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#4474654 - 05/19/19 04:28 AM Subnautica is amazing and frightening  
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Does anyone else here play it?

At first I was treating it like a sandbox game and just checking youtube for hints on where to find stuff. Not anymore. The story is unbelievably good.

There are so many frightening things that occur during the game. The number of lifeforms is astounding and some of them are mindbogglingly terrifying when you first come across them. And the awesome equipment you make when you put your mind to it.

What a great game.

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#4474689 - 05/19/19 01:58 PM Re: Subnautica is amazing and frightening [Re: VF9_Longbow]  
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Yeah, I really like this game, and although I never do early access am tempted to get Subnautica Below Zero. But so far I am holding out for the full release. Same tack I took with the first.

We had a thread about it some time back and you can see more of my thoughts there

http://SimHQ.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/topics/4427075/1


No, now go away or I shall taunt you a second time!
#4474729 - 05/19/19 06:35 PM Re: Subnautica is amazing and frightening [Re: VF9_Longbow]  
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i'm waiting untill epic store is safe enough for me to install their app......every week i get a suspecious activity warning on my email.
btw they are having great promotions now, those EX-exclusives ps4 titltes become human, heavy rain, and the beyond two souls can be got for only 10 dollars each. only reason i dont get them is the dollar spiked here,so while cheaper eeeeeeehm, i can wait till they come to steam.

Last edited by Blade_RJ; 05/19/19 06:37 PM.
#4474735 - 05/19/19 06:49 PM Re: Subnautica is amazing and frightening [Re: VF9_Longbow]  
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Reading longbows post got me to re-install this title I played awhile back and re-install it..I liked it before but lost it in a computer crash


Russ
Semper Fi
#4474739 - 05/19/19 07:27 PM Re: Subnautica is amazing and frightening [Re: VF9_Longbow]  
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I've played on it since Early Access but never got to far in the story. Right now I'm stuck and don't know what quite to do. I finally got the 300m module for the sea moth so I can go deeper. I've made a little base that I'm adding on to a little at a time so that I no longer have to run to my original escape pod for stuff. I already visited that Island and got into the alien base and went through some elevator but there looks to be a stargate that I don't know what it does. I suppose it becomes a portal eventually?

I'm just kind of stuck in one of those, "what do I do know". Is the best thing to do is to just keep exploring? Even though I just got the sea moth upgrade that's almost not enough as there seems to be more and more, deeper and deeper ocean to explore and I don't have all the parts for a cyclops yet which I've never had. I also got stuck in a real grindy mode for awhile combined with the not knowing where to go or what to do made me take a break from it. Any suggestions would be appreciated because I'd love to start getting more story out of it.


John 10:1-30
Romans 10:1-13

#4474768 - 05/20/19 12:04 AM Re: Subnautica is amazing and frightening [Re: VF9_Longbow]  
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Coot, you're just scratching the surface of things. I won't say more as this game has spoilers galore. Keep trying to get PDA's. Explore all the beacons that get displayed after you receive radio messages. If there are no more radio messages left and you're stuck with nothing left to do, go deeper..never stop going deeper. Won't say anything more.

I have the Cyclops and it is pretty interesting. It's like a portable base, the only downside is that you can't put a nuclear reactor inside it. Don't waste your time just trying to get the cyclops, it's an awesome toy but you can live without it. It's mainly just a way to speed up transport of your PRAWN or Seamoth to certain locations, or have a central storage area so you can shuttle back and forth with your other vehicles loaded with materials.

Try the PRAWN suit and upgrade the depth module for it, as well as the jetpack upgrade so you can move around more quickly.

Use your scanner to scan random fragments left around the bottom, you'll often find new technology blueprints that way. Build yourself a nice base with lots of modules inside it, reactors, mod stations, moon pool etc. All of this will help you feel like you're working toward something. Some of the vehicles you can build are out of this world.

Make sure you've updated the game as it's changed a lot since I first got it in 2016. It is really well polished now and I don't notice any bugs at all, and the story seems to have been developed more.

The alien stuff...is more complicated than you are thinking. Just keep exploring the deep, follow the beacons and eventually you'll start coming across stuff that blows your mind or browns your underpants.

#4474792 - 05/20/19 03:51 AM Re: Subnautica is amazing and frightening [Re: VF9_Longbow]  
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Stop exploring and get out of that game as i have a feeling something bad is waiting for you down there


"everything lives by a law, a central balance sustains all"
#4474824 - 05/20/19 01:22 PM Re: Subnautica is amazing and frightening [Re: VF9_Longbow]  
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Good advice by Longbow. Keep at it is the best advice. It's very difficult to say more without spoilers. The Mk 2 seamoth depth upgrade is good, but there is far deeper sea to explore. You'll need to continue to upgrade it (or get the Cyclops/Prawn). I agree with Longbow that the Cyclops isn't needed, but you will want one of you build a Prawn.

I'll put this in spoilers, and I encourage you not to look. These sorts of games are better if you find your own way, and solve things, without hints in my view. But if you are truly stuck maybe it will get you on your way.


Have you visited the Aurora? Get onboard and explore the decks.

Find the other lifepods. Some are rather difficult and require a dedicated search. Finding Lifepod 7 was a rewarding moment for me.

There is more to the alien base. It should lead to an 'event'. Even in the spoilers I don't want to reveal spoilers

Have you learned of the Degasi? If not, perhaps what you seek is in the clouds smile

Investigate every debris field, and use the laser cutter to cut through the doors to find what's inside




Well, I kept the spoilers brief. Just a nudge. Of course we can give more detail if needed, but better to start off on the safe side. You need to continue to develop gear that will allow you to dive deeper. I mentioned in the thread I linked to in the second post that as much as I like the game, I eventually grew weary of continually needing to chase the upgrades that would allow me to go ever deeper and pursue the storyline.

"I have grown a little weary of upgrading my vehicles. I need to do so to go ever deeper and handle the flora, fauna and hdyrospheres that the player encounters as he pursues the storyline. Crafting isn't difficult in Subnautica, but as you know you'll need the materials and with the extensive options it can be time consuming to track it all down and get it all to your base to build the stuff. No one is forcing my pace or choices, but the sense of wonder and discovery is a little intoxicating and to pursue it I need to build more and better equipment. "

It's not that bad, especially compared to other games I have played. But depth capability is key to making progress. The fact that your Seamoth can now dive deeper is good. It opens a whole new strata of the game world. Use that new capability to go places you could not before. This in turn may lead to new discoveries and blueprints that will lead to others down the line.



No, now go away or I shall taunt you a second time!
#4474826 - 05/20/19 01:35 PM Re: Subnautica is amazing and frightening [Re: VF9_Longbow]  
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Originally Posted by VF9_Longbow
Coot, you're just scratching the surface of things. I won't say more as this game has spoilers galore. Keep trying to get PDA's. Explore all the beacons that get displayed after you receive radio messages. If there are no more radio messages left and you're stuck with nothing left to do, go deeper..never stop going deeper. Won't say anything more.
...

As Longbow says, PDAs and radio messages are the main tools driving the story for a while. On top of that, random exploring may take you to various sites or apparent dead ends where you can't get any further. It might be worth having some beacons handy to drop (and give reasonable names - that's possible!) at such locations to find them again later wink
There is also an option to manage which signals are shown in your nav panel (or whatever it was called…) to prevent cluttering.

#4474984 - 05/21/19 08:28 PM Re: Subnautica is amazing and frightening [Re: VF9_Longbow]  
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Over the past couple of months I thought about giving Subnautica another run. I had lost my progress with a system failure. This thread and talking about it again made me install it on the new box. I don't think a whole lot has changed in that year, it was full release by then anyway. But a few touches here and there seem new.

Anyway, things go a little more swiftly having done it once. You know what to prioritize, where the best stuff is, what's dangerous and what merely appears so. Less time spent aimlessly, though there's nothing wrong with that in an exploration game. Less time spent hoarding stuff you won't need right away.

Still a lot of fun. I'm 10 hours in to the second run, and this is what I've managed to cobble together.


[Linked Image]


I restarted the game five or six times until my pod splashed down in an appealing location. No scanner room yet, I didn't make much use of them the first time, so no rush. This base is built 75 yards from the pod. Moonpool is over deeper water, but would probably be a challenge to navigate a Cyclops to it. So like last time I will most likely start a second base for that later on. I like the base building. Or maybe more accurately, I like looking at what I have built smile

The first run I did in Freedom mode, with no hunger or thirst. This one is Survival. At first I felt the meters decayed too quickly, and I still think they do. But after a while you fall in to a routine. And it opens up the whole farming and filtration aspects that I didn't need the first time. A minor thing but adds a new facet to the gameplay.

Attached Files 2019-05-21_00006.jpg

No, now go away or I shall taunt you a second time!
#4475053 - 05/22/19 02:43 PM Re: Subnautica is amazing and frightening [Re: VF9_Longbow]  
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So switching to Survival mode has caused me to essentially deplete the fishery around my home. Ate 'em all smile

So I undertook a restocking program designed to get my food back. I captured a number of bladderfish, peepers and imported some reginalds from a different biome, and released them around my base. I want to see if they will 'breed' or repopulate. Will they?

The other thing I've done for food is plant a couple of bulbo trees in pots. One in my fabrication room and one in the moonpool. They aren't as nutritious as some other things I could have planted, but they don't require re-planting. Just slice a couple off and on your way. For folks that play Survival, what's your food plan?

Still using bladderfish for water. I seem to recall a filtration gizmo from my first run. Hoping I don't misremember as that would simplify things considerably.

Eventually I'll have the alien containment to breed the fish for a more reliable source. But for now I am still gathering them.

Edit: The next day....

Well, two things I've learned. It seems the fish don't breed. The three Reginalds are still three Reginalds. Maybe they just don't like each other, but it seems that it doesn't work that way. I'll give it more time to see.

The second thing is that the bulbo tress only have so many slices in them. After a certain number the tree is gone and requires replanting. Not a problem as long as you have another growing nearby.

Last edited by DBond; 05/23/19 07:32 PM.

No, now go away or I shall taunt you a second time!
#4475665 - 05/27/19 06:12 PM Re: Subnautica is amazing and frightening [Re: VF9_Longbow]  
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Glad I decided to give Subnautica another run. Thanks for the thread Longbow. I've essentially gotten back to the point I had reached before my progress was clipped by a system death. And did so in half the time it took in the first run. I've played more efficiently which is to be expected having done it once. And I've found some things I had missed as well.

The game is beautiful, and for me quite amazing. The environment is stunning. I talked about it in the thread from last year, but I feel that the devs did a wonderful job re-imagining the ocean. Every plant and creature is fictional, but seem evolutionarily plausible. If only Crashfish didn't evolve! smile Lots of bioluminescence which looks fantastic at night.

Gameplay is fun, performance is smooth and stable. Sounds are superb. Initial load times are a bit long, but not that bad, less than a minute anyway. But it's all seamless inside, no loading screens or that sort of nonsense.

The gameworld is divided up in to a number of very distinct biomes, which are intertwined with one another. There are a large number of cave systems to explore, but get your O2 squared away first! From shallow, colorful areas, to extremely deep and dark locations and all sorts of places in between. It's a game that expertly rewards exploration. I always say this, but it's particularly true in Subnautica. Do not resort to guides and google. Infinitely more rewarding when you discover something yourself and see it live for the first time.

It's not a game for everyone though. It requires both imagination and self motivation. There isn't much to guide you. It's the sort of game where you get out of it what you put in to it.

And it can be frightening. The combination of darkness, depth and seen and unseen dangers can raise the hackles. Imagination plays a part here of course, but there are dangers at nearly every turn in Subnautica. The effect will depend on the player, but it has the potential to scare your socks off.

I've been building a second base in a distinctly beautiful biome. It's a place I wanted to build in during my first run, but never got around to it. I'll post a shot of it when I get a chance. Hopefully it won't be too much of a spoiler. And then a third base, in a very deep, amazing location. Players getting near the end will know of it, but I don't even want to post the name of the biome so I don't spoil it by revealing it's existence. I feel my experience is much better for having gone in blind and it won't be me that ruins it for someone else smile

Subnautica is a game that's worth your time. It's reasonably priced ($25 full price) and goes on sale often. The new Subnautica is right around the corner (in early access now) so it's a good time to check this game out and then be ready for Below Zero full release.


No, now go away or I shall taunt you a second time!
#4475668 - 05/27/19 06:25 PM Re: Subnautica is amazing and frightening [Re: VF9_Longbow]  
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I haven't been creeped out yet in quite awhile as I've gotten used to most things I see. However I've not hardly explored the world yet so I know there are things to come. At the beginning when I first got the game in EA the Stalkers scared me. Now they are no so bad. smile I will free swim with them now and if they get cranky with me, I give them a whack with my knife. I've actually killed them with my knife along with another similarly sized creature. I love the underwater environment of the game and things like the sound of your Seamoth hitting something. Sounds just like when I would play with big heavy metal pots in the pool as a kid.

I know I'm in for way more but thinking about the creepiness angle, I think it would be cool if someone made a game that combined Subnautica, Soma and Alien Isolation. A survival/horror game set in mood and feel of The Abyss. That is a game that would be neat but one I would likely struggle with. As it is, I barely have been able to finish Soma because of how creepy it is. I loved Alien Isolation and its the superior game in my opinion but Soma maintained its dreadful scary factor. The Xeno did too but I developed coping mechanisms and techniques to help me eventually. I've never been able to come up with copy mechanisms for Soma lol. behindcouch


John 10:1-30
Romans 10:1-13

#4475682 - 05/27/19 07:31 PM Re: Subnautica is amazing and frightening [Re: VF9_Longbow]  
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Yeah Coot, repeated exposure to certain threats can mitigate the sense of fear. Your stalker example is a good one. It's probably a large part of the reason the first run took so much longer haha. And of course it's only a game, and those are pixels arranged to look threatening really. This is the imagination thing I was speaking of. If one suspends their disbelief and gets in to their character, it can have that effect. I think I have now seen all possible creatures, but I don't know for sure. I've reached a point where I have respect for these threats, even if the fear has subsided. Circumnavigating the threat is what I do. And I run. I run away a lot biggrin


No, now go away or I shall taunt you a second time!
#4475688 - 05/27/19 08:11 PM Re: Subnautica is amazing and frightening [Re: VF9_Longbow]  
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Try going to the other side of the aurora..heh. Save your game before you try it.

Playing on hardcore mode might make things a bit more edgy as well.

#4475706 - 05/27/19 10:08 PM Re: Subnautica is amazing and frightening [Re: VF9_Longbow]  
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I have never ventured east of the Aurora. I've spent some time off the stern, and off the bow, but not much! Sammy doesn't like me.

I thought about doing hardcore mode this run, but with a year away I decided to try Survival, since the first run was in Freedom. I'm 35 hours in and have yet to die. Been close a number of times. But yet to actually punch my ticket. Kiss of death I reckon. There is lots of danger in this game, but most of it isn't lethal. And what is, I try to stay away from.

Here's my second base. If you haven't seen this biome maybe here's a reason to keep exploring smile I like thermal power in this game and this is a good spot. You can see the three thermal generators at the bottom of the shot astride the lava geyser. Two are in 74C water and the center one in 75C. Good, reliable energy source that requires no upkeep. Plug and play. The base is still in the early stages. Bottom multipurpose room is the fabrication and filtration room and the top floor has the observatory to soak in the magnificent views. I couldn't find a good way to attach a moonpool, and you see it has the stumpy leg that looks crap. As the base gets it's sprawl on perhaps I'll eventually find a better spot for the moonpool. I now have three bases, one near the lifepod (shown above), this one and another down deep for easy access to late game stuff. So resources and time are split between them all and this base is coming along slowly. It sits at 230m.


[Linked Image]

Attached Files 20190527174703_1.jpg

No, now go away or I shall taunt you a second time!
#4476067 - 05/30/19 12:29 PM Re: Subnautica is amazing and frightening [Re: VF9_Longbow]  
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This is my third base. Late game stuff is centered around a couple of quite deep locations, and this base provides easier access to these spots. Pressure from depth (500m) means an extensive use of reinforcements, but it's easy to maintain integrity provided you don't make it entirely of glass.

The nearer stack of multipurpose rooms has a two-story alien containment, home to two Cuddlefish and a number of Reginalds. Moonpool in the center with scanner room jutting out from there. I have built a Prawn and a Cyclops, but they are still in Safe Shallows as I am struggling to find the grappling hook arm. I'll bring both down here eventually. I plan to add a second moonpool to support the multiple vehicles (I have two Seamoths as well).

The far stack of MP rooms has fabrication and water filtration on the bottom floor, and my quarters are on the top with the observatory to soak in the views. A third stack of MP rooms is planned as a farm. Don't need another source of food, but more a roleplay thing.

A shot with the HUD elements

[Linked Image]



Attached Files DGRBase.jpg
Last edited by DBond; 05/30/19 12:30 PM.

No, now go away or I shall taunt you a second time!
#4476068 - 05/30/19 12:30 PM Re: Subnautica is amazing and frightening [Re: VF9_Longbow]  
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All of these underwater screenshots remind me of that game "Soma" that I played a couple years ago.


“Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he does not become a monster. And if you gaze long enough into an abyss, the abyss will gaze back into you.”
#4476071 - 05/30/19 01:22 PM Re: Subnautica is amazing and frightening [Re: VF9_Longbow]  
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There are similarities no doubt PM. Subnautica doesn't bill itself as a horror game, though it has these elements. Soma definitely is a horror game, much more of a psychological trip than Subnautica is. Subnautica is a survival game, with the scares springing from nature, or the fact that alien creatures are inherently frightening. There is danger, in spades, but no scripted.jump scare sort of stuff.

It can also be scary since depths, darkness and sounds can all combine to put your mind in a state of apprehension and anxiety. I think the natural human base reaction to things like darkness, the unknown and unseen, as well as the fear of drowning are what makes Subnautica frightening.

Compared to Soma, Subnautica is open, brighter and much more peaceful. There are places that don't fit this description of course, but the threats are mostly avoidable if you're paying attention.


No, now go away or I shall taunt you a second time!
#4476089 - 05/30/19 03:43 PM Re: Subnautica is amazing and frightening [Re: VF9_Longbow]  
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Subnautica is easily one of the best games I have ever played. Can't wait until the expansion is finished. Have purposely avoided reading or seeing anything about it since I want to go into it blind like I did Subnautica.

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