn't want to be picked up.
Long story short, I feel that Robin's dialogue has to take into account more what her motivations are. I don't think her chipper persona has to suffer for it because she gets to do science outside of Alterra's immediate control and the like, but that should come with an awareness how easy it is to lose all that.
As well, I'm confused about Jeffrey's character. From the interview data download and Robin's worklist, I gather they know each other and have worked together at 4546B for some time, yet there's not a hint of worry on Robin's part that the guy's gone missing. Unless Robin hates him and is having an "alas"-moment, this is odd.
And lastly, I presume the predicament that occurs after downloading Al-An would work better if there's some data on what exactly Alterra's MO is when encountering previously unknown sapient life, especially ones that don't have anyone to come for them. To believe the predicament, I need some grasp on what the unwanted outcome would be.
The rocket and the drops
In SN1, we had destroyed lifepods. In SN2, we have drops. Nice! Give or take that I don't want the drops to gate like currently is the case with the habitat builder, I think they're a neat idea and I look forward to more of it.
I don't know if the story will allow for it, but I'd be interested in optional exchanges. Ie, some Vesper crew members have been authorized for whatever requests (picture of this, scan of that, sample of other that, an egg, some local edible, etc.) and if you do that you get a drop with, like, exclusive seeds, a miniature model of the Vesper, something fun to read, an updated library for the jukebox (presuming the jukebox comes with a library), etc.
The bioscanner
I don't like this. I missed the word "disposable" earlier and assumed the... strangeness that was getting my own sample was an EA thing, but looking into it it's not. I don't shed a tear for the transfuser. It was an ambitious idea, but if it didn't work out, it didn't work out. But the bioscanner as is is superfluous and strikes me as just there for the sake of using the transfuser's model (and possibly gating?).
Thank you for reading.
Spoiler Alert on pics.
https://steamcommunity.com/profiles/76561198331819737/screenshots
https://steamcommunity.com/profiles/76561198331819737/screenshots
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1651646474
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1651646359
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1651646258
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1651646085https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1651645802
Hover Bike
https://steamuserimages-a.akamaihd.net/ugc/936089573320123022/524578338DFF98C91FF90FB159348AD847E73017/
My hoverbike also got stuck after I relogged, but you can clip your head through the ice to mount it. Once riding it, you will have to dismount and pack it up, because you cannot get unstuck from the mushrooms there.
I might recommend packing it up before logging out in case this happens every time.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1652163201
that's an old bug from the original game, sometimes the fauna would clip through seabases. I'm surprised this bug wasn't quashed in the original game. I've had the bad experience of coming back to find my aquariums empty of my fish's due to biters clipping into my base and eating them.
according to favro they plan on an oct release but I wouldn't hold it too them to release on time, the original game wasn't released when they set out with it thus is the unpredictability of game development as a small development team.
Survival Aspect Improvements:
I think some powered machine should be necessary to prevent hostile creatures from attacking your base that way you need to think before constructing your base just anywhere. In the main game, you could build a base right near leviathan spawns and not have to worry; structures only take damage from running subs into them and not having enough support.
Without this machine, any hostile creature should be able to damage the hull of your habitats.
At the same time, it'd be BS to come back to find your base obliterated by some leviathan while you were gone, so I think creatures should only aggro habitats if they see the player enter, or see them inside through windows. Throwing in windows with togglable transparency and some decoy torpedoes that lure away leviathans and other hostile creatures would make this system forgiving enough, in addition to making creatures not aggro buildings unless you're inside (even if you're nearby). ARK Survival Evolved had this issue where it was difficult to lure hostile creatures away from a base; they'd eventually just stop chasing you and go back to attacking your structures, which is very annoying and doesn't make much sense.
In short, having creatures attack your bases would be a very cool addition and it'd add a lot to the survival aspect of the game, but needs to be well though out or it'd be more of an annoyance than a cool new mechanic.
In when exploring Subnautica, a vast majority of the starting area has little to no threats aside from oxygen. From what's out of Below Zero so far, it seems to share this issue.
I'd say the root of this issue is that anything that wasn't a leviathan, such as Sand Sharks and Stalkers, could practically be ignored. The only threat from them was spending an extended period of time near them, but the high availability to health packs early on made even that a non-issue (aka a sand shark or stalker would never ever kill you unless you were trying to die). It'd be nice if creatures like this (i.e. the Brute Shark in Below Zero) were much more threatening, at least until the player is able to get their hands on a vehicle or a reinforced dive suit. This would greatly enhance the survival aspect of the game throughout the game, as opposed to only worrying about oxygen early on, and leviathans in the late game.
Making the Sharks damage you more heavily, as well as grabbing you and pulling you deeper into the water, would make them much more threatening. Also health kits should only be usable when out of the water (in a vehicle, base, or on land).
Temperature should be a bigger threat without the reinforce dive suit (the heat vents should be hundred of degrees, getting too close should be very deadly without proper protection, not just mildly damage you. Also it'd be neat if you needed an a new suit to dive in the arctic waters for more than a certain amount of time without getting back to warmth, similar to how Subnautica limited your early exploration without the Radiation Suit.
Stacking armor modules are OP. The prawn was neigh invincible with 2 of them, and even the seamoth was pretty tanky. When exploring the lava zone with the prawn, I would regularly grapple onto sea dragons just for fun as they were not threatening at all due to how tanky I was. I'd either remove them or make them only usable on larger subs. Maybe making them reduce movespeed would also balance them. Either way, while fun to use, they completely destroy the survival aspect of a lot of areas.
A good handful of items in Subnautica were very questionably useful or just novelty items that were fun but didn't really do anything
Here are a few examples and how I'd fix em:
Submersible lockers would be nice for the time before you can build a base as limited storage in the pod discourages gathering resources early in the game, but their storage space is very small and they take up a lot of inventory space so they're annoying to use early, and it doesn't make much sense to carry them around for late game.
I suggest making the submersible lockers cost a bit more and have 4x as much space. This would make them much nicer to use early on before you can build lockers in a base, and making them take up the same amount of inventory space under the logic that they're collapsible would make them useful even later in specific situations.
The air pump seems a bit too much of a hassle to use. I suggest making it simply consume energy to produce air. Make it take up a large amount of space so carrying one around all the time is very impractical, but putting one deep in the water for repeated use would be simple and easy. Powered by batteries, it would fill with air and stop consuming energy when full (breathing from it takes air out of its inventory). It would essentially be a placeable better version of brain coral or these new air bubble plants in BZ, in exchange for taking up lots of inventory and consuming power.
The propulsion and repulsion cannons I never used outside of novelty. They should be necessary to enter certain areas or something (the Aurora in Subnautica has no areas that can't be entered without it. You can simply jump over anything in the way). I suggest some areas where rocks or chunks of ice block the path or alien bases where you must move heavy objects into specific spots.
Torpedoes seemed and the Perimeter Defense System module seemed pretty useless. Gas torpedoes scaring away leviathans temporarily and Perimeter Defense System making creatures avoid your sub for a few minutes after they're shocked would make these a lot more useful in small subs.
One last Awkward thing that stood out in Subnautica was the lack of a need to get out of the deep sea. Specifically, near the end of the game, there was a portal to get back to the surface, so if you brought a cyclops down to the lava zone to get there, there was no real need to bring it back as you could get the rest done without it.
EDIT: Ah, console commands. I'm testing as is, so don't need that.
Regarding stocking of stuff, or base building...is there any clear info, if its worth it? Will I lost everything with next milestone update (they planning one at 27 Feb - see Favro) and will need to start again from scratch? Will my base, built not far from Lifepod, and in 10m depth, preserved? I think there will be just none or little map changes to that area. But of course, as it is early access, anything could happen.
If the game will be reset in such manner, then any serious playing of it dont have sense.
Already spent 12hr in it and dont wanna to lose things, if I can avoid it.
1) Balance issues. The Sea Truck always seems to want to tip over, either nose-up or nose down. A lot of times it goes completely vertical, so I fall to the back and can't move. And the only way out is to pilot the module which means separation from the rest of the ship.
2) Drift issues. The Sea Truck tends to start drifting away, and then starts accelerating. Once I watched as the distance number went into the hundreds of thousands of meters lol. Eventually the ship icon disappeared entirely.
3) Spontaneous rocketeering issues. Occasionally the Sea Truck launches itself high into the air, like maybe a thousand meters, and falls back down. I don't exactly know what triggers this. The last time it happened was when I was trying to exit the vehicle in relatively shallow water. At the end of my ballistic journey, the Sea Truck had managed to land on dry land near the research station, on its side. Which leads me to my last issue:
4) The Prawn Suit could not right itself once it was on its side. With the Sea Truck now on dry land, I wanted to at least save the prawn suit. The only issue was that it was on its side (as it was docked to the Sea Truck which had landed on the island on its side), and I couldn't find any way to right it. I managed to jet the prawn suit back into the water, but even in the water the prawn suit stayed on its side. Was this always a feature of the prawn suit, or is it a special case of having been docked to the Sea Truck which was lying on its side?
So, my question is: am I just doing things wrong, and there are ways to make the Sea Truck work properly, and right a Prawn Suit that's lying on its side, or are these general game issues? I'm hoping it's the former, so I can start playing with the Sea Truck.
Help!
So turning the Sea Truck into a Sea Train is do-able add as many storage mods as you like
they plan on having the thing completed and in the game by the 27th according to favro board if things go to plan and don't get delayed, wouldn't hold my breath though sometimes things don't work out like planned and takes more time to iron out.
Later events like the destruction of the main base and Al-an merging with your PDA could then be used to better explain the tech-reset, EG maybe Al-an accidentally corrupts all advanced blueprints in the PDA requiring you to once again scan these tools, vehicles, etc.
Another idea would be to have resources rather than blueprints be the limiting factor in item progression. Maybe you still have all the knowledge, but once you're cut off from the initial base it becomes hard to find the components necessary to craft advanced items. Given that below zero is set in am arctic rather than a tropical environment it would make sense that biological ingredients would be a lot more scarce and this could make for an interesting inversion of the original, IMO.
A minor peeve of mine is the fact that HUD beacons for airdrops disappear when you get within 100 meters. This makes it unnecessarily difficult to find them for no particular reason, certainly not any in-game logic. Why would Alterra want to make it harder for their employees to find supply drops? Just stop, guys.
Edit: also, unscannable items are complete BS. If you don't want me to have access to certain things, don't put them in areas that I can reach at that point.
I don't know about the place being mapped and all, but from the first game we know that blueprint rights are a thing Alterra is stingy with. The second game only follows the same logic:
Name: Robin Goodall Assignment: Xeno-Linguistics Contractor, Vesper Ground Personnel - Zero Sector, 4546B, Ariadne Arm
Blueprint Licenses:
- Tools (Basic Only)
- Habitats (Basic Only)
- Weapons (Survival Knife Only)
- Vehicles (None)
Costs incurred by the fabrication of unlicensed devices will be reclaimed from payroll.
I thought the reason you didn't start with all blueprints in the first game was because of data corruption in the PDA. As for BZ, it makes sense that Robin might not be cleared for all the things Ryley was, but it doesn't make as much sense that she'd just be able to scan restricted equipment and craft it anyway.
PS there be whales~
jukebox does not work yet,...
In the first game your PDA got corrupted which is why you have to start collecting blueprints from scratch. Which is why F.E. other lifepods had access to seagliders and creature decoys. I'm not adverse to the idea that certain blueprints would be restricted, after all Robin doesn't need to construct a PRAWN if there are already several on-base and it fits with Alterra's controlling and stingy characterisation, but once her PDA reboots in survival mode some restrictions should be lifted.
you can try if your brave enough!
My apologies for poor phrasing, but I was not referring to SN's gameplay reasoning (which can go either way), but to lore, like the PDA message for the survival knife and the data entry for the modification station.
As far as I'm concerned I'm talking about the lore/narrative as well. PDA data corruption is a plot contrivance, the gameplay-purpose behind it is to make the player start from scratch and work toward ever more fantastic items and vehicles in Subnautica.
Since Robin hasn't suffered data corruption, another reason is needed to explain why she has no access to blueprints, or a different limiting mechanic is needed as I suggested earlier. One possible explanation would be for her PDA to not initiate survival mode (yet) after the base is destroyed b/c the operation is still being monitored by Vesper. Or better yet, maybe standard emergency protocol is to evacuate all personnel off-planet and Robin is too stubborn to leave just yet so she has her sister downplay the extent of the disaster. You could explain all this with one or two lines of dialogue between Robin and Sam when the former chooses to stay on the planet.
EG Sam: "Well, the only way the boss is going to let you stay down there is if I don't log this as an emergency, but that'd mean you won't have access to vehicles and other advanced blueprints. Are you sure you don't want to call it quits Robin?"
Robin: "I'll be fine Sam, just send me down a shelter. You can do that at least, right?"
Sam: I can if I report this as a Station malfunction. And there's no need for that tone missy, I'm covering for you here."
Robin: "I know Sam, thanks, love you."
Update: I figured it out you need to go into "Experimental Mode" the upgrades for the Sea Truck are sweet 975 depth for Hull 3 the thruster is great more speed is always good the rest are down to play style,..