The New-Look Subnautica

Water That Feels Wet

Water on the surface of the ocean now forms foamy waves which interact with the environment and look fantastic whether viewed from above or below the waterline. Looking up from the depths, light is properly refracted to create shimmering vistas of the sky above.

Depth & Total Darkness

Daylight and artificial light sources are now affected realistically by depth and surrounding geology. Caves will often be in total darkness, illuminated only by thin shafts of light. Moving into deeper biomes will change the mood substantially - you'll have to rely on natural bioluminescence and your own jerry-rigged sources of light to chart Subnautica's true depths.

Epic Skyscapes

The orbits of Subnautica's twin moons, as well as the planet's orbit around the sun, can now be observed in real-time from the surface of the planet. Find the perfect spot to watch a spectacular sunrise or sunset, and keep one eye open for unexpected astronomical events as alien as the world beneath.


The Handheld Scanner

Overview

Long-term survival demands survivors understand how to harness their environment. To this end all lifepod fabricators now come as standard with the handheld scanner blueprint.

Scanner in Detail:

The scanner is a miniaturized spectroscope. It emits electromagnetic radiation in the specified direction, which bounces off or is absorbed by objects in view, and then analyzes the results to determine the physical and chemical make-up of those objects.

Fragment Analysis:

The scanner can record the physical parameters of salvaged technology fragments, allowing the user to synthesize new blueprints for later fabrication.

Organism Analysis:

Scanning living or dead organisms will attempt to match them against the existing database. If no match is found then biological data will be recorded to the PDA data bank for later analysis.


The PDA Data Bank

Science is Here

The PDA emergency program has been updated to add cross-compatibility with the handheld scanner. The new data bank tab stores a growing library of all the information you will need to survive on an alien planet.

Scanning alien flora and fauna will record basic biological information. The PDA's onboard AI will also synthesize reasonable hypotheses regarding organisms' behavioural tendencies and evolutionary origins, as well as deliver assessments on how best to handle them.

Please note that this function is still in alpha stage, and may not be compatible with all technologies and alien lifeforms. This will be addressed in a future software update.


New-Look Materials

The Fabricator Has Been Upgraded

While fabricating materials in uniform cubes has had its cost benefits, it has also led to dangerous misunderstandings owing to the superficial similarity between a cube of water, and a cube of bleach.

For that reason basic materials printed at the fabricator will now more closely resemble their everyday forms. Bleach will be printed in a bottle with appropriate hazard warnings; wiring kits will arrive in conveniently deployable cases. More than 10 different materials have already been converted, and more are being worked on.


PDA Functions Updated

Message Log

The PDA will now deliver more accurate and timely survival advice during your first few hours, and it will now also record these messages in the voice log tab for future reference. It will also use the onboard microphone to transpose communications from other sources.

Subtitles & Language Support

For users having difficulty understanding the PDA in voice mode, subtitles are now available. They are displayed on the HUD, and multi-language support is constantly being improved.


Recently Added to Subnautica

Water Filtration System

The filtration system draws water unfit for human consumption from an external source, atomically splits it into its constituent parts and outputs consumable liquid water and salts while disposing of any harmful by-product. It can be built in any compatible habitat module, but has substantial power requirements.

Aurora Wrecks and Laser Cutter

The forward section of the Aurora was unlikely to withstand a quantum detonation of the drive core. Expect to encounter huge sections of the ship blasted up to a kilometre from the crash site. Use the new laser cutter tool to break in and find out what lies inside.


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