Does anyone else find the start of Below Zero kinda corny?
lor360
Join Date: 2019-02-03 Member: 250304Members
Join Date: 2019-02-03 Member: 250304Members
The first Subnautica intro was so powerfull to me. The alarms as the screen fades in, the sight of the exploding ship, waking up to a fire. Then opening up your escape pod and realizing youre all alone with nothing but the ocean and the Aurora wreck in the distance. This all happens in less than a minute and after it you get a clear signal youre all alone trying to survive. Youre a silent protagonist with no face and its easy to get immersed into your character. There are no "quests" or handholding, specialy at the start and it feels like a open world thats too grand to care about you.
In Below Zero I actualy dont like the little tour before your escape pod drops, especialy since its above water. I can buy 7000 other games with good looking science buildings and above water landscapes. I bought Subnautica expecting a impressive underwater intro. When you walk around your base, encounter a alien waygate in the first 30 seconds and have small talk with your sister, it feels like a generic shooter intro. There is less sense of dread.
My first reaction was "what kind of profesional builds a base near a avalanche and can I dig it up" and my second was "I want my sister to send me more stuff".
Also, I dont mind the protagonist being a black female LGBT if thats woke or sells better. But I do think talking ruins the immersion and reminds me I am playing a computer character in a video game.
I dont think I would had been nearly as terrified of my first reaper attack if Riley said "oh golly jeezs its a monster" and his sidekick over the phone said "Riley watch out!".
My sugestions would be:
Have a intro where you start with just a escape pod or something simmilar right away. Nobody complained that in Subnautica you dont first walk around the Aurora for 5 minutes before it crashes.
Wait a few days and do a repair mission to make the alien tech talk to you. "This waygate was always silent but decided to talk English in the first 20 sec of the game" feels like a scenario out of Scooby Doo.
Be unable to reply to your sister. So she can still send information and a few supplies from the sky, but you still feel genuinley alone and cut off. And not "why didnt my asshole sister put 700 food rations in the launch pod she sent me".
I know the developers are probably excited about their vision and hiring more voice acting with a bigger budget, so this isnt very probable to make it into the game. But I just wanted to vent a bit.
The intro sets the tone that is less opressive survival game and more disney cartoon.
In Below Zero I actualy dont like the little tour before your escape pod drops, especialy since its above water. I can buy 7000 other games with good looking science buildings and above water landscapes. I bought Subnautica expecting a impressive underwater intro. When you walk around your base, encounter a alien waygate in the first 30 seconds and have small talk with your sister, it feels like a generic shooter intro. There is less sense of dread.
My first reaction was "what kind of profesional builds a base near a avalanche and can I dig it up" and my second was "I want my sister to send me more stuff".
Also, I dont mind the protagonist being a black female LGBT if thats woke or sells better. But I do think talking ruins the immersion and reminds me I am playing a computer character in a video game.
I dont think I would had been nearly as terrified of my first reaper attack if Riley said "oh golly jeezs its a monster" and his sidekick over the phone said "Riley watch out!".
My sugestions would be:
Have a intro where you start with just a escape pod or something simmilar right away. Nobody complained that in Subnautica you dont first walk around the Aurora for 5 minutes before it crashes.
Wait a few days and do a repair mission to make the alien tech talk to you. "This waygate was always silent but decided to talk English in the first 20 sec of the game" feels like a scenario out of Scooby Doo.
Be unable to reply to your sister. So she can still send information and a few supplies from the sky, but you still feel genuinley alone and cut off. And not "why didnt my asshole sister put 700 food rations in the launch pod she sent me".
I know the developers are probably excited about their vision and hiring more voice acting with a bigger budget, so this isnt very probable to make it into the game. But I just wanted to vent a bit.
The intro sets the tone that is less opressive survival game and more disney cartoon.
Comments
For me, I was really disappointed about how the game started and got even slightly upset by the 'sharing a womb' idiom I'm not used to. I mean - according to the data log - Robin is 37! So she could easily be a mother of a kid that has reached puberty. And Sam is 48 years old! Which means she could already be a grandma. So unless age has a different meaning in Subnautica, these two women should be experienced enough to handle things differently.
And in regard of the point zero precursor base: Don't forget that we're talking about 'first contact' here! - even if the 'sentient life form' is just an A.I. All in all, this might be the reason why I've expected more of a Amy Adams - 'Arrival' (movie) type of character.
And although the alterra base clearly indicates that it's meant for 10+ people (just count the number of chairs & tables) and that there's a lot of equipment, there are only enough bedrooms for 2 people (and btw. still no place for personal hygiene). So when the base gets destroyed, this should be a major setback for both Alterra and Robin in particular. But no reaction whatsoever by Robin to the loss of all the equipment and all her personal belongings! Instead, she willingly decides to dive through a cave that could have killed her, if not for an oxigen plant. And Alterra screws efficiency and sends down only a tiny drop pod!
But the worst of it all:
After the catastrophe, Robin is sent around the arctic regions by Sam. Which means, she's been given a reactive role by the devs.
That's a totally different game experience than Subnautica 1!
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I love the first game mainly for the solitude and scenery.
Unlike other games, it also stays true to the 'KISS' principle (keep it simple, stupid). I.e. it isn't based on cubic or triangular shapes (à la Minecraft or Empyrion), didn't focus on combat as well and didn't favor larger areas over scenery.
Below Zero however puts most of my favorite parts to a test. Not you - the player - decide what to do, the game does. I mean I even wished the Aurora wouldn't have survived the crash in Subnautica 1 (or only submerged). That way, there wouldn't have been an early predetermined orientation.
But of course, that doesn't mean I can't understand where all the decisions are coming from. I mean there are some players who'd enjoy a coop mode. Others have wished that some other characters would have survived the crash. So introducing an A.I. is kind of a compromise. Likewise, having the main character talk from time to time can increase the emotional bond between the player and their alter ego... unless it's contrary to your own reactions of course. That's why I wrote the personality of Robin is at least quite 'risky'.
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So I already explained how I would have changed the narrative: Narrative Improvement (Spoilers ahead)
But let me add and comment a few things.
For me, it's ok if they do an 'in-game' intro. That's also a 'sells the game' kind of thing. Sure, it looked great, especially the Nerak Waterfall. But it was incredibly boring. I mean the base could have been crushed the moment Robin leaves it the first time. At least it would have taken the player by surprise.
Just want to point out that MassEffect Andromeda has IMO proven that an introduction to an A.I. later in the game might not work that well either. But I still wish the 'consciousness' of the A.I. would have stayed hidden.
I agree. But for me, it's not enough to just cut the communication with the orbital station! I'd also want them to cut any form of physical support or transfer whatsoever! So no further supply drops! No sending up tissue samples, etc. And even the communication should be scrambled - maybe due to the extreme weather condition or maybe because AL-AN disrupts it.
Well, even Subnautica 1 was more on the 'disney' side of the spectrum. And to be honest, I don't really mind. Too many games focus on the depressing / post-apocalyptic / 'joyless reality' scenario.
BUT -and this is a large one - they have to keep it in check. Just take the difference between 'Family Guy' and 'The Orville' as an example.
Another great example would be 'Final Space' - a comic serie that has both 'sunny' and 'rainy' moments. I mean, just take all the intro sequences as an example. They were freaking awesome! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EcLLnoWdG2g
(H.U.E. is also several magnitudes cooler than AL-AN)
And for the sake of everything holy - make Robin and Sam younger and change the reason they're in the place you see them. If Robin would be a ~22 year old 'student' on her first 'extra-terrestial' mission and if Sam would be the expreienced 27~33 year old sister, I'd probably be less deterred by the topics they discuss. And if Robin would make some calm, honest, smart, self-doubting or self-motivating comments in between story conversations, I'd definitely very much appreciate that.
I do kinda feel that they'll be railroading us into the "follow the plot" much more so than the base game. Which is all well and good for a first play through, but what about your seventeenth or your Creative Game? They build the map around the idea you'll be going from Point A to Point B to Point C *in that order* and there's a lot less freedom to be had. But, as was said before by the devs in a similar conversation before with the firt game, "Too much player choice can be a bad thing". In an open-world game themed around exploration? I don't think so. But that's just me.
I kind of expect the "Fissure" trench to never connect to the surface (it's VERY close to doing so if you look at freecam) for this reason.
I agree 100% with these sentences.
It seems like they are walking away from some of the major points that made the original Subnautica such a hit.
Silent protagonists are something I also enjoy, and do not mind if they are man, woman or genderless alien.
Cinematographic games with a powerful story are great, but I don't usually go back to them after finishing.
Imho the ALAN AI is a twin edged sword. There are many games with remarkable AI character which guide the player during the start (or most of) the game. They all share snarky commentary and act as general comic relief.
From those I hold GLaDOS and Claptrap as the highest benchmarks in games.
As it seems like the devs are too invested in this to change now, we can only hope for an option to skip the intro entirely and start straight from the pod. Also hoping that after a while the game will turn towards more open exploration.
For me, it isn't just a matter of the n-th walkthrough.
Let's just take Far Cry 5 as a reference:
After a (way too long) intro with in-game sequences, the player (silent and of a chosen gender) starts in the middle of a - let's say - 5 km x 5 km map, free to go in any direction.
At a very basic level, the player can go hiking, swimming or climbing. Thanks to various plants and animals, players are able to go fishing, gather 'herbs' or go on a hunt. A solid foundation for a virtual world, but there's still room for improvements. (see below)
But of course, there are also all types of weapons, unlimited number of enemies, many different vehicles and last but not least: many cineastic story sequences.
All that effort... and I still got bored half way through.
That's because it wasn't me who decides! At best, my alter ego felt like an overrated actor with too much screen time. There were no 'either-or', only 'now-or-later' decisions. And it didn't take me long to recognize the underlying scripts behind everything, rendering the game stale and repetitive. F.e. it didn't matter which animal I hunted, nor did the vehicle I chose... all the same, just different polygons. Even the stories - the part that probably took the most effort to create - felt 'enforced', 'misplaced' or didn't rouse much of my interest.
That of course doesn't mean Far Cry 5 is a bad game. All a matter of personal preference! I for one, enjoyed the hiking very much. So even if there would have been no combat whatsoever, no fast travel and if there were no cineastic story missions, no vehicles and no perks and none of the other typical 'must-haves', I would have still liked the game. Because it was ME walking though this world, MY real life memories that came up and MY fantasy playing 'what if' game.
That's why ideas or concerns were mostly about the basic level of the game.
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Let's transfer this to Below Zero:
A game doesn't necessarily get better, just because there's a cineastic story. If you want to keep the player's interest, the very basic level of the game has to be great.
That's why I was more fascinated by the new peepers being really fast or by the 'tablet-sized' growbeds than by anything related to the story. The former two triggered the 'what if' mind game. Like: How about different aquariums for different creatures ... f.e. a glass pipe system for peepers (also a reference to Subnautica 1) or how about an aquarium the size of a moonpool with different 'landscape / lighting settings' to choose from?
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That's why I'm a bit concerned about Below Zero.
Sure, you can add a story and if it's great... all the better!
But I'd hoped to see more improvements about the basic level of the game. And the things they've added are rather mediocre (at least for my taste).
Thing is, he doesn't guide you... that's Sam. AL-AN is more like a droid from StarWars (or Han Solo), without a physical body to cause trouble. I.e. a sidekick, good to create some funny moments... (add 'Lazer Cutter thumbs up' here).
I doubt they will. SPOILER ALERT!
So it seems it's a fact the devs are aware of, chosen it anyways and even added jokes about it in the game.
Edit: minor changes (mostly about the conclusion).
That would make for a very strong intro.
Although I would still like to skip it after a couple of playthroughs.
And I have concerns with the "build your own habitat" thing. New players, particularly those that do not usually play games, need that safe haven to go back to every once in a while.
Before forcing players to build one, the intro should teach them how.
Although I agree that this would be a more dramatic intro (and I even suggested something similar), there are a few things I want to point out.
The lightning strike that blocks your path back already creates a tension of an impending desaster. If the character would safely return to the base, just to get crushed by the avalanche afterwards, would not only be kind of cruel (still pretty awesome though!), but also more difficult to design and would require the game to switch from 'active mode' to 'spectator mode'.
There's also the possibility that such an intro creates a barrier in the mind of some players that prevents them from exploring their surroundings afterwards. Or it could make the aftermath (you starting to play the game) feel stale & boring. I mean, it took me a while in Subnautica to overcome the loss of orientation under water and to get the confort I needed to explore regions more than 100m away the drop pod.
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As a rather simple alternative, I'd recommend Robin to be on the ice the moment the Comm Array breaks it. But the icy area should be at the same level as the rest of the base (the hole looks silly) and should be larger.
Players could even lose control of the character for a second (not much longer) as Robin notices how the ice cracks beneath her. After she falls into the water, the still floating ice blocks (and maybe even some parts of the avalanche) could prevent her from swimming back up. Rather than placing a single oxigen plant down there, I'd wish the avalanche could have drowned a snowman instead, allowing Robin to grab the diving mask. Such an intro would still be pretty lame (waking up and taking a sightseeing tour), but already slightly better than the current one. Robin wouldn't have the time to ponder whether she should jump into the icy water.
In a more costly change, there should be no avalanche at all. The whole base could sink after the lightning strikes the surface of the ice shelf, crushing it into pieces (or maybe there's more behind this). This way, Robin might be forced dive past the sinking pieces of the base (could create a cool looking sequence), and she could later 'return' to the sunken base to salvage the remaining equipment (and maybe even her personal belongings).
And there shouldn't be a drop pod at all! Instead, Robin decides to swim to the nearby forward base she knows. I.e. Robin guides herself (e.g. the player), not Sam! - This way, Robin will still be the active character that makes her own decisions.
And on the other side of the token feel bad for female players who have always been forced to play male characters.
Truly in this day of modern technology it is so easy to create multiple skins and change a couple lines of the story for male and female characters to both be represented.
You look at a simple game like Fortnite that throws out character skins every month like Skittles.
I think I will be sitting this game out. Not an immersive experience for me to pretend I'm a woman.
Oh, and the reward system for scanning alien tech, please chuck it out, I've no interest in being a good little alterra worker, I want to be a survivor like the first game, cheers!
I don't mind scanning for the alien tech, but I want a GOOD reward - such as the ability to make a power alien rifle or something.
the initial 'banter' between the sisters is inane but.. whatever.
We dont need to know how old the protagonist is, and its weird she has access to her own personnel file, but.. whatever
having a person missing (jeffries?) is a big fkin problem on a remote station with a life threatening environment. you shouldnt gently wake to discover this, you should be woken up by Sam, insisting that you locate him and send a distress beacon immediately (maybe before the storm comes in)
having your sister become stranded in that same situation should surely send sam's panic through the roof, not calmly asking if she wants evac.
whatever is said, failing to send rescue is criminally negligent, even if Alterra are totally heartless, she still has monetary value
being stuck on an alien planet in life threatening circumstances should also be cause for alarm, not 'im freezing, no food water, shelter, equipment, but I'm ok dont rescue me'
im not saying this has ruined the experience for me, but if the character doesn't care that she's in mortal danger, then i dont either.
I actually drowned her looking for battery supplies, because returning to base with all the stuff in my backpack was easier than worrying about oxygen/swimming back etc.
thats how invested i am in her wellbeing.
here's a suggestion, which only changes the voice acting
you wake up, Sam's bleating at you about jeffries, you blow it off, she gets all authoritative, you bite back about her being sister etc.
lighting strikes
you freak about the rockfall. sam freaks about the rockfall, wants to send evac
you're like, its just a rockfall, i can get around.
base gets destroyed, your location gets scrambled, the ground is too unstable, the storm makes a visual search impossible
--you cant talk back--
sam promises to send evac asap, in the meantime, just stay in the lifepod
I think its also worth pointing out that nearly all the players will have played the first subnautica, so adding hand-holding is utterly bizarre. much like having a PDA on a research base with NO information in it (i scanned a peeper and was like.. how could this possibly be 'new' they are in my fishtank at the station)
also, added bonus, the lifepod should have supplies in it. even useless stuff like a life vest and a whistle
I feel like the opening to this game is too hand-holding for what is a self-described "expansion" to an existing game. It forces you down a rather cheesy linear story-line path, has very little "survival" required for a player who obviously will already know the mechanics from Subnautica, and doesn't feel dangerous at any point in the implemented content. Maybe when the heat mechanic makes it in, it'll feel more interesting, but as it is, it is rather ... well ... boring.
I do like the element of interest that AL-AN could represent, but having a companion keep you company (in addition to your sister who's watching over you) just distracts from any drama/survivalist nature of the game -- I hope the story elements are tightened up a bit, or there's a huge twist coming, such that the protagonist feels more isolated and afraid, even if still anxiously excited. The first Subnautica was so intriguing exactly because you felt like you were literally trying to survive on your own and had to discover the means to do so...having constant contact with someone who, at any point, could simply send a ship to retrieve you, kind of takes away from any accomplishment you might feel from overcoming the environment. The fact that your own player objects to a rescue completely destroys the illusion that you're struggling for survival even at all -- so hopefully at least that's changed to there being a reason why they can't get you immediately at a minimum (ie, bad electrical storms, aggressive fuana, labor union strikes, etc).
I guess what I mean is that the best part of Subnautica was the first phase: learning to overcome your environment. By the time you actually conquered your environment (i.e., Cyclops), the game really felt shallow. Frankly, Below Zero feels like we're starting out with a conquered environment, despite the superficial destruction of our base (which you couldn't interact with anyway, so didn't feel like much of a loss).
I'd like to close with there's nothing wrong with leaving the story to the imagination of the player, like the start of the Subnautica did -- the decision to add dialog at all for the player I personally feel forces an unnecessary narrative on the player for a game concept designed around player freedom, but I'll yield final judgment until after the game is completed to see if there's a greater plan in mind...
Uknownworlds does an awesome job, dont get me wrong. But it feels like the game has shifted from: "Your in danger and responsible for your own survival in seemingly impossible odds. Oh, and by the way, there is a mystery you'll discover later on",
into a: "Heres a novel you can play through, survive until the next set of interactions. Oh, and heres a little danger to your situation."
I kind of felt the whole tone of the game is, it's not a survival but just a playable story. Unless that's what the team is shooting for, I think it got a bit lost on how to put in the story, while also keeping the original core value of being in danger/survival mode. Losing a base on the ground wasn't a big deal for me, because I never had one before, so I just wasnt attached to the "weight of the situation". My biggest question was "why is it taking so long to get a habitat builder if my home was just destroyed, c'mon sis."
Everything was just thrown at you all at once. No mystery, no feeling of development, no dread. Just that someone you haven't met yet hasn't returned from doing something you don't know anything about, also here is an alien building that you've been camped beside the entire time, here's an event that's forcing you to stay underwater, here's an alien AI, all while listening to your sister and you talk like none of this was a big deal.
It all is a great way to be introduced to what the game is capable of, but it felt more like a hand holding tour than something I can be submersed into. And I often found myself wondering why do I have to rescan everything if I just built a giant base on ground? why doesn't sis just send me all the gear I need all at once instead of wasting all these pods? If I've been exploring the planet already, why is my air tank so small? Why is the habitat builder the last thing I get, should not it come with the lifepod?
If there was some sort of intro, that I'll just throw out there here would be my take: A colossal storm comming in, and our partner had to leave to secure somthing and set up a beacon for us to call in an extraction since it's a high class storm, but he goes missing, but you fell asleep while he was gone. Then the AI kicks in to wake you up. With all the red alert lights and sirens inside your base with certain parts of it being systematically destroyed by the weather. Your AI is intensely trying to get you to suit up and look for him and find shelter, but things become worse than expected and becoming increasingly unsafe. You have to leave. while looking for him in the blinding storm, it intensifies so you need to take shelter, but get lost in it, the lightning strikes and part of a mountain collapsed, exposing the alien base. You need to take shelter here for a bit and make the discovery, alterra and you try to communicate but too much interfearance. Then everything is calmed all of a sudden, so you leave for higher ground, only to be warned that your in the eye of the storm, and in its calmness while your out stupidly exploring, you see your base completely destroyed and you fall into the water.
This is something that would make more sense in a survival situation, on an alien planet in a new environment. Instead of just an unexplained out of the blue avalanche.
I'm not saying this is what they *should* do, and as I said, Unknownworlds is pretty kick-butt. But I do agree that the tone of Below Zero is a lot less of a survival game than what it's original had that got so many of us hooked in the first place. This one is more narrative story driven, compared to the Original, letting the found objects/logs and the history do the speaking. Which, in Below Zero, takes out the mystery and involvement. Especially since they are not people that *you* can interact with, you have to wait until *they* want to interact with you. That can be frustrating.
PS: If any of the team is reading this, we all love your hard work and your efforts. Keep at it.
What's the point of making another game if the dev's took zero creative license and risk?
Are you people sincerely suggesting if Below Zero had started the same way, a rando emergency, and progressed the same way, a silent, isolated protagonist with no impetus but survival until you straight up /stumble/ over plot, that you'd be COMPLETLY satisfied with the game? That every one of you wouldn't be whining about "Reskinned DLC" this and "Same old, same old" that?
And if that's the case, what you want is the first one, again.....then why not just...you know...PLAY THE FIRST ONE AGIAN.
Well, the first game is a top notch survival/exploration game. And a common trait amongst the best survival games is a silent and isolated protagonist.
Taking away the silent protagonism risk breaking immersion for a large part of the player base.
Removing the isolation also removes the need for survival. It is hard understanding why do you need to hunt fish for water when there's a huge space station with loads of resources floating in clear eyesight.
No one needs to be completely satisfied with the game, the whole point behind early access is having a large player base playtesting your game and evaluating it.
Instead of complaining about other people opinion you could just state that you do enjoy the early game and that you are satisfied with what you've seen of the game so far.
Lastly, I did replay the first one, over and over again. So much that there's barely anything left that I haven't tried.
I probably wouldn't have replayed it so much if I had to endure a mandatory 5-10 min linear introduction.
Alterra is not concerned with individual safety. Her sister is. She's fighting the corporate machine up there, that wouldn't give a quarter of a damn if her sister died, as her PDA has already stated her files are backed up, which is all the suits care about.
As for "Why hunt for fish when there's a space station" at all, what little story is in the game well fleshes out the antagonist as being borderline antisocial to the extreme. PDAs, conversations, every bit of data about her points to someone who would very much PREFER to swim around catching fish rather than eating out of Alterra's hand. That might seem less compelling than "Only person on alien planet", but it's still a drive to be alone and take risks, and an original one, at that.
As for "The best survival games have a silent protagonist" that seems a bit like the tail wagging the dog. I mean...until the N64 the best NES games were all side scrollers. But less so because that's what they wanted and more so because that's all there had ever been up till that point. Shall we stick with what we started with simply because we started with it, or shall we support Lost Worlds in their attempt to expand what it means to play a survival game?
Alterra has to be concerned up to some point with individual safety. If a person could've been replaced by an android it would have been so. Sending someone far into space is expensive and people maintenance is also expensive (they breath and eat, among other needs), therefore I can only conclude that such human expenses are important.
If someone dies it isn't just a personal tragedy. It is the loss of important and valuable assets.
Robin isn't fighting the corporate machine, she's a cog in it. Maybe later in the game she will rebel against this machine, but we're discussing the early game survival aspects.
The protagonist does seem antisocial, but that isn't enough to justify not having minimum life support from the space station. The protagonist may do as she wants and avoid aid from Alterra, but she's still a valuable resource and shouldn't be ignored and left to her own devices.
Water shouldn't be an issue anyways, melting some snow/ice should do the trick. I think a water filtration machine should be available earlier too.
And the original game wasn't just "Only person on alien planet" IMO. you were alone all right, but also looking for other survivors (which did arrive and survive for a while in that planet, both before and along the protagonist). This "wanting to be alone with limited social interaction and support from higher powers drive" isn't that original either, just check Firewatch. Marvelous little game.
Sidescrollers are still one of my favorite genres, and there's a reason why new titles still come about year after year.
True, but some things just work.
For instance, the Super Mario jump is so successful that most action games since try to mimic it.
I do enjoy a cinematic game, and love well played characters. However there aren't many genres that make it work to the fullest. And if it isn't implemented properly, the game suffers greatly as these traits are among the top evaluated features in a game.
Sea ice has some salt in the beginning, as ice crystals hold no salt in them. Most salt gets expelled from the ice during its formation and, as the ice column grows, more and more salt gets extruded from it directly into the water or accumulating into brine filled packets/channels. These are often liquid, as the freezing point for saltwater is lower than for pure water.
In terms of game dynamics, I always criticized that water was too easily available in the original game. The little I played in Below Zero tends to the other extreme. I got to a point where I was hoarding bladderfish, anyone that I saw was immediately captured.
Who would ever want the next season of a beloved TV show like 'Game of Thrones', 'Big Bang Theory' or 'Stranger Things' to stay true to their roots? Where's the creative risk? Or who would expect such a thing from a second 'Harry Potter' novel? Why wouldn't people just watch a single episode over and over again or read the first novel again and again?
You see, your statement is kind of trollish.
Would you really love to see a 'Big Bang Theory' showing a new group of characters that have a rather boring 9to5 jobs, being harassed by an evil-corp boss, but live in the same (untouched) apartments?
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One of the core elements of subnautica is that you are on your own, make your own decisions while you choose how you explore the unknown environment and use its element to keep on going. Below Zero jeopardize that by making the main character a toy assistant of other people and throwing meaningless plot parts at you right away.
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And I already stated how to make the intro slightly better simply by cutting of the communication after the avalanche has destroyed the base. In addition, they could have skipped the whole first contact scene and even the lightning strike.
And I would be willing to scan alien artifacts if it would help me (a.k.a. Robin) - a xeno-linguist - because it helps me to understand the alien language and thereby unlocking more infos about AL-AN, giving me some 'blueprints' or just some in-game lore. But definitely NOT because some randon evil-corp boss demands it.
You seem to be implying it's wrong of me to defend a creative risk from the devs, yet you do so by...quoting fiction that did exactly what I said and took those self-same creative risks. (Well. Till the end of GoT, but that's a different conversation)
Also, your argument is based on the idea that ANY change /must/ be negative. This is a false equivalnce. The only way you get "good" is BY risking "bad", but that dosen't mean EVERY change is ALWAYS bad.
If you're going to call me a troll for not wanting a reskinned version of the game we already have, perhaps quote fiction well known for doing the same thing over and over, instead of series well known for going places people didn't expect?
If only for intellectual integrity and logic's sake?
Noname character in Subnautica 1, no history about him, who is he - engineer, cook, pilot? Doesn't matter cause it is you and your goal is to survive, cure yourself, make your way out of this planet. Simple, true, worthy plot. Believe in it from start to end.
Subnautica 2.
Loooooots of remarks of who you are. Yes you WANT to unpuzzle riddles of that planet, aliens, their culture and technology cause you are THE SCIENTIST!!!! It means that you won't do what all normal people do - get safe, regroup, take advantages of XXX century technology. That's why you should and will do stupid things like not being evacuated.
And you are woman. Black. With Asian roots. It's important! (to who? and why?). We read some about that here and there, and there too.
And in this world where corp-culture of Alterra make you a silent slave you OF COURSE may do all that stuff - argueing with authorities, not following orders, ignore goals of mission. Yeah, doubtful. Ouch, I just understand why you are strong black woman with Asian roots! Sorry, you CAN do all that stuff.
Devs, please, don't do that. Do not aim in that kind of scenery. You are higher than that. Just let it be the woman that in harsh circumstances make her way smart, not because she is badass LGBT.
I believe you may be overthinking it, even if I completely agree on your opinion about the first game.
Regarding the second game, I think you are assuming too much about the character. I didn't get she had asian roots or a LGBT feel (haven't played much in this last patch though).
Also you're condemning a plot line and character development that have stood the test of time. Argueing with authorities, not following orders, ignoring mission goals, all these things point to a rebellious nature which is one of the core traits in uncountable extremely famous characters/stories.
These words can describe both Luke Skywalker and the Rebel Alliance he later joins.
Harry Potter and Geralt of Rivia make for a few, more recent, examples.
Even Jesus Christ might fit this description. Guess what all of those here have in common?
Therefore I have nothing against the protagonist ethnicity or gender. I do, however, have something against making these traits a major point in the game which, so far, haven't struck me as such.
As you, I also dislike the feel that we are playing in a far more linear story (and gameworld) than in the first game.
Its only a "creative risk" while its in development. After other people see it its either "good" or "bad". Changing something and "taking a risk" doesnt make something automaticaly good. A good sequel *should* keep most of the things that worked the same and change only when the change is neccesary and positive.
The dialogue in Subnautica was always on the level of amateur fan fiction. The PDA was better written and had more personality than the sea emperor or degasi survivors. The intro talk with the sister is just cringey and "our" actions are totaly ilogical. The team probably took a week or two to make the intro, all of that wasted visual and audio effort still cant beat the simple powerfull intro of "emergency, crash imminent. Running *huph*. Fire, open hatch intro DRUUUUUUM and Aurora in the distance.
- The dialogue is just... very unnatural. Both between the player character and her sister, and also between the player character and the alien AI thingy. It's very stilted and cryptic, not organic at all. People don't talk like that. The dialogue is simultaneously awkward and unnatural whilst having too many jokes.
- It's super weird how relaxed everything is, and the player character is fighting for her life against monsters without even mentioning to her sister that a squid shark chewed her left foot off and ate it. "Oh sis, I hope you don't get in trouble with your comic relief boss who is basically the chief editor from the Spiderman movies, lol. Btw Im dying."
- As a suggestion, I would say that when our player character enters the alien base, the alien AI should jam the communication between the player character and the outside organisation. This would add to the survival aspect of the game, and there would be a plotline of the outside forces trying to momentarily establish contact with the player character. It also makes the player character feel more in power, because without any information from the outside world, we have to figure out what to do ourselves and when to do it.
- I realize there may be a plot twist where the outside organisation actually doesn't want to save us, but that should happen pretty early in order to explain why we're not just rescued straight away. Why the hell are we even fighting this monster while our sister is watching us and drinking a cup of hot chocolate?
NO WEAPONS.
I got on the early access for below zero and I like the opening. It gives you a sense of purpose.
To quote lor360 - Also, I dont mind the protagonist being a black female LGBT if thats woke or sells better. But I do think talking ruins the immersion and reminds me I am playing a computer character in a video game.
I saw nothing to suggest that the character was LGBT. I don't know why you would even comment like that unless you think all of us "single" females that haven't got married are gay. I think that the original poster is nothing more then a hateful racist.
To quote darrin - And although the alterra base clearly indicates that it's meant for 10+ people (just count the number of chairs & tables) and that there's a lot of equipment, there are only enough bedrooms for 2 people (and btw. still no place for personal hygiene).
I doubt you have ever had the pleasure of going to the Main Antarctica base (not the sub-base that is located further inland and is the one you always see in images). The main building has 4 bedrooms for the 4 main base supervisors. The guys that run the day to day. The rest of the main building is strictly for sciences, dining, and medical. There are separate buildings for other sleeper units and a building strictly for hygiene like showers. The reason for this is, they do not have to "heat" every building to the point that there is no "freezing" issues. So, the base that they have laid out for the opening is pretty accurate to the main base in Antarctica. Of course there is no reason for them to make the other buildings in the game just for looks, not like you need to go take a shower in a game or have to go fool around with another NPC in their sleeping quarters. If that's what you're looking for you should play the Sims instead. The reason that you start alone is clearly explained. You went "straight to the planet", you did not stop off at the space-station to get assignments, supplies, or interact with your colleagues. You were told, probably before you left Earth, that they found some "alien technology" on a distant world and you wanted to get there ASAP.
To quote cels83 - The dialogue is just... very unnatural. Both between the player character and her sister, and also between the player character and the alien AI thingy. It's very stilted and cryptic, not organic at all. People don't talk like that. The dialogue is simultaneously awkward and unnatural whilst having too many jokes.
Do you have a twin sister? I do, and I found that we talk pretty much the same way as they do in the game. Cracking jokes at each other in situations that most people would be freaking out about.
As for the Alien A.I. Thingy, I personally have never had contact with any technology from another planet, so I do not know how it would sound. The fact that you do, worries me. I think you should seek professional help. Just go to google and find a psychotherapist that is close to you. They can help you.
FYI, Here is a pic of the Main Antarctica Base of Operations that you enter before going out to your assigned stations further inland.
You explained that you paid for the first game, but since you didn't like the intro, you haven't played the game at all. And despite that, you paid for the 'early access' version of Below Zero - the second installment of a game you never played and selected one of my arguments - the layout of the base - to tell me that if I don't like it, I should go play Sims instead.
So tell me: One a scale of 1 to 10, how reasonable do you think is your post?
Because it would be easy for me to do the same and tell you to go play: "Life is strange" if you prefer a story-driven game. And I'd still be in the convenient position that I haven't quit a game just because I didn't like one aspect of it.
So don't get me wrong but your post doesn't contain much that could lead to a further discussion. You only stated that you have a different opinion.
And in regard of the layout of the base, it would have been easy to add more beds, add rooms that are locked or reduce the number of tables in the main hall.