subROV News

subROV is participating in June's Next Fest, a multi-day celebration where fans can try out demos, chat with developers, watch livestreams, and learn about upcoming games on Steam.



For this sake we've prepared a demo which will be available for the duration of the Fest (now-jun20th),
and we'll be also livestreaming the game twice during the week, in the two first virtual oceanographic livestreams ever made. Since subROV is a game based on real livestreams, this is a very special event for us.

We'll announce the exact dates for the livestreams later in the week, so keep an eye on this page -now go download the demo, and enjoy subROV! ːsteamhappyː

About the demo

The demo is a build based on the playtest from last February. It has bugfixes and improvements, but we've left new features and content out because it is not a playtest, and we'd rather have you experience as few issues as possible (there are still a couple surprises, though).

It is also important to note that the demo is a slice of a work in progress. The objectives in the dives are offered as loose guidance only, aquatic life is sparse, and the Gallery is very much unfinished. We still hope that you'll enjoy it for what it has to offer.

While or after you play the demo, we also encourage you to send us feedback (any feedback!). We'll take your opinion into consideration and will do our best to improve the game based on it.

You can send us feedback in many ways:

• Straight from the game at any time by pressing F8,
  
• Through our Discord Server,
  
• Through Twitter,
  
• By email (info 'at' sqr3lab.com)
  

Seriously, keep in touch! we'll love to hear from you.

Other things to Keep in mind

• You can stream and record the game, but please let people know that it is a demo and not at all a finished product.
  
• subROV has a manual! Give it a look if you want a full explanation of how the various game systems work.
  

THANK YOU!

We've added a basic experience system to the player profile ːsteamhappyː



You get experience points based on completing each dive's objectives and other additional tasks (e.g. finding and scanning creatures, wrecks, etc). As you accumulate points you will progress through a series of ranks that display nicely on your profile.



At the moment the XP system is cosmetic, but as the game expands we'd like to have unlockable perks when you reach certain thresholds, and we'd also like to tie it with steam's online features.

That's all for now! don't forget to visit us on Discord and stay tuned for more updates.

Thank you!

Jose

We are proud to announce subROV: Jurassic Edition!



subROV: JE is a upcoming expansion for subROV that allows you to travel back in time and explore the depths of Panthalassa, brimming with new dives, creatures, and all sorts of wonders for you to discover!

Remember to visit us on Discord and stay tuned for more updates.

Thank you!










(and Happy April fools day!) ːsteamhappyː

A push core is a device used to obtain samples from the sediment; it's literally pushed into the ground, and with some luck it retains a sample core when released.



Taking sediment samples with the ROV is standard fare during dives (ROVs push the cores with their arms), and we're working to add this activity to the game. So far we've worked on the models and the coring sequence, as shown above.

This is how the corer looks on the Lander. We've also added a milk crate to hold other tools (milk crates are essential for ocean exploration ːsteamhappyː).



That's all for now! don't forget to visit us on Discord and stay tuned for more updates.

Thank you!

The Comatel Explorer now has people on deck!
The first screenshot is from a test, and the second shows how they actually look in game (tiny!)



This is mostly a cosmetic feature; we thought it would be nice to have people wandering around from time to time to give life and a sense of scale to the ship -several people have commented that they only realized how big the ship is when they saw people on it.

Moving forward, we'll be working on gameplay features. We're currently discussing some of them on Discord, so come visit if you'd like to be part of the conversation ːsteamhappyː

Thank you!