Subnautica

Subnautica

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Obraxis  [developer] Aug 24, 2018 @ 3:42pm
Subnautica Steam, Console & Expansion Update
Hey all.

We've been pretty quiet for a while, because we've all got our heads-down working hard. It's an exciting but busy time, and I just wanted to give you a quick update on what we're doing.

Subnautica:
We've been working on the Unity 2018 engine upgrade for Subnautica for a while now. It's not been easy. A lots of issues came with upgrading the engine which needed to be fixed, including bugs and visual glitches throughout the game. Finally, we think we've just about got it all done. So very soon we'll be putting this upgrade into the Steam Experimental branch for much more testing. We'll need all the feedback we can get to make sure we didn't miss any issues before it goes out to the general public. You can opt-in to the Experimental Branch on steam by following this guide: http://subnautica.wikia.com/wiki/Experimental_Mode

While we've been working on the engine upgrade, Panic Button (Doom on Switch port guys) have been working furiously on optimizations and the console versions of Subnautica. Because our code-base for Subnautica is exactly the same across all platforms, a large amount of their optimizations for making consoles run better will make their way into the PC/Mac version too. Lower-end machines *should* see the most benefit from their work, with things generally being a bit more stable in terms of frame-rate & stability. You'll also get better controller support for Xbox & PS4 controllers.

Their work done so far (with more coming) is ready to go into the Steam Experimental beta, so we'll be merging their work first, then our Engine upgrade in the coming week or so. Look out for CS#60529 & above (in-game F1 menu and top right).
We would LOVE to hear people's thoughts after trying it, and would love it even more if people could let us know how performance is for you against the older version. All critical comments are welcome.

Once Steam Experimental users have verified things are good with both Panic Button & our Engine upgrade, we're going to put out an Xbox Preview patch so Xbox users can start giving their feedback as well. We want the game to run as well as it can on all platforms so everyone can enjoy their gaming experience.

We've also been doing some small quality-of-life fixes that have been requested for far too long.

Done: Improving Subtitle Speed for non-English users; adding a Subtitle Speed slider for those who need to adjust the text speed: https://i.imgur.com/fRzOgsl.png
In-Progress: VR PDA distance slider - We've found that personal IPD plays a significant role in how 'close' the PDA feels in VR, and while it was fine for some people, for a lot of players it was far too close. Now we're working on a way to let you set the distance yourself in the options menu. We're not sure when this will be done, but we're trying to get it done ASAP. https://i.imgur.com/nCsVKmt.png
In-Progress: VR Seamoth Docking Fix - We're investigating the docking in Cyclops issue that's been a problem for a while.

Subnautica Expansion:
Most of the UnknownWorlds team are working on the Subnautica Expansion project. What started life as a DLC for the original game, turned into an Expansion and now, it's own stand-alone adventure. The team is very excited about the path we're taking & story we're' going to tell...breathing more life into the world of Subnautica on 4546B. We'll be announcing more about this project very soon.

We're acutely aware that a huge part of Subnautica's success is due to you our community. The forum posters, Steam commentators, Redditors, Youtubers, Twitch Streamers, Bug Reporters, Tweeters, Facebookers....all of you. So we'll be opening up development on the next Subnautica Chapter's Trello boards very soon. Some of us will also live-stream what we're working on.

Thanks for being with us, we hope you'll join us as we make a new Subnautica adventure on 4546B.

-Obraxis
UWE
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Showing 1-15 of 363 comments
Phaota Aug 24, 2018 @ 3:57pm 
Great update, Obi. Thanks.
ChurlishCanadian Aug 24, 2018 @ 4:15pm 
Fantastic news ... thanks again for being so open, transparent, and responsive, both before and after launch!
Demolition414 Aug 24, 2018 @ 4:16pm 
looking forward to trying the game with the new engine upgrade :D
Demolition414 Aug 24, 2018 @ 4:40pm 
wow my game has improved, Main menu runs at 80-90 FPS rather than 30, game loads quicker (40-60 seconds rather 80-160) and my ingame FPS is about 10-15 higher than it was before with the same graphic settings, increased res from 720p to 1080p, still some stuttering in some areas but not as much as before. some of that might be down to my specs, but overall, MASSIVE improvements in my game. :steamhappy::steamhappy:
jamesc70 Aug 24, 2018 @ 4:46pm 
Because our code-base for Subnautica is exactly the same across all platforms, a large amount of their optimizations for making consoles run better will make their way into the PC/Mac version too.

This has me worried. No PC game *ever* was better because it was the same as consoles; the opposite is generally true.

I was just thinking yesterday that I wish there was a slider for draw distance in the options, because it really hurts immersion to see things 'pop in'. I hope these cross platform changes don't include lowering draw distance or adding in fog or other 'hacks'.
Obraxis  [developer] Aug 24, 2018 @ 5:17pm 
Originally posted by jamesc70:

This has me worried. No PC game *ever* was better because it was the same as consoles; the opposite is generally true.

This is not entirely true. In some cases, developers start from the console version, and then port to the PC. That's different from starting with a unified code-base like ours. Most optimizations, which are platform independent, go out to all platforms.Panic Button's aim of getting the game running better for consoles, trickles down via the unified code-base to the PC & Mac versions.

It's a win-win for all. Especially lower-end machines.
Last edited by Obraxis; Aug 24, 2018 @ 5:18pm
Barbed Aug 24, 2018 @ 5:23pm 
Originally posted by Obraxis:
VR PDA distance slider - We've found that personal IPD plays a significant role in how 'close' the PDA feels in VR, and while it was fine for some people, for a lot of players it was far too close. Now we're working on a way to let you set the distance yourself in the options menu. We're not sure when this will be done, but we're trying to get it done ASAP. https://i.imgur.com/nCsVKmt.png
In-Progress: VR Seamoth Docking Fix - We're investigating the docking in Cyclops issue that's been a problem for a while.

That's great news for me, thank you for your hard work.
Can you please fix another VR bug - inability to re-name player-made beacons ? It was possible in older versions, but became an issue after HUD fix.
DieselCat Aug 24, 2018 @ 5:40pm 
Thxxx for this update....
I'll be joining you for the new Subnautica adventures on 4546B....Bring it on ! :steamhappy:
Fathership one Aug 24, 2018 @ 6:45pm 
Great news. I would love to play in VR but the hud for me is ALL way too close. so at least the PDA will be able to be moved farther away.

Thanks for a great game. I just restarted it since I haven't played since the EA version. looking forward to the expansion as well.
Last edited by Fathership one; Aug 24, 2018 @ 6:45pm
Langkard Aug 24, 2018 @ 9:05pm 
Wonderful! Subnautica is one of my favorite games of all time, going back to Pong. (Yeah, I'm that old :steamhappy: ) I'm glad to see that we'll be having more adventures on 4546B!
Xautos Aug 25, 2018 @ 12:46am 
Any chance of getting some blogs on Steam for what UWE plan to do in the future. there is already an expac in the works, but this kind of detail before then might be worth a blog or two.
Zuleica Aug 25, 2018 @ 10:03am 
So the expansion is now going to be a standalone game? Nothing we did or built in Subnautica will carry over? That actually makes me sad.
miklkit (Banned) Aug 25, 2018 @ 10:57am 
I am impaled on the horns of a dilemma.

This experimental mode sounds really good, but Subnautica already runs pretty well on my system, about the same as The Witcher 3. I might not notice any difference.
miklkit (Banned) Aug 26, 2018 @ 11:03am 
Installed CS#60529 yesterday. The game is greener with lower view distance and better frame rates. There also seems to be some new sounds and some critters are more aggressive.

There does seem to be a bug where after several hours of playing the map refuses to load large areas to the South and West. Have not explored the North yet. When this happens it can not save either and gets stuck in an endless loop. This happened to me 2 times last night.

Where is the best place to comment on this version?
Enemy Unknown Aug 26, 2018 @ 12:08pm 
Thank god, finally the vr get's the needed love too. :O)

New Subnautica... i'm in!
Hope there will be more land/oslands to discover and the building parts/interieur grows.

You guys are extremly charismatic the way you create an adventure and stick true to your dreams. My support is for sure.
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Date Posted: Aug 24, 2018 @ 3:42pm
Posts: 363