Seaglide upgrades?

[Adriation]

Do we know if they are planning to make the seaglide upgradeable?

Faster movement, less energy consumption or perhaps solar charging would be nice. And given its size maybee a 2 upgrade slot limit?

EDIT: Alright, here are some ideas to what the upgrade modules could be:

1. Speed increase - Taking into account what Robin said the speed increase upgrade should give a small stat boost. Right now the seaglide has a speed of 9.5 m/s while the seamoth can reach a top speed of 12.7 m/s. So maybee the seaglide upgrade could add an increase of 10-20%.

2. Solar charging - Basically a slow self charging upgrade for the seaglide. The developers could also make it so that the seaglide has to be a surface level for it to work.

3. Power storage - A module that gives the seaglide 50-75% more power storage.

4. Less energy consumption - Similar to what the seamoth has.

5. Flare launcher - Maybee give the seaglide something more interresting. The flare launcher is exactly what it sounds like, the player can shoot flares with the seaglide to light up an area from a distance. As expected it would use crafted flares as ammo and would be ideal to inside long cavesystems.

The problem with the flare launcher is that the seaglide already has the spotlight. Although they could tweak it so that the spotlight drains the energy a little bit faster when it's on (unless it already does that).

[Mobieus]

That would negate the purpose of the Seamoth.

[Cephy]

There was a power glide at one point, it made the character swim faster. It was removed because it causes the biomes to not be able to render fast enough (I think).

[netshaman]

There were right doing this, it was too overpowered for the balance of the game .

[Adriation]

Originally posted by Mobieus:

That would negate the purpose of the Seamoth.

Would it really though? The seamoth is fast, agile and generally the best option for exploring. Not to mention it can be equipped with storage and defense modules. The only thing the seamoth is not good for is to investigate very thight spaces and small cave systems.

The seaglide is currently underpowered and becomes almost irrelevant once you get your first seamoth. The only use I found for the seaglide is to explore the cave system inside the mountain island (since you could carry it there).

And even if an upgradeable seaglide would impact the purpose of the seamoth, I suggested a two upgrade slot limit and some modlues with small stat boosts and slow self charging. It would make the seaglide slightly more relevant.

Robin@ Well it depends on how much the developers would increase the speed. There is probably a balance that can be found. And even if that wouldn't work there are still other things you could do to upgrade it without making it too overpowered.

[GM Pax]

What about, giving the seaglide ONE expansion slot, with options like:

(a) Oxygen Supply - store two big tanks of air, slowly refill itself when deployed (slightly faster than you can use it with a full tank of your own, but costs Energy while doing so).

(b) Spotlight - like a single Seamoth light, maybe not as bright, facing forward.

(c) Reserve Powercell - double the amount of energy available between recharges.

(d) Sonar - the current mini-sonar system. IOW, to get one of the above, you have to LOSE the little map-thingy we have now.

[Adriation]

GM PAX@ IIRC the seaglide already have a spotlight you can turn on by right clicking. Not sure about the sonar either since it already has the topography map, the sonar is a powerful tool that should be a seamoth option only. Not to mention it consumes alot of power.

[GM Pax]

It's a fairly dim spotlight, though. Hence my thought for dding a BRIGHTER one. :)

The min-sonar thing ... we already have it. It's the little topographical-map display, the glowing wireframe thing, on the top of the seaglide.

[Adriation]

I'm still not entirely convinced that the seaglide should get a sonar upgrade. Maybee a scanner upgrade so the player wont have to leave the seaglide all the time when scanning blueprints.

[Sundaysmiles]

One thing I might see useful to add to the Seaglide is a "Boost" option.

Sacrifice 50 Energy to move 35% faster for five seconds. Would be a lifesaver to get out of sticky situations or reach the surface that little bit faster if you're starving for oxygen.

[tran_fors]

Originally posted by Sundaysmile:

One thing I might see useful to add to the Seaglide is a "Boost" option.

FWIW, they had the Powerglide[subnautica.wikia.com] as a Modification Station upgrade for the SeaGlide. They took it out, reportedly because it was making the player move faster than it could load the environment.

Maybe once the Terraformer is removed, the game will be hunky enough to support it again?

Edit: D'oh, did what I carp at others for doing - not reading the blasted thread before responding.

[GM Pax]

Originally posted by Adriation:

I'm still not entirely convinced that the seaglide should get a sonar upgrade.

I'm not suggesting a NEW upgrade. I'm suggesting that the EXISTING WIREFRAME MAP HOLOGRAM be turned from "always present", _into_ an upgrade.

Or, to put it another way: I am suggesting a DOWNGRADE to the EXISTING Sonar system, which can be restored to right now this very instant function, at the cost of the sole upgrade space a Seaglide should have.

...

Seriously, do people not realise what that hologram on the top of the seaglide _is_ ...??

[Adriation]

Yeah I see what you mean now. You basically want the topography map removed and replaced as an upgrade. The reason I was so confused is because you referred the seaglide topography map as a sonar in your first post, so I thought you meant something in the style of the seamoth sonar.

[GM Pax]

.... and how do you think it acquires that topography map? Magic? A little team of cartographer pixies? GPS and the alien equivalent of Google Earth?

:D

[Adriation]

Originally posted by GM Pax:

.... and how do you think it acquires that topography map? Magic? A little team of cartographer pixies? GPS and the alien equivalent of Google Earth?

:D

It's probably pixies, those bastards.

Also, apparently it's not called a topography map when underwater, the correct term is
bathymetric chart. As stated by the wiki:

"A bathymetric chart is the submerged equivalent of an above-water topographic map. Bathymetric charts are designed to present accurate, measurable description and visual presentation of the submerged terrain."

[MisterFixer]

Originally posted by Mobieus:

That would negate the purpose of the Seamoth.

Mo makes a solid point here. But the Seamoth also largely negates the point of the Seaglide except for in wrecks and other exceptionally narrow places.

Given the depth limitations in a base Seamoth that are - at least currently - not present for our survivor, making a highly upgradeable seaglide would really hurt the Seamoth. The game could use a bit more fleshed-out progression as it stands, but treating the Seaglide like a customizable vehicle is not wise in my opinion. It would also require it to be made an actual vehicle (static in the world instead of an inventory tool) to pull mods like the Seamoth does, which would require a total rework of the device.

That said, the Seaglide still sure could use some love. It could always benefit from some Modification Station upgrades, of which I advocate more use in general. A more compact version might convince me to bother lugging one around more often and while it's already quite fast I suppose more oomph couldn't hurt with the upcoming increase in (rather large) agressive Fauna. Rechargeables solve our power problems and those are in the next update iirc, but the option to maybe upgrade from battery to cell for longer power might be nice.