Update: Chapter 2 of Breathedge loses the plot a little (what little there is of it). Due to the skipping voice-lines I actually had to spend 10 minutes in a safe environment to read the message log, just to figure out what the hell is going on. It boils down to reducing the ambient radiation by completing six seemingly random tasks, so that the player can reach a rescue vessel.
In terms of gameplay elements Chapter 2 introduces a space-bike that greatly speeds up travel (while promising a space car later on, the benefits (and headaches) of station-building, more environmental hazards, actual enemies and more exploring... and that's one aspect where Breathedge goes BANANAS in Chapter 2. I was working on my base when the game bombarded me with points of interest to visit, so when I finally started exploring again I had a dozen quest markers clogging up the UI. Worse than that, once I set out exploring MORE quest markers kept popping up, and now I'm looking at close to 30 of them!
I want to spoiler as little as possible, but sharing a few helpful pointers won't hurt:
# If you had set up oxygen stations in the starting area, consider dismantling them to recoup the Aluminum used in them. That is still the bottleneck resource of the game, despite everything. Oxygen stations become redundant as of the chapter change due to upgraded equipment and the clever strategic placing of 'autonomous oxygen stations' and Engineering Shuttles - these serve as 'checkpoints' throughout the area, and if you're venturing into unknown territory that is actually plot-relevant, you're bound to find one of the two.
# The game not only tells you when you're supposed to build your first base, but also where to build it. This is one part where Subnautica prevails over Breathedge, as the former game never tried to shoehorn the player into forced decisions in regards to base-building.
# The base-building mechanics in Breathedge are vastly superior to Subnautica's... but also somewhat more complex. Base structures come in three flavors: Leisure, Service and Garage, which are clearly marked by a heart, a gear and a rocket respectively. Certain modules can only be built in certain structures, like Leisure-based modules are what you'd expect from personal quarters, Service modules involve all the base management modules and the garage modules are all vehicle-related. Sadly Breathedge doesn't have the docking animations for its vehicles like Subnautica did, which is a Big Thing as it turns out.
# One of the first modules available in a base is a Research Station, which allows the player to research new stuff while also doubling as a crafting station. Currently the Research Station allows the player to cut some corners by offering upgrades in return for some resources, as well as an arbitrary study timer. The thing is, except for the two spacesuits that become available with this module, all the upgrades can be found in-game. Even the chewing gum. I ended up picking the most beneficial upgrades (max oxygen supply and boosters) and just chancing it on the others.
# At the time of this post, the only features from the original pod that I still cannot reproduce in a base is the cassette player and the suit closet. But since I've only found three cassettes so far I'm not that bothered by it.
# The toilet actually serves a purpose: Piss into it so that the stream hits the arrow that appears, and a gauge starts building up. Once it fills up a random resource will be generated. Useful, but remember that pissing drains your Drink-meter, so consider this a last resort if you manage to exhaust a resource.
# My biggest complaint regarding Subnautica during its development (to the point that I whined to the devs about it) was that the bases didn't have a 'Status Screen'-module that gave you stats on your base, so you'd know the fine details of how the base operated and its current status. Breathedge has that covered in a most excellent manner, to the point it makes the Subnautica devs look horrendously incompetent by comparison. By contrast, Breathedge doesn't have a Scanner Suite... yet. While it would be a wicked addition, it's also one of the trickiest one to implement.
# There are a LOT of collectible items. A series of posters, clothing, dolls, photos and other things that one can use to decorate. There's also plenty of furniture to find and scan. To find all of this stuff, consider every piece of wreck you find to contain something relevant.
# Another aspect where Breathedge trumps Subnautica is the design and appearance of the wrecks. I soon noticed that Subnautica was recycling game assets when it came to wrecks, they all felt very samey and clearly cobbled together by the same base designs. Breathedge actually has fewer wreck designs than Subnautica, but manages to cover up the samey-ness by adding much more personal touches. Like corpses. There was never a single corpse anywhere in Subnautica, but Breathedge has LOADS of them... and some of them aren't even human. And most of them died in a comically horrible manner. (My favorite is the one who tried to cryogenically freeze himself in a vending machine...)
# If you see a green laser line somewhere, Watch Out - that's a sentry turret in idle mode. Get too close and the beam turns red, so you better use speed and terrain to your advantage.
# While you can find a bike while exploring, I strongly advise building a new bike the first chance you can. Not only is there an achievement in it for you if you do, but a freshly-built bike goes much faster than the old bucket of bolts you find.
# In my opinion there are far too many tools, and not enough quickslots. Subnautica had five quickslots, but due to the "magic technology" of the tools there was rarely need to change what five items occupied the slots. Breathedge has four quickslots and ten tools at my last count... not including weapons or the flashlight. Get ready to do a lot of quickslot juggling, and often with the clock ticking away.
# Despite the game having oodles of quest markers and telling you what needs to be done, there were too many instances where I couldn't figure out what the game wanted me to do. I blame the information overload that the game unloads on the player early in Chapter 2, so vital details will be lost in the flood of voice lines. The fact that the player is working towards solving six seperate objectives simultaneously (in addition to harvesting resources, upgrading the base and just trying to survive) doesn't help either. Eventually the mess will resolve itself, but there's more than twice as much content in Chapter 2 than in Chapter 1.
UPDATE: Finished Chapter 2, and... in true Breathedge-style there is no Chapter 3, the game skips to Chapter 4 (which isn't ready), comments about how it skipped Chapter 3 and then rewards the player with an achievement. The End... until next time.