Why the "old" story was bad?

[Ocean]

Haven't played it, and now it's gone... Just curious why it was disliked XD

So, could someboy please explain to me what was the problem with the "old" story, that is being remade? (If you could do it without spoilers, you'd be a master-explainer)

[serbitar]

You can still play it by right-clicking the game in Steam and then "Properties -> Betas -> EA 8.1".

[Coops]

In the old story, Sam, Robin's older sister was in an orbiting space station and directed Robin and another researcher. There was a meteor shower and the two on the planet were separated and their base destroyed. The other researcher took the shuttle and left for another part of the planet without Robin. Sam would help Robin by sending down equipment and supplies at certain milestones but was unable to rescue her right away.
People thought that the feeling of being stranded alone on an alien world like in the first Subnautica was lost and that the story directed your actions too much.

[Looniper]

Originally posted by Ocean:

Haven't played it, and now it's gone... Just curious why it was disliked XD

So, could someboy please explain to me what was the problem with the "old" story, that is being remade? (If you could do it without spoilers, you'd be a master-explainer)

Don't know about the Old story, but the current one doesn't make any sense.

Imagine you're running whatever this group is... and your goal is to send someone down to an Ice continent, in Icy waters...

You're running it, so what do you have them wear?

A. A specialized wet-suit that is also insulated to make that cold trivial?
B. A normal one?

ONLY if your goal is to sabotage the mission and ensure that person dies on arrival - do you pick B.
But that's what they do in the game.

Even when its fiction, you need to make the actions people take seem somewhat reasonable.
To overlook something so basic, so Obvious, is not reasonable.

[Coops]

The flaw in that argument is the notion that some type of organization is "running an OP". Robin is a single rogue Alterra contractor with limited resources distraught over her sister's death. She did not plan this at all.

[miklkit]

I found the old story to be a slow starting one that built up over time and suddenly got serious and really interesting. Then it ended. It kinda reminded me of Half life.
The new story has a big intro and then fades away into the background while one explores and builds stuff. That is as far as I got so far. I hope it also slowly builds up over time.

[Looniper]

Originally posted by Coops:

The flaw in that argument is the notion that some type of organization is "running an OP". Robin is a single rogue Alterra contractor with limited resources distraught over her sister's death. She did not plan this at all.

If that is the story you know - that must have been the OLD story the OP mentions, because it isn't the story in the game Now.

Now it starts out with this group explaining that they are not "owned" by Alterra, but the funds from Alterra will allow for more exploration and opportunities.

Another person is Talking with her as she leaves the ship, and stays up there sending down supply drops.
Even communicating in brief messages to avoid being detected.

So she isn't a "Lone" anything.

And they knew to plan to do this when the debris falling to the surface could mask her journey down - so there was planning involved.

So they did plan it, there were more than just herself - but even if there were just the two of them...
We're playing a character so stupid she goes to an Ice environment without any cold protection??

[SertanDoom]

Originally posted by Coops:

In the old story, Sam, Robin's older sister was in an orbiting space station and directed Robin and another researcher. There was a meteor shower and the two on the planet were separated and their base destroyed. The other researcher took the shuttle and left for another part of the planet without Robin. Sam would help Robin by sending down equipment and supplies at certain milestones but was unable to rescue her right away.
People thought that the feeling of being stranded alone on an alien world like in the first Subnautica was lost and that the story directed your actions too much.

"Isolation by keeping a secret" was too subtle for most people to comprehend.

[Coops]

looniper you must be playing the experimental branch.
The stable game starts out with Robin in the shuttle ready to leave the mothership and some guy saying are you sure you want to do this, its not worth it... She replies, "it is to me and I have to find out what happened to Sam". She never has any communication with anyone in orbit after that.

[...👑 JOST AMMAN 👑...]

Originally posted by Ocean:

Why the "old" story was bad?

Haven't played it, and now it's gone... Just curious why it was disliked XD

So, could someboy please explain to me what was the problem with the "old" story, that is being remade? (If you could do it without spoilers, you'd be a master-explainer)

Because it was OLD.

[Looniper]

Originally posted by Coops:

looniper you must be playing the experimental branch.
The stable game starts out with Robin in the shuttle ready to leave the mothership and some guy saying are you sure you want to do this, its not worth it... She replies, "it is to me and I have to find out what happened to Sam". She never has any communication with anyone in orbit after that.

I had to go back and watch my recording of the playthru...
I could have sworn CAL was a woman.

But you're right, it says "HE".

He's helping her do it, says this is as far as he can take her on company bucks.
Asks her if she thinks it's worth it, research isn't everythying.
She says it is to her and Sam, she has to know what happened.
He says he'll miss her.
She says she'll find a way back.

They're on the same page, he just doesn't want her to take the risk.

But it also suggests she's a scientist of some form, meaning she would be inclined to think it through to have the best chance of success, and the first thing Anyone would do is ensure they were protected from environmental risks.
In this case, Cold protection.

Maybe she did, maybe she's wearing thermal gear, and it just isn't adequate, because she had bad info on how cold it is down there - they should say that.
Have her comment on it being colder than it was supposed to be.

Wraps up the whole problem and fixes the break in immersion.

There are other problems, but largely due to my own biases. I am a doctor in Physics, twice... despite having weak math skills - so I notice things like their suggestion that the water is warming, but at the same time having creatures in the area that store up super-cooled liquids to expel as ice.
That means the water is well below freezing point, colder than ice.

- you can make it yourself by just putting bottles of water in the freezer, some will come out still liquid while the others freeze.
That liquid is actually ice that hasn't crystallized.
You can carefully open the bottle, and pour ice from it.
Or shake the bottle and see the entire freezing process take place in about 1-2 seconds.

But for most people it isnt' an issue, so I can see them ignoring that.

[Cougarific]

Originally posted by Coops:

looniper you must be playing the experimental branch.

I think some players assume that most are playing Experimental because they're playing Experimental.

Experimental players really need to announce that they're talking about that version. I think far more people stick to Stable branch.

[Looniper]

Originally posted by Cougarific:

Originally posted by Coops:

looniper you must be playing the experimental branch.

I think some players assume that most are playing Experimental because they're playing Experimental.

Experimental players really need to announce that they're talking about that version. I think far more people stick to Stable branch.

I don't know why someone wouldn't mention that when pointing to game-play issues/questions/etc.

But since you quoted a response to me, I'm not ON an experimental branch.

We were having some discussion over whether or not Robin was there alone and whether or not there was any Plan to do this.

Since she talked CAL into taking her to the planet, there was planning, and since he took her there - and sends drops, she isn't alone.

The point was that she somehow... beyond All Reason... in going to an Ice continent, didn't take any form of thermal gear or protection at all.
- which as I pointed to in the other thread, breaks immersion... It makes it extremely difficult to Relate to the character you're playing.

[Coops]

1. Its not a group, its one woman who convinced or coerced a friend or coworker to look the other way while she stole a shuttle.
2. Cal never sends anything down to the planet. Whatever is there is there from Alterra's operations.
3. Its likely that Robin's company did not even have cold gear. They were supposed to be in orbit. She could have arrived at the planet expecting to be outfitted with gear for whatever duties Alterra had planned. She found out her sister died and Alterra was evacuating the planet due to the meteor storm. She could not go to Alterra for thermal gear but maybe she thought she could scarf something planetside.
4 She was not expecting to crash. She was probably expecting to land at the landing pad near the snowfox cave. Using the meteor for cover was risky and she paid the price. But she is a biologist not an astronomer and her sister just died so maybe we can cut her a break.

You have to suspend belief just a little bit when reading Sci Fi or playing a game. Being anal about the backstory and failing to use your imagination is going to ruin it for you.

[Andreas]

Originally posted by Coops:

1. Its not a group, its one woman who convinced or coerced a friend or coworker to look the other way while she stole a shuttle.
2. Cal never sends anything down to the planet. Whatever is there is there from Alterra's operations.
3. Its likely that Robin's company did not even have cold gear. They were supposed to be in orbit. She could have arrived at the planet expecting to be outfitted with gear for whatever duties Alterra had planned. She found out her sister died and Alterra was evacuating the planet due to the meteor storm. She could not go to Alterra for thermal gear but maybe she thought she could scarf something planetside.
4 She was not expecting to crash. She was probably expecting to land at the landing pad near the snowfox cave. Using the meteor for cover was risky and she paid the price. But she is a biologist not an astronomer and her sister just died so maybe we can cut her a break.

You have to suspend belief just a little bit when reading Sci Fi or playing a game. Being anal about the backstory and failing to use your imagination is going to ruin it for you.

Personally, I think the new story is somewhat more believable than the old one.

The problem I have is, that I just don't care enough about the protagonist or her missing sister. Maybe this needs some more backstory with a hint at a larger goal; some important coverup by Alterra or something. I guess that's where it will be heading anyway, but you just don't know at the beginning.
With Subnautica it was easier: The very obvious goal was escaping the planet and that's something I think everyone can relate to.

(And in case anyone wants to argue that you have to get off the planet this time too - it's not quite the same since you came here voluntarily.)

[Shahadem]

Originally posted by Coops:

In the old story, Sam, Robin's older sister was in an orbiting space station and directed Robin and another researcher. There was a meteor shower and the two on the planet were separated and their base destroyed. The other researcher took the shuttle and left for another part of the planet without Robin. Sam would help Robin by sending down equipment and supplies at certain milestones but was unable to rescue her right away.
People thought that the feeling of being stranded alone on an alien world like in the first Subnautica was lost and that the story directed your actions too much.

That sounds so much better than what we have now.

The current story reads like a SJW Marvel comic.