Several weeks have passed since the Seamoth Update, and Subnautica development continues at full speed. Major updates are arriving on a roughly monthly basis at the moment. While it will be a few more weeks until the next update, now is a great time to take a peek at some of the sweet underwater gameplay being worked on behind the scenes.
Not everything you read about in this post will make it into Subnautica. Throughout the development process, ideas come and go, concepts are favoured then discarded, and gameplay mechanics iterated upon. Some of what is on show here may end up in an update some time in the next few months, and some might never be seen again!
When playing Subnautica in Survival Mode, managing a supply of fresh water is a big deal. There is not currently a way to produce fresh water on a large scale. This new concept for a water filtration machine could change that:
Along with fresh water, sea-bases might soon be able to serve as production facilities for food. The subsistence of a lone explorer on an alien world is a contemporary theme: Many of us on the team have read the Martian, and will be going to watch the cinema adaptation over the coming weeks. Charlie has been in a super-creative headspace thinking up potential underwater farming gameplay. Here is a concept of what aquaponic facilities might look like in Subnautica:
Why stop at cultivating plants inside a sea-base? Here are some of Cory's notes on what a large sea-base aquarium might look like, capable of containing larger ocean critters:
Scott has been putting together an animation set for a creature called the 'Sea Treader' - A large, tripedal life form that can... poop!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m5o2W4fc0Hs
Artwork for a sinister, unique biome called 'Lost River' is starting to pop up. This concept shows off the vibe, in the centre of which lies a massive alien skeleton:
Lost River could feature new flora and fauna, as variations of existing life-forms.The creature skeleton at the centre of Lost River might end up being so large that a vehicle will fit inside. Here are some notes from Cory on a work-in-progress model of the skull:
The PDA has been receiving some TLC from Slava. A new messaging system will allow the PDA to deliver narrative messages crafted by Tom. It might also be able to display images captured while exploring the ocean. Which is to say, we are basically re-inventing the iPad in waterproof form.
A brand-spanking new Subnautica update has been released: Seamoth! It is available right now on Steam, and will automatically download to your Steam Library if you have Subnautica installed. The best place to see what’s inside is the Seamoth Update page, where you find all sorts of juicy details! Hint: Torpedoes, electromagnetic pulses, armour plating…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Y88Z8KkMfI
The Seamoth Update brings gobs of love to the Seamoth Submersible. Almost everything in the update is centered around making the Seamoth more useful, interesting, and fun to play with. At the heart of all the goodness is the Seamoth upgrade panel, which may be found on the port side of the hull.
This panel facilitates the installation of various new upgrades. For example, Vortex Torpedoes. The Seamoth may now be configured with up to four torpedo tubes, each of which can hold four torpedoes. The ordinance is non-lethal, and designed to trap a dangerous life-form in a vortex of swirling water long enough for our intrepid protagonist to escape, pass, or do whatever needs to be done in the area.
Vortex Torpedoes are effective against lone or closely clustered lifeforms. They’re not much use if your Seamoth is surrounded by predators. Enter the electromagnetic perimeter defense module. Activating this module sends a non-lethal burst of electromagnetic radiation into the surrounding water, scaring off all but the largest ocean predators. Be cautious though, every activation drains the Seamoth battery to a significant degree.
These defensive capabilities will come in handy when exploring deep-ocean cave systems. Finding such cave systems just got a whole lot easier, thanks to the Seamoth Sonar module. This module sends out a sonic pulse, and displays the returned echo as a three dimensional mesh on the Seamoth head-up-display.
The Seamoth is good for getting a diver from place to place. It can now move a diver’s stuff from place to place too! Storage modules may be installed to facilitate the carriage of supplies, equipment, and material.
Also available are hull re-reinforcement, battery expansion, solar array, and armour plating modules. All these modules allow the Seamoth to be configured for a wide variety of different missions. Going cave exploring? Pack food in a storage compartment, sonar, electromagnetic defense, and an extended battery. Searching for resources in an area with lots of hostile creatures? Load torpedoes, and fit empty storage compartments to carry the loot.
It gets better. Seamoths can now be customised using the new Upgrade Console. Install the console in a Moon Pool attachment point, and then use it to modify your Seamoth colour scheme and name.
A fancy, upgraded Seamoth will be a very useful companion for exploring the newly re-worked ‘Jellyshroom’ cave system. This striking network of caverns is teeming with life and exudes eeriness.
There’s so much more to the Seamoth Update than is contained in this post. Check out the Seamoth Update Site to see more goodies like birds, mountain ranges, and some really creepy new caves.
A new Subnautica update is under construction. It's going to be called 'Seamoth,' and could arrive anywhere between two and four weeks from now (Or more! Always exercise caution when listening to our release time predictions...). Here's a sneak peek at what's coming:
This post is full of Soundcloud, YouTube, Twitter and Instagram embeds that can't be displayed properly on Steam. To see this post in its full glory, head over to the Subnautica Dev Blog
The Seamoth update centres on that eponymous submersible. When the Habitat Update was released earlier this month, the giant Moon Pool gave the Seamoth a home. It kept the Seamoth safe, but that's about it.
A new 'Seamoth Upgrade Console' will expand the utility of the Moon Pool. The console is a modular component that can be installed in any of the six available hardpoints in the Moon Pool. Once built, it will allow a proud Seamoth owner to rename, repaint, and recharge their Seamoth.
That's not the full extend of the Seamoth love. The submersible itself is also being modified extensively. The plan is for an upgrade panel to be placed on the port side of the hull. Here's a concept from Cory:
Note the panel open (on the left) and closed (on the right). Approaching and interacting with the panel will open the PDA, with a Seamoth 'paper doll' visible. The PDA interface will give access to four hardpoints. These hardpoints could be used for storage bays, sensor-torpedoes, or other upgrades. Here's a rough 'grey box' mockup of the system in action:
Using this system, it will be possible to customise the Seamoth for different missions. For example, if travelling into a dark cave system, you may add extra storage space for flares, dive-reels, batteries, and building material for constructing 'camp sites.' Here is another concept, this time for storage modules on the dorsal-hull section:
We've noticed lots of players are using the console to grant infinite resources and build giant seabases, or fleets of Cyclops submarines. Charlie has been working on a new game mode called 'Creative,' that (among other things), removes resource and tech restrictions. When the Seamoth Update is released, you will be able to use Creative mode to build the giant seabases of your dreams without messing with the console.
For the longest time, entering a sea-base has been a slightly jarring affair. One click and one is transported instantly from ocean to base, or vice versa. Louis has been cooking up a potential intermediary animation, to ease the transition:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wLcsdnx_8xg
Naturally it is impossible to cram the work of every developer into this blog post. This post is, in fact, the tip of the iceberg. To see more of what is being worked on for the Seamoth Update, go to the Subnautica Trello Board. Be notified when the update is released by signing up to the 100% spam-free certified-organic Subnautica Dev Mailing List. We're always looking for your feedback, so please tell us what you think about all this Seamoth Update stuff.
Remember, we are very bad at predicting release dates. Seamoth could arrive next week, in four weeks, somewhere in between, or after the next Pluto Perihelion. We don't know. You can be sure that we are busting gut to get it to you as fast as possible!
The Habitat Update is now available! Build an underwater home with Moon Pools, Observatories, large compartments, bulkhead doors, and more. Head over to the Habitat Update website to see all the new features in action, or stay on this page to see an update video, and screenshots. Viewing this page inside Subnautica? Click 'view on Steam' to see images and video.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6USpYf6Y47c
Steam will automatically download the Habitat Update. Don't have Subnautica in your Steam library yet? Get a copy in the Steam Store:
http://store.steampowered.com/app/264710/
The Moon Pool is the new king of sea-base components. This massive structure can be used to dry-dock a Seamoth submersible. The Moon Pool can be customised to your preference with reinforcements, windows, and multiple attachment points for corridors.
Subnautica features a diverse array of unique, beautiful underwater biomes. Thanks to the new Observatory, it is now possible to enjoy the view from the safety of a sea-base.
Large compartments provide lots of interior space. They include eight attachment points for the connection of corridors, dive hatches, windows, reinforcements, and other base modules.
Large compartments can be stacked, and ladders built between their decks.
Small lockers are a new storage option. They can be placed on sea-base walls, and feature a customisable label on the door.
Speaking of labels, it is now possible to create customised base signage. Use the builder tool to place a label, and then enter any text. Labels can be various sizes, have arrows, and include different background options.
Sea bases have been one of Subnautica’s most loved features. Since their release in February 2015, many of us at Unknown Worlds have wanted to improve upon them. Moon pools for docking submersibles, larger compartments, glass corridor sections, bulkhead doors – All this and more has been on our wish list. Now, those wishes are becoming reality: The Habitat Update will be released soon, possibly as early as the first week of August. [Ed: As soon as this blog entry was posted, Jonas expressed concern that this was a highly optimistic timeframe. Take all release timeframes with a boulder of salt!]
Subnautica updates have followed a semi-regular pattern of ‘a few weeks’ each. The Habitat Update has taken much longer. We are very conscious of this, and decided to increase update time in return for more update goodies. Two weeks ago, we were approaching readiness to release Habitat, but something gave us pause…
The Habitat update is all about building an underwater habitat: A work-space, a safe-space, a personalized-space, a base for further adventures. Two weeks ago we had larger compartments, vertical-connectors, observatories, signage, bulkhead doors and a new power system almost ready to go. We held off so that we could include the Moon Pool as well.
The Moon Pool is the big daddy of base components. It facilitates the docking of Seamoth submersibles. Pilot a Seamoth into a Moon Pool, and robotic arms will park your submersible for you!
The ‘Pool is also a very complex component from a technical perspective. It acts as an intersection of many other game systems – Themselves complicated in isolation. For example, it must act as an interface between water and air, and allow a player to swim and dive between the two. It has its own sounds, animations, and of course, 3D art. It must be flood-able, have attachment points for other base components, and in some cases its own bespoke connectors. This complexity is why the Habitat Update is taking so long.
Setting dates is to put oneself in the fast-lane to game-development doom. When I set out to write this blog post, Jonas immediately messaged me in our developer chat room: “please don’t include a countdown nor promise any specific day for the actual release.” Jonas’ concern is well founded. Such is the technical complexity of the Moon Pool and it’s interlocked systems that we really cannot know when the Habitat Update will be ready. It may be this week, the next week, or after the next ice age. We are working very hard to make sure it is in the former categories, rather than the latter!
If the wait really is too much, consider switching to experimental branch. You can play with all the new goodies in there already. Be warned: There are more bugs, crashes and horrific errors than you can shake a stick at. Otherwise, sign up to the Subnautica development mailing list, and we will send you a newsletter when the update is ready.
Subnautica now runs on Apple OS X! Get it now on the Steam Store - Buy it once and play on both Windows and OS X computers. Already own Subnautica for Windows? You can now play on OS X as well. The OSX Update also includes two epic new ocean biomes: Underwater Islands and Sparse Reef.
Underwater Islands features massive rock formations suspended above the ocean floor. Giant creatures, larger cousins of the Floater, act against the force of gravity. Bone Sharks and other creatures swim among cascades of sand.
Sparse Reef brings a new relaxed aesthetic and feel. The blooming colors and dense features of other biomes are replaced by more earthy tones, and rolling dunes. Watch out for Bleeders…
Sparse Reef also features some new fauna to discover.
New in the OSX Update is the Repulsion Cannon – A workbench modification of the Propulsion Cannon. The Repulsion Cannon can push large creatures and objects away. This is very useful when trying to navigate past aggressive life forms like Stalkers.
The OSX Update also features a wide array of subtle improvements to Subnautica. For example, Jonas has repaired a problem that was causing objects to pop in and out of the world inappropriately, and Andi has solved some issues with the Repulsion Cannon introduced in the Alterra Science update.
Explore the fall range of changes in OSX Update by visiting the Subnautica Trello board. You can also get a granular, all-encompassing view of the update by visiting the Checkin & Changes List. Keep an eye on both those spots over the coming weeks to see us build towards some big additions to sea-base building in the near future…
Alterra Science Update
Crashed on an alien world? Surrounded by ocean predators and hostile environments? Fear not, brave traveller: For you now have new means of crafting at your disposal. The Workbench and Propulsion Cannon will transform the way you explore the ocean!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bGOSan1aip4
The propulsion cannon was developed by a crack team of Alterra Corporation scientists. The cannon may or may not exploit un-patented work by one Dr Eli Vance, an employee of one of Alterraís competitors, Black Mesa Corporation. We canít be sure. We can be sure that thanks to the propulsion cannon, the wait for Half-Life 3 is over.
The propulsion cannon can be used to grab, push, drag, fling, and manipulate most smaller objects in the ocean. It definitely does not use gravity to do this.
The new Workbench opens up new crafting and equipment customization possibilities. Build one with a Builder tool after analyzing a Workbench Fragment.
Equipment including the Knife, Tank, and Fins can be altered using the Workbench. For example, a Knife can be modified to feature a super-heated blade. This new Heat Knife can then be used to instantly cook fish unfortunate enough to be killed by its blade.
Perhaps the most important feature of the Alterra Science update is the development of a hitherto unimaginable technology: Working doors. Run up to a Cyclops submarine door or hatch to know true science fiction futurism.
Ever wished you could mark a cave entrance for future exploration, but canít tell all your beacons apart? Alterra Science has a super scientific solution to this problem: Beacon labels. Use them to keep track of all your stuff, and places to visit!
Seabases and the Cyclops submarine have received major visual upgrades in Alterra Science. New internal lighting gives them a slick new look.
The Cyclops is not just prettier, it is also getting more clever. Alterra Science new science to submarine technology, with an upgrade console that can grant your boat greater diving depth, a stronger hull, and more.
Of course, as always, we canít fit everything weíve done into this blog post. Alterra Science is packed with bug fixes, tweaks, and tricks that all add together to make Subnautica Early Access a more enjoyable experience. Check out the Subnautica Trello board and the Checkin & Changes List to see absolutely everything that went into the update!
Crash Site Released!
A new Subnautica Early Access update has been released on Steam! This is the Crash Site update. It brings access to the crashed Aurora starship, big performance and stability improvements, fully-playable Oculus VR support, the new Radiation Suit, terrifying Reaper creatures, and much, much more.
Since the beginning of Subnautica development, the Aurora starship has hung on the horizon. She has attracted players to her stricken hull like moths to a flame. Until now, it was not possible to approach the Aurora: Strong radiation fields meant death to anyone that approached. Now, that has all changed.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U-_LOE-IkaA
A new Radiation Suit is available to be crafted at the Fabricator. When worn, it protects against the effects of radiation. With it, you can now approach the Aurora.
Equipping the Radiation Suit is a breeze thanks to the new Paper Doll inventory interface. To wear a particular diving suit, helmet, or other piece of equipment, simply drag it onto the ‘doll.’
The Aurora will now explode a few in-game days after game start. It is possible to play Crash Site with an old save game – The Aurora will still explode. However, the saved game will need to be upgraded to include all the new terrain around the ship, and any gear, submarines, or bases stored within 150m of the Aurora will be lost. For more information about this, see the upgrade dialog presented in the main menu
At the crash site, you might find all sorts of goodies. You may also find new threats – So tread carefully.
The radiation spread from the wreck of the Aurora restricts movement over wide swaths of the sea floor. Explore the damaged dark-matter core on board to see if you can find a way to reverse the radiation spread.
There’s good news for those playing Subnautica with Oculus Rift development kits. Big progress has been made on interface elements and graphics, and it is now possible to get around Subnautica’s various menus using the Rift. For example, the PDA now works properly.
Subnautica now runs on the latest and greatest version of the Unity engine, Unity 5. Unity 5 is faster than 4 in a few ways, and we’ve also made some tweaks to the way the game is rendered. This means Subnautica generally runs faster than it used too.
In addition to performance improvements, massive memory optimization work and a switch to 64-bit memory architecture means many crashes have been banished below the sea-bed. If your machine meets minimum requirements, it is now very unlikely you will experience a memory related crash. To help work out if your computer is powerful enough to play Subnautica, we’ve added a minimum – specification warning to the main menu.
Behind the scenes, there’s been big progress on a community language translation system. It’s not quite ready for prime time, but we will be talking about it soon. If you would like to see Subnautica in a particular language, you will soon have the opportunity to make it happen.
The past five weeks have been intense. Crash Site is the biggest Subnautica update we’ve yet undertaken. It is not perfect – You will find many, many bugs, but it is our intention to bring you the latest stuff as soon as possible. Please send us your feedback, both positive and negative. We very much appreciate hearing from you, and your input helps us make Subnautica a better game.
This blog post only scratches the surface of what has been changed in Subnautica inside the Crash Site update. From new animation systems, to entirely new cave complexes, to innumerable squashed bugs – Find out about everything that went into Crash Site by visiting the Subnautica Trello board, and perusing the Checkin and Changes list.
Up Next: Crash Site
Here’s a peek at what will be coming to Subnautica in the next few weeks: The explosion and exploration of the Aurora starship.
Steam limits what we can embed in news posts. To see the full post, including interactive 3D models and SoundCloud files, go to the Subnautica Dev Blog
Back at in 2014, an extremely early prototype of Subnautica was shown at PAX East. A two dimensional starship, cut out from Cory's concept art, was placed on the ocean horizon. It was impossible to get closer to the ship, it would forever recede into the distance no matter how far a player swam.
Despite this a significant proportion of players would constantly swim across the surface towards the starship. They ignored objectives, vehicles, creatures, and even the whole undersea environment. There was something utterly compelling about the crashed Aurora, lying stricken on the sea floor.
At that time, there wasn’t a strong plan in place for what to do with the crashed ship. Various ideas were being tossed around, and continued to circulate even past Subnautica’s launch on Early Access. Approaches to the Aurora were cut off by deadly radiation fields, while we’ve figured out what to do with it.
Now, we’re ready to bring the Aurora into the game. In the past few weeks, crash site gameplay brainstorms have been category 5 hurricanes. Concept art, prototypes, gameplay ideas have all been flying around. The thing that most accurately describes what we’re thinking about is perhaps this sound made by Simon:
That’s the sound of a big starship going bang. When it goes bang, it will litter the sea-floor with debris, impact craters, and goodies formerly trapped inside the Aurora’s hull.
Michael, Jake, Russell and Oli are hard at work crafting the ocean floor at the Aurora crash site. This includes digging a huge impact trench out of the rock, and decorating it with debris, silt, and rubble. This represents a unique level design challenge, as it forces the mixing and disruption of existing biomes.
Some of the debris pieces on the sea floor will be large enough to enter and swim around in. Here’s a particularly large one:
What of the deadly radiation field that currently prevents approach? You will soon be able to craft a radiation-resistant suit, capable of protecting you from pesky alpha, beta, and gamma rays. A new ‘paper-doll’ style inventory system will allow you to easily swap equipment, and know what you are wearing at a glance.
Radiation might be the least of your worries when swimming near the Aurora’s wreck. We don’t want to say too much – We’ll let this experimental video from Andi do the talking…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5HY6S9uMnMs
This blog post can’t contain everything we’re working on at the moment. Heaps of stuff is being done, including the addition of new sea-base functionality, and rebalancing of loot/crafting mechanisms. To see more, check out the Subnautica development Trello board, and the checkin & changes list.
We can never be sure when we will release updates. The Crash Site might happen in one, two, or three weeks. It’s likely to be some time in April. Sign up to the Subnautica mailing list to find out the moment the update is released.
Seabases Released!
Subnautica now features underwater bases. They are available now, and allow the construction of habitats on the sea floor. Bases are composed of modular units such as compartments, windows, and hatches, bases allow you to create an outpost from which you can go forth and explore Subnautica's vast ocean.
Bases are the biggest new feature we've added to Subnautica since the Cyclops submarine. Like the Cyclops, bases are unfinished, buggy, and rough around the edges. Subnautica is an Early Access game, and we aim to give you the latest stuff well before it is truly 'finished' - Game development is more fun this way!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q-oa3bzir9A
Despite being incomplete, bases are tremendous fun to muck about with. To build a base, craft a Builder tool at a Fabricator. Then, right click while holding the tool. You will be presented with a crafting menu that offers various different base components.
Base construction requires lots of resources, particularly Titanium, so pick your site carefully. In the screenshots in this post, the bases have been built on sand in safer coral areas. You don't have to follow that lead: Bases can be built just about anywhere - Including inside caves!
There are a wide variety of base components to choose from, including L junctions, T junctions, X junctions, windows of various shapes and sizes, hatches, and foundations. Compartments can be stacked on top of each other and connected with ladders to create multiple decks.
When building bases, it is necessary to manage hull integrity. Placing lots of compartments, or weaker components like windows, lowers hull integrity. The effect is more pronounced the deeper the base is built, as water pressure increases. Placing hull reinforcements can increase hull strength, and allow the placement of more windows and hatches before hull integrity fails.
If your base has low hull integrity, it might flood. Flooding can be stopped by restoring hull integrity and repairing hull breaches. To restore hull integrity, place more reinforcements or remove weak components like windows. To repair hull breaches, use a Welder tool on the breach. Once all breaches have been repaired, the water will be drained by the base artificial intelligence.
Some base components, like Fabricators, require power. Place a power generator outside a base to give them the juice they need to function. If you don't have a power generator, you will see a big red 'Power' warning at the top of the head-up-display.
Remember: Bases are, like the rest of Subnautica, a work-in-progress. They will break frequently and sometimes with disastrous (or hilarious!) consequences for gameplay. This is the fun of Early Access, shaping a game over time rather than just throwing a finished product at people and hoping it works. Leave us feedback notes via the in-game F8 feedback system, talk to us on the forums, (here or on the dev blog!), Tweet at us, do whatever you can to tell us what you think. Your feedback will shape our work on bases, and help make them better and better as development continues!
