Beginner Questions
Virtuix_
Small Blue Green Planet 3rd from the Sun Join Date: 2017-03-26 Member: 229210Members
Small Blue Green Planet 3rd from the Sun Join Date: 2017-03-26 Member: 229210Members
Hi,
I just finished downloading Subnautica on Oculus Home earlier today, and I was playing for a bit and sort of struggling. I'd like to know how long it usually takes you to "get into the swing of things", so you can start properly exploring and discovering. Do you have any tips on how to get to that point faster? I've also been experiencing frequent lag spikes and even a crash 5 minutes in. I am aware the game is still early access, but is it my system (I have a AMD FX-6350 and a GTX 1060 3GB)? Or is it an issue which the devs are working on? Any tips, tricks, or answers to my questions would be greatly appreciated!
I just finished downloading Subnautica on Oculus Home earlier today, and I was playing for a bit and sort of struggling. I'd like to know how long it usually takes you to "get into the swing of things", so you can start properly exploring and discovering. Do you have any tips on how to get to that point faster? I've also been experiencing frequent lag spikes and even a crash 5 minutes in. I am aware the game is still early access, but is it my system (I have a AMD FX-6350 and a GTX 1060 3GB)? Or is it an issue which the devs are working on? Any tips, tricks, or answers to my questions would be greatly appreciated!
Comments
If you haven't read everything in your PDA, do it. Look over the starting blueprints you have, too. There's a reason you start with them.
Develop a system for finding your way around. You can even break out paper and pencil to make a map. Unless you want to use the debug screen to watch your coordinates, you can substitute measuring swim time for distance. Go out in straight lines from your lifepod to certain distances and note what you see. You can also swim a circle or grid pattern to find stuff. Before you can build a compass, it is usual to use the Aurora as a landmark for travel (e.g. towards it, away from it, parallel to it, towards it's bow or stern, etc.). Getting to know your local neighborhood is just like finding your way around in any new place: time lends familiarity.
Finally, remember this: it is designed to be slow going at first. The developers have arranged it so you really feel the struggle to survive early on. Relax, take in the scenery. Oh, yeah: look in and under things.
Enjoy!
J
Except for a few cases which almost don't matter, you're not a fighter and can't kill anything trying to kill you. (Yes, little pests like biters and tiger plants can be killed, but the real predators in the water - stalkers, sandsharks, and all points north - can't be killed without cheating, and you'll die trying.) When in doubt, flee and return after the fish has left.
Stay away from the Aurora at the start of the game, but make yourself a radiation suit. You'll end up going there, but not until...well, let's just say "something happens." Trust me: you'll know it when you see it.
Nothing is trash in the beginning. While you'll undoubtedly think "Man, I have tons of this stuff" - whatever the stuff in question may be - by mid-game, that supply is going to dwindle. Don't squander uselessly; spend resources with a goal in mind.
You don't need to range far or deep until you become more familiar and comfortable with your surroundings.
Think ahead. Rash decisions and acting without caution are great ways to end up dead.
If it looks dangerous, it is.
Eat. Drink. Carry supplies to do both at all times. (In other words, keep a bit of prepared food and purified water in your inventory. Low food/water really sneaks up on you.)
As for the lag spikes...yep, we all see them. (Well, most of us.) It's expected to be cleared up during optimization, but it's by and large a known issue. If you encounter major slowdowns or crashes, though, report 'em - unreported bugs frequently become unfixed bugs!
And don't hesitate to ask questions! We're a sometimes odd bunch on the forum, but don't be afraid to ask when you're stuck.
2 Oxygen tanks should be good for general exploration.
And the deeper and darker it is, the more you'll want to explore it. Be brave! (But be wary.)
The second most important advice: Build lots and lots of Beacons. Unless you have an insane sense of direction and a photographic memory, eventually you will come upon some great resources you don't have inventory space to gather right then. Beacons are awesome tools for finding your way back to that location later on. It is probably a good idea to always carry at least a couple of beacons so you can "save your place" and come back later if you want.
Take Your Time...,
Enjoy all the Incredible Views in the assorted Biomes.
And as said above... scan, Scan, SCAN... everything you can.
And remember that the more messages you actually read from the Communication Device, the farther along you get in the storyline.
So, if you want to make the game last longer without getting killed by the Carar Disease, don't touch the Terminal in the Gun Emplacement on the Mountain Island when prompted to do so.
(at least until you WANT to finish the story)
It advances the storyline and forces you to go to another place in the ocean to be cured.
Isn't that AMD CPU a lower end CPU with similar performance to an I3. Is an I3 just a bit under-powered for a 3D game?
For usage with the Oculus Rift, yes it is...I bought the PC off Amazon as it was listed as "VR-Ready", however it was only later that I discovered how outdated the processor was. I have been contemplating whether to update it or not, but I am very inexperienced with computers, and don't really want to go poking around in there chasing the CPU at the risk of breaking my computer.
Thank you all for your really good advise and suggestions! I do have one other question - how often does Subnautica auto save, or does it only save when you quit? I have experienced two crashes so far 10 minutes in, and have found both my save files to be deleted.
No. No. and No. Please don't just go watch YouTube videos on how to replace a CPU and then try it yourself. Without following the correct ESD (Electro Static Discharge precautions), you could easily short out one or more components on your computer and go from a working but slower computer to no computer at all. In addition, it is important to note that not all CPU's can fit in all motherboards. So, you would need to know which CPU's can even serve as replacements, etc, etc. At a previous job, we routinely built computers and did all manner of piece by piece upgrades. But it has been several years. The last time I tried to build my own computer, I failed to follow ESD precautions and shorted out $400 worth of components. Hopefully, you are much smarter and patient and careful than me. But please learn from my mistakes and do not just think you can remove a CPU and replace it with another faster one as easy as you could perform a simple auto repair like changing the headlight bulbs. Given a choice between replacing a CPU in a computer and just buying a new computer, I would almost always recommend buying a new computer and selling the old one.
Just remember to ground yourself by touching the metal frame of the computer you are working on before touching any of the components inside.
Or you can touch any fairly large piece of metal nearby. (a metal table leg, a metal doorknob, etc...)
It's any static electricity buildup in your body that you need to get rid of.
Also, make sure you've unplugged your computer before working on it.
This. Any decent YouTube video will show you how to do this.
Autosaving is currently in the works, so make sure you manually save fairly frequently. (You don't have to go bananas, but do so regularly.) Make sure you save after doing something particularly 1. complicated, 2. brave, or 3. so insanely stupid it should've killed you but didn't.
On the subtheme:
You know, I worked in electronics fabrication for a couple years building various control boards and processor backplanes and I gotta say...we never killed one from ESD. Frankly, you need to pop something very sensitive for it to be a serious issue. I wouldn't recommend shuffle-shocking your processor, but electronics are a hell of a lot hardier than people give them credit for being. Take water, for instance. So long as the device doesn't have an active power supply, electronics can go swimming without ill effect - you just have to get them completely dried out before reconnecting power. (Fun fact: most boards actually start their lives in what looks like a big industrial cafeteria tray washer. Soap and everything. Toss 'em onto racks, run 'em through the washer, dry 'em, test 'em, pack 'em.)
That said, when it comes to something as simple and basic as ESD preventative measures, just do it. A shock might not KO your gear, but why take the chance when it's so easy to ground yourself?
Starter advice: make sure to explore different areas, including caves and wrecks. You may sometimes encounter danger, but the starter areas just need a medkit. Don't forget to watch your air as you dive.
Speaking of washing computers... have you seen the over-clockers who fill their case with mineral oil?
Almost a Subnautica-worthy computer build...
For Subnautica, for shallow diving you also want to make an Air Bladder. Preinflate it before you dive, then unequip it. That way when you equip, it's already inflated. It's a rapid and certain way to get back to the surface before oxygen runs out.
Might be possible to do it in water provided the computer parts are sprayed with a superhydrophobic coating. Apparently distilled water is still somewhat conductive to make it useless, but pure water should be non-conductive to run their computer in until the pure water gets contaminated with enough ions to make it conductive.
Easier to just not use water. So-called "dry water" like FM200 or Novec 1230 are fire suppressants that are non-conductive and harmless to electronics. (Datacenters use 1230 instead of water for their fire systems.) You can immerse any electronics in FM200 or N1230 without any ill effects. You just don't want to breathe the vapor.
Check it out:
Also - how do you craft a knife? I really need one but its not in my crafting menu.
Yeah, you need to unlock the room blueprint. There's three places where you can do that. Though you'll find you can live well for a while in the corridors.
You should do something about the radiation, but you're not on a timer. Only get to it when you feel like it.
Umm, giant spoiler.
Other than that, sounds like you're on your way with a lot of good advice, have fun exploring!
I make a starting base with 1 or 2 Foundations and 1 Glass Corridor (I like the glass so I can see what's going on outside). On bases I expand, I later add on a MPR opposite the hatch. In the corridor itself, I can put 2 Wall Lockers, 2 Floor Lockers, a Fab, a Medkit Fab, a Comm Relay, a Battery Charger, and 2 Powercell Chargers, and all without using the opposite wall I reserve for expansion.
Could also go thermal for deep bases, too. Even when solar's totally impractical, there's usually a thermal source in the general vicinity to mooch off of.
I always add a glass corridor, too.
And even at max depth (x3.94 to negative Hull Integrity values), one Glass Corridor (-2) is almost offset by one Reinforcement (+7).