subROV News

Hello subROVers!

This Beta update focuses on the Time Control, the feature that allows you to descend and ascend rapidly between 50 m depth and 50 m altitude.

The speed increase was achieved by making the game itself run at a higher time scale, but at the highest setting (8X), the frame rate dropped noticeably in some computers. This had no effect on gameplay but didn't look good, so we've revised the feature to achieve the same effect without going into 8X. We've also renamed it to "Turbo Lift" because the name describes better what it does, regardless of how it works internally, and we've substituted the "timesX" indication with triangles representing steps.

Happy subROVing, and HAPPY NEW YEAR! 😁

Hello subROVers! We've just updated the game to v0.7.25 😁



This update focuses on collision sounds: we've added collision and scrape sounds to the buoy and the ROV (with individual sounds for the body and arm), and while we were at it we've also added sounds for the ROV entering and exiting the water.
Finally, we've aged the docking platform as now it's obvious that the ROV scrapes against it when docking.

(before/after)

Our approach when adding these new sounds has been cautious; in most cases, you will hear them only if you pay attention (but you will hear them if you are reckless: see exhibit A).
The arm in particular is fairly quiet; you'll hear collision sounds if you ram, say, the experiments platform, but most small interactions and touches will be silent (which we can reason by saying that the arm is decoupled from the body, so by default you shouldn't hear it).
Over time, our goal is to keep refining the system to give as much feedback as possible while avoiding annoying retriggers.

Here's the full log:

New Features/Improvements:

• Dives: (feedback) New collision/scrape sounds
  
• Dives: Added enter/exit water sounds to the ROV
  
• Dives: Added wear and tear to the ROV docking platform
  

Bug Fixes:

• Dives: Tuna makes instantaneous turns (sorry, tuna! 😅)
  

[h3]Get In Touch[/h3]

Updates will slow down a bit in the next week or so for obvious reasons, but we'll be active if you need any help. Here's a list of the many ways in which you can reach us:

• From the game -press F8
  
• Through the forum right here on Steam
  
• Through our Discord Server,
  
• Through Twitter,
  
• By email (info 'at' sqr3lab.com)
  

[h3]Support subROV[/h3]

If you enjoy subROV and would like to support us, please consider leaving us a review. Steam is a big ocean, and reviews really help us stay afloat!

This said, it's time to wish you

[h2]HAPPY HOLIDAYS!![/h2]

Wherever you are, stay safe, stay warm, and have a whale of a time!

Happy subROVing! 😀

Hello subROVers! We've just updated the game to v0.7.20!



The most notable feature in this build is that the HUD will now show the "common name" of anything you scan, right after you scan it:



This is a small change but one that makes the scan interaction much more rewarding, as you can see a tangible result right away. This also helps clarify the ID of variations of specimens in the gallery.



Also, if you take a look at the ROV readings in the screenshot above, you'll notice that the Oxygen reading is colored red. We've added a color grading to the reading so it's easier to know at a glance if the levels are low (e.g. when finding Humboldt squid).

Finally, we've added an accessibility option in the Options menu that makes the texts in the "chat" area of the main screen both bigger and bold, after a request from people who found them a bit too small.



Here's the complete list of new features and fixes:

New Features/Improvements:

• General: (feedback) Added game option to make the texts in the dive’s “chat window” bigger
  
• Menu: (feedback) Main menu now opens with the last dive site you visited
  
• Menu: (feedback) Removed placeholder items in Gallery
  
• Menu: (feedback) Humpback whale description revised
  
• Dives: ROV HUD shows IDs of scanned objects
  
• Dives: Revised ROV HUD colors
  
• Dives: Oxygen readings’ text changes color according to level (helps find the minimum oxygen zone intuitively)
  
• (0.7.1) General: (feedback) Game now playable with ultrawide resolutions
  

Bug Fixes:

• Dives: (feedback) Hawaii - Beacons in beacon mode don’t show map icons after exiting and reentering dive
  
• Dives: Minor ROV HUD flickering at great depths
  
• Dives: “Orphaned” Ping dots in Humboldt Dive
  
• Dives: HUD text in Up ROV camera has no background
  
• (0.7.1)Menu: (feedback) Sponges not appearing in gallery after scanned
  

[h3]Get In Touch[/h3]

All the items marked with (feedback) above come from your feedback, suggestions, and reports. Thank you very much!

Here are the many ways in which you can reach us:

• From the game -press F8
  
• Through the forum right here on Steam
  
• Through our Discord Server,
  
• Through Twitter,
  
• By email (info 'at' sqr3lab.com)
  

Again, thank you, and happy subROVing! ⚓ 😁

This patch allows people with ultrawide screens to play the game by disabling a postprocessing effect that was obscuring parts of the interface in the Main Menu, and adjusting the menu's elements to fit the available space.

Note: parts of the main menu still require further work to remove misalignments (dive log)

This is a small update that specifically addresses sponges not showing up in the gallery after being scanned.