Multiplayer ideas

aeroripper

I know multiplayer may never be a thing, but I was thinking of some ideas anyways:

Coop

- They're 2 (or more?) destroyed escape pods that start some distance apart
- Players can collect things together to build stuff faster.
- You can dock your cyclops with another cyclops VIA a docking port. Then you can travel freely between both subs while attached. This may be useful when you're exploring the dark depths and resources are scarce.
- Shared defense. Because 2 are better than 1. Difficulty of monsters may have to be adjusted.

Not sure if PvP would work well in this game. It seems to scream coop to me.

Lye

I could dig it. It'd be a great way to get people to buy the game again in order to gift their friend(s) a copy.
At this point in time though, I think they should wait until a little more content is added. As of right now, multiplayer would do little more than speeding up the exploration process, and aiding you in monster attacks.
Although, if this game releases without some sort of multiplayer, I think that'd be a huge loss on their part. Subnautica isn't the first fully underwater based game, but it's the first that's actually putting a big emptiness on both exploration and crafting with the care and attention to good gameplay that we've seen from ns2.
However, if multiplayer does become a thing, suit customization would be sweet, and gender selection would be a must.

Seldkam

I want the Single player first. THEN we can think about Multiplayer-- as for brainstorming ideas, I agree with your points, but would add on that this game with competitive pvp would simply be a poor design decision in my eyes and be a waste of time for the devs.

Aeroflux

Cooperative gameplay should have more complex puzzle/creature patterns that one person cannot solve alone.

Observing the behavior of other creatures could be a hint at the required actions. Two stalkers herding a school of Peepers into a ball (like dolphins) and then taking turns eating them could demonstrate the use of cooperatively herding fish into a gravsphere trap...which in turn could evolve into to distracting a giant dominant creature with a ball of fish while the other guy sneaks into the nest to retrieve copper that species uses as lining. Or eggs for an other-worldly omelet.

The pilot/gunner is a popular cooperative mechanic that could be adapted to this environment. Perhaps an area where electrifying squid are attracted to the cyclops and one player needs to dislodge them with something...it could be a super resistant compound (made from a species opposing the electric squid) that renders their shock abilities inert, or providing a surplus of energy that would make others attracted to the attacking squid instead.

For some reason a super electrified squid disco ball of light, which attracts others of it's species with a mating disco dance is funny to me. Hmm...that's it. The electric squid behavior is to attract mates with a high current of electricity. They are instantly attracted to the Cyclops because of the electricity they sense. The player could use extra batteries to overload attackers with electricity and cause a distraction / dance-off. Okay maybe that's a bit too much...but the real depth to cooperative gameplay could be more complex behavior from the creatures.

The most successful cooperative gameplay requires communication and planning. The challenge must demand timing and preparation to avoid glory-mongering or fifth-wheel syndrome.

Soul_Rider

As I mentioned previously, if there is co-op, it would be amazing. Also, I kept asking for a 2nd life pod, but then I realised, there are 2 chairs in the POD, so you could both survive in the same pod.

Castle

There is so much going on on the design side right now its hard to respond to anything with concrete answers. Don't take this silence as a sign that we are not listening.

Seldkam

We understand, I think thanks for the reply anyways! I'm just excited and trying to be helpful at the same time.

Maitland

I have a strong impression that the game model for the co-op player, should be Rocket Raccoon.
Somehow, I like the idea of Rocket Raccoon in a swim-suit, or am I just crazy?

deathshroud

only played the game a little so far, but my idea for multiplayer would involve the players sharing a larger escape craft together with enough room for 6 or so people on board. The environment would be far more deadly with more creatures and less resources


going off in another direction, perhaps a small landmass, an island filled with extremely tough creatures that the survivors would have to eventually kill by first gathering and building equipment they find in the depths to eventually conquer the island to build an escape shuttle upon it.

Seldkam

I think coop would be best as just a normal game mode like the "freedom" mode, or maybe the survival mode just for a kind of freeroam styled coop experience without the story elements? I think if we put in a difficulty setting deathshroud's ideas of having more deadly creatures and less resources would be neat

ssjsonic1

Simply allowing a second player to join you in the game is all that I need for multiplayer. My wife doesn't play games at all, but she would love to go scuba diving with me in Subnautica. Swimming together, or splitting up to get resources to build things together. The game doesn't need a lot of multi-person interactions, but it also feels like you want to show somebody the cool stuff you find as you explore.

Soul_Rider

As I said in another post. When a friend of mine was playing Subnautica, I wanted nothing more than to be able to jump in the ocean and swim around with them.

If co-op were to be added, it wouldn't need anything different from the current rules. Each mode would play the same, but you would have two people to collect the resources for, as well as two people collecting. The scale would be fine.

The problem comes adding the network code, because, as a single-player game, subnautica doesn't need a networking component, but as soon as you add co-op, this then becomes a factor, as well as the additional 'server' code required.