When the Aurora explodes, where do all the chunks of debris go? What is inside them? You can now find out. An explorable wreck is now available in Subnautica Early Access!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LJpWHO0SQLY

Use the new Laser Cutter to gain access to blocked off compartments, and discover what useful things were inside the Aurora when it was lost. Look out: Along with epic loot, you might less useful things among the twisted metal. Like creatures trying to eat you...

When the Aurora explodes, where do all the chunks of debris go? What is inside them? You can now find out. An explorable wreck is now available in Subnautica Early Access!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LJpWHO0SQLY

Use the new Laser Cutter to gain access to blocked off compartments, and discover what useful things were inside the Aurora when it was lost. Look out: Along with epic loot, you might less useful things among the twisted metal. Like creatures trying to eat you...

We’ve got some Shocking news – A new update is available for Subnautica Early Access! It’s called ‘Shocking,’ and it will download automatically to your Steam library. Some say that combining amps with seawater is dangerous. We say it’s a recipe for having lots of fun! Fun as in… being electrocuted. By a giant sea snake.

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

Shockers can be found in Koosh Zones and Blood Kelp forests.



That’s right, Blood Kelp forests. These creepy deep-ocean arboretums are as friendly as they look – But they do contain some sweet, juicy blood-sac loot. Good luck in there!



The Seaglide has always felt like it was missing something. Ever since release, the round thingamajig on its dorsal panel looked like a big blue piece of unfinished business. Now, it has been upgraded to realise its true potential! A 3D map of the surrounding sea-floor will appear hovering above your personal water craft.



What is a Seaglide adventure without happy snaps? Find some sweet glowing cave system? Pics or it didn’t happen. Press F11 to take photos in game, and then review and organise them in the new PDA photo gallery.



Photos you take in game can be uploaded to Steam. That’s nice, but sharing photos with real people is nowhere near as good as using them as decorations for your underwater home. The new Picture Frame can be built inside Seabases, and will display images from your PDA photo gallery.



Simon’s sound work is pretty… ‘Sy1k.’ Despite that sy1kness, it is sometimes nice to lower music and sound effect volumes. Until now that hasn’t been possible in Subnautica because Early Access. The Shocking Update brings volume controls to the in-game pause menu!



It’s now possible to review story points inside the PDA. Jump into the new Log section, and hear messages predicting imminent cascading dark matter quantum flux core meltdown disaster explosions!



Constructing that perfect underwater habitat just got a little bit easier: Ladders can now be placed in multiple positions around large compartments.



That’s not all the new goodies in the Shocking Update. There are all sorts of goodies peppered throughout this latest Early Access iteration. For example, new animation sets for the Lifepod and a terrifying new friend lurking in Jellyshroom Caves. To see absolutely everything that went into the Shocking Update, check out the checkin and changes list, and development Trello board. Subscribe to the Subnautica Mailing List to receive a newsletter when the next Subnautica Early Access update is released!

– Hugh

http://store.steampowered.com/app/264710

We’ve got some Shocking news – A new update is available for Subnautica Early Access! It’s called ‘Shocking,’ and it will download automatically to your Steam library. Some say that combining amps with seawater is dangerous. We say it’s a recipe for having lots of fun! Fun as in… being electrocuted. By a giant sea snake.

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

Shockers can be found in Koosh Zones and Blood Kelp forests.



That’s right, Blood Kelp forests. These creepy deep-ocean arboretums are as friendly as they look – But they do contain some sweet, juicy blood-sac loot. Good luck in there!



The Seaglide has always felt like it was missing something. Ever since release, the round thingamajig on its dorsal panel looked like a big blue piece of unfinished business. Now, it has been upgraded to realise its true potential! A 3D map of the surrounding sea-floor will appear hovering above your personal water craft.



What is a Seaglide adventure without happy snaps? Find some sweet glowing cave system? Pics or it didn’t happen. Press F11 to take photos in game, and then review and organise them in the new PDA photo gallery.



Photos you take in game can be uploaded to Steam. That’s nice, but sharing photos with real people is nowhere near as good as using them as decorations for your underwater home. The new Picture Frame can be built inside Seabases, and will display images from your PDA photo gallery.



Simon’s sound work is pretty… ‘Sy1k.’ Despite that sy1kness, it is sometimes nice to lower music and sound effect volumes. Until now that hasn’t been possible in Subnautica because Early Access. The Shocking Update brings volume controls to the in-game pause menu!



It’s now possible to review story points inside the PDA. Jump into the new Log section, and hear messages predicting imminent cascading dark matter quantum flux core meltdown disaster explosions!



Constructing that perfect underwater habitat just got a little bit easier: Ladders can now be placed in multiple positions around large compartments.



That’s not all the new goodies in the Shocking Update. There are all sorts of goodies peppered throughout this latest Early Access iteration. For example, new animation sets for the Lifepod and a terrifying new friend lurking in Jellyshroom Caves. To see absolutely everything that went into the Shocking Update, check out the checkin and changes list, and development Trello board. Subscribe to the Subnautica Mailing List to receive a newsletter when the next Subnautica Early Access update is released!

– Hugh

http://store.steampowered.com/app/264710

Several weeks have passed since the Seamoth Update, and Subnautica development continues at full speed. Major updates are arriving on a roughly monthly basis at the moment. While it will be a few more weeks until the next update, now is a great time to take a peek at some of the sweet underwater gameplay being worked on behind the scenes.

Not everything you read about in this post will make it into Subnautica. Throughout the development process, ideas come and go, concepts are favoured then discarded, and gameplay mechanics iterated upon. Some of what is on show here may end up in an update some time in the next few months, and some might never be seen again!

When playing Subnautica in Survival Mode, managing a supply of fresh water is a big deal. There is not currently a way to produce fresh water on a large scale. This new concept for a water filtration machine could change that:



Along with fresh water, sea-bases might soon be able to serve as production facilities for food. The subsistence of a lone explorer on an alien world is a contemporary theme: Many of us on the team have read the Martian, and will be going to watch the cinema adaptation over the coming weeks. Charlie has been in a super-creative headspace thinking up potential underwater farming gameplay. Here is a concept of what aquaponic facilities might look like in Subnautica:



Why stop at cultivating plants inside a sea-base? Here are some of Cory's notes on what a large sea-base aquarium might look like, capable of containing larger ocean critters:



Scott has been putting together an animation set for a creature called the 'Sea Treader' - A large, tripedal life form that can... poop!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m5o2W4fc0Hs

Artwork for a sinister, unique biome called 'Lost River' is starting to pop up. This concept shows off the vibe, in the centre of which lies a massive alien skeleton:



Lost River could feature new flora and fauna, as variations of existing life-forms.The creature skeleton at the centre of Lost River might end up being so large that a vehicle will fit inside. Here are some notes from Cory on a work-in-progress model of the skull:



The PDA has been receiving some TLC from Slava. A new messaging system will allow the PDA to deliver narrative messages crafted by Tom. It might also be able to display images captured while exploring the ocean. Which is to say, we are basically re-inventing the iPad in waterproof form.



To see more of what is being added, tweaked, and changed in Subnautica go to the production Trello board. Keep up with every individual change by visiting the checkin and changes list. Get notified when a new Subnautica update is available by subscribing to the development mailing list!

- Hugh

http://store.steampowered.com/app/264710/

Several weeks have passed since the Seamoth Update, and Subnautica development continues at full speed. Major updates are arriving on a roughly monthly basis at the moment. While it will be a few more weeks until the next update, now is a great time to take a peek at some of the sweet underwater gameplay being worked on behind the scenes.

Not everything you read about in this post will make it into Subnautica. Throughout the development process, ideas come and go, concepts are favoured then discarded, and gameplay mechanics iterated upon. Some of what is on show here may end up in an update some time in the next few months, and some might never be seen again!

When playing Subnautica in Survival Mode, managing a supply of fresh water is a big deal. There is not currently a way to produce fresh water on a large scale. This new concept for a water filtration machine could change that:



Along with fresh water, sea-bases might soon be able to serve as production facilities for food. The subsistence of a lone explorer on an alien world is a contemporary theme: Many of us on the team have read the Martian, and will be going to watch the cinema adaptation over the coming weeks. Charlie has been in a super-creative headspace thinking up potential underwater farming gameplay. Here is a concept of what aquaponic facilities might look like in Subnautica:



Why stop at cultivating plants inside a sea-base? Here are some of Cory's notes on what a large sea-base aquarium might look like, capable of containing larger ocean critters:



Scott has been putting together an animation set for a creature called the 'Sea Treader' - A large, tripedal life form that can... poop!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m5o2W4fc0Hs

Artwork for a sinister, unique biome called 'Lost River' is starting to pop up. This concept shows off the vibe, in the centre of which lies a massive alien skeleton:



Lost River could feature new flora and fauna, as variations of existing life-forms.The creature skeleton at the centre of Lost River might end up being so large that a vehicle will fit inside. Here are some notes from Cory on a work-in-progress model of the skull:



The PDA has been receiving some TLC from Slava. A new messaging system will allow the PDA to deliver narrative messages crafted by Tom. It might also be able to display images captured while exploring the ocean. Which is to say, we are basically re-inventing the iPad in waterproof form.



To see more of what is being added, tweaked, and changed in Subnautica go to the production Trello board. Keep up with every individual change by visiting the checkin and changes list. Get notified when a new Subnautica update is available by subscribing to the development mailing list!

- Hugh

http://store.steampowered.com/app/264710/

A brand-spanking new Subnautica update has been released: Seamoth! It is available right now on Steam, and will automatically download to your Steam Library if you have Subnautica installed. The best place to see what’s inside is the Seamoth Update page, where you find all sorts of juicy details! Hint: Torpedoes, electromagnetic pulses, armour plating…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Y88Z8KkMfI

The Seamoth Update brings gobs of love to the Seamoth Submersible. Almost everything in the update is centered around making the Seamoth more useful, interesting, and fun to play with. At the heart of all the goodness is the Seamoth upgrade panel, which may be found on the port side of the hull.



This panel facilitates the installation of various new upgrades. For example, Vortex Torpedoes. The Seamoth may now be configured with up to four torpedo tubes, each of which can hold four torpedoes. The ordinance is non-lethal, and designed to trap a dangerous life-form in a vortex of swirling water long enough for our intrepid protagonist to escape, pass, or do whatever needs to be done in the area.



Vortex Torpedoes are effective against lone or closely clustered lifeforms. They’re not much use if your Seamoth is surrounded by predators. Enter the electromagnetic perimeter defense module. Activating this module sends a non-lethal burst of electromagnetic radiation into the surrounding water, scaring off all but the largest ocean predators. Be cautious though, every activation drains the Seamoth battery to a significant degree.



These defensive capabilities will come in handy when exploring deep-ocean cave systems. Finding such cave systems just got a whole lot easier, thanks to the Seamoth Sonar module. This module sends out a sonic pulse, and displays the returned echo as a three dimensional mesh on the Seamoth head-up-display.



The Seamoth is good for getting a diver from place to place. It can now move a diver’s stuff from place to place too! Storage modules may be installed to facilitate the carriage of supplies, equipment, and material.



Also available are hull re-reinforcement, battery expansion, solar array, and armour plating modules. All these modules allow the Seamoth to be configured for a wide variety of different missions. Going cave exploring? Pack food in a storage compartment, sonar, electromagnetic defense, and an extended battery. Searching for resources in an area with lots of hostile creatures? Load torpedoes, and fit empty storage compartments to carry the loot.

It gets better. Seamoths can now be customised using the new Upgrade Console. Install the console in a Moon Pool attachment point, and then use it to modify your Seamoth colour scheme and name.



A fancy, upgraded Seamoth will be a very useful companion for exploring the newly re-worked ‘Jellyshroom’ cave system. This striking network of caverns is teeming with life and exudes eeriness.



There’s so much more to the Seamoth Update than is contained in this post. Check out the Seamoth Update Site to see more goodies like birds, mountain ranges, and some really creepy new caves.

To receive a newsletter when the next Subnautica update is released, sign up to the development mailing list. Keep tabs on what the development team is up to by visiting the production tracker. See every little change we’ve made to Subnautica by visiting the checkin and changes list. Most of the development team is on Twitter, and we are always happy to chat. Find our @handles on the Subnautica dev-team list.

– Hugh

http://store.steampowered.com/app/264710/

A brand-spanking new Subnautica update has been released: Seamoth! It is available right now on Steam, and will automatically download to your Steam Library if you have Subnautica installed. The best place to see what’s inside is the Seamoth Update page, where you find all sorts of juicy details! Hint: Torpedoes, electromagnetic pulses, armour plating…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Y88Z8KkMfI

The Seamoth Update brings gobs of love to the Seamoth Submersible. Almost everything in the update is centered around making the Seamoth more useful, interesting, and fun to play with. At the heart of all the goodness is the Seamoth upgrade panel, which may be found on the port side of the hull.



This panel facilitates the installation of various new upgrades. For example, Vortex Torpedoes. The Seamoth may now be configured with up to four torpedo tubes, each of which can hold four torpedoes. The ordinance is non-lethal, and designed to trap a dangerous life-form in a vortex of swirling water long enough for our intrepid protagonist to escape, pass, or do whatever needs to be done in the area.



Vortex Torpedoes are effective against lone or closely clustered lifeforms. They’re not much use if your Seamoth is surrounded by predators. Enter the electromagnetic perimeter defense module. Activating this module sends a non-lethal burst of electromagnetic radiation into the surrounding water, scaring off all but the largest ocean predators. Be cautious though, every activation drains the Seamoth battery to a significant degree.



These defensive capabilities will come in handy when exploring deep-ocean cave systems. Finding such cave systems just got a whole lot easier, thanks to the Seamoth Sonar module. This module sends out a sonic pulse, and displays the returned echo as a three dimensional mesh on the Seamoth head-up-display.



The Seamoth is good for getting a diver from place to place. It can now move a diver’s stuff from place to place too! Storage modules may be installed to facilitate the carriage of supplies, equipment, and material.



Also available are hull re-reinforcement, battery expansion, solar array, and armour plating modules. All these modules allow the Seamoth to be configured for a wide variety of different missions. Going cave exploring? Pack food in a storage compartment, sonar, electromagnetic defense, and an extended battery. Searching for resources in an area with lots of hostile creatures? Load torpedoes, and fit empty storage compartments to carry the loot.

It gets better. Seamoths can now be customised using the new Upgrade Console. Install the console in a Moon Pool attachment point, and then use it to modify your Seamoth colour scheme and name.



A fancy, upgraded Seamoth will be a very useful companion for exploring the newly re-worked ‘Jellyshroom’ cave system. This striking network of caverns is teeming with life and exudes eeriness.



There’s so much more to the Seamoth Update than is contained in this post. Check out the Seamoth Update Site to see more goodies like birds, mountain ranges, and some really creepy new caves.

To receive a newsletter when the next Subnautica update is released, sign up to the development mailing list. Keep tabs on what the development team is up to by visiting the production tracker. See every little change we’ve made to Subnautica by visiting the checkin and changes list. Most of the development team is on Twitter, and we are always happy to chat. Find our @handles on the Subnautica dev-team list.

– Hugh

http://store.steampowered.com/app/264710/

A new Subnautica update is under construction. It's going to be called 'Seamoth,' and could arrive anywhere between two and four weeks from now (Or more! Always exercise caution when listening to our release time predictions...). Here's a sneak peek at what's coming:

This post is full of Soundcloud, YouTube, Twitter and Instagram embeds that can't be displayed properly on Steam. To see this post in its full glory, head over to the Subnautica Dev Blog



The Seamoth update centres on that eponymous submersible. When the Habitat Update was released earlier this month, the giant Moon Pool gave the Seamoth a home. It kept the Seamoth safe, but that's about it.

A new 'Seamoth Upgrade Console' will expand the utility of the Moon Pool. The console is a modular component that can be installed in any of the six available hardpoints in the Moon Pool. Once built, it will allow a proud Seamoth owner to rename, repaint, and recharge their Seamoth.

Click here to see the Upgrade Console on Sketchfab

That's not the full extend of the Seamoth love. The submersible itself is also being modified extensively. The plan is for an upgrade panel to be placed on the port side of the hull. Here's a concept from Cory:



Note the panel open (on the left) and closed (on the right). Approaching and interacting with the panel will open the PDA, with a Seamoth 'paper doll' visible. The PDA interface will give access to four hardpoints. These hardpoints could be used for storage bays, sensor-torpedoes, or other upgrades. Here's a rough 'grey box' mockup of the system in action:



Using this system, it will be possible to customise the Seamoth for different missions. For example, if travelling into a dark cave system, you may add extra storage space for flares, dive-reels, batteries, and building material for constructing 'camp sites.' Here is another concept, this time for storage modules on the dorsal-hull section:



We've noticed lots of players are using the console to grant infinite resources and build giant seabases, or fleets of Cyclops submarines. Charlie has been working on a new game mode called 'Creative,' that (among other things), removes resource and tech restrictions. When the Seamoth Update is released, you will be able to use Creative mode to build the giant seabases of your dreams without messing with the console. 

Click here to see Charlie's Tweet about Creative Mode

Simon has been creating crazy sounds, as usual. First, listen to this creepy sound for the new 'Biter Fish':

Click here to hear the Biter Fish sound demo

Second, check out his rig: 

For the longest time, entering a sea-base has been a slightly jarring affair. One click and one is transported instantly from ocean to base, or vice versa. Louis has been cooking up a potential intermediary animation, to ease the transition:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wLcsdnx_8xg

Naturally it is impossible to cram the work of every developer into this blog post. This post is, in fact, the tip of the iceberg. To see more of what is being worked on for the Seamoth Update, go to the Subnautica Trello Board. Be notified when the update is released by signing up to the 100% spam-free certified-organic Subnautica Dev Mailing List. We're always looking for your feedback, so please tell us what you think about all this Seamoth Update stuff.

Remember, we are very bad at predicting release dates. Seamoth could arrive next week, in four weeks, somewhere in between, or after the next Pluto Perihelion. We don't know. You can be sure that we are busting gut to get it to you as fast as possible!

- Hugh

http://store.steampowered.com/app/264710

A new Subnautica update is under construction. It's going to be called 'Seamoth,' and could arrive anywhere between two and four weeks from now (Or more! Always exercise caution when listening to our release time predictions...). Here's a sneak peek at what's coming:

This post is full of Soundcloud, YouTube, Twitter and Instagram embeds that can't be displayed properly on Steam. To see this post in its full glory, head over to the Subnautica Dev Blog



The Seamoth update centres on that eponymous submersible. When the Habitat Update was released earlier this month, the giant Moon Pool gave the Seamoth a home. It kept the Seamoth safe, but that's about it.

A new 'Seamoth Upgrade Console' will expand the utility of the Moon Pool. The console is a modular component that can be installed in any of the six available hardpoints in the Moon Pool. Once built, it will allow a proud Seamoth owner to rename, repaint, and recharge their Seamoth.

Click here to see the Upgrade Console on Sketchfab

That's not the full extend of the Seamoth love. The submersible itself is also being modified extensively. The plan is for an upgrade panel to be placed on the port side of the hull. Here's a concept from Cory:



Note the panel open (on the left) and closed (on the right). Approaching and interacting with the panel will open the PDA, with a Seamoth 'paper doll' visible. The PDA interface will give access to four hardpoints. These hardpoints could be used for storage bays, sensor-torpedoes, or other upgrades. Here's a rough 'grey box' mockup of the system in action:



Using this system, it will be possible to customise the Seamoth for different missions. For example, if travelling into a dark cave system, you may add extra storage space for flares, dive-reels, batteries, and building material for constructing 'camp sites.' Here is another concept, this time for storage modules on the dorsal-hull section:



We've noticed lots of players are using the console to grant infinite resources and build giant seabases, or fleets of Cyclops submarines. Charlie has been working on a new game mode called 'Creative,' that (among other things), removes resource and tech restrictions. When the Seamoth Update is released, you will be able to use Creative mode to build the giant seabases of your dreams without messing with the console. 

Click here to see Charlie's Tweet about Creative Mode

Simon has been creating crazy sounds, as usual. First, listen to this creepy sound for the new 'Biter Fish':

Click here to hear the Biter Fish sound demo

Second, check out his rig: 

For the longest time, entering a sea-base has been a slightly jarring affair. One click and one is transported instantly from ocean to base, or vice versa. Louis has been cooking up a potential intermediary animation, to ease the transition:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wLcsdnx_8xg

Naturally it is impossible to cram the work of every developer into this blog post. This post is, in fact, the tip of the iceberg. To see more of what is being worked on for the Seamoth Update, go to the Subnautica Trello Board. Be notified when the update is released by signing up to the 100% spam-free certified-organic Subnautica Dev Mailing List. We're always looking for your feedback, so please tell us what you think about all this Seamoth Update stuff.

Remember, we are very bad at predicting release dates. Seamoth could arrive next week, in four weeks, somewhere in between, or after the next Pluto Perihelion. We don't know. You can be sure that we are busting gut to get it to you as fast as possible!

- Hugh

http://store.steampowered.com/app/264710