Rust/Base Decay, Difficulty, and Currents
vitamin_c
Join Date: 2016-01-31 Member: 212383Members
Join Date: 2016-01-31 Member: 212383Members
Alright, so I don't know if this has been posted before, but the whole process of building bases seems too clean and too easy to me, and I'd like to state a couple of ideas I've been thinking about.
1. I think that some sort of rust/overgrowth/dirt mechanic should be added to the base building system. The way I envision this working is that bases built near the surface (say above 400m) become slowly overgrown with grass, vines or barnacles or something of the sort, as well as rusting from the saltwater, and slowly accumulating dirt, both on the outside of the base, as well as the interior. This could be a slow process, but eventually, the base would require maintenance, be it repair with the welder, or the removal of plant life with a tool like the laser cutter. The dirt could be either an entirely cosmetic effect, requiring minimal effort to maintain the clean, sterile look of the base (but with the player still given the option to allow the base to collect dirt, grime, and rust), or could be incorporated into a gameplay mechanic where filters for base modules such as the water purifier would become clogged after so long and require replacing, and windows becoming coated in a layer of grime, slowly rendering them opaque. Additionally, as the level of rust and dirt increases, hatches and bulkheads could become rusted shut, and require cleaning before they can be opened. I currently just don't love how clean and white the bases are in the game and I think that, in an effort to give bases more character, the appearance of the base ought to degrade over time, though not without the possibility of keeping the structure clean.
2. For bases built deeper in the world (below 400m), the above mechanics could still apply, but other elements could be added to increase difficulty. The time frame for maintenance could be accelerated, requiring the player to shore up the structure more frequently, as well as requiring more reinforcement the deeper the base is built, along with other difficulties such as unstable terrain suddenly shifting and causing the walls of the base to buckle, and without any bulkheads to seal off individual areas, flooding the entire base. The lack of stability could be counteracted with foundations or something similar, but without a proper foundation, this could present a nice level of increased difficulty.
3. Should the player not have too much interest in maintaining their base, a maintenance and cleaning drone system could be implemented, with the player building a base module containing robots similar to those found in the mobile vehicle bay that periodically undock and perform their duties, be it cleaning windows and replacing filters, or repairing rust and damage caused by high pressures deeper below the surface.
4. Finally, undersea currents, if implemented properly, could be a very interesting mechanic in the game. Say for instance, in a biome such as the Sea Treader Path, a very strong current could exist, pushing everything in its path in a certain direction, flowing from one end of the biome to the other. This would cause movement within the current to be very fast in one direction and very slow in the other, and prevent floating objects from remaining in a fixed position. This could also be a part of the base building mechanics, where bases within the current would require stronger foundations in order to prevent damage from the current. Additionally, the current could pick up large objects such as boulders, or even pieces of the Aurora wreckage and periodically carry them down the current, damaging anything they impact, be it the player, the Cyclops, the Seamoth, or a player built structure. This could also be an important use for the exosuit. Say, for instance, the player would like to exit the base and move to another part of the biome, but without the exosuit, this could be very slow going, and it could be very easy for the player to be "blown" off course. However, using the exosuits jumpjets, the effects of the current could be counteracted, allowing the player to stay in one place.
Tl;dr Rust, dirt, plant and plant growth on bases would be cool, introducing new mechanics and giving player built structures more character, deeper bases should be harder to build, robots should be able to maintain bases, and strong currents in certain biomes would be super cool. And if you read all that, thank you. I know it was a lot of text.
1. I think that some sort of rust/overgrowth/dirt mechanic should be added to the base building system. The way I envision this working is that bases built near the surface (say above 400m) become slowly overgrown with grass, vines or barnacles or something of the sort, as well as rusting from the saltwater, and slowly accumulating dirt, both on the outside of the base, as well as the interior. This could be a slow process, but eventually, the base would require maintenance, be it repair with the welder, or the removal of plant life with a tool like the laser cutter. The dirt could be either an entirely cosmetic effect, requiring minimal effort to maintain the clean, sterile look of the base (but with the player still given the option to allow the base to collect dirt, grime, and rust), or could be incorporated into a gameplay mechanic where filters for base modules such as the water purifier would become clogged after so long and require replacing, and windows becoming coated in a layer of grime, slowly rendering them opaque. Additionally, as the level of rust and dirt increases, hatches and bulkheads could become rusted shut, and require cleaning before they can be opened. I currently just don't love how clean and white the bases are in the game and I think that, in an effort to give bases more character, the appearance of the base ought to degrade over time, though not without the possibility of keeping the structure clean.
2. For bases built deeper in the world (below 400m), the above mechanics could still apply, but other elements could be added to increase difficulty. The time frame for maintenance could be accelerated, requiring the player to shore up the structure more frequently, as well as requiring more reinforcement the deeper the base is built, along with other difficulties such as unstable terrain suddenly shifting and causing the walls of the base to buckle, and without any bulkheads to seal off individual areas, flooding the entire base. The lack of stability could be counteracted with foundations or something similar, but without a proper foundation, this could present a nice level of increased difficulty.
3. Should the player not have too much interest in maintaining their base, a maintenance and cleaning drone system could be implemented, with the player building a base module containing robots similar to those found in the mobile vehicle bay that periodically undock and perform their duties, be it cleaning windows and replacing filters, or repairing rust and damage caused by high pressures deeper below the surface.
4. Finally, undersea currents, if implemented properly, could be a very interesting mechanic in the game. Say for instance, in a biome such as the Sea Treader Path, a very strong current could exist, pushing everything in its path in a certain direction, flowing from one end of the biome to the other. This would cause movement within the current to be very fast in one direction and very slow in the other, and prevent floating objects from remaining in a fixed position. This could also be a part of the base building mechanics, where bases within the current would require stronger foundations in order to prevent damage from the current. Additionally, the current could pick up large objects such as boulders, or even pieces of the Aurora wreckage and periodically carry them down the current, damaging anything they impact, be it the player, the Cyclops, the Seamoth, or a player built structure. This could also be an important use for the exosuit. Say, for instance, the player would like to exit the base and move to another part of the biome, but without the exosuit, this could be very slow going, and it could be very easy for the player to be "blown" off course. However, using the exosuits jumpjets, the effects of the current could be counteracted, allowing the player to stay in one place.
Tl;dr Rust, dirt, plant and plant growth on bases would be cool, introducing new mechanics and giving player built structures more character, deeper bases should be harder to build, robots should be able to maintain bases, and strong currents in certain biomes would be super cool. And if you read all that, thank you. I know it was a lot of text.
Comments
This is similar to people suggesting things such as getting decompression sickness when you go to the surface too fast. At the end of the day this is not a simulation game and mechanics need to make the player feel as if they are surviving and exploring without all the true tedious parts of surviving and exploring. A small minority of players may want to have to go to the bathroom once a day, have their character sleep, and clean dirt off their base but most want to use the hours that they have to game on exploring an amazing underwater world and finding cool new stuff to continue said exploring. The only way I could see your suggestion being implemented is through an optional user made mod after the games release. This kind of thing should however stay out of the base version of the game.
But sarcasm aside, what's the point? Even if rust/weathering is implemented, you simply de-construct the rusted parts, regaining all the components used to build it, and build them again, brand spanking new and shiny.
Noobathon has a VERY valid point. Why implement something that isn't fun? If you force people to clean their stuff, the coolness factor of the game suddenly drops off, and they'll stop playing. I'm not looking at Subnautica for a house-keeping simulator.
Also, it the friggin' future! We're traveling across the universe, Mining alien planets, and building structures and vehicles with micro-robots and laser beams. You would think that they've got a handle on rust wouldn't you?