Overall, this game just isn't as scary or threatening as the original.

[AngryCarp]

So I just want to put some thoughts down on the overall feel of the game vs the original.

In the original I remember being near the crashed ship in murky water with no cover hearing the screams of reaper leviathans, it was scary!. I remember hiding out in the skeletons of monsterous creatures in the tunnels keeping a close eye on ghost levithans so they wouldn't get me. Fun, scary, threatening.

I want to compare some creatures from the old game to this one to try and lay out the threats (or percieved threats) that they were vs this game.


Cryptosuchus vs Sand Shark

The thing about the Sand Sharks is you were never sure where they where they could run bit you at any moment from the sea floor. The Brute sharks constantly announce their pressence, they aren't very fast and one stab makes them run away. The Brute shark is just a less scary and threatening version of the sand shark.

Brute Shark vs Stalker

Brute sharks again just hang out in the open and make a lot of noise, I think I've been damaged by one, maybe once. The stalkers hid in the kelp forests where they were hard to see (especially at night) and often there were multiple ones hanging around. They didn't do a ton of damage but they could catch you by surprise. Probably the same level of actual threat but more scary and unpredictable.

Crabsnake vs Squidshark, chelicerate

In my opinion the threat level of these 3 is basically the same, A squidshark is kind of a crabsnake//crabsquid. Except less threatening than both. And holy cow the crabsquid LOOKED SUPER SCARY. Crabsquid coming out you form the dark is a terryfing moment. The Chelicerate scared me once, how many are even in the game? Not even a scary roar. The roars of Ghost levithans and Reapers was enough to make you look over your shoulder if nothing else. These are meh.

The Shadow Leviathan vs Sea Dragon Leviathan

The Sea Dragon was something to be feared. It did a lot of damage and it's size was IMPOSING. This was not something you messed with unless your entire goal was to mess with it. The Shadow leviathan isn't that big, it isn't that scary, it does almost no damage to your ship and it's grab animation just isn't very scary.


Ice Worms

Now I haven't built a snow fox I just use my prawn on land and let me tell you these things represent about 0 threat to the prawn suit. They pop up I take 1% dmg and just keep walking. The only time I've ever been concerned about these is when I'm on foot AND in a tunnel that looks like it was carved by Ice worms even though I've never acctually seen one in a tunnel. When your in an Ice worm tunnel and you hear and Ice worm roar, it's the closest I've come to the tension of the first game.


I don't really have any helpful fixes in mind yet I'll have to think about it some more and save it for another post. I just don't feel as threatened in this game as the original and the new creatures just aren't as intimidating visually, audibly or gameplay wise.

[Bali]

Agree. I especially miss the reapers. Nothing in this game is as scary as those were.

[OnlyZuul]

The reason for this is simple. Subnautica was unique and scary. BZ not so much. But why? This isn't an issue with the game but simply humans becoming accustomed to the style of gameplay imo. Also, let's be honest here, once the initial fear passed in Subnautica (and it does so quickly) the game becomes quite tame.

[Cougarific]

^Yes exactly, if you had never played Subnautica these creatures would be plenty scary. It's only in comparison to the original creatures that these seem less impressive.

[dragonbornzyra]

I disagree, OnlyZuul and Cougarific.

While yes, when we get exposed to things, we get an impression, and further exposure to those things have a reduced impact.

Rockpunchers terrify me. A creature that large, able to punch at the speed of sound, so fast it creates cavitation bubbles. In the real world these things would be able to take on a Prawn suit.

Snowstalkers have AI problems and pathing issues in the terrain, but they do very well to create fear, tension, and respect from the player. Or at least me. You don't want to run into one during a blizzard (literally) and you can't run into every cave to be safe from the weather without checking for a Snowstlaker first. Big scare! Plus they have children, and some of them let you feed them (the adults) so I don't hate them, but view them as deadly creatures to respect and possibly benefit from. Good job UWE.

However......the Rockpuncher could be scary, should be. But it isn't. Half the time you see one it's frozen in the water just there. Glitched. They're slow, they are unresponsive, their attack aggro and leashes are pathetic, and the damage they deal is NO WHERE NEAR WHAT IT SHOULD BE. Wasted opportunity at making a scary threatening creature instead its a joke.

The Snowstalker needs improvements but it's about the only scary thing in this game.

Thing is though? I boot up Subnautica, Reapers STILL terrify. Crabsquid still freak me out and make me feel queasy. I still hate Warpers even if they don't bother me anyore. I'm still traumatized anytime I bring a Seamoth within 50 meters of a Boneshark. I still move around Jellyshrooms with a wide birth respecting the Crabsnakes. The sound of a Crashfish REEEEEE'ing still sends me into a frenzied panic. The noise of a Gasopod farting beside me still fills me with dread and the urge to get away.

And that's just fauna, I didn't even bring up the biomes! I don't see how you expect your arguments to hold up and defend Below Zero? Some video games sequels were SCARIER and BETTER made than the first, with MORE atmosphere and mood! So I don't accept "oh its a sequel you're used to it" as an excuse. You're defending the developers lack of ability to deliver the kind of quality they did with Subnautica.

The same kind of quality other games deliver with their sequels. How some sequels IMPROVE upon the first game's formula. Rather than Below Zero pulling the rug out from under itself and acting like an angsty younger brother that strikes out on their own to set themselves apart from their older, better brother. But all they end up doing is making a joke out of themselves.

Sorry but I can't get scared in Below Zero with Seamonkeys bringing me presents, half the animals eating from my hand and trying to get me to ride them (I know they removed Pinnacrid and Lillypaddler riding, but to be honest screw the Glow Whale and Lillypaddler I'd prefer to ride the Pinacarid. These actually approach you and make gestures for you to ride them. They want to play. They are sea puppies. Glow Whales just swim around, big dumb stupid whales nothing special or interesting or unique. Lame.)

Hard to be scared with cute cuddly penglings and sea monkeys and arctic rays and even snowstalkers are cute. The ugly creepy looking fish aren't dangerous. I'm not worried about dying from hunger or thirst with all the new OP flora options like Frozen Glacier fruit, Heat Peppers, Salad, and food that HEALS YOU like Shrub Nuts and Antanea Fruit. I don't feel like I'm ever going to run out of food or water.

I'm also not alone. I'm literally not alone because of Maida, if I ever break a leg or get sick I just swim down to her base and ask her to take care of me. I also have AL-AN in my head, so I'm never worried about being stuck or finding a forcefield I can't get in. I'm not even worried about having to figure things out for myself because AL-AN will explain for me.

I'm also not alone because Alterra has a crew on Sector Zero, with alterra tech sites and installtions. None of these in Subnautica. I was alone. Now i'm in familiar territory with signs of human activity all around me. I'm not afraid or scared.

And it's NOT BECAUSE I already played Subnautica. I still experience fear, trepidation, and satisfaction to that game. Subnautica's appeal HAS NOT WORN off. So Below Zero not appealing to me for that reason is no excuse.

Again this is my opinion and not everyone feels the same, but it's WRONG to discredit other people's opinion with such a WEAK argument.

The game holds our hands and walks us through a story as we're surrounded by friendly cute cuddly creatures and a few that we can't avoid or kill and get to meet 2 great people and sight see the Alterra points of interest. It's not scary, and it's not because the first game is better. It's because Below Zero is worse.

[Etherealtroll]

Subnautica had good atmosphere, but after the first encounter there was no fear for me when it came to leviathans, even the warpers were super easy to just strafe around.

[dragonbornzyra]

Fair enough.

[revodo]

Nah, you're right. Original Subnautica had a lot better atmosphere. Below Zero is like riding the kiddie rides at Disneyland. No tension at all.

[TheGreatDrunkMonkey]

I feel like the reason for that difference between them is in how the story plays into it. In SN1, the goal is mostly survival and getting off the planet until you accidentally stumble into the actual plot. In BZ, the story is very much front and center, though the goal changes a bit and the Precursors are present from the get go.

[OnlyZuul]

Originally posted by avohec:

Nah, you're right. Original Subnautica had a lot better atmosphere. Below Zero is like riding the kiddie rides at Disneyland. No tension at all.

I would agree with the "atmosphere" of Subnautica, however I think it has more to do with the sound design than anything else. The sound design of BZ is quite underwhelming so far.

[Andreas]

Originally posted by OnlyZuul:

Originally posted by avohec:

Nah, you're right. Original Subnautica had a lot better atmosphere. Below Zero is like riding the kiddie rides at Disneyland. No tension at all.

I would agree with the "atmosphere" of Subnautica, however I think it has more to do with the sound design than anything else. The sound design of BZ is quite underwhelming so far.

Nah. It's also the wide open areas and the dark depths that Subnautica has and BZ mostly lacks.

In BZ much of the time I feel like diving in a pool. The waterline always just above.

Unless I'm in some cave; then I feel like diving through a pipe.

[dragonbornzyra]

Originally posted by Andreas:

Originally posted by OnlyZuul:

I would agree with the "atmosphere" of Subnautica, however I think it has more to do with the sound design than anything else. The sound design of BZ is quite underwhelming so far.

Nah. It's also the wide open areas and the dark depths that Subnautica has and BZ mostly lacks.

In BZ much of the time I feel like diving in a pool. The waterline always just above.

Unless I'm in some cave; then I feel like diving through a pipe.

Under no circumstances should Purple Vents be so shallow. Purple Vents/Thermal Spires/Tree Spires. Three "thermal" biomes crammed around a single island. The whole area could be just Thermal Spires, move Purple Vents further out and deeper, and push Tree Spires further south.

It's so sloppy. I'm in 30 meters of water looking down at a biome I should be diving down to 700 meters to be exploring.

[Cougarific]

Originally posted by Etherealtroll:

even the warpers were super easy to just strafe around.

Yeah I'd say one-on-one creatures in general are slightly more dangerous now because the devs made it so they can turn literally on a dime. No more circle-strafe-and-safe.

[Etherealtroll]

Originally posted by Cougarific:

Originally posted by Etherealtroll:

even the warpers were super easy to just strafe around.

Yeah I'd say one-on-one creatures in general are slightly more dangerous now because the devs made it so they can turn literally on a dime. No more circle-strafe-and-safe.

Thats why you hug the squidsharks neck when scanning it. :P

[kevlar]

Originally posted by Cougarific:

^Yes exactly, if you had never played Subnautica these creatures would be plenty scary. It's only in comparison to the original creatures that these seem less impressive.

yes, and to expand, this is why it is such an uphill battle to capitalize on such huge success from the get go. The shock and awe factor of the world of SN has been unleashed. We are all expecting big and scary things. And even if one in this game was seen by virgin eyes it could be just as scary, and possibly if that player then went to SN, it possibly could make the creatures in that game seem less scary (minus a couple of the iconic big baddies from the orig.). Because the initial experience and awe factor can set a tone. This was always going to be a tough thing to live up to from the original, but I think there is room for improvement. Not having something as big as the Sea Dragon Leviathan (unless they were thinking the ice worm was going to be the shoe for that fit) leaves me feeling very unfulfilled and wanting more (along with the depth).

[dragonbornzyra]

The Ice Worm doesn't even "exist" in the game. It doesn't spawn in how other creatures do. It's just a jump scare.

You step on an area that's flagged to trigger an Ice Worm attack, and "spawns" in and attacks you.

It doesn't exist out there under the snow. It won't come and hunt you down. It won't sneak up on you. It reacts to the player. If you know how and where to walk you can avoid ALL Ice Worm attacks all together and if not for the sounds it makes or the scripted cut scenes of it you would never see it.

There for, any Ice Worm attack is the result of the player's movement and actions. They moved to a certain spot and passed a line def and thus the animatronic Ice Worm springs up and goes BOOGY WOOGY WOO

That's not scary at all. The Shadow Levithan at least patrols around and CAN sneak up on you.