When ideas for Subnautica began percolating in Charlie’s head, a few principles came to the fore. One was that Subnautica would not be a game centered around combat, killing or violence. Instead, the game was to encourage exploration, care in interactions with the environment, and the passing of obstacles through other methods than the application of overwhelming force.
Detail of one of the creatures in Lava Zone 2
The scene in Lava Zone 2 is therefore not one of combat. Though the creatures appear threatening, and the player in the bipedal suit appears well equipped to defend themselves, this is a scene of nuanced play. Perhaps these creatures will defend this area, unless distracted by an environmental interaction elsewhere. Perhaps killing them destabilises the food chain of the surrounding biome, causing smaller lifeforms essential to player survival to die out.
Detail of the player suit in Lava Zone 2
The suit itself is quite a different vehicle to those we have presented in concept so far. In early prototypes, we have experimented with this suit as an alternative way of traversing the ocean floor. Perhaps it will be the vehicle of choice for navigating very tight, perilous environments like this lava chasm, where unpredictable currents and forceful lava eruptions could send a submersible crashing into the rock walls.
The environment in Lava Zone 2 also presents us with interesting questions: Are we able to proceduraly generate these kinds of complex geological formations? What proportion will need to be hand made, and how will those portions transition to procedural pieces? To what degree will lava flows add to the environment dynamically? Questions, questions…
Oooh Mech type vehicle? I'm in! Please do not let us down with cockpits, they're so important for immersion. The more I see concept arts, the more I feel hooked to this game! Such in a hurry to see what it will be like in the end :) Did you guys ever play aquaria for bitblot ? A small really great indie game. There are really awesome ideas for environments you could use from the game like Really dark areas, caverns, underwater temples or even a more "fleshy" / Alien environment if you want to include anything like that. The Kelp forest is really the most amazing environment at the moment IMHO.