Subnautica: Released (SPOILER WARNING past Post #1)

[WhiskeyWolf]

breathedge was similar but did not check it out past initial early access

Watched a playthrough, decided it's not worth playing.

I found its "humor" especially off-putting.

 

[Hellraiser]

Apparently they're going to officially reveal the recently "leaked" (it got casually mentioned in some investors' call or whatever) sequel next year:

Nitterlink confirming the above wasn't 'shopped:

https://nitter.1d4.us/Subnautica/status/1735707917708304723#m

I'm not really following how common Below Zero apologists are and the devs revealed jack shit so far on the direction, so I can't really guess if they'll learn the right lessons from criticism of BZ or the drooling retards/developer delusions will drown out the very justified criticism of BZ, and thus the devs continue on the path of decline.

I guess I'll just default to cautious pessimism until (if ever) proven wrong once they actually start talking about what they want to do with the new game.

 

[jackofshadows]

I think those devs are beyond hopeless. However if they'll make something really beatiful and w/o that clipping problem guess it might be worth to mess around for a bit.

 

[anvi]

KSP 2

 

[Iucounu]

I can't really guess if they'll learn the right lessons from criticism of BZ or the drooling retards/developer delusions will drown out the very justified criticism of BZ, and thus the devs continue on the path of decline.

Talent is one thing, but I suspect they're also trying to appeal to as big a market as possible, so I expect the decline to be intentional.

I guess I'll just default to cautious pessimism until (if ever) proven wrong once they actually start talking about what they want to do with the new game.

Game Director Cleveland has removed his Twitter pronouns and BLM hashtag long ago, which suggests he's malleable, for good and for worse. They'll likely go with whatever is in vogue next year.

 

[cvv]

I can't really guess if they'll learn the right lessons from criticism of BZ or the drooling retards/developer delusions will drown out the very justified criticism of BZ

I still wanna believe the cramped scope of BZ and the bafflingly retarded dry land section was just due to the fact BZ was originally conceived as a DLC and the sequel will be a bigger and better original.

 

[WhiskeyWolf]

I can't really guess if they'll learn the right lessons from criticism of BZ or the drooling retards/developer delusions will drown out the very justified criticism of BZ

I still wanna believe the cramped scope of BZ and the bafflingly retarded dry land section was just due to the fact BZ was originally conceived as a DLC and the sequel will be a bigger and better original.

I personally think the first Subnautica was an accidental lightening in a bottle, so I have no hope for a proper sequel.

 

[Joggerino]

They had a very good sound designer and music composer

 

[markec]

Hopefully they just wanted to try something different with BZ but they learned from their mistakes.

 

[Late Bloomer]

Well, I can't recommend any game that comes close to the original Subnautica (cause I still didn't find any), but I did watch animated mini-series recently
that captured the feeling very well - Scavengers Reign. Anyway, I liked the show and I think fans of nautica might enjoy it. Give it a try.

I would expect nothing less from fans of playing a turd underwater.

 

[Wirdschowerdn]

Scavenger Reign was terrible. Stopped watching a few episodes in.

And it's nothing like Subnautica.

 

[udm]

Just finished the game, clocking in 80+ hours in 3 weeks. Great game with a unique experience.

But that said, knowing what those soyjaks at Unknown Worlds did to Simon Chylinski, I cannot in good faith buy their 3rd game (not like I care about the 2nd anyway after reading up on reviews). The music was a big part of what made the first game great for me anyway.

 

[Machocruz]

As I assumed, game is not that interesting on a second play. Not that I intended to, I just got it in my mind to go back in and build up my base some more. But somehow I lost my end game save and only had one from mid game. No Prawn or Cyclops yet. Did the Aurora, which was cool the first time but now just eh. Have the Prawn now, but for the life of me can't find all the drill or grapple arm parts despite doing more intentional exploration than I did the first time. The combination of darkness and geography make exploration/navigation kind of tedious when when purposefully looking for things. Enjoyed finding things "organically" the first time.

 

[Iucounu]

As I assumed, game is not that interesting on a second play.

Could it be because the gameworld isn't challenging enough? Maybe there are mods that increase the lethality of the wildlife, and/or reduces the amount of food.

 

[BrotherFrank]

Yeah there are some good mods in that vein, although the big one Return of the Ancients, seems to have been in development forever and only youtubers seem to be able to play it, if there is a public version you need to hunt for it on their discord or something.

Even without RoTA, plenty of good mods to pick from:
https://www.nexusmods.com/subnautica

Sadly still none that imports equipment from natural selection 2.

 

[Machocruz]

Could it be because the gameworld isn't challenging enough? Maybe there are mods that increase the lethality of the wildlife, and/or reduces the amount of food.

I don't think more challenge would make a difference to me. I'd say the absolute greatest strength of the game was the sense of mystery and discovery it offered, and progression tied to that. All the content hinges on it. It's a game of great moments, surprises, and wonder. But since I've uncovered and discovered everything, that's gone. You can't get back the feeling of finding the islands the first time, or finally getting on the Aurora, entering the Lost River, getting all the vehicles and buildings, etc. Like with many other things, familiarity takes the shine off. A mod that adds a new adventure/content, with new locations, tech progression, etc. would be my choice, if any.

But it was more of an observation than a complaint, noticing I'm lukewarm about playing it like a sandbox. It was great the first time around, that's more important.

 

[Jedi Master Radek]

Could it be because the gameworld isn't challenging enough? Maybe there are mods that increase the lethality of the wildlife, and/or reduces the amount of food.

I don't think more challenge would make a difference to me. I'd say the absolute greatest strength of the game was the sense of mystery and discovery it offered, and progression tied to that. All the content hinges on it. It's a game of great moments, surprises, and wonder. But since I've uncovered and discovered everything, that's gone. You can't get back the feeling of finding the islands the first time, or finally getting on the Aurora, entering the Lost River, getting all the vehicles and buildings, etc. Like with many other things, familiarity takes the shine off. A mod that adds a new adventure/content, with new locations, tech progression, etc. would be my choice, if any.

But it was more of an observation than a complaint, noticing I'm lukewarm about playing it like a sandbox. It was great the first time around, that's more important.

What you described may be one of the reasons I didn't like Below Zero.

 

[Iucounu]

I'd say the absolute greatest strength of the game was the sense of mystery and discovery it offered, and progression tied to that. All the content hinges on it. It's a game of great moments, surprises, and wonder. But since I've uncovered and discovered everything, that's gone. You can't get back the feeling of finding the islands the first time, or finally getting on the Aurora, entering the Lost River, getting all the vehicles and buildings, etc. Like with many other things, familiarity takes the shine off.

That's true. But I enjoy replaying other similar games (ARK Survival Evolved, The Long Dark) even when the areas are familiar, perhaps because they are harder.

Spoiler

In much of my first Subnautica playthrough I was way more careful than I needed, until I realized most of the wildlife just attacked vehicles, not the player character.

A mod that adds a new adventure/content, with new locations, tech progression, etc. would be my choice, if any.

There is a long but narrow cave system close to the Aurora that's a real challenge to explore, since it's too narrow to bring vehicles, too long for the air supply to last, and very easy to get lost in. I had to bring extra air tanks and drop on the way in. Great easter egg location, but alas completely unitilized by the game.

 

[BrotherFrank]

I'd say the absolute greatest strength of the game was the sense of mystery and discovery it offered, and progression tied to that. All the content hinges on it. It's a game of great moments, surprises, and wonder. But since I've uncovered and discovered everything, that's gone.

This is why people like me are patiently waiting for Return of the Ancients.
You can already get the extra fauna separately and there are a lot of equipment mods (including an rng mod or there used to be, that randomised recipes and materials), but the piece de resistance will be the story content and an expanded questline.

 

[Machocruz]

What you described may be one of the reasons I didn't like Below Zero.

Hmm, I figured a whole new game would have that feeling again. Because it's just more of the same? Or its mystery box/content isn't as good?

That's true. But I enjoy replaying other similar games (ARK Survival Evolved, The Long Dark) even when the areas are familiar, perhaps because they are harder.

Spoiler

In much of my first Subnautica playthrough I was way more careful than I needed, until I realized most of the wildlife just attacked vehicles, not the player character.

I played a bit of Ark, seemed like it could get crazy. There is more in the way of conventional gaming challenge and sandbox there, more involved building and crafting, stuff to kill and tame, but I wonder if it's like Conan where you're not given much, if any, narrative hook, which is the thing Subnautica does better than every other survival craft game I've played, at the expense of what those games do well. Didn't play TLD, but it looked like more of a serious and focused survival game with more randomness, scarcity, and uncertainty. All these games offer different things, and that's great.

but the piece de resistance will be the story content and an expanded questline.

Exactly the kind of mod that builds on its core strength. Would also be a great opportunity to give more concrete reasons to go to old, high risk areas, which didn't have much to offer for the trouble. Only went to Dunes because it was conveniently next to a biome I had to be in, saw a wreck and some good resource nodes near the border, then later to troll Reapers with the Prawn.

 

[Iucounu]

I played a bit of Ark, seemed like it could get crazy. There is more in the way of conventional gaming challenge and sandbox there, more involved building and crafting, stuff to kill and tame,

ARK contains an almost bloated amount of gameplay mechanics; and also relatively free roaming wildlife, sometimes resulting in unpredictable situations reminding me of Stalker's A-Life.

Spoiler

In ARK, roaming dinos can also attack and destroy most bases you build, unlike in Subnautica where only vehicles seem to take any real damage from creatures.

but I wonder if it's like Conan where you're not given much, if any, narrative hook

Yes, it's primarily a multiplayer or player vs environment type of game. No quests at all, just like in TLD's (recommended) Survival Mode.

which is the thing Subnautica does better than every other survival craft game I've played, at the expense of what those games do well. Didn't play TLD, but it looked like more of a serious and focused survival game with more randomness, scarcity, and uncertainty. All these games offer different things, and that's great.

I didn't think Subnautica's plot detracted from its normal gameplay, unlike the silly plot in TLD's Story Mode (Wintermute) which both relies on cutscenes and interferes with the basic gameplay

Spoiler

(for example, in Mystery Lake all generic bears are removed and replaced with the single plot bear)

.

 

[Machocruz]

I didn't think Subnautica's plot detracted from its normal gameplay

Not at all. It elevated it, if I wasn't clear on that before. The gameplay is perfectly fine for the narrative journey, but outside of that I think games like Ark, CE, 7DTD, etc. offer more

 

[Elthosian]

As I assumed, game is not that interesting on a second play. Not that I intended to, I just got it in my mind to go back in and build up my base some more. But somehow I lost my end game save and only had one from mid game. No Prawn or Cyclops yet. Did the Aurora, which was cool the first time but now just eh. Have the Prawn now, but for the life of me can't find all the drill or grapple arm parts despite doing more intentional exploration than I did the first time. The combination of darkness and geography make exploration/navigation kind of tedious when when purposefully looking for things. Enjoyed finding things "organically" the first time.

Try Rain World, it takes the portrayal of its ecosystem as a hostile, living thing very seriously. The tales of Dark Souls/Hollow Knight junkies jumping in and getting filtered are legendary. It makes Subnautica (itself a great game) feel like a theme park visit, tbh, and I say it as somebody who struggled a lot with it due to fearing the ocean. What makes it superior is how complex the AI is and how all creatures interact with each other organically. Also, in regard to your complaint about further runs, the first playthrough has you escape most creatures, so it feels like a stealth survival experience whereas the next two campaigns have you face the wildlife with more combat proficient characters, enabling you to see a wholly different side of the ecosystem and a lot of AI patterns you will not see in the first run.

 

[Jedi Master Radek]

As I assumed, game is not that interesting on a second play. Not that I intended to, I just got it in my mind to go back in and build up my base some more. But somehow I lost my end game save and only had one from mid game. No Prawn or Cyclops yet. Did the Aurora, which was cool the first time but now just eh. Have the Prawn now, but for the life of me can't find all the drill or grapple arm parts despite doing more intentional exploration than I did the first time. The combination of darkness and geography make exploration/navigation kind of tedious when when purposefully looking for things. Enjoyed finding things "organically" the first time.

Try Rain World, it takes the portrayal of its ecosystem as a hostile, living thing very seriously. The tales of Dark Souls/Hollow Knight junkies jumping in and getting filtered are legendary. It makes Subnautica (itself a great game) feel like a theme park visit, tbh, and I say it as somebody who struggled a lot with it due to fearing the ocean. What makes it superior is how complex the AI is and how all creatures interact with each other organically. Also, in regard to your complaint about further runs, the first playthrough has you escape most creatures, so it feels like a stealth survival experience whereas the next two campaigns have you face the wildlife with more combat proficient characters, enabling you to see a wholly different side of the ecosystem and a lot of AI patterns you will not see in the first run.

Sounded promising but it's a platformer. Does it have exploration or building as good as Terraria?

 

[cvv]

Sounded promising but it's a platformer. Does it have exploration or building as good as Terraria?

Checked it out, it looks like a metroidvania without getting new abilities or stats or gear during the game. Sounds p. weird tbh.