Best Of
Re: 'BOREALIS RISING' - A Subnautica Story V2.0.
I'm not dead yet, and neither is the story.
I'd like to get this next bit right.
Please be patient.
I'd like to get this next bit right.
Please be patient.
Re: BZ - Character customization PLEASE?
Yeah, look, I do know that it's time of tolerance and all that, but still... Why not to give us a variety? You see, I want to play a white male character because I AM a white male guy. I want to equate myself with a survivor, and I won't be able to do that with a black female hero, whose hands and voice (screams) I hear all the time while playing. This will just ruin all the atmosphere for me. In the first game it was not that bad cause hero was male at least. So really, there is nothing in terms of racism e.t.c. to give us an option to choose the gender and skin color when starting the new game.
LF for Below Zero ^^
You were not a white male in the first game. You are not a white male in the second game. Playing from different perspectives broadens your horizons.
We will not be making a character selection, as the story is about a particular person who happens to look they way they do.
Re: 'BOREALIS RISING' - A Subnautica Story V2.0.
I'm assuming bugzapper is busy. But bumping once in a while helps. I do hope all is well for bugz. :nod:
Re: Why you don't use the nuclear reactor
I agree with this entire post save for this part. Oxygen is probably the most important component of an underwater base next to having a floor and solid walls, and I'm actually glad the devs prioritized convenience over realism in this case. Every base is going to need oxygen, so why make the player jump through another hoop every single time? And unlike power, which bases also need, there is never a need for more oxygen than what's required to keep you alive, so there will never be a reason to build more one module.gamer1000k wrote: »(...)
Oxygen generation would require a special module that uses a massive amount of power to provide a suitable load for nuclear plants. Vehicles would likewise have limited oxygen supplies, although the Cyclops could be upgraded with an oxygen generation module (and a nuclear power plant).
(...)
One way I could see a system like this working is if there was a greater demand for oxygen at lower depths, not only due to the increased consumption thanks to pressure but also because of the lower concentration of dissolved O2 in deep water (assuming we're filtering it from the water rather than generating it from H2O). However, keeping up with that demand seems more like it would be brain-dead busywork rather than an interesting challenge. Base below 100m? Build two O2 generators. Under 200m? Build three. Realistic? Probably. Fun? Maybe not.
Furthermore, I don't disagree that oxygen production should draw power in principle, but why bother keeping track of that when every base that uses power is also going to need oxygen? Again, oxygen demands will never be higher or lower than what is already produced, so we can just assume that the minimum output of every power module is enough to do the job, and the power we actually consume is whatever is left over.
Re: Why you don't use the nuclear reactor
Since this thread has recently been resurrected, I'll put my thoughts in.
IMHO, the whole power system in Subnautica is an inconsistent mess. Sadly, since the game is now "done", there likely won't be any improvements, so I'm keeping an eye on mods that will hopefully rebalance the game.
The incredibly weak nuclear reactors are just one part of the whole issue. Fundamentally, the value of 1 energy unit varies wildly and inconsistently between all parts of the game. In the PDA, an ion cube is described as containing 5 kilotons worth of energy. An ion battery which is crafted with the cube holds 500 units of energy, so a regular battery with 100 units of energy supposedly holds the equivalent energy to a kiloton of TNT (which is completely absurd in its own right). So by this measurement a single unit of energy is equivalent to 10 tons of TNT, which makes absolutely zero sense compared to all the other energy generation in the game (including the nuclear reactor).
If you apply this value to the various powered items in the game, it's pretty obvious to me that the devs slapped arbitrary nice-looking values on everything with zero regard to whether it actually made sense or not. With the value above, the flashlight is using 10 tons of TNT every few seconds to light up the area in front of you, and sonar pings are more powerful than navy anti-submarine depth charges and should be able to kill reapers with ease.
Also, the water filtration machine uses FAR, FAR too much energy, but at the same time oxygen production is free as long as the base is powered despite the reaction being the reverse of burning rocket fuel (splitting water into hydrogen and oxygen is EXTREMELY energy intensive). This is completely backwards and shatters a lot of the immersion in the game.
Realism aside, from a gameplay standpoint (the focus of this thread) the various power sources aren't really balanced against each other at all. Thermal is just OP as long as you're near a vent (infinite power with no maintenance), and nuclear just doesn't last long enough for its cost. I think the intent of nuclear was to provide the ability to build a large, deep base anywhere and still be able to easily power it, but most of the good base locations also have thermal vents nearby, and for the few that don't bioreactors are much more cost effective and don't require constantly hunting for a specialized nonrenewable fuel resource since the reactors don't last long to begin with.
If I was going to rebalance the energy system, I would make the big power draw be oxygen production and base/vehicle construction, followed by hydroponics and water purification. Bases near the surface could use the pipes to bring down oxygen for effectively free like it is now. Each base module (except foundations) would require a bit of energy to maintain, so larger bases would require more baseline power generation. I would also add some additional high-power endgame base modules (base shields for example, maybe even the ability to use a shield to create a large air bubble and drive water out of a given area so you can walk around on the seafloor like dry land). I would also make vehicle fabrication use much more energy (seamoth and prawn would be crafted at moonpools and use lots of energy), Cyclops would be constructed at an external large shipyard module (which could also dock the Cyclops to a base). Base construction energy costs would also be increased (fabricator would be used to create base prefab components which use a lot of energy, which would then be placed by the habitat builder).
Solar is fine as a starter energy source, and feels alright for now once the value of 1 energy unit is redefined to something more logical. Bioreactors feel pretty good as well. Thermal would be nerfed to have about the same output as a bioreactor, and if possible limit 1 thermal plant per vent (i.e. they snap to the vent) so they can't be spammed. Nuclear would be greatly buffed so a single reactor can easily power a large base for a long time (at least a couple in-game months). The fabrication cost could be greatly increased as well, especially for the rods (IRL, only a small percentage of uranium is of the correct type for reactors and needs to be expensively refined), maybe with a specialized refinery module (which could also potentially craft refined biofuel for the bioreactor with higher energy density).
I would also separate energy storage from energy generation and add new base components for energy storage, and small temporary bases could be run from power cells. Each base module (room, corridor, etc) would have a bit of oxygen storage, and dedicated oxygen storage modules could also be built.
Oxygen generation would require a special module that uses a massive amount of power to provide a suitable load for nuclear plants. Vehicles would likewise have limited oxygen supplies, although the Cyclops could be upgraded with an oxygen generation module (and a nuclear power plant).
Additionally, I would replace indoor grow beds with an aquarium/alien containment-style hydroponics unit that requires a decent amount of energy to run, similar to the alien containment. Decorative plant pots would still be available, but the food plants couldn't be planted in them.
Anyways, just a few random thoughts if I ever get around to attempting to mod Subnautica.
IMHO, the whole power system in Subnautica is an inconsistent mess. Sadly, since the game is now "done", there likely won't be any improvements, so I'm keeping an eye on mods that will hopefully rebalance the game.
The incredibly weak nuclear reactors are just one part of the whole issue. Fundamentally, the value of 1 energy unit varies wildly and inconsistently between all parts of the game. In the PDA, an ion cube is described as containing 5 kilotons worth of energy. An ion battery which is crafted with the cube holds 500 units of energy, so a regular battery with 100 units of energy supposedly holds the equivalent energy to a kiloton of TNT (which is completely absurd in its own right). So by this measurement a single unit of energy is equivalent to 10 tons of TNT, which makes absolutely zero sense compared to all the other energy generation in the game (including the nuclear reactor).
If you apply this value to the various powered items in the game, it's pretty obvious to me that the devs slapped arbitrary nice-looking values on everything with zero regard to whether it actually made sense or not. With the value above, the flashlight is using 10 tons of TNT every few seconds to light up the area in front of you, and sonar pings are more powerful than navy anti-submarine depth charges and should be able to kill reapers with ease.
Also, the water filtration machine uses FAR, FAR too much energy, but at the same time oxygen production is free as long as the base is powered despite the reaction being the reverse of burning rocket fuel (splitting water into hydrogen and oxygen is EXTREMELY energy intensive). This is completely backwards and shatters a lot of the immersion in the game.
Realism aside, from a gameplay standpoint (the focus of this thread) the various power sources aren't really balanced against each other at all. Thermal is just OP as long as you're near a vent (infinite power with no maintenance), and nuclear just doesn't last long enough for its cost. I think the intent of nuclear was to provide the ability to build a large, deep base anywhere and still be able to easily power it, but most of the good base locations also have thermal vents nearby, and for the few that don't bioreactors are much more cost effective and don't require constantly hunting for a specialized nonrenewable fuel resource since the reactors don't last long to begin with.
If I was going to rebalance the energy system, I would make the big power draw be oxygen production and base/vehicle construction, followed by hydroponics and water purification. Bases near the surface could use the pipes to bring down oxygen for effectively free like it is now. Each base module (except foundations) would require a bit of energy to maintain, so larger bases would require more baseline power generation. I would also add some additional high-power endgame base modules (base shields for example, maybe even the ability to use a shield to create a large air bubble and drive water out of a given area so you can walk around on the seafloor like dry land). I would also make vehicle fabrication use much more energy (seamoth and prawn would be crafted at moonpools and use lots of energy), Cyclops would be constructed at an external large shipyard module (which could also dock the Cyclops to a base). Base construction energy costs would also be increased (fabricator would be used to create base prefab components which use a lot of energy, which would then be placed by the habitat builder).
Solar is fine as a starter energy source, and feels alright for now once the value of 1 energy unit is redefined to something more logical. Bioreactors feel pretty good as well. Thermal would be nerfed to have about the same output as a bioreactor, and if possible limit 1 thermal plant per vent (i.e. they snap to the vent) so they can't be spammed. Nuclear would be greatly buffed so a single reactor can easily power a large base for a long time (at least a couple in-game months). The fabrication cost could be greatly increased as well, especially for the rods (IRL, only a small percentage of uranium is of the correct type for reactors and needs to be expensively refined), maybe with a specialized refinery module (which could also potentially craft refined biofuel for the bioreactor with higher energy density).
I would also separate energy storage from energy generation and add new base components for energy storage, and small temporary bases could be run from power cells. Each base module (room, corridor, etc) would have a bit of oxygen storage, and dedicated oxygen storage modules could also be built.
Oxygen generation would require a special module that uses a massive amount of power to provide a suitable load for nuclear plants. Vehicles would likewise have limited oxygen supplies, although the Cyclops could be upgraded with an oxygen generation module (and a nuclear power plant).
Additionally, I would replace indoor grow beds with an aquarium/alien containment-style hydroponics unit that requires a decent amount of energy to run, similar to the alien containment. Decorative plant pots would still be available, but the food plants couldn't be planted in them.
Anyways, just a few random thoughts if I ever get around to attempting to mod Subnautica.
Re: Ideas For Subnautica Below Zero
SonicCornetto wrote: »So what do you think should be in Below Zero?
Can you please use Jack's noise for some creature? It would be amazing.
located in ep3 28:56
Re: Ideas For Subnautica Below Zero
Another mechanic that I would like to see implemented is for scanning objects that you already have blueprints for.
Right now, scanning these objects yield titanium, but it would be nice if scanning one of these parts would give a random material necessary for its fabrication.
Titanium would still be the most common, but the player would often also get things like copper and glass.
On the much rarer side, players could obtain things like wiring kits and other more complicated materials. This would encourage players to remember where they find fragments beyond just obtaining the blueprints and would provide a less tedious way for players in the late game to obtain resources.
Another idea that would work for this, a new device called a salvager could be implemented that yields resources from fragments. This would likely be something obtained before the player starts exploring the deeper regions but after the player would start having to make longer trips away from the starting area. It would keep the scanner from being too useful in the start of the game (if the scanner worked as mentioned above) and provide another rewarding objective to the player.
The salvager have numerous mechanics, it could be a modification station upgrade to the scanner, laser cutter, or even the repair tool as I think that all of these tools are related to how a supposed salvaging tool would work (scanning for undamaged materials, repairing broken parts in order to make them useful, cutting the outside of the fragments apart to get at the computer chips, wires, and other useful parts)
Right now, scanning these objects yield titanium, but it would be nice if scanning one of these parts would give a random material necessary for its fabrication.
Titanium would still be the most common, but the player would often also get things like copper and glass.
On the much rarer side, players could obtain things like wiring kits and other more complicated materials. This would encourage players to remember where they find fragments beyond just obtaining the blueprints and would provide a less tedious way for players in the late game to obtain resources.
Another idea that would work for this, a new device called a salvager could be implemented that yields resources from fragments. This would likely be something obtained before the player starts exploring the deeper regions but after the player would start having to make longer trips away from the starting area. It would keep the scanner from being too useful in the start of the game (if the scanner worked as mentioned above) and provide another rewarding objective to the player.
The salvager have numerous mechanics, it could be a modification station upgrade to the scanner, laser cutter, or even the repair tool as I think that all of these tools are related to how a supposed salvaging tool would work (scanning for undamaged materials, repairing broken parts in order to make them useful, cutting the outside of the fragments apart to get at the computer chips, wires, and other useful parts)
Re: Ideas For Subnautica Below Zero
add a freezer that can built in a base, fish and food placed in the freezer do not decompose but it uses power
Re: No Bath or Shower? What`s wrong with this idea?
It'd be nice to include as a cosmetic base customization item, maybe with some simple interaction to it, just like the bed.
But as a survival parameter or otherwise as a game system? I dunno. I'd rather build and explore than have to worry about eliminating waste, you know?
But as a survival parameter or otherwise as a game system? I dunno. I'd rather build and explore than have to worry about eliminating waste, you know?
Subnautica Below Zero: Make the first base more "alive".
After watching some gameplay of the new Expansion, I noticed that the first base for the game is very "inactive", that it feels very frozen in time. To counteract this, there should be some sort of response from interacting with things. Nothing much, maybe a light turns on for this, a machine turns on for that, just to make it feel like your doing things while you explore inside. Also, since it isn't in emergency mode, the PDA should tell the player about certain objects, which could help explain some things. For example, the PDA should say some things about the PRAWN suit, and why the player isn't allowed to use them. (Maybe because it's broken, or its because it's against the rules for a non-prawn suit technician to pilot it). A few ambient noises/animations will help make the base feel more like a home, which will make it even worse when (SPOILERS) the base is ultimately destroyed.
