Subnautica: New Game Plus. Keep your base, vehicles, and inventory when you start over. Switch from Creative to Survival safely

Subnautica: New Game Plus Guide

THIS METHOD IS FOR RESETING THE GAME PROGRESS ON ANY GAME MODE WITHOUT LOSING YOUR BASE AND VEHICLES. THIS METHOD ALSO WORKS FOR SWITCHING FROM CREATIVE TO SURVIVAL

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This method was discovered while I was making my modded custom save state for Subnautica on Nexusmods.com.
Here is some of my creative content for you to explore...

My YouTube Channel with custom episodic TV-like let's plays. No commentary, just story arc and art:
https://www.youtube.com/user/SkrattaDragon

Be sure to check out my featured mod, Draegona's Retreat with Adventure and Billionaire custom game modes:
http://www.nexusmods.com/subnautica/mods/7?

The Steam Community discussion thread for the mod:
http://steamcommunity.com/app/264710/discussions/0/2592234299568138961/
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Step 1: Locating your save file

The first thing you want to do is locate your save file location:
..\Steam\steamapps\common\Subnautica\SNAppData\SavedGames

The easiest way to find your saved game folder is to...
-Go to your Steam library,
-Right click on Subnautica,
-Click 'Properties',
-Click 'Local Files' tab at the top of the properties page,
-Click 'Browse local files...',
-Click 'SNAppData',
-Finally, click 'SavedGames'.

In here you should find either only one or a few files depending upon how many saved games you have made. Generally, the first saved game that you ever make will be named 'slot0000' and each one after that will be 'slot0001', 'slot0002', and so on. Locate the file that has your bases in it and back up the file in any way you see fit.

This should bring you to your proper saved game folder on either a MAC or PC. Make sure to back up your saved game files or choose to create a different saved game slot. I am not responsible for you breaking your own saved games.
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Step 2: Create a new saved game slot

Now that you have backed up your files, it is time to create a new saved game slot...
-Simply start up Subnautica, click 'Play', and start a NEW GAME under Survival mode.
-Once the game has loaded and the opening cinematic has completed, save and quit the game entirely.
-Locate the new saved game slot in the 'SavedGames' folder and back up the files.
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Step 3: Understanding and manipulating your saved games

You should make these changes to both files for redundancy. That's why I had you back up your save files.

Now you should have 2 saved game slots with 2 different slot numbers. Generally, the new saved game that you had just made will have the higher slot number and latest date modified attribute, meaning it was made recently.

Open both saved game slots. Both the old saved game with your old bases, and the new saved game with the story reset. Each file will contain many data cell caches, of which you do not need. Find the 4 files listed below, in each file, for these are the important files. You may delete all other files and folders.

You must keep these 4 files contained in your saved game slot:
-gameinfo.json
-global-objects.bin
-scene-objects.bin
-screenshot.jpg

YOU MUST NOT DELETE THESE 4 FILES LISTED ABOVE

These 4 files are the files you need to back up in both your old saved game that you're updating, and your new saved game that you just made. You should have now backed up a total of 8 files into 2 seperated saved game slots.

The first thing you want to understand is the file 'gameinfo.json'. When you manipulate a saved game and reset the story, make sure that you open the file with Notepad or a similar plain text typing program and manipulate the 'gameTime' attribute and the 'gameMode' attribute.

Switch 'gameTime' equal to 0 in 'gameinfo.json', so that the story timing is not offset and the voicelogs are listed as coming through on the proper days.

If you want to switch your game from CREATIVE to SURVIVAL... You must switch 'gameMode' equal to 0. If you would like to change it to another game mode, you can choose between 4 different modes by making it equal to 0, 1, 2, or 3.

The next and most important file that you need to understand is 'global-objects.bin'. This file contains your base, vehicles, base inventory, vehicle inventory, and anything you have placed in the world or base, including dropped items.

The final file that you need to understand is 'scene-objects.bin'. This file contains your story elements in the world, your story progression, player positioning, life pod 5 equipment, player inventory, blueprints, data logs, and voice logs.*SPOILER WARNING*This contains anything to do with the end game, including the Aurora countdown, the Sunbeam story line, any alien structures you have accessed, and the Emperor Leviathan speaking to you.
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Step 4: New Game Plus

The easiest method to start a new game with your old bases intact is to move the 'global-objects.bin' from your old saved game containing your old bases, and move it into the new saved game slot. It is really that simple.

For example, slot0000 contains your 'global-objects.bin' file that has your base, and slot0001 has the new saved game that you have just made. Take that 'global-objects.bin' file and copy+paste it into slot0001 file.

Start up Subnautica, and load the new saved game that you had made earlier, which should now contain the old 'global-objects.bin' file. You should spawn where you had made your save, but if you travel to your old base locations, the bases will still be there. The entire story is now replayable, and you haven't lost your bases, vehicles, base inventory, or vehicle inventory.

HOWEVER, this will reset your story elements and story timing, player positioning, life pod 5 equipment, player inventory, blueprints, data logs, and voice logs due to you leaving behind your 'scene-objects.bin' file from your old saved game and taking on the properties of the new saved game file.

There is a video tutorial below that will show an alternate method on how to reset your game. Do take notice, I'm not sure if that method works for creative mode, but I am sure of the method I just posted above. Moving your 'global-objects.bin' file around is much easier to manipulate.
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I will link the video tutorial below, just in case:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XH9Qzt65awY

Be sure to rate this tutorial if you had found it helpful in reseting your game.

Video Tutorial

[Zaichi]

this makes sense for getting one base into the new game (sort of like finding an abandoned base you can actually use, unlike degasi ones), but if there could be a way to combine bases from different saves into one that would be awesome.

[Freybjörn]

Hi dude. How to open (with help of what?) game .bin files with normal data? I just want to start a new game and want to make the most chic base location (at the southwestern endside of the starting location, so that it's not too close to Aurora and both the islands)

[HL_scientist]

The new expansion is an entirely new game, the seamoth and cyclops were removed entirely, as well as several props needed for the main game.

[Lazarus Draegona]

Oh, I haven't played the expansion.. But.. If their save file programming is the same it can most likely work exactly the same for the new ice expansion.

[Lazarus Draegona]

@Michlo there is not a way. Sorry for the late response. I never saw your message. One file is for your personal info and story progress if i remember correctly. The other is for the constructed items around you and the world. You'd have to directly edit the save file programming and I simply do not have any access to their source files to figure out how they edit their save files. It all looks like gibberish in the file editor otherwise.

[DerpVonOben]

@bognog04 Life Pod 5 is the life pod you start the game in.

[Michlo]

Thank you for this. I finally just finished for the first time (after playing from Early Access) as I couldn't put it off any longer. :)

I'm curious to try a new game+ but is there a way to NOT have the rocket present? I set it to false in the GameInfo file but it is still there as it must be in the objects file.

Cheers.

[Lazarus Draegona]

Welcome :)

[Bog]

ok thanks I wasnt shure which one was 5

[Lazarus Draegona]

I'll pull a quote from the Subnautica wiki for you: "The Standard 2-Berth Emergency Lifepod 5 is the vessel in which the player survives the crash of the Aurora at the beginning of Subnautica, landing in the Safe Shallows."
Source: http://subnautica.wikia.com/wiki/Lifepod_5