subROV News

Hello subROVers! This news bit is unusual; the update is small, but the events are significant!

[h3]Game Update[/h3]

This update adds the Chaunacops, a kind of angler fish that regularly shows up in livestreams and always cheers everyone up. It has a unique charm and we're very happy to have it in the game, complete with its characteristic pose on the seafloor and bioluminescent lure. Adding this fish has been a bit of a challenge (even after all the preparatory work we had done on the tripod fish), but we think it's more than worth it.



Related to fish, we've revised their movement code to address edge cases. We've also started an optimization pass to improve the game's performance (it's the tip of the iceberg -see below).

[h3]Developer's blog[/h3]

Hello again! 😁 I'm Jose, the game's developer. Usually I write as 'we' to reflect that there's other people's work in the game, though the studio is "just me". I'm switching to 1st person now because this is a personal note, and I think it will help you understand some of the things I have to explain.

So, without further ado: The game has been awarded a grant from the Spanish Government. The grant will allow me, among other things, to commission artwork and bespoke models, and get a second programmer on board to help with a few important tasks:

• We are already undergoing an optimization pass, and we'll look into upgrading the engine (unity) and several other systems in the weeks ahead.
  
• We'll also revise the save system and we're considering ways to make the mission system more flexible, so it's easier for me to put new dives together, and they're more efficient to handle internally.
  
• We'll research fully procedural dives. I can't promise that there will be procedural dives in the finished item, but now there is time allotted to do a full investigation.
  

Paradoxically, even though there's lots going on, for a while it might look on the surface like the game is not moving forward. This is because I (alone) still have to add all items to the game and design the dives, and currently I'm doing lots of production work (getting the new programmer on board, finding contractors, etc). Also, the revisions listed above are not minor, so it might be not be possible to upload builds while they're underway. In any case, I'll keep you up to date through the forum, or maybe through new developer logs like this one.

By the way, I want to say thanks to everyone who's getting in touch, showing support, sending suggestions, or being vocal about things that don't work or could improve. Everything helps! I entered the game into Early Access precisely because I needed to have these interactions. You truly help me make a better game.

As always, happy subROVving!

[h3]Full Log[/h3]

New Features/Improvements:

• Dives: Added the Chaunacops Fish to the Hawaii, Vents, Humboldt, and Tokelau Dives.
  
• Dives: Revised flocking algorithm to improve behavior when close to the ground.
  
• General: Revised sizes of several background and models' textures for consistency + internal cleanup.
  
• General: Revised ship and TMS light setup for efficiency.
  
• General (internal) removed components that were meant only for editor use in several models.
  

Known Bugs

• Dives: Game sometimes crashes with no warning when entering/exit dive (happens rarely).
  
• Dives: Game crashes on Steam Deck when entering a "second dive".
  
• Dives: TMS ascends on its own when disconnecting TMS with H active, then reconnecting TMS.
  
• Dives: Barrel's dive objectives window does not show sample collection sub-tasks properly when leaving mid-way and re-entering the dive.
  
  

[h3]Get In Touch[/h3]
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,
  
• Through mastodon,
  
• By email (info 'at' sqr3lab.com)
  

[h3]Support subROV[/h3]

If you enjoy subROV and would like to support us, please leave a review. It helps a lot!

Hello subROVers - there's a new fish in town!


[h3]What's New[/h3]

This update adds the tripod fish to the game, in the dive sites where there's enough depth for it to show up (currently: barrels, humboldt, and tokelau).
The tripod fish is a very interesting denizen of the deep. It most characteristic feature is the way in which it stays still against the current, standing on the elongated tips of its pelvic and tail fins, while the pectoral fins are projected upwards, or towards the front, serving as antennae. When swimming, it can either retain this shape, or turn the elongations to the back to acquire a more "traditional" shape.
We've represented all these traits in the game, which has been a bit of a challenge since they're (so far) unique to this fish, but we're happy with the results, and we hope you'll enjoy them, too.

[h3]Moving Forward[/h3]

On the creatures front, we are now working on another iconic fish, the Chaunacops. It is also quite unique, but we believe we've got all the technical challenges already solved precisely thanks to the work we've done on the tripod fish.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3036664212
On the sites/wrecks front, we're still working on the WWII shipwreck. Initially we had planned to focus on the exterior, but we're now modelling several exposed inner spaces using blueprints for reference.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3022593932

Happy subROVving! 😁

[h3]Full Log[/h3]

New Features/Improvements:

• Dives: Added the Tripod Fish to the Barrels, Humboldt, and Tokelau Dives.
  

Bug Fixes:

• Dives: Fish sometimes get stuck in a circle motion pointing towards the seafloor.
  

[h3]Get In Touch[/h3]

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,
  
• Through mastodon,
  
• By email (info 'at' sqr3lab.com)
  

[h3]Support subROV[/h3]

If you enjoy subROV and would like to support us, please leave us a review. It helps a lot!

Hello subROVers!

A few days ago subROV received a compatibility test review for the Steam Deck, with a result of Playable.
This update addresses the issues preventing the game from getting a Recommended status:

• We've replaced the "F8" text in the main menu Feedback button with a suitable icon.
  
• We've replaced the "Gameplay" and "Controls" icons in the Settings menu.
  
• When sending feedback from the Deck, selecting the text window automatically opens an on-screen keyboard.
  
• The Accessibility option to use a Bigger Font in the Dive Chat is now active by default for Deck players.
  

We hope these changes will help us improve the game's review, and the overall experience for Steam Deck users.

Happy SubROVing! 😄

PS. A Playable result is already great news!

This is a small update that fixes two bugs:

• (feedback)General: Game unplayable when updating from old demo versions (due to incompatibilities between versions, the game will reset the save file; we apologize for the inconvenience).
  
• (feedback)General: Characters replaced by a square in computers with system language set to Turkish.
  

Both bugs were first reported through the internal feedback system anonymously, so, whomever you are -thank you!
(PS. if you include your email when you send feedback, we'll follow up).

Hello subROVers! We've updated the game from 0.7.31 to 0.7.35. Let's take a look!



[h3]New Players - Read this[/h3]
Update: July 3rd
We've received a few reports from players that get stuck in the main menu with a dive called "ghost of isakov" that they can't start. In all the cases we could troubleshoot, these are players who downloaded the demo last year and bought the game just now.
If this is your case, we recommend uninstalling the demo and all related files, then restarting the game, or resetting the game (in settings/gameplay). The demo is no longer supported, nor there will be a new demo in the future, so this is the safest way to proceed. (We'll still see if we can do something about it).
If you're stuck in the main menu and don't have the demo installed, please send us an email to info@sqr3lab, and we'll do out best to help.

[h3]What's New[/h3]

This update adds together four updates that we had already uploaded individually to the Beta branch since April. We posted detailed news pieces for every one of these updates when we released them in Beta, so now we'll make a brief recap for each, with links on the version numbers taking you to the individual news items:

• In 0.7.32 we revised the setup of all the seafloor-related creatures. We also added a new cusk eel custom made from NOAA footage.
  

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2954979082

• In 0.7.33 we added another new creature, the Big Fin Squid. We took references from a recent sighting by Schmidt Ocean, and consulted with experts to make what's arguably the most accurate model of this species to date.
  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PYyKuYRTd78

• In 0.7.34 we made a general revision of the dives available, improving their looks and increasing significantly the number of creatures and items on the seafloor.
  

• In 0.7.35 we added a new tool, SOLARIS, built after the real counterpart shown in a recent cruise by Schmidt Ocean, with references and advice provided by the scientists who designed it.
  

We'd like to make a point that we brought the Magnapinna and SOLARIS to the game (in beta) within weeks of them appearing in livestreams. There is an element of opportunity/serendipity that we can't deny, and there are risks involved that we can't always predict (e.g. the time it took to get final approval for SOLARIS), but this approach stresses our commitment to try to bring to the game advanced tools and creatures barely known to science whenever possible.

IMPORTANT - SOLARIS appears in the Tokelau dive, which we've consequently revised. Updating the game to this version should reset the Tokelau dive's objectives and nothing else. We've tested this against profiles from several versions past, but if you see anything strange after the update, please let us know.

[h3]Moving Forward[/h3]

In light of recent events - A Titanic dive has always been in the cards for this game, and internally we had it tentatively planned towards the end of the year. Now, since this is a game of ROV exploration, and ROVs have been at the center of the search and recovery of TItan, we entertained the idea of quickly putting together a "basic" Titanic dive to illustrate, to the extent that this game is capable of, how the search could proceed.
This said, after giving it much thought and consulting with the community in Discord, we've decided not to release any Titanic-related dives now, though we'll keep the original plan to make a Titanic dive around the fall-winter, if possible and non-controversial.

The next big planned milestone, then, is bringing the wreck of the USS Hoel to the game, which we've been teasing for a while, as we indeed started work on it some time ago. Several players suggested making a dive around a WWII wreck when we discussed the Titanic, so we think it's appropriate to do so -we hope that you'll look forward to exploring our biggest wreck yet.



Happy subROVving! (or is it subROVing?) 😁

[h3]Get In Touch[/h3]

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,
  
• Through mastodon,
  
• By email (info 'at' sqr3lab.com)
  

[h3]Support subROV[/h3]

If you enjoy subROV and would like to support us, please leave us a review. It helps a lot!