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Subnautica Living Large Update

Hello Subnauts,

We’re delighted to bring you the long-awaited 2.0 update to Subnautica across all platforms.

This update has been a labor of love for the entire Subnautica team. As you might have seen in some of our previous blog posts, a lot of time has been spent addressing a ton of tech debt and bringing across some improved code from Below Zero.

Our goal was always to bring both Subnautica and Below Zero onto unified versions of Unity, and with today’s update, that goal has been achieved. By doing this, we’ve been able to implement several quality of life features, fix many outstanding bugs, and introduce some performance improvements that were already available in Below Zero.

We’ve also added some base pieces to Subnautica that were previously only available in Below Zero, specifically the Large Room, Glass Dome, and surface hatches. Now you can make your bases even more epic than before!

On top of these changes, we’ve also refactored and optimized our save system, which means it’s now even faster and more reliable to save and retrieve your save.
Other additions include:

  • Adding the TextMeshPro plugin, to improve UI readability and visual quality
  • Adding an ‘Unstuck’ button to the menu to help get you out of some sticky situations
  • Bringing over PDA pause, the ability to disable light flashes, and item bars from Below Zero

As for bug fixes, we’ve closed out over 800 in total, including multiple issues related to base building (server clipping, deconstructing buildings whilst inside them), vehicle navigation and piloting.

If you’re not quite ready to move to the new update, because you’re using mods on your save file or otherwise, you can also roll back to the ‘legacy’ beta on Steam to continue playing. Just head to ‘Properties,’ then ‘Betas,’ and choose ‘legacy’ from the drop down. You should do this before you open your save file to play.

We really hope that all of these changes make your Subnautica experience even better than ever! And as some eagle-eyed fans might have spotted, we might have some more exciting news for you in the new year.

But for now, enjoy, and happy diving!
Unknown Worlds

[h2]PATCH NOTES[/h2]

All Platforms

  • Improved font rendering to increase UI readability and visual quality
  • Adds accessibility features: UI scaling, PDA pause, option to disable light flashes
  • Item bars
  • Adds pinned recipes
  • Adds run mode
  • Improved Air Bladder functionality
  • Adds the Large Room and Glass Dome base pieces from Subnautica: Below Zero
  • Adds Land Hatches from Subnautica: Below Zero
  • Pings are now visible when piloting the Cyclops
  • Save system improvements
  • Improved performance
  • Improved subtitles sync
  • Loading screen improvements
  • Intro skipping improvements
  • Various performance optimizations
  • Improved control mapping, for things like transferring items between inventory and storage
  • Fixed some creatures not spawning properly
  • Fixes for some VFX issues
  • Fixed multiple terrain streaming issues (vehicles/items falling through)
  • Fixed multiple issues related to base-building, vehicles
  • Fixes for many possible photosensitive issues
  • …And many more various bug fixes!


PC

  • Changed how the dev menu is accessed to SHIFT + `
  • Fixed jittery movement on land
  • Less likely to get stuck in Alien Bases while operating the Prawn
  • Added an option to limit FPS
  • Added Cloud Save Support
  • Legacy Steam branch for Mod Integrity
  • Fixed VR frame lag in PDA UI screen movement
  • Fixed a VR issue with player orientation being slanted in some scenarios
  • Fixed Sunbeam countdown timer not showing up in VR
  • Fixed VR Main Menu prompts on selecting and interacting with the menu

Subnautica 3 confirmed - or at least the third Subnautica

Yep, we can now say 'Subnautica 3 confirmed' - unless you're really pedantic, in which case we must say 'the third entry in the Subnautica series is confirmed'. Either way, developer Unknown Worlds has announced that the "next game in the Subnautica universe" is in development, alongside a job listing which reveals a few things about the direction of the upcoming game.


The devs are looking for a senior narrative designer (via our friends at The Loadout) who will "collaborate closely with the team to tell compelling, dramatic stories in the context of the game experience, while also defining the history and lore of a new science fiction world and its alien inhabitants. This person has a unique opportunity to join the team early in development and help establish the narrative direction for a beloved franchise."


Subnautica has always had an unusual emphasis on narrative for a survival game, and it looks like that won't be changing with the next series entry. The listing pushes for someone familiar with "open-world games and the process of developing narrative in the context of an open-ended, player-driven experience," and who has "experience working on live projects or episodic content".


Read the rest of the story...


RELATED LINKS:

The next game from the Subnautica devs isn't Subnautica 3, but it does launch next year

The best Subnautica mods

Subnautica: Below Zero release date set for May

A new Subnautica game is in development




The 2018 sci-fi survival game Subnautica is brilliant, and the 2021 followup, Subnautica: Below Zero, is a worthy successor; both games were also significant commercial successes. In light of that, it should come as no surprise that developer Unknown Worlds has got a new Subnautica game in development...
Read more.

Minor Update B89 Released

This update changes the troubleshooting guide from being hosted on Steam to being hosted on our blog.

Curious about our plans for Subnautica? Read our blog "What's Next for the Subnautica Series?"

Sign up to the Development Newsletter to receive word every time an update is released. You can also:

Happy diving!

- Unknown Worlds

The next game from the Subnautica devs isn't Subnautica 3, but it does launch next year

Subnautica: Below Zero launched out of early access earlier this year, and it seems we don't have much longer to wait before we find out what's next from developer Unknown Worlds. Krafton, the company behind PUBG, has announced its intent to purchase Unknown Worlds, and in a press release has revealed that the studio's next game is due to hit early access next year.


"In addition to ongoing updates for Subnautica and Subnautica: Below Zero, Unknown Worlds is currently working on a new genre-defining game, which is slated to launch into early access in 2022", according to the press release.


In an interview earlier this year, the devs told us that it's likely they'll eventually return to Subnautica, and that such a sequel would be an opportunity for them to "rethink" multiplayer. Even then, though, they made clear that the studio was focused on a brand-new project, and that the focus for now would be on new ideas. (Sorry, Natural Selection fans - that means you're out of luck too.)


Read the rest of the story...


RELATED LINKS:

The best Subnautica mods

Subnautica: Below Zero release date set for May

Subnautica devs want to make a full sequel - and they'll "rethink" multiplayer