I have very bad stuttering in-game, and this does not only happen in my base. https://youtu.be/zQgi7IrrPGI

NS2 Combat Mode Relaunch
Introduction to Combat Mode

Gameplay Video by Jibrail:


Download the mod here, after logging into Steam Workshop:
http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/file...ls/?id=82684884

If you’ve been following the old thread about Combat Mode you’ll probably have heard that JimWest and I have been busy at work relaunching the NS2 Combat gamemode. The previous version was prone to breaking on each new NS2 build and on top of that required players to actually download a new version of the mod each week. Well, lessons learned... This version of Combat is a server-side mod so you can pick up and play without having to download a thing!

Thanks to fsfod’s lua hooks implemented as part of his Menu Mod, we’ve been able to write most of the mod in a way that extends NS2’s game code instead of overwriting large parts of it - this means it should continue to work between releases for the most part.

Our task list: https://www.pivotaltracker.com/projects/211849
View the source code: https://github.com/AlexHayton/NS2Combat
Join the Steam Group: http://steamcommunity.com/groups/ns2combat

Our Design Aims:

• Try and reproduce as much of the old NS1 Combat Mode’s game mechanics as possible but bring some of the new skills and game mechanics from NS2 into play as well.
• Players get experience (score) for killing enemies or being around their teammates who are killing enemies.
• You can level up ten times in a game, getting an upgrade point to spend each time. This buys you weapons, evolves and upgrades.
• We’ve tried to balance support classes with offensive ones. You can specialise as any of the Alien lifeforms and as a Marine can choose to go Jetpack, Exo or some kind of ninja engineer.
• We'll keep the mod server-side until client-side mod downloading support is working in Steam Workshop. The most important thing is that you shouldn’t have to install anything to get the mod working as a player, and server operators should only have to do the minimum amount of updating (if any) to keep the game working.

How to play

1. Connect to a server running NS2 Combat Mode.
2. When you join you’ll get a message telling you about how to buy upgrades, which you’re awarded every time you get a certain amount of experience.
3. Use the buy menu to buy upgrades for yourself.
4. Killing enemies, damaging structures or being near your teammates who are killing enemies will give you experience points, which will eventually get you more levels and upgrade points.
5. If you join a game in progress, you’ll get the average experience points and upgrade points of all active players, so you should be able to get right into the action.

Hosting your own server

1. Get the dedicated server working with regular NS2
2. Start your server with the following:
   CODE
   server.exe -config_path "C:\Users\<you>\AppData\Roaming\Natural Selection 2\combat" -modstorage "C:\Users\<you>\AppData\Roaming\Natural Selection 2\Workshop" -mods "5f35045 55e90a3 4d41f11 4fd7fd4 57c685f 57f5f9a 6523544 662442f 5faeac4" -map ns2_co_core -name "Combat Mode Server"
3. I find that it helps to put the launch command into a .cmd or .bat file and run that.
4. The server will download all the appropriate mods from the Workshop automatically!
5. Close the server down and visit this folder with Windows Explorer: c:\Users\<you>\AppData\Roaming\Natural Selection 2\combat
6. Edit MapCycle.json and put something like this inside it, then hit save:
   
   CODE
   {
     "mods": [ "5f35045" ],
     "mode": "random",
     "time": 30,
     "maps": [ { "map": "ns2_co_Core", "mods": [ "57f5f9a" ] },
               { "map": "ns2_co_stargate", "mods": [ "6523544" ] },
               { "map": "ns2_pulsecombat", "mods": [ "57c685f" ] },
               { "map": "ns2_summitcombat", "mods": [ "4fd7fd4" ] },
               { "map": "ns2_co_down", "mods": [ "5faeac4" ] },
               { "map": "ns2_co_veilcombat", "mods": [ "662442f" ] },
               { "map": "ns2_chuteout", "mods": [ "55e90a3" ] },
               { "map": "ns2_co_faceoff", "mods": [ "4d41f11" ] } ]
   }
7. Start the server again. You're now up and running with Combat Mode!

Playtests
We've already done a few scheduled playtests, which have now stabilised on about one per week on Tuesday evenings. We run a few test in parallel for each of the major timezones (US, Aus/NZ/Asia and Europe). Jibrail is kindly helping to organise the Europe playtests but the others are something of a free-for-all. If you are interested in helping to playtest the mod or can provide a server for us (handily, people don't need to download the mod to play on your server) then please get in touch! We will mostly be arranging tests using our Steam Group so please join up if you are interested in playing with us!

Balancing the game will of course be difficult and will be an ongoing thing, so we expect to have a few iterations of that as well before we get it right. For now we’ve gone with roughly the same values as NS1 so they are hopefully in the right ballpark.

Maps

We also would like to make a couple of small maps to better fit the fast pace of Combat Mode. At the moment we have modded ns2_tram (other maps to come) so that portions of the map are blocked off. This allows us to play the game even with the map downloading in the state it's in. In the future we will provide downloading via the Steam Workshop map mod support. If anyone would like to help us with this, or are interested in making a Combat map please get in touch on this thread or message us directly and we can make a list of Combat Mode maps here.

Current Maps:
If you would like me to change your map's description, send me a PM!
Official Steam Collection for Combat Maps
co_junction_combat (Workshop page, id = 80882807) by UWE, modded by MCMLXXXIV and JimWest - A version of the old ns2_junction map with some power points and an overview map
co_faceoff (Workshop page, id = 81010449) by JimWest - A remake of old favourite co_faceoff for the Spark engine.
co_assault (Workshop page, id = 88975689) by WorthyRival - Another combat mode map with a Halo-esque feel
co_summit (Workshop link, id = 83722196) by Arkanti - A carved-up version of Summit suitable for Combat play...
ns2_lunacy_combat (Download Link) by Trainee.ger - A map for
Proving Grounds and Combat gameplay
co_pulse by Alex - A recreation of the classic NS1 combat map for NS2.

Future plans

• Jibrail has kindly done some texture and sound work for us, so that hopefully we will eventually be able to bring an all-singing and all-dancing version of the mod to your screens, when the support for client-mod downloading is ready in Steam Workshop.
• We'll try and make the mod completely auto-downloadable, but are waiting for Steam Workshop support to be ready. If we can, we'll never make the mod require you to install something to join a server.
• There will probably be some new features in NS2 Combat that we want to implement. We haven’t had much of a think about what to do with power nodes (get points, team bonuses, dynamic infestation spreading?) and whether you should be able to sacrifice a level to re-choose upgrades.
• Maybe we can also play around with some of the new game mechanics as well (welder locks doors, onos opens them etc).

Just because.

Since it's towel day, I thought I'd do something fun

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy has this to say about Alterra Corporation:
Of all the known trans-governmental networks in the galaxy, Alterra is famous for being the most profitable with its many no longer questionable policies. One such policy is claiming that all resources on a random planet in its vicinity are their property, meaning that you should never attempt to survive on an alien world owned by Alterra if you don't want to end up with a dept equivalent to 500 triganic pus.
This and other reasons have given the corporation a bad image, and has even sent it to court for unfair exploitation. Luckily for Alterra, they already had so much money that they were able to afford one of the best available lawyers who claimed that since the corporation already had some very admirably positive aspects (being among the galaxy's best employers, appearing to be a democratic corperation and encouraging free enterprise within its space), time itself began to take a toll on it. The judges concurred and in a moving speech claimed that time itself was in contempt of court for having falsely degraded the company's image, and duely confiscated the timeline of the entire court from history itself by returning back in time to change events.
The Alterra Court is today one of the many events used by the Campaign for Real Time as an example for the increasing greediness of people to change history at their own profit, but on the other hand the Campaign wouldn't have much ground over Alterra because of the latter's reputation of being profitable.

Hope ya liked that & happy towel day!

I've finally got my next map playable - ns2_fusion
It's a relatively small, simple map, but I'd love to get some feedback on how it plays.

Workshop link: https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=178964086

Hey guys!

Subnautica is currently in Early Access and as such you may from time to time encounter bugs and in the worst case, crashes. If you have issues with stability of Subnautica, please post your issues with as much detail as possible (video/screenshots/descriptions), followed by the following requested information:

Example Topic Title:
[Crash] Open my Locker and Crash! [Version Number]

1) Please run dxdiag.exe (search windows for it) on your systems and hit the button 'save all information' in the bottom right. Save this file for later.



2) Navigate to your Subnautica Folder in Steam (should be steamapps\common\Subnautica)

3) Open the Subnautica_Data folder and grab a copy of 'output_log.txt'



4) Upload all the text of these to something like http://pastebin.com/ and post the public links to them with your forum posts.

These 2 files will GREATLY help us in tracking down issues with Subnautica. Thanks!

Crashing launching or playing Subnautica? Follow these steps to make a good tech support post!


Edit by Jonas:
We've also got a very similar guide with pictures for each step on Steam.
And as in every good tech support:

• Please make sure that your Windows is up to date.
• Please make sure that your drivers are up to date.
• Please make sure your PC meets the minimum system requirements.
• Please close all other applications before starting the game.
• Have you tried turning it off and on again?

A short trip to Life Pod 17,
https://youtu.be/OfD2rfF4sEM

- Remake of ns1_origin -

http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=859097492

I put together some NS1->NS2 comparison shots for anyone interested or who never played the NS1 version

I always wanted to make this remake. Even asked Cadaver for permission years ago.
The idea, layout, etc was growing in my head the last months and I finally started like two weeks ago.

I'm using a kinda veil-layout as blueprint, because obviously the NS1 version with all the vents between hive locations won't work.
I will add almost all vents tho, except the exit into marine start.
Edit: Changed to a kinda caged-layout to improve balance for aliens.

NS1-Overview:



Current Overview:

For any other Arch user not being able to start this game once again with the usual

ns2_linux: error while loading shared libraries: libsndio.so.6.1: cannot open shared object file: No such file or directory

the reason is sndio was updated to version 7, game still depends on version 6.1.

So the only chance is to revert. And since it coming from the AUR, it won't be in the pacman cache anymore. Simplest way is to download it from Debian and copy it into /usr/lib.

EDIT: Nevermind, found the problem!


I finally managed to build my first Cyclops and decided i should dock my seamoth to it.

All worked fine, docked it without problems, continued playing until I had to log off for a bit so I saved the game.

Upon loading, the cyclops goes nuts and starts jumping allover the place and ends up uside down stuck to the ground.
I am now unable to use it (it blows up after a while).

Tried it with a second cyclops and a new seamoth, same thing happens.


I can replicate this issue 100%
This is game breaking imo! I am unable to dock the seamoth to the cyclops.

Anyone got any idea why this is happening?

Good day, Geovoyn with you.

Briefly about why I decided to write this article.

In my mind after the first passage, there were thoughts about what the future of Subnautica might be. After reading the game wiki and also going through groups and forums, I realized that many ideas (which were thought through by me) were already stipulated by the players. I wanted to systematize them and add something from myself to subsequently send a full article to an official forum or directly to the developers.

According to the game on the planet, there must be at least several different inhabited zones.
We have already seen the classic map - Eco-Zone of a volcanic crater measuring 2х2 km, where Aurora was lucky to fall.
We will see the Arctic, where, most likely, will have their own characteristics and gameplay chips.

I see two ways to achieve a cooperative / multiplayer I see in two versions:

The First is simpler and cheaper in terms of implementation, but at the same time more boring.
Players (from 2 to 6-8?) Appear on the same classical map, in different capsules (maybe two in one).
Survival and the plot are carried out in the same mode, with the only difference being that everything will be worked out for multiplayer (animation, models, optimization, compatibility, and such pleasant nuances as chat through the PDA).
Players will also build bases and gradually pass the story, only together this time. Perhaps you need to add some joint elements for research (something like the doors of the Forerunner, which can be opened only when several people interact).

(+) Pluses
Saving resources and time for development.
A well-crafted map.
Full story.

(–) Minuses
Fast passage - the more players in the session, the faster and easier the game will be played.
There is no point for old players - experienced players already know all the nuances and tricks, saw all / most of the biomes, know crafts, use Stasis-Cannons (remove it, please) to the right and to the left, so that they will not have any difficulty passing the game without straining while twice as fast).
A lesser difficulty for new players is that, although it will be interesting for them to move around the story, bumping into different "surprises", but playing in a co-operative will make it easier for them to survive, which in the end will result in a facilitated passage.
A small map is one of the most important drawbacks. The map is small not so much in length and breadth as in the depth. The ocean on the old map cannot always accommodate one Cyclops, let alone a few or more large submarines.
Identical gameplay - it almost does not change. Players will do everything the same, only with a large number of people.

Second is more difficult, requires the introduction of new mechanics and a new map, but at the same time, the roots will change the game.
Players (from 2 to 6-8?) appear in different capsules (maybe two in one), in an alternative Eco-Zone 10x10 (5x5 / 15x15 / 20x20?) km, in the center of which will be a huge non-floating island. This island will represent the highest ring of the mountain of volcanic craters. On the plot it will be much more ancient than the analogue on the classical map.



In this "bowl" there will be all ground flora and fauna protected from external influences by a mountain ridge. Perhaps there will be some animals, but only small species.
The Aurora fell somewhere near (two or three kilometers), and the scatter of the capsules is in the immediate vicinity of the island, where the biome is identical to Safe Shallows.
This will be the starting point for players who will get out of their capsules and, after some time, try to reach a safe shore.

Drawings of the elements of the dwelling can be located both on the island, and on the Aurora (?) or its sunken parts. In any case the dwelling should be available almost immediately, for the practical interaction of the players with each other.
Survival and the plot, as in the first version, will be held in the same mode, but with elaboration for multiplayer.

As I described above, the whole map will be a ring of volcanic craters, standing on top of each other like a children's pyramid. Descents from these rings will be sharp, and they themselves will have a different relief. In fact, they will be a plateau, but they may have mountainous terrain, zones with floating islands, etc. depending on the biome. Caves and other underground biomes will remain and increase in size. Including directly under the island can be the entrance to the inactive and active lava zones.

Such a structure of the map will allow players to gradually go down, exploring ever deeper, darker and more dangerous biomes. To make it look harmonious, it is worth combining and multiplying some biomes that will be found both on the upper and lower rings. Dangers will be present, the Leviathans will not go anywhere and the Ultra-Leviathans (which will be discussed below) are hiding in darkness.

The main distinctive feature of such a map will be in the depth of the lower rings, which will reach 5-8 kilometers. The structure of the pyramid will allow players to float on submarines to the surface from any ring, and also to dive down.



The depth of penetration of light into the water column depends on its transparency. Recent studies conducted with the help of satellites show that on the pictures of the Baikal bottom and at a much greater depth (up to 500 m), relief is visible. In this case, it should be assumed that light can penetrate up to 1000 m, i.e., to a depth that is an order of magnitude greater than it was thought up to now.

In the game, you can make a limit of penetration of light at a depth of 1.5-2 kilometers. This will create a clear boundary between the "light zone" that is easier to master and the heavier "dark zone".
On the edge of the lowest rings will be the boundary of the Eco-Zone, which may not differ much from the classical, except that instead of the Ghosts one can add the Ultra-Leviathans.



The most important, the main feature that I wanted to propose for this option is the command control of the ship.
If Cyclops can be controlled and alone, a larger submarine should require the interaction of a larger number of players.
My opinion is that for these purposes and for such a map, the «Shark» submarine, which the game designer under the nickname Minder realized as a 3D model, called the «Atlas», would be ideal.

Of course, you can use any other submarine or change the design of this one, but why if the Shark is so good?



SHARK
We know that the new version of Atlas is about 2.5 times larger than Cyclops.



Has on board 4 escape pods, each of which accommodates two people, improved maneuvering systems, and a dock for two vehicles.
In total there are nine compartments in the submarine on three decks:



Black - decks
Blue (at the front) - Cockpit with control and survey deck
Yellow - Command room / main control panel
Green - Docking bays with panel improvements
White - Storage / free rooms
Purple (at the back) - Engine room / panel for modules for improvement
Red - Laboratory / free room
Brown - Living room / free room
Blue (at the back) - Dormitory / free room
Purple (in front) - Escape pod room
Two gateways for the input / output are located at the top of the case (although their location is likely to be changed).

Now about ideas related to management, improvement and interaction with this submarine:

To implement the team work in practice, it is necessary to make the Shark management easier and more efficient with a large number of players, and much more difficult with less.
On Cyclops there is only one main control element - the steering wheel. Becoming for him, the player can interact with all systems and subsystems, except for the subsystem of firefighting.

In the Shark it is worthwhile to implement the same method, but with the addition of additional control panels. Each panel (including a special steering panel in the cockpit) will allow one or more submarine systems to be controlled by each crew member. In this case, the system/s can be switched and selected.
To make it easier for players to interact, one system or subsystem can be managed by a maximum of 1 person, while others can simply look at the changes in it. This rule will apply to all panels except the helmsman. The selected player who has risen behind the steering panel will become the captain of the ship, which will allow him to coordinate the actions of others, adjusting the settings of all systems and subsystems according to the situation.

The optimal number of systems on the ship should be counted on the average number of players in multiplayer - that is, somewhere around 4-6 systems and several subsystems.

Possible systems and (subsystems):
1) Steering system - the system will give direct control to the Shark, as well as an image from the camera inside the cockpit at an extra panels. There will be 3 available travel modes with smooth switching, for greater speed control, and switching to the above-water mode.
In a simplified form and direct accessibility there will be systems of navigation, cameras, energy distribution, and subsystems (maps), (states), (communications), (fire extinguishing), (light control), (compartment control) and (defense).
1.1) (Main defense) - the subsystem will control the main torpedo installation (turret), which will be located in the bow.
1.2) (Bait) - the subsystem controls the first bait setup, which will be located in the front (the same turret in the bow), and the second, which will be placed on top (on the top mini-turret).

2) Navigation system - allows the player to view holographic and schematic maps in advanced mode, track beacons, vehicles and players, and monitor the status of the submarine.
2.1) (Map) - the subsystem will display real-time changes on the schematic and holographic maps, show the current scanning areas, and display threats and good / verified path routes.
2.2) (Depth sounder) - is a subsystem that scans and displays topographic data on the display.
2.2) (Lighthouses) - a subsystem that will allow to mix beacons (with the help of a turret in the bow) and will track them.
2.3) (Submarine status) - is a subsystem that displays the status, damage / leakage / breakdown of the submarine in real time.

3) Cameras - a system that controls both the cameras located on the submarine and the drones that will be able to survey the terrain near the ship. Also cameras will be on the manipulators in the transport dock. Switching between all the cameras will be carried out in a more convenient form than on the Cyclops.
3.1) (Propulsion transport manipulator) - a subsystem allowing to control one of the two "grappling hooks" in the dock for transport. In the absence of transport in the dock, the player can "grab" the vehicle (even with another player inside) using the manipulator, and tighten it in the submarine.
3.2) (Scanning) - a subsystem enabling cameras, on a ship and drones, to scan a terrain in a given radius in order to detect resources and hazards, as well as scan parts of devices, plants, creatures, debris, etc.
3.3) (Point defense) - the control subsystem of the top mini turret located on top, near the antenna.
3.4) (Survey of the terrain) - a subsystem that allows you to control drones-cameras that can swim in a certain radius near the ship, explore the terrain, and conduct a scan.
3.5) (External repair) - a subsystem that allows you to manage repair drones that will be able to swim in a small radius near the ship and repair damage / leaks / holes in any vehicle or even a home.

4) Energy - is a system by which a player can control and redistribute energy on a submarine (yes, just like in ships from the Star Trek). From simple reinforcement of the shield or engine power, to faster charging of equipment in the docks or power saving mode.
4.1) (Shield generator) - the subsystem adds the ability to create a large energy shield in order to drive away the hostile fauna. The shield makes the submarine invulnerable, as on the Cyclops, for the duration of its use. Energy is expended more quickly with a strong impact. The module may overheat.

5) (Communication) - a subsystem that allows you to catch signals from different sources and vehicles and track them. Can control (possibly using special modules) transport. It can also turn on the SOS signal.

6) (Fire-fighting) - the subsystem responsible for putting out the fire. It differs from the Cyclops subsystem in that it automatically selects isolated compartments with a fire, instead of blocking the entire ship.

7) (Light control) - is a subsystem responsible for controlling the internal and external light on a submarine. It differs from the Cyclops subsystem in that the player can choose in which decks / compartments and external searchlights, the light is on or off.

8) (Control of compartments) - a subsystem responsible for monitoring the submarine compartments: blocking of bulkheads, power supply, light control, etc.

Example:
The server is played by 8 people. They finally build the Shark and distribute roles for playing on it. One becomes a captain; the second is engaged in navigation; The third inspects the terrain with the cameras of the submarine and is engaged in scanning; the fourth manages part of the normal and repair drones; the fifth closely engages in energy and controls another part of the drones; the sixth is engaged in communication and other subsystems; The seventh is piloted by Crab, and also deals with crafting and resource allocation; the eighth deals with energy and modules, crafting and resource distribution, and also pilots the second transport if necessary.

All 8 people in action participate in an exciting journey. Nobody forbids them to change roles and, again, to pose with the construction of the base, for example.
For 8 people, life-saving capsules are calculated, but the crew may be larger. 10 people will quite find themselves than themselves, and they will also be able to escape from imminent death (in the event of a disaster), since there will be two transports on the submarine.
Everyone will find his place and his interest, in this version of the gameplay; you just need to give a motivation to action.

Such a huge submarine like the Shark naturally will have to get somewhere from a huge amount of energy. The submarine is 2.5 times larger than the Cyclops - starting from this, and also based on comparisons of capacities, I did some calculations.



The Cyclops’s flow rate, with its skillful use with the energy efficiency module, is about 500 units per hour, which means 12 hours of continuous running and moderate use of the modules for a maximum of 6,000 energy units.
Now let's move on to the Shark.
All the figures below are just my approximate calculations and thoughts, how could this be in the game. Naturally, they can and will change in order to achieve the optimal balance of complexity / interest.



The "charge / float" scheme of the Cyclops simply cannot be productive with such a huge expenditure of energy, so you definitely need to use another one.

Namely, an autonomous energy source, which is the main one in almost every modern submarine of a long voyage, is a nuclear reactor.
In addition to it (there are other sources of energy in the game), you can make additional modules, the slots for which will be a maximum of 1-2, so players have to choose what to use at any particular moment. And do not let players change them like gloves in this way - the size of each module in the inventory must be made gigantic, or, for example, make sure that only the Crab can install them from the outside.

In the table below I tried to optimize the storage capacity and capacity of each module. Remember, this is only a preliminary balance.



Thus, the average generation of energy will exceed the average expenditure of the submarine, which will allow players to spend some time in swimming, without the need for any recharging. Of course, you should not make energy very limitless, because it simply kills complexity. It will be necessary to create obstacles for the players, so that they do not just sweat over the solution of the energy problem. The very replacement of the fuel rods will already require timely action and an anti-radiation suit.

A ton of energy will require a fairly large storage. From this it follows that standard energy cells (even ionic ones) simply do not fit for these purposes. It will be necessary to introduce the craft of large energy cells.



In total there can be 8-10 slots, i.e. with the usual energy cells in the storage will be a maximum of 9600-12000 units, and with ionic 48000-60000 units.
With an average flow (without power generation), a complete storage facility with conventional energy cells will empty in 20 minutes, and with an ionic charge of 50.

Modules, in addition to the energy I described above, can represent a variety of things - from the module of "external charging", which will allow connecting large transport and buildings to the Shark energy system, to the "masking" module that will hide the submarine from unnecessary attention. The number of slots for them is also very variable.
To describe them all does not make sense to me, since many ideas are already certainly on forums or are in the folder of concepts - the scope for ideas is unlimited.
Separately, I note that for all types of transport (including the Shark); new depth improvement modules will be needed (suppose the maximum depth is 7 km):



I was always interested in the question of water pressure on the character we are playing.
Theoretically, somewhere from 350 meters immersion should become dangerous to health, but this does not happen. The character is equally free to swim both at a depth of 100 meters, and at a depth of 8 kilometers. To solve this problem, we just need "DNA Transmitter", which in theory should be put into the game in the future.



Information on the wiki:
The DNA Transmitter (Transfuser) is a developing item for extracting and injecting DNA.
 Each injection increases said value by 25%.
 You can inject one creature or yourself up to four times.
 Each sample uses 5% of the transfuser's energy.
 Refer to the table on the DNA page for sample types and locations.
If you enter such a tool into the game, you can calmly add pressure as well. With the DNA transmitter the player will be able to "improve" himself, increasing the protection from this pressure.

Also separately worth noting is the element of creating the Shark in the game world:
First, the constituent parts - there must be a lot of them. At least 3 times more than Cyclops (i.e. 9). But if it seems to you that it will be difficult to collect them, remember that the player, in this version of multiplayer, is not alone.

Secondly, the craft itself - it should be so expensive that for the whole game you could create a maximum of one or two Sharks. This will give the game more hardcore and interest, because no one will want to again collect a huge bunch of resources from the entire card.

Third, modules and disposable elements - they will also be expensive, within reasonable limits, but it is possible to include, for example, in the craft some rare resources (which for game there is very little).
Under disposable items, I mean the Shark's rescue capsules, for example, which will be almost identical to the Aurora capsules, with the only difference being that they can quickly float to the surface.

If I were to generalize all that concerns the Shark, then I would say this: in the main game we survive on our own and do everything ourselves. The atmosphere of desperation and loneliness presses on us - we want to escape, fly away from the planet. How we do it and determines the gameplay, giving us different possibilities of passage.
But in multiplayer everything should be different. We are not alone we are a whole team, which will eventually have its own underwater ship. We are still pressured by the atmosphere, but it feels differently - every mistake, every "surprise" can be fatal for the team. This knowledge and will besiege too self-confident players, at the same time, giving them an incentive to pass.

For players to somehow continue to feel the atmosphere of despair and fear, I suggest removing / nerf / change Stasis-Gun.
This weapon kills all the complexity - any big guy can be frozen forever and stabbed with a knife.
Remember how simple just one player can deal with leviathans. And if there are several of them? For example, 8 Stasis-Guns will simultaneously fire for one single purpose.
To save hardcore, you must at least give the server administrator the ability to turn off the Stasis-Cannon, removing it from the session. Better yet, simply remove this weapon from the game.

And, of course, under all this new gameplay you need to add a test - a couple of dangers, from which even experienced players will goosebumps.
Here is my idea of one of these new dangers.



The mostly disappearing species of the largest mammals on the planet are 4546B.



In the classic game, these creatures are "extinct" many thousands / millions of years ago.
In fact, players just do not yet know who is hiding in the depths of the "Dead Zone", and how much it is still uninhabited.
This can be used by making such monsters, which in the game will be only one copy.

Ultra-Leviathan "Kraken"



Millions of years of evolution have turned this creature into a huge killer, one of the oldest and terrifying predators of the planet.

In contrast to the usual predatory leviathans, which have a snake-like structure of the body, Kraken actively uses its numerous limbs. Instead of ramming your underwater vehicles, he will grab them with tentacles, beat them with huge claws (maybe), bite them in half with his mouth, or try to drag them to the bottom.

The only way to cope with the situation is to go outside and beat the creature by tentacles or distract him so that he switches his attention and releases your boat.
True chance to escape from the "Kraken" sitting in the Moth or the Crab is almost zero - the creature flattens them faster than the Reaper, or simply swallows.
The only submarines that can at least somehow fight for survival are the Cyclops and the Shark - Kraken will try to drag them deeper and deeper.

It's only possible to swim away from this ultra-leviathan if you react in time and in advance swim away in the opposite direction. If you run into him face to face, you will have to fight for survival.
The energy shield will help, but very limited - it can work well against collisions and strikes, but the tentacle will not be able to stop.
If the "Kraken" receives a certain amount of damage, it will release a huge cloud of ink about a quarter of a mile away, disappear and sail away for a while. Players at this point will be able to regroup and escape, but if they do not, the attack will naturally repeat (suddenly, to the creature of the players and even scared, emerging from the cloud).
This is something more serious than the Ghost Leviathan, is not it?

I think my Subnautica article could be considered complete on this. Whether some of the ideas written out will be implemented or not is unknown, but I know for sure that in the future we will see many interesting things.
Thank you for your attention, I hope you were curious to read this article!

Author - Geovoyn

Supposedly the upcoming dlc will be based in an entirely new location of the planet, and put us in control of a diff survivor.

As a personal opinion, i would like to see us given the option of playing thru this new location with our first/single character(before escaping), and give the players a gender choice for both the main game and dlc.

For the first part, i dont like the idea of having spent the time investing into the first playthru (all the base building, exploration, ect) then turning around and having to start over for the DLC. I understand that story-wise it's supposed to be a brand new person, but i prefer continuity in games like this. Gives me a deeper sense of satisfaction when i finally do make it to the end.

As for the second part, just think it would be a favor to the players if we're given the choice to play a male or female character. Having the ability to choose in both instances(dlc path and gender choice) would increase the play-value of an already awesome game.

Again, want to reiterate that this is all just personal opinion based on what i've heard, and is in no way meant to be a demand or rant

You never know, some of these may have already been considered, but they're still very interesting to know for your own general culture I'll also be seperating the underwater and overwater formations in two different posts

Sea ice is constantly on the move. Wether it be icebergs tumbling over or glaciers pouring into the sea, and as it moves foreward into the water it becomes thinner and thinner due to the higher wave activity in open water. When ice is sufficiently thin, enough sunlight can pass through which enables algae to grow on the bottom of the ice since photosynthesis can take place.



Small zooplankton are quick to take advantage of all this green food and graze on it, often also entering the small holes created by wave impact and brine channels which I'll come to in a bit. They also enter the occasional caves in the thick ice that could be caused by a dislocated rock or by a large animal.



The pelagic (free-swimming) community under the ice is dominated by gelatinous zooplankton such as jellyfish, sea angels and ctenophores. Every now and then there are marine mammals too, but since they need to breathe they never stray too far from ice holes and spend a lot of their time keeping them open so that they don't drown. But the heaviest community is the benthic (bottom-living) one which is mainly sustained by algae falling from the ice and occasional pegagic fish and jellyfish sinking after death which will be scavenged upon by a number of benthic animals such as sea anemones, crustaceans, nematode worms, sea stars, sea urchins and bilvalves.



As well as detritus, the sea ice also provides the benthic community with rocks to grow on. Corals and sponges often have difficulty growing in soft mud-like surfaces, especially corals who need hard surfaces to attach themselves to, and the rocks that are brought in from inland by a flowing glacier provides just that. In fact, this constany supply of falling rocks even provides a sustainable deep-sea ecosystem as more and more hard surfaces arrive enabling deep-sea corals to take place and a community to grow.
But sea ice also provides dangers to the benthic community. As it forms, pockets of brine can occur inside the ice and falls towards the bottom over time as its saltiness freezes the water left above it and melts the ice below it. When it reaches the bottom of the ice shelf, the super salty brine is so dense that it keeps sinking. As it does so, it freezes the surrounding seawater because it's much colder than its surroundings, which creates a sort of tube of ice constantly falling from the ice shelf above with super salty water flowing inside. When it reacher the sea floor, the brine instantly freezes over, killing anything that comes in contact with the brine.



Ice crystals can also form on the seabed, and the more they grow the more capable they are of floating upwards, so if any small rock or a sea urchin is attached to one of these crystals, there's a chance that they'll be taken upwards towards the shelf where they'll probably die too.

I would like to at least have the ability to set the throttle to speed and have it remain at that setting, so I can leave the helm and do other things on the bridge while the ship is traveling to a set course. (Primarily for surface travel and not while submerged at depth)

Waypoints would be even better. If the solo player could program a course into the boat's computer and have it execute that course on its own without player intervention, that would again be a welcome feature.

I find it odd that we need to hold down the throttle on such a large vessel. This goes against how real boats, ships and subs actually work in the real world.

They don't have GAS PEDALS. They have THROTTLES that STAY PUT where you leave them.

Ask anyone who owns a boat.

Hi guys! I'm lesserdoggo, and I'm letting everyone share their fanart here! I'm posting mine first

In the Creative Mode one I haven't tried yet. Does it have a story line, or is it just creating? Is there an ending?

NATURAL SELECTION 3!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!???????????????

Please make my dreams come true.

Congrats, btw to the devs.