Suggestion: Sonar? :D
The_Big_Bad_W8lf
England Join Date: 2015-03-15 Member: 202178Members
England Join Date: 2015-03-15 Member: 202178Members
. Simple ping system designed around sonar
Comments
I'm not sure how useful it would be though...
There are plenty of areas or caves we would find that we otherwise might not if we can use sonar
But yes it's a must have and can introduce the concept of map without disturbing the immersion.
I don't think it's really that hard to program but since I'm no programmer I can't really tell ^^
They already coded this several times, it's called a raycast. It is used for example to check if a base hatch has enough space to eject the player, and other things. The hardest part would probably be the HUD.
It's a must for the Cyclops, because you have such a limited field of view when piloting the massive sub.
so a 3D model of sonar pings being sent out every few seconds and then fed to a HUD for the pilot makes it that much easier to pilot the sub into position for ease of access to areas you'd normally have to "park outside of". Additionally, I believe with the sonar and the 3D HUD graph would make Subnautica much more immersive and fun.
sound idea... but i don't think a Seamoth would be big enough to handle all the sonar equipment nor would it be needed as it is a small and highly maneuverable submersible
an ideal way to picture it could be like this but something closer to what they used on AVATAR would be more beautiful. also have it saved to a database within the cyclops to make a way to "map" the surrounding ocean.
a way to limit it so its not ping once map the whole world have it to a set range like... 50m or 75m range and line of sight only...
to have a HUD that would rotate with so and show in the direction you are facing so you can "see" where you are going.
so i give you this challenge DEVs see if you can implement this
But just a suggestion, I do not know what is already planned and how this would fit.
At least in my mind, it makes more sense to read a 3D display rather than injecting my arm with a DNA serum that's somehow going to not only give me the ability to emit sonar, but for my brain to interpret it correctly.
That said, I'm willing to suspend disbelief on that point if it helps me avoid Reaper Leviathans... Magic drug that lets me see them before they spot me? YES PLEASE! :P
I really like the idea with a hologram map layout of your surroundings (not moving as you rotate). But listen up people, we don't want this underwater exploring game to become super-ez.
IF you are gong to add a hologram sonar thingy, then make it need a DNA that only drops from the "Reaper Leviathan" make it a challenge, oh well, I might be going way too far with this but its just my opinions.
It would be even more fun to have to research and develop the sonar on your own partially, by creating "sonar research shards" (from wiring, gold plas-steel, etc,) you then have to put in the analyzer for further devlopment.
It would eventually give you a "MK I sonar blueprint, which would let you assemble a bulky poorly calibrated prototype (that is too big to fit on anything smaller than the cyclops and has poor range/clarity) and after using it for X amount of time (and building more research shards to put in your analyzer) you can craft a sleeker better calibrated MK IV (or whatever) version that will fit on the sea moth with higher fidelity (and update the one on the Cyclops.)
Eventually the end of that tech tree (MK IX?) would be a hand held sonar device (which would take batteries of course, and be very energy inefficient) that requires you to stay in one position while using and can highlight a localized area in a much smaller radius than the sub sized models.
This makes sonar more of goal you have to work towards with worthwhile rewards along the way that feels like an actual scientific challenge rather than a "treasure hunt for rare boxes."
Yes very good idea. And it'll be cool to unlock tech by discovering (and analyzing) new materials (minerals, vegetal or animal).